Intro to Low-Impact Living

Over the two week break that I had off from school, I found myself feeling bored quite often. I started watching a couple zero-waste videos on YouTube and before I knew it, I was engulfed deep in the world of zero-waste and minimal living. I've always had an interest in learning about how the choices that we make in our day-to-day lives affects the environment. I can go more in depth with another post about the zero waste movement but for now, I just wanted to give you guys a couple tips on how you can start working towards more sustainable living.

Source: One Happy Leaf

1. Say no to excess plastic

Ever since I started doing my research on the zero-waste movement, I've noticed how much single-use plastic we consume regularly. Examples of this include, plastic bags, plastic cutlery, plastic straws, unnecessary packaging, etc.

Every time you're at the store and offered a plastic bag, consider if you actually need it or if you can just carry the items in your hands or put it in your backpack instead.

Whenever you're getting an iced drink from Starbucks or somewhere along those lines, consider asking for a straw-less lid or just take off the lid and sip directly from the cup. If you're willing to go above and beyond, just bring your own reusable cup around with you; by doing so, you can get a small discount off your drink as well as do your part to save the planet.

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2. Go vegetarian/vegan

The difference between the amount of resources that it takes to produce one serving of meat vs. one serving of vegetables is quite notable. Livestock provides only 18% of the calories in our diet but takes up 83% of farmland. Try starting off with a vegan or vegetarian breakfast as every meat-less meal that you eat will have an impact.

Source: Lazy Cat Kitchen

3. Bring your own reusable shopping bags

Whenever you go out, always remind yourself to have an extra reusable tote bag in your backpack or purse just in case you want to pick up something from the store on your way home.

4. Stop buying fast fashion

Fast fashion is one of the biggest polluters on the planet. Instead of buying cheap, trendy clothes that you'll wear only a handful of times, start looking into sustainable clothing companies. Although clothes from sustainable and ethical brands are more expensive, they will definitely last longer than something you get from Forever 21, H&M or Zara.

Source: The Day USA

5. Start thrifting

This goes hand in hand with #4. Instead of going to the mall to buy new clothes all the time, try going to your local thrift store instead. There are always hidden treasures that you can find for a fraction of the price. I know that at my local thrift stores, they frequently have promotions for 50% of [blank] items so you can save money as well as the planet.

By no means am I trying to force my views on anyone else, I just wanted to share what I’ve learnt with you guys. I still have a long way to go but I think that making small changes and being more conscious of my choices is definitely a step in the right direction. This is a new year so if you're looking to add a resolution to your list, make sustainable living one of the items on your agenda. For myself, I've made being more conscious about all my thoughts and choices to be a top priority.

#ZeroWaste #Minimal #Lifestyle