Sustainable lifestyles are pretty rewarding yet full on lifestyles. Not everyone has time or resources to live entirely waste free, or off grid.
So here is a list of the easiest and laziest things I have either given up or consume much less of, that has saved me money and saved some planet (as told by GIFs).
1: Magazines. Full of materialism persuading you to buy more STUFF. They’re expensive, you’re basically paying to buy advertising and to be shown edited images of unrealistic bodies. I save myself money, sanity and the planet some paper and don’t buy magazines. Books on the other hand are my little piece of heaven. Both can be sourced for free from libraries if they're just one thing you can't quit.
2: (Shop bought) Tomatoes & peppers. I don’t really like shop bought tomatoes... that’s because they’re often grown and picked before fully ripe (and yet to be full of nutrients). Out of season tomatoes require a lot of energy to produce and transport. Plus once you’ve tasted the sweet nectar of a home grown tomato, the shop bought hard devil fruit, is well, just that. You really don't have to quit tomatoes if you don't want to. Just eat them in season, locally or even better, grow your own!
3: Lattes: Heaps of milky lattes were starting to show on my waist. Secondly dairy farming is a big polluter, produces a lot of greenhouse gases, requires a lot of land, isn't ethical for the dairy cows and creates a lots of waste! Not to mention is full of cholesterol and calories. Almond lattes are an easy swap, even better are long blacks. By reducing your latte consumption, you're on to a win win.
"Takeaway long blacks in my keep cup thanks!"
4: Fast fashion: Yep. Buying heaps of new cheap clothes is a thing of the paaast. It’s expensive and annoying and I gave that sh*t up long ago now. I think out my clothing purchase and now only buy things I adore, are ethical, and match with the rest of my wardrobe (so I have endless combos).
5: Fruit Juice: Eep. I love fruit juice. But honestly, it's expensive, comes with a big plastic bottle and isn't really that healthy! It's a lot less wasteful just to eat an apple, orange or blend up a whole fruit smoothie. Fruit juice has heaps of sugar minus the good filling part of the whole fruit.
6: Alcohol: Ok so I’m not fully given up this one. But I have gone from a party girl to a one wine a week party pooper. I haven’t got time for hangovers. Alcohol is also a huge driver of a consuming loop.
7: Jewellery: Precious metals and gems require energy to extract and produce a heap of pollution as well as the huge problems with human slave labour and poor working conditions associated with mining. I love vintage jewellery, as it's preowned and means not buying virgin materials but buying quality as apposed to plastic crap from the highstreet. But I also love a minimalist jewellery style, and I rarely wear jewellery!
8: Cereal: Boxed cereal is cardboard CRAP! Full of sugar and very highly processed it's not healthy, it's not nutritious and it comes with a heap of plastic and paper wrapping. It's also very expensive for what it is (a box with no nutritional value). I opt for rolled oats which you can buy in bulk, last longer, are more filling, nutritional, cheaper and can be made into delicious treats i.e. homemade granola or flapjacks!
9. Beef.
Yep this is a pretty big one to be honest. I have probably eaten beef twice in the past 3 years. Both were "freegan" opportunities, in which I saw it as better for the beef not to go to waste.
Beef is a huge driver of climate change, deforestation similarly to dairy farming. Plus beef is not healthy, it's certainly a treat food item that has sneakily (or not so) found its way into everyday diets. I have cut beef back, by replacing with lentils into "beefy" dinners. Once you start cutting it back it gets easier, I promise.
So there you have it. 9 easy squeezy ways to incorporate a little eco-warrior into your everyday, busy life. Because doing a little good is certainly better than nothing.