Living a Sustainable Life

The choices we make as consumers can lead to two options; either to help or to destroy the environment.

Living a sustainable life may be considered by the majority of people to be something difficult and most of all expensive. Making a shift towards a sustainable life especially one step at a time may be easier than expected.. .and interesting too. Buying sustainable products is not a cheap choice to make, but in the long run, it proves to be one worth making.

Businesses have shifted from product-centric <sell the product> to consumer-centric < serve the customer>. Hence, a portion of the economic power has now shifted into the consumers’ hands. With power comes responsibility, hence consumers must make well-educated and responsible decisions.

Starting with the essentials: Food and water. Opting for locally grown food is a more sustainable choice, as transportation emission is eliminated, and usually reaches the consumer in less packaging too. Buying organic fruits and vegetables helps in reducing chemicals that damage our biodiversity, and reduces the risk of environmental pollution and greenhouse emissions. When buying fruit and vegetables it is a great idea to put them in a cotton bag/ and a mash bag rather than opting for the plastic bag which is provided by the supplier. Water filters reduce the number of plastic bottles thrown to waste drastically, so carrying a flask bottle is always better than buying a plastic bottle (even if you recycle it).

Shower gels, shampoos, and conditioners that come in plastic bottles can also be eliminated by using the soap alternative. Soaps require less energy to produce and less water as they are lye and oils based. Another option for those who do not like the texture of the soap is to buy the products mentioned prior (as well as perfume) in refillable bottles.

Other products that can be filled in reusable and refillable bottles are facial products such as wash, toner, moisturizer, and sun protection creams. This refilling procedure is also available for detergents. Consumers must pay attention however to the ideology behind the supply chain. Not all businesses work with a circular economy mindset. Some shops offer refilling options but their own storage may not be refillable itself .. so in the end the jerrycans are thrown to waste anyways.

Each toothbrush is estimated to take 1000 years to decompose and as consumers, an alternative option is the bamboo toothbrush. toothpaste tablets and activated charcoal toothpaste are also great alternatives to traditional toothpaste, in addition, these products are also microplastic free!

When making choices as to what to buy it is important to understand that just because the product’s packaging is recyclable doesn’t mean it is good for the environment. Furthermore, the recycling process takes much more energy, such as energy to be turned into something, energy to break it down, and water to clean it …

Changing mindsets can be challenging especially when the education system has always emphasised the importance of recycling.

Most of the products thrown away can be fixed, hence opting to upcycle things eliminates the need to buy something new. Upcycling and swapping clothes can make a difference, to take a simple example consider the fact that a pair of jeans takes around 7500 liters of water to produce (source United Nations).

The government and the media have a responsibility in saving the environment.

 It is time to stop promoting things that come in plastic packaging because it is profitable.

It is time to stop prioritising business, and start prioritising the environment and promote businesses that strive to provide zero waste supplies!