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Living on the map
Eco-conscious Lifestyles &
what you can learn from them
BETTER 100 PEOPLE DOING SUSTAINABILITY IMPERFECTLY THAN NOT AT ALL. PERFECT OR NOT, IT'S BETTER TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION!
Each and everyone of these green ways of life has something for you to borrow and add a little more of to your everyday life. The slow and easy switch to sustainability can start right here !
Shifting to an eco-conscious lifestyle can feel a little daunting, because it can seem like an extreme change, and let's face it.. we are all very busy.
But there are so many small things that we can borrow from these lifestyles and add to our day without even feeling the weight of change.
These tips and ideas can help you save money, time, feel more empowered, serene and more connected to the beautiful world that surrounds us.
Feeling tempted ? Let's dive in.
HERE YOU WILL FIND TIPS AND IDEAS TO BORROW FROM THESE LIFESTYLES AND ADD TO YOUR EVERY DAY LIFE !
1. ZERO WASTE LIFESTYLE
Zero waste is a movement that came in 2008 after it was used to describe a municipal waste management in California. Bea Johnson, who was living in California decided o apply the principles to her every day life and family, launching with it the now popular lifestyle of Zero Wasting. You can check out her amazing blog, Zero Waste Home.
Today a lot of people aspire to become zero wasters. Although reaching a complete zero is incredibly hard, this lifestyle offers a lot of different ideas and alternatives to our society's biggest issues.
Zero waste aims at not only recycling and reusing what is already here but avoiding to create any more stuff. As our industry is built on supply and demand, consumers have a chance to have a real impact by demanding more ecological products, with less packaging, more recycled and compostable materials, less journey from growing to selling etc.
By coming back to simpler products, buying less by reusing and fixing what breaks, re-learning to make things ourselves, we build a positive impact on the world.
Although we may never reach 100% zero waste, aiming for a low waste lifestyle already has a much needed impact on the world.
EASY TIPS FOR A MORE "ZERO WASTE" LIFE - remember your Rs !
- Refuse as much as you can single use plastic by leaving the house prepared with your own cup, bag and tupperware, for example.
- Reduce the amount of things you buy and maybe invest a little more in good quality, to make sure your purchase lasts as long as possible, avoiding it ending up in a landfill.
- Repurpose what you already have to avoid having to get more unnecessary stuff. For exemple, keeping the jars of cooked beans to reuse for new food, instead of going to buy new jars.
- Recycle what you can't avoid getting, to make sure non of that trash can rot in the sun for the next hundreds of years. Some supermarkets or town hall have special bins for your electronics, batteries, special plastics etc. Knowledge is power my friends !
- Rot (or compost if you will). Composting frees a tone of natural products to rot in closed plastic bags where the absence of fresh air turns it into methane, a gaz more dangerous for our ozone. By returning scraps of food to the ground, you also create the most amazing fertilizer for your plants.
LOUISE HERE !
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I hope this space serves you in your journey to a more mindful and sustainable life !
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2. VEGAN OR VEGETARIAN LIFESTYLE
It is clear that raising animals for meat and derived products such as dairy or eggs is a strain for the planet, but also for humans. Animals require a lot more land, water and resources than vegetables do.. As we have to feed those animals, we end up losing a lot of food, when the supplies we are currently farming for them would suffice to feed the entire human population twice over.
Raising animals for meat also results in creating more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars, planes and other forms of transportation in the world yearly COMBINED.
We have gone vegan close to two years ago now, and although ecology was at the heart of this decision, we had of course, a lot of other points in mind. Since going vegan, we have felt so much better in our bodies, minds and hearts, finding peace in our everyday life, enjoying everything the world has to offer and leading with kindness.
But know that you don't have to switch to a full vegan or vegetarian diet to make a difference. By incorporating more fresh fruits and veg in your diet and sourcing your animal products carefully, you can bring mindfulness into your diet and the world will thank you for it.
OUR LITTLE VEGGIE TIPS :
- Introduce more fruits and veg to your diet, reducing your meat consumption.
- Discover all the ways you can have a full diet with less animal products, maybe trying some vegetarian products or simply educating yourself on veganism.
- Spread the word around you.. Inspire others to reduce or even switch to a plant-based diet themselves. We can change the world, if we all do it together !
3. MINIMALIST LIFESTYLE
Minimalism is in a lot of ways close to zero waste, although it specifically targets what we own. By following the works of Marie Condo, the magic lady who takes care of your things and make you go through your whole house for a big spring clean, minimalism makes you look at what you truly need. Downsizing what you own won't only make you save time to get dressed in the morning, but money as you won't need to buy as much anymore and most importantly, mental space. By letting go of the old, you allow the new to make an entrance.
On a more ecological stand point, owning less means shopping less, which will eventually create less demand and less supply.. See where we are going with this ?
A FEW MINIMALISM POINTERS FOR YOU :
- Regularly go through your books, clothes and other earthly possessions and ask yourself if you really love or have a use for those things. If you don't.. Someone else probably will ! You can give them away or even sell them.
- Before buying something, don't be afraid to do a little bit of research to make sure you get the perfect object for you, that will last a long time and serve your need perfectly. Taking the time to find the right fit helps avoiding to have to buy a lot of extra crap..
- If you don't need it or don't love it, don't get it..You simply can do without it !
4. SELF SUFFICIENCY LIFESTYLE
Self sufficiency has always existed, but is coming back to light as a lot of people are starting to desire more freedom than a desk job with office hours in a big city can offer.
The less you buy, the less money you need.. It's as simple as that !
So more and more people are reinvesting country sides, learning to grow their own food, make their own bread and live a life of fewer necessities.
All of this might be coming from a desire of freedom or from a desire to have less of an impact on the world. By sourcing your own food, for example, you can make sure of it's quality, it's provenance, the way it was grown.. You are in charge.
We could all be a little more self sufficient, without needing to move to a remote place without pizza deliveries, though.
OUR SELF SUFFICIENT IDEAS :
- You can start to grow your own herbs and even low maintenance plants like cherry tomatoes on window sills. If you have a bot more land, you can play around with growing some other veggies and discover the wonder that is growing your own food.
- You can invest in some solar energy, relying a little less on city electricity.
- You can learn to make things yourself form natural ingredients, such as soap or cleaning supplies. Our e-book has the recipe for natural soap that changed our lives !
5. CONSCIOUS CONSUMERISM LIFESTYLE
Conscious consumerism aims at restoring some of the negative aspects that consumerism has on the planet by keeping nature in mind, with every purchase.
For example, eating fair-trade and local products, shopping second-hand, using natural toiletries and cleaning products.
By supporting sustainable farming, eco-friendly ways of making products, companies that respect their employees and treat them fairly etc, this type of consumerism aims at lowering our footprint on the world.
We can all learn something in bringing more consciousness in our shopping carts, not only by shopping less, but by supporting businesses that have our planet at heart.
CONSCIOUS CONSUMERISM IDEAS :
- Try to shop second hand for everything from clothes and books to furniture and high-tech (you can check out Thredup for wonderful clothes options)
- For fresh food, local markets are always better than going to supermarkets (and more fun..) if you don't have a market, you can try smaller shops, or organic ones.
- Shopping fair trade is always nicer, as it makes sure the farmers have been payed properly, and framing techniques are often safer for the world too.
- You can also try to support smaller shops. Buying their products is giving them a chance !
There are a lot of ways for you to make small and manageable changes to your life, and have an impact on the world without completely turning your life around.
We can all shift our perception a little, to include less things, of better quality and ethically sourced, more vegetables and fruits to our diet, empower ourselves by learning how to make our own cleaning products and mend our clothes.
WE ARE ALL CAPABLE OF ALTERING OUR CURRENT REALITY & IT CAN START WITH SOME OF THESE SIMPLE IDEAS !
I'M LOUISE
Thanks for giving this a read ! I'm a writer, photographer & self proclaimed environmental warrior, excited to share solutions, ideas and recipes to bring sustainability into our lives.
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