If you haven’t yet heard, the planet is dying and the sky is falling.

 

Ok, so a little bit of an exaggeration but we do have an issue. Climate change is very much real and a big problem for us, our planet, and future generations.

 

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few years you will have seen a ton of stuff on the TV and internet talking about our need to reduce carbon emissions and live a more eco-friendly life. But what does this actually mean and what can we do as just one person?

 

Leading a more sustainable life is much easier than you think and the actions you take can have a huge impact on the planet. Here are 6 ways to live a more eco-friendly life in 2020. 

 

CONSUME LESS

 

The first step is incredibly easy. If we all consume less then our negative impact on the planet is instantly reduced. Consuming less means there is less demand which reduces production which leads to fewer carbon emissions being emitted. 

 

 In our modern world of excessive consumerism, it is easy to see how our demand for goods has a huge impact on the planet. Buying into fast fashion, eating lots of food, using tons of single-use plastic, and just generally buying a lot of stuff have a negative impact on the environment. 

 

This year, why not try to minimize your spending habits. Try to get more use out of the things you do buy, waste less, eat less, and upcycle anything you don’t need anymore. Remember, not buying something is the most sustainable choice you can make. No more overnight shipping of Amazon goods, things that you can do without or will quickly lose interest in. 

 

Focus on consuming and buying things that are of real value to your life. Limit spending on the things you need, not just anything you want. 

TRAVEL LESS AND TRAVEL SMART

 

 

One of the biggest strains on our planet is the transportation industry. Many of us take multiple holidays every year usually traveling by plane. Airplanes have a massive carbon footprint that would take years for you to offset or would need you to plant hundreds of trees to abate.

 

Some airlines now offer passengers the ability to offset their carbon emissions but again, the most sustainable flight is the one that was never taken. 

 

The most sustainable choice you can make this year when it comes to travel is to not travel at all. Instead, you could explore your local country instead using more sustainable modes of transport like train, bus or car. 

 

Take a road trip. How much do you really know about your home country? Have you explored all the regions? Met people from the other coast? It’s a chance to reconnect with your own country and culture.

 

If you must travel this year then try to make more of an effort to travel sustainably. Avoid using single-use plastic and taking unnecessary transport. Find smarter ways to move around that reduce your carbon emissions. Instead of renting out a car for just two people, get others to join you and share the rental.

EAT MORE VEGGIES

No doubt you have heard about the vegan movement, it is pretty much everywhere you go at the moment. While you may not agree with their point of view on eating animals, we can’t deny their argument about the environment. 

 

Animal products are massively resource-intensive and come with the highest carbon footprint of all foods. Now, we’re not saying you have to give up your burgers or bacon but you could make a huge difference this year by simply cutting back. 

 

After all, humans didn’t evolve eating meat three times a day. We have always thrived on a mostly plant-based diet. Not only is this way of eating better for the planet but you may even start to see some improvements to your health also.

USE SUSTAINABLE AND ZERO WASTE PRODUCTS

Single-use plastic is a plague upon our world. Leading scientists and their research are discovering the horrific effects of our plastic addiction. Most disposable plastics takes up to 500 years to decompose meaning that all the plastic thrown out is sat in landfill or clogging up our waterways and floating around oceans.

 

In the USA alone, people use 500 million plastic straws a year. All of which are used for about 5-10 minutes and then sit in a landfill for 500 years. There is a solution though. Zero-waste products are useful reusable products that eliminate the need for plastic. 

 

You can now buy reusable bags, bamboo or metal straws, reusable coffee mugs for your Starbucks, and reusable water bottles. Single-use plastic is such an easy product to eliminate from our lives. It just needs an initial investment into a zero-waste product.

 

Help the planet significantly this year by avoiding single-use plastic. 

 

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, AND UPCYCLE

 

 

Many of us are far too keen to throw away everything into general waste and allow it to fill up our local landfill. There are other ways of disposing of waste that is much more beneficial to our environment. 

 

Reducing waste is the most effective. Buying less, using less, and disposing of waste sustainably has the biggest impacts. Food and paper waste, for example, can be thrown into a composter in your garden where it can naturally decompose and be reused as fertilizer for your garden. 

 

Reusing your stuff is also helpful. Before throwing anything out consider whether it could be reused for another purpose. For example, a shoebox can easily be reused as storage inside your cupboards.

 

Recycling should now be common practice for us all but it is not. Most developed countries now offer a number of ways to recycle your waste. Take full advantage and make sure your waste can be reused again in the near future.

 

Finally, upcycling is an ingenious way of reusing old things. For example, old pallets can be transformed into sofas, beds, chairs, and even vertical gardens. It’s also a great excuse to get out your Makita xfd10r and do some DIY in the garden. 

BUY FROM ETHICAL BRANDS

 

 

Unfortunately, the majority of companies and brands out there don’t care too much about our environment. In a bid to constantly reduce prices, speed up production and boost profits, the resulting damage to the environment is ignored. 

 

You may think you are powerless to big corporations and their operations. This is simply not true. Every time you purchase a good from a company you are taking a vote. If you buy from an unethical company you are supporting damage to the environment. If you buy from an ethical company you are voting for a better world. 

 

Ethical companies do their best to limit their damage to the environment by using more sustainable practices in their supply chain. They also use eco-materials that are less resource-intensive and emit fewer carbon emissions. They use packaging that is biodegradable. They even make sure their products are not the result of child labor or unfair worker environments such as sweatshops.

 

There is no reason we shouldn’t all be buying from ethical brands where possible. Look out for goods that are certified by ethical standards such as Fairtrade, USDA organic, Rainforest Alliance, Sustainable Restaurant Association, FSC, and EU organic. Also check if they follow the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals! 

 

Thanks for reading and y’all stay dandy.

-Diego

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