Elizabeth Symington shares some tips for how you can live more sustainably. 

Sustainable living is incredibly important and involves making choices about how we live that care for the environment, our futures and maintain our resources.

With climate change and global warming affecting our planet in such drastic ways, we should all be doing anything we possibly can to help the environment and reduce the effect we are having.

Wear Sustainable Clothing

It takes approximately 3700 litres of water to produce one pair of jeans. What it takes to make our clothing is something we don’t often think about– so many natural resources go into what you are wearing right now. You should wear your clothes until there is no life left in them or donate them to charities when you are done with them so they can have a second life. When buying new clothes you should visit a charity or Op shop to buy used items and save resources or you could choose brands that produce their clothes sustainably.

Say Goodbye to Single-Use Plastics

Did you know that 40% of our ocean’s surfaces are comprised of plastic?

Invest in some reusable items. Like shopping bags, bamboo or metal straws and reusable water bottles and coffee cups. You should also avoid buying food or items with overly large amounts of plastic packaging and say no to putting fresh produce in the plastic bags that supermarkets provide, buy some reusable produce bags or take the fruit and vegetables home as-is and give them a wash before eating.

Become a Plant Parent

Looking after plants is an easy way to give back to the planet and help with the dwindling plant population. There are so many plants that are easy to look after, even if you are prone to killing all the plants you touch. Cacti, herbs and succulents are among others are great for indoor spaces. If you have the money and space grow your own fruits and vegetables, it’ll save you money on your grocery bills and you would be able to sustain yourself if a zombie apocalypse ever occurs.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

This step is simple: reduce your waste, reuse anything you possibly can and recycle items that still have life left in them. Over 60% of the items that end up in the bin are recyclable. If you don’t recycle items, like glass, they end up in landfill and never break down. Make yourself aware of what materials are recyclable and make changes to reduce your waste and reuse items where possible.

Feature Image: Paolo Catalang via Unsplash.com