Start Living Sustainably: 5 Habits to Adopt

Saving the planet is a daunting task. Perhaps the idea seems too intimidating, or perhaps you simply don’t know where to start. The truth is you do not need to become an environmentalist or activist to help the planet. Switching up small parts of your day-to-day routine is all it takes to start living a more sustainable life. Below are five lifestyle changes that will kick-start your sustainability journey.

Participate in “Meatless Monday”

Founded in 2003, Meatless Monday is a movement encouraging people to cut meat out of their diet once a week to benefit the planet’s health (and one’s own health). Meat production is responsible for high levels of greenhouse gas emissions. By simply passing on meat once a week, you can “reduce your carbon footprint by 8 pounds each Meatless Monday you participate in.”

Learn how to properly recycle

Making the decision to recycle is an important first step in living more sustainably. An equally important step, however, is learning how to properly recycle. For example, all food must be washed off items prior to recycling. Learning how to properly recycle also includes looking up

your town’s recycling policy to understand which items can be recycled. The image above, for example, breaks down the recycling policy of Beacon, New York.

Say farewell to bottled water

One simple switch you can make that makes a world of difference is ditching single-use plastic water bottles and investing in a reusable bottle instead. A shocking 15 million metric tons of plastic make their way into the ocean every year. Exclusively using a reusable water bottle cuts down on plastic waste.

Shop second-hand

Your shopping habits also affect the planet. You can instantly make your shopping routine more sustainable by choosing to buy second-hand. Buying used clothing keeps those clothes from ending up in landfills and incinerators. In addition, the fashion industry is a big culprit when it comes to pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, so buying second-hand is an easy way to avoid supporting harmful fast fashion production practices.

Give a hoot- don’t pollute!

As kids, we are taught that littering is bad. For some reason, this mindset doesn’t always follow us into adulthood. Taking care of your garbage is essential when it comes to living sustainably. Littering contributes to garbage ending up in our rivers, oceans, forests, you name it! Make properly disposing of your trash a priority.

The more steps you take to help the planet, the better, but incorporating these five habits into your daily life is a good place to start.