10 Ways To Be Sustainable In Everyday Life

Even the smallest changes to your lifestyle can have a great impact on the planet. These 10 simple lifestyle changes will have you living a more sustainable life in no time.

Introduction

The best ways to be sustainable aren’t necessarily the methods that involve spending money, making big commitments, or engaging in controversial activism. Instead, knowing a few small sustainable hacks on how to lead an everyday sustainable lifestyle can make the biggest differences to your carbon footprint. So here we have it – 10 ways to be sustainable in everyday life!

1. Wave Goodbye to Your Tumble Dryer

One of the best ways to be sustainable is to take a look at where you can reduce your energy consumption. 

Throughout the year, running your tumble dryer makes up 6% of your home’s energy bill. So a sustainable hack for cutting your energy bill (and consumption) would be to ditch the tumble dryer or figure out ways to reduce the amount that you use your dryer. If your machine is clever enough, set it to a moisture sensor stop – where it will stop as soon as the clothes are dry, rather than continuing to run for a fixed time. 

If the sun is shining, hang your clothes out on the washing line to dry. And if you don’t have the privilege of a garden, buy a clothes horse or drying rack to keep inside your home. Not only does this reduce energy, but it increases the lifespan of your clothes. That’s technically two ways to be sustainable in everyday life (improving the lifespan of clothes and reducing energy consumption) for the price of one. Plus – no chances of an accidental shrinkage!

2. Eat Less Meat

The United Nations estimates that 14% of all man-made greenhouse gases come from livestock. Beef and cattle farming are responsible for the most CO2 emissions, with pigs and buffalos trailing closely behind. The most recent IPCC report, released in April of 2022, mentions that a plant-based diet is a promising way for the planet to reduce its total greenhouse gas emissions. Plus, you don’t necessarily have to be a die-hard vegan to make your diet one of the ways to be sustainable in everyday life. Simply reducing the amount of red meat and dairy that you consume decreases the strain on cattle farming, lowering your carbon footprint one beef burger at a time…

3. All Aboard The Public Bus – or Share a Ride!

Transport accounts for one fifth of the world’s carbon emissions. One of the ways to be sustainable in everyday life is to, of course, cut down on commuting where possible. But cycling or walking isn’t necessarily an option for everyone, so the next best sustainable hack is to ditch the car (or private jet) and use the public transport available. Or if that’s too inconvenient – what about a car share? Catching a ride with a colleague rather than driving separately halves the emissions that you produce – and the costs of fuel.

4. Grow Your Own Food

Growing some of your own food – whether it’s a garden, a greenhouse, or local allotment – is one of the best ways to be sustainable in everyday life. People can understand the carbon emissions for their own transport – but often forget that carbon emissions are also generated by the transportation of your food. It’s estimated that a little under 4% of our greenhouse gas emissions come from transporting food. 

So – here comes the sustainable hack – cut the transport costs by growing your own, starting with a seed or a small plant. No yard or balcony? No problem! Many plants will grow inside. If you’re looking for an easy starter plant, consider a herb like basil, or something simple, like cress. Every little decision will get you thinking more about where your food comes from, and how you can be more local with your diet – and every seed sown is a step to a more sustainable lifestyle.

5. Invest in Compost

There are so many options when it comes to composting. For those with a back garden, consider one of the many different types of outdoor composters. If you live in a smaller apartment space that doesn’t include an outdoor area, check out a countertop composter like Lomi or Vitamix FoodCycler. Or, see if there’s a compost service in your area, which will help support green jobs and green job training in your community. 

Investing in compost can make a big impact on your household’s carbon footprint, and composting is a unique way to address climate change. You’re not only diverting waste from landfills, but the compost that is created is put back into the earth and sequester carbon from the air. The nutrient-rich compost mixture also supports plant life.

So, figuring out a way to compost your organic materials is a win-win, and one of the easiest ways to be sustainable in everyday life!

6. Pick 1 or 2 Single-Use Items to Swap Out

Have you reached the end of your q-tips? Or, maybe you’re using non-biodegradable face wipes? Perhaps you’re a coffee-lover, and can’t help but swing by your local cafe during your commute to work?

All three of the products we just mentioned have sustainable alternatives that last for multiple uses. While we do need radical climate action, purchasing one sustainable item each time you run out of your single-use backstock is a good opportunity to gradually make your house eco-friendly and adopt more ways to be sustainable in everyday life.

7. Bring Your Own Bags

Before the government introduced a charge for plastic carrier bags in the UK, in 2014, over 7.6 billion single-use carrier bags were given to customers by major supermarkets in England. That’s approximately 140 bags per person, the equivalent of about 61,000 tonnes of plastic in total.

Since the introduction of the charge for plastic carrier bags, the number of bags used has gone down by more than 95% in England. A total of nearly £180m has also been raised for good causes from the revenue collected. Remembering your Bag for Life is one of the best ways to be sustainable in everyday life.

8. Support Businesses That Protect The Planet

With all the sustainable hacks in the world – it is still going to take a unified effort for us to reduce the impacts of global warming. One of the ways to be sustainable in everyday life without planting seeds or changing your diet is to invest in the businesses that are making the changes for you. Every single one of One Tribe’s partners are making a conscious effort to capture carbon and stabilise the Earth’s atmosphere. 

Whether it’s buying your coffee at Skull Crusher, or your shoes at Walk London, or your bed linen at My Panda Life, or your skincare at Mother Nature Organics… shopping with sustainable brands who are committed to projects like rainforest protection is a foolproof way to be sustainable in everyday life.

9. Avoid Plastic

Two simple little worlds could radically change our planet: avoid plastic. Plastic is made out offinite materials like coal, natural gas, salt and crude oil through a polymerisation or polycondensation process. And, no matter what anyone tells you, it’s not very recyclable – only 9% of all plastic ends up being recycled into something new. At the end of its life, it breaks down into something called microplastic, which are tiny plastic particles. From human blood to whale stomachs to the top of Mount Everest, microplastics can pollute anything and everything. So, do everyone a favour and pick a can instead of a bottle, or invest in reusables that are not thrown away and break down. Being aware of single-use plastics, and how to avoid them, is a great way to be sustainable in everyday life.

10. Keep Learning

We know that making sustainable choices in your life can sometimes be impractical. Start small, and work your way up to the bigger changes. Along the way, be sure to seek out opportunities to learn more about sustainable practices, sustainable hacks, and ways to be sustainable in everyday life that you might not have even considered before. 

To stay in the loop about everything sustainable and climate-conscious, follow accounts like One Tribe or Earthrise on social media, and make your socials a source of sustainable knowledge daily.

Summary

Living sustainably should be made a part of our everyday lives. By implementing more eco-conscious practices into our routines, we can start tackling the climate crisis.

One Tribe is a B-Corp certified business that helps brands reduce their carbon footprint and protect the environment. For more information on how you can live a sustainable lifestyle, visit our Blog Page for more articles.