Introduction
Do you want to become more sustainable in 2023? Here I. a great place to start with 5 ways you can be more environmentally conscious with your lifestyle decisions. In this article we cover Thrifting, Reducing plastic use. food labels, eco-friendly transport options and eating more plant-based alternatives.
Start Thrifting
An amazing way to have a more sustainable lifestyle is to start buying second-hand clothes! We have a huge culture of fast fashion and buying new clothes regularly for the sake of it. This, unfortunately, has a variety of different impacts on the environment, such as:
- The process of manufacturing clothes is highly Water Intensive
- Produces a lot of Microplastics as brands use many synthetic fibres, for example, polyester, nylon and acrylic. According to the IUCN, it’s estimated that 31% of the microplastics in the ocean are from these synthetic fibres.
- Materials like Leather are highly water and land intensive when you consider the time, crops grown for the purpose of feeding these cows and land required for the crop growth and animal rearing
There are many websites and apps such as Thrifted, Depop, Re-fashion, and Vinted that high-quality second-hand clothes!
Just because they have had a previous owner, doesn’t mean they are less valuable! A lot of second-hand clothes have been worn once or twice some not at all. The websites linked above quality control their products, so you won’t have to worry about buying clothes in poor condition.
Reduce Your Plastic Use
Reducing your plastic use is a great way to act more sustainably in 2023. There are many ways you can reduce your use of plastic with simple swaps, such as:
- Swapping your shampoo bottles for shampoo bars
- Swapping toothpaste tubes for toothpaste tablets
- Swapping your disposable plastic toothbrush for a bamboo toothbrush or electric toothbrush
- Avoiding food products wrapped in plastic, or look for ones with less plastic packaging
- Swap Cling film/Saran wrap for beeswax wraps!
- Metal Straws!
Interested in making some swaps? I’ve linked some recommendations above.
Watch out for food labels!
Another way to act more sustainably is to reduce your food wastage! An easy way to do this is by knowing your food labels
Use-by date – Relates to food safety
Best before date – Relates to food quality
Move your food that is approaching its use-by date to the front of your fridge, so you can prioritise what needs to be eaten next. This can relieve you of decision-making time, and save you money, whilst acting in a more sustainable way.
Drive less or Drive Green
Reducing the amount you drive is also a great way to live an environmentally sustainable life, as you can opt for walking, cycling and public transport instead.
However, this is an idealistic approach because not many people have the privilege of living close to shops, their workplaces or even their friend’s/families’ houses!
Maybe, this could be the time to look into getting a Hybrid car or electric car, if you have the means to do so, of course!
We are currently living through difficult economic times, so do whatever you can that is both practical and sustainable in your day-to-day life.
Eat More Plant-Based
Around 12% of global greenhouse gas production is due to the raising of animal livestock. Eating less meat and eating more plant-based foods, is a great opportunity for you to experiment with the different kinds of foods available in the market. Even if it’s once or twice a week! This will add up over time helping to reduce your carbon footprint.
There is a wide range of protein-dense plant-based foods out there ranging from
Whole food alternatives to meat:
- Tofu
- Tempeh
- Beans
- Lentils
- Seitan
- Chickpeas
- Oats
- Nuts
There are also a wide variety of “fake meat” alternatives available in major supermarkets, such as Tesco, M&S, and Sainsbury’s.
Everything meat replacement a meat lover can dream of has a fake meat alternative, from Plant-based bacon, plant-based burgers, plant-based cheese, plant-based kebab meat, plant-based butter etc…
Summary
So, if you are planning on being your best, sustainable self this year. There are a few ways you can start today!
For example, start thrifting/buying second-hand clothes, reducing your use of plastic, watching out for food labels, driving less or driving green and eating more plant-based foods! These are all great ways to start your sustainable journey.
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