‘Tis the season of ambitious resolutions and new habits – and hopefully living more sustainably is right at the top of these lists for many people.
My optimistic self says that many people honestly start out with the best intentions but then are a little sidetracked by the seemingly sheer magnitude of the tasks before them or the actual concrete steps they need to take.
/My cynical self says the system is broken and people are not willing to make the effort even if it means losing Earth as we know it. But for now, I’ll let the innocent optimism of a new year overrule my darker thoughts./
I know I’ve definitely been at that place before. Take sustainable fashion. Everyone who practices a sustainable lifestyle will tell you that saying no to fast fashion and buying secondhand and/or ethical brands is a crucial step we all must take.
But a few years ago, I had no idea where to start. I didn’t know any ethical brands. There weren’t as many ethical brands. My secondhand shopping experiences involved not-too-attractive secondhand shops that smelled funny all the time. I had no idea you could buy quality secondhand items online.
It took me years to perfect my system, find a few ethical brands I loved and familiarize myself with vintage shopping.
So, hopefully, the list below will cut down on the research time for some of you and you find a few useful action items you can start with immediately.
I call them micro-actions because they are truly simple. I didn’t want to include costly tasks like buying solar panels or upgrading all your current equipment to the newest energy-efficient ones (though if you can, by all means, go for it). I didn’t include things that may seem too daunting – like going vegan from tomorrow.
Everything great starts with one tiny step.
But we must take that tiny step – no more excuses.
Fashion & shopping
- Find 5 sustainable clothing brands whose aesthetic you like and that are in your price range. The Good on You directory is a good starting point. And, of course – self-promo break – follow me on Instagram where I frequently share my favorite sustainable finds.
- Find at least 5 vintage shops you love (online and offline). To start, here are some curated online vintage shops I frequently check out and beginner tips on how to shop for secondhand designer items on Vestiaire.
- At the beginning of each season, spend some time and put together 10 outfits you really love from clothes you already own. Then you have fallback outfit ideas to successfully avoid the “I have nothing to wear – gotta buy something new” first-world crises.
- Unsubscribe from all/most brand newsletters – especially the ones that send you daily shopping prompts.
- Set one shopping intention you’ll stick to no matter what. It can be anything from not buying synthetic materials (that will kinda eliminate 80% of fast fashion clothes) through not shipping from another continent to only buying vintage this year.
Beauty
- Switch to soap bars from plastic packaged shower gels. This is one of the simplest zero waste beauty switches ever. You can try a shampoo bar as well, my favorite is this Rowse product.
- Forget makeup wipes forever. They are bad for the skin and totally wasteful. Buy some reusable cotton facial towels and reusable cotton pads.
- Make a list of cruelty-free and sustainable beauty brands and buy from them. A few to start with: Rowse, Typology, Haeckels, Aromatica, Ilia, rms, Medik8, Axiology, Weleda, Tata Harper, Merit, Manasi 7, Madara, Kjaer Weiss.
- Declutter and simplify your beauty routine with these tips.
Food & eating
- What’s in season depends on where you live, so google and save your local seasonal fruit and produce calendar to shop accordingly.
- Switching to a plant-based diet is one of the most important things we can do for the environment. Designate a meal type, like breakfast or two days a week that’s going to be vegetarian, and then collect 10-15 recipes to start with. You can find great vegetarian/vegan recipes on Sprouted Kitchen, The Minimalist Vegan, Cookie + Kate, Naturally Ella.
- Cut down on food waste by making weekly shopping lists and keeping the oldest food items at eye level in your fridge. More zero food waste tips here.
- Designate three things you’re going to make at home instead of buying pre-packaged, like granola, jam, syrup, cookies, oatmeal, chutney, sauces, bread, tortilla, hummus, guacamole, pesto, pickles, juices, popsicles, bread, etc.
- Can your own vegetables.
- Switch to loose leaf tea from tea bags. Here’s why.
- Make a list of the farmers’ markets and specialty stores in your area or local organic farmers’ product delivery services and start using /visiting them. Support your local food producers instead of the Tesco executives.
Home
- Change all your lighting bulbs to energy-saving LED bulbs.
- If you have the space, buy a laundry rack or drying line and don’t use the dryer. It’s not particularly good for clothes and uses a ton of energy.
- Switch to eco-friendly detergent.
- Wash your clothes in cold water.
- Switch to toilet papers and tissues made from recycled paper.
- Start using rags instead of paper towels.
- Switch to rechargeable batteries.
- Switch to e-bills.
- Turn off the lights when you leave the room.
- Stop using the air conditioner in rooms you’re not in. Also, don’t use the AC at all for at least 2-3 hours a day – shade the rooms in the morning. The AC is horribly bad for the environment and contributes to the creation of urban heat islands by releasing heat into the air.
Low waste & minimal lifestyle
- Do a personal waste audit – collect your trash for a week and then go through it to understand your waste habits – what you’re throwing away the most, where you can make a low waste switch, etc. Here’s a helpful guide.
- Create your own everyday zero waste kit tailored to your personal lifestyle. Mine includes a reusable coffee cup/water bottle/bag/cotton pads, period pants, and a compostable loofah wash sponge.
- Keep a few extra bags in your purse/car/next to the door so you don’t forget them.
- Find a method of composting household food waste. Everyone should do this. You can do it in your garden, take your compostable trash to a community compost site or use the Sharewaste app to see who will take compost from you in the neighborhood.
- Try the scarf-wrapping method for gifts instead of buying wrapping paper.
- Switch to beeswax wraps from plastic wrap.
- Most people recycle incorrectly. Find your local recycling guide (it changes from place to place), print it, and keep it near your trash can to avoid wishcycling (guessing where things go and hoping for the best).
- Visit a zero waste bulk store to see how they work and how/what you can shop there.
- Take a weekend to declutter your wardrobe – here’s what to do with the decluttered clothes.
Travel
- Buy a bike. And then use it.
- If you travel by plane, offset your carbon footprint.
- Fill up your public transport card.
- Designate at least 1 or 2 places where you’ll always walk/bike/take the public transport to instead of driving. Practice the 15-minutes city concept.
Nature & greenery
- Fill your home and balcony with plants.
- Start growing microgreens or even simple vegetables at home.
- Go on a hike and collect the trash you see out in nature.
- Put a bin in the shower or outside and collect excess water/rainwater to use on your plants.
- Create a bee-friendly garden.
Information & Activism
- Be informed – read 3 books on sustainability, subscribe to one of these podcasts, or follow these environmental activists/organizations.
- Sign up to a local environmental organization’s newsletter (either a local organization or a local chapter of a big organization like Greenpeace) to get notifications about local environmental actions, petitions, protests.
- Read the environmental plans of politicians before an election.
- Pick an organization you like and volunteer with them.
- Find 5 great environmental initiatives this year, like clothing swaps, markets, community gardens, trash collecting, planting, repair shops, etc in your city and participate.
- Vote.
