Sustainable Living is a concept of leading a lifestyle in which there is minimum ecological and carbon footprint and considerate use of the resources of this planet. In our fast paced lives it is an uphill task to consciously cut down on our habits of consumption. I often find myself thinking about how can I actively do something for maintaining a sustainable lifestyle.
What I do for sustainable living
I often wonder about how can we live a sustainable life. These are a few things that I try to practice in my life which I feel may count towards sustainable living
Buying Local to promote sustainable living
We buy our groceries, the fruits and vegetables which are all local and seasonal. Most of the vegetables we eat come from the villages and vegetable farms from the outskirts of Kolkata. We try to buy from small vendors rather than from branded retail chains. This helps to support the local farming community which in turn helps in sustaining the local economy. Small farmers who use organic methods create lesser of an environmental impact rather than the large scale industrial scale farming practices.
Buying Less
I buy clothes only when I need them. And I buy good quality clothes rather than cheaper trending ones, as then they last longer. I often find myself wearing my leggings till they get holes in them! And after that I do tend to mend them and wear for a few more days. That is the same with shoes. I have a totally functional wardrobe. Whenever I feel that the number of clothes have increased, I have a semi Marie Kondo moment. And I find myself giving away all the items that don’t strike joy in me! Buying lesser clothes, shoes etc helps the environment by reduction of the byproduct pollutants, wastes, greenhouse gases. Also lesser clothes, means lesser washing which helps to save water.
Saving Water
As far as possible, and whenever possible I try to recycle water. I collect the outlet water from my water filter and use it to water my plants. The water that I use to wash rice and lentils are a wonderful source of nutrients for my plants as well. We wash all our clothes at one go i.e once a week to minimalize use of the washing machine which is a water guzzler.
Gardening
I have a balcony garden which is a source of great joy and happiness for us.
Zinnia blooming in our garden
To feed our plant babies I strictly use natural fertilizers and never use chemical fertilizers. I feel in my small way I may be helping the environment by increasing the green cover of our urban locality.
Avoiding Plastic
In order to reduce our plastic usage, we have switched all our plastic water bottles to glass ones. While we go shopping, I try to carry cloth bags. In unavoidable circumstances, if I am handed a plastic bag, I try to reuse it over and over again. Plastic is still an issue with the vegetable vendors. This issue will take intervention on a public welfare level for the evils of plastic to be eradicated.
Fun Note
On a fun note, there are some factors which naturally helps me cut down on buying too many new clothes or shoes. The incredible rate of inflation and daily rise of petrol prices makes it virtually impossible for me to buy any extra stuff other than the basic necessities! That is automatically helping me cut down on my consumeristic tendencies and maintain austerity in our lifestyle!
These are fantastic methods to help save the planet! I try a few things as well like use of less plastic, less water etc. I have problem Marie Kondo-ing my clothes though! But you are so right in what you mention in your fun note haha.
Thanks for sharing how you do this; inviting sustainability into our lives can be done in so many ways. It’s great to find what works for us and that we can implement easily.
These are fantastic methods to help save the planet! I try a few things as well like use of less plastic, less water etc. I have problem Marie Kondo-ing my clothes though! But you are so right in what you mention in your fun note haha.
These are amazing! I try my best to decrease plastic use! 🙏
Thats one of the most important part of sustainable living..
Yes price rises are making everyone think twice. Great ideas!
Thank you 😊
Thanks for sharing how you do this; inviting sustainability into our lives can be done in so many ways. It’s great to find what works for us and that we can implement easily.
Thanks for reading Molly 🙂