Suppose that you do not know how to start a sustainable lifestyle and to include eco-friendly habits into your daily life or maybe you just feel overwhelmed about it – so you ignore/procrastinate taking the first step. Sounds familiar, right? In that case, this article is absolutely for you.
You probably heard a lot about following a ‘Sustainable Lifestyle’ and that including some ‘e
Eco-friendly Habits’ in your daily life might help the environment. Nowadays, many people are still not convinced that the small everyday habits of using eco-friendly alternatives will change the world for a better place. Most people still can not relate the significant effect of sustainable practices on climate change action and reducing global warming! Let me start by telling you that being an ‘Eco-conscious Person’ is much more straightforward and accessible than you think it is. At the end of this article, you will know how to start and I am sure you will be motivated enough to do it.
“It’s only one straw,” said 8 billion people. – Unknown
How It All Started
Let me give you a glimpse about what made me shift my mindset from someone who was not convinced that “It all starts with one person, one act and one step at a time” to someone who truly believes in this. Besides studying environmental Architecture, which made me understand more about sustainability on a bigger scale, I always look up to nature. I love the ‘Biophilia’ concept, which is the feeling of being connected with nature. This made me observe the changes happening in our environment from the increasing rate of pollution, the noticeable changes in the temperature from summer to winter – even noticing people’s behavior towards nature/the environment; the constant use of plastic, casually throwing rubbish in the street and many more.
Instead of wondering why these changes are happening to the environment and blaming society for ignoring our harmful acts, I decided to look for what I can do as an individual to start acting positively and do some daily eco-friendly actions.
“To do good, you actually have to do something.” – Yvon Chouinard.
Small Steps to Start
I started with the small yet easy and accessible things to help our environment – It is all about the simple steps:
1 – Take a reusable bag
2 – Bring a reusable cup
3 – Carry a reusable water bottle
4 – Carry a reusable utensils cutlery set and a lunchbox
5 – Avoid the use of plastic whenever possible/while shopping; I always try to search for eco-friendly alternatives
6 – Buy second hand
7 – Buy local products
8 – Since Covid Started, I have used a reusable mask
9 – Whenever possible, I try to reduce, reuse and recycle
10 – Avoid buying things I don’t need
“The most environmentally friendly product is the one you didn’t buy.” – Joshua Becker.
Call to Take Action – Imperfect Environmentalist
After this humble experience and my ‘in the making’ sustainable journey, I can say that sustainability is about making small positive changes. It is about your decisions. They should not be the most eco-friendly. However, they are always the best you can do with your current environment and available resources. So I am proudly saying that I am trying to enhance my journey by being an imperfect environmentalist, trying to live as consciously as possible. I hope everyone takes a step forward, thinks of making any small change and inspires others to do so – Let’s all be imperfect environmentalists!
“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.” – Anne Marie Bonneau.