Despite denial and weak action in some quarters, the impacts of climate change keep increasing, threatening livelihoods and communities across the globe. The impacts of climate change are felt most around the global hotspots, which include Sub-Saharan Africa.
With very limited information about climate change and resilience strategy, it feels like we could be more successful in the face of these adversities. However, through sustainable living (even as individuals), we can play our part in making the earth more liveable for us and future generations.
What is sustainable living?
The meaning is in the name, and it is the lifestyle and philosophy that focuses on the choices and behaviours of living within our means to encourage human and environmental health.
“If it can’t be reduced, reused, repaired, rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold, recycled, or composted, then it should be restricted, designed, or removed from production.”
~ Pete Seeger
There are no complex rules to living sustainably as there are different ways to look at it and live sustainably. Here are some easy yet impactful ideas on living sustainably:
Grow Your Garden
This might seem like it is hard and impossible. Still, you do not need much to grow a garden, just a little space and the will is enough, and you do not have to grow everything you eat; you can just pick a vegetable out of your diet and grow it yourself, and by doing this, you are not only growing your food (which is excellent), but you are also offsetting the carbon emission so you can not go wrong with having a little tomato or watermelon garden.
Practice Minimalism
Many people are against this because they believe it makes them look cheap, but that is not the case; being a minimalist means you are putting your resources to their optimum use, and the ones you are not currently using are appropriately kept. Minimalist practice is easy. It just means you recycle more and use less. This means that you do not need to put on your light bulb during the day when the sun is shining into your room, you do not leave the tap running while you are not using it, and putting your leftover foods in the fridge for future use e.t.c the list is endless.
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle
Reduce your need to buy new products all the time and learn to reuse the ones you already have. If there is less waste, then there is less to recycle. You can repurpose used materials for new things, e.g., reuse plastic bottles for storing food grains and growing flowers. Additionally, you can declutter for every new item bought by giving out an old item.
Unplug Unused Devices
To save energy, always unplug your devices when not in use because most of them still draw up even when not, so the best option is to unplug them when not used. You do not need to leave the fan or AC working when no one is in the room or keep the lights on when you are not using them.
Choose renewable energy
Choosing renewable energy over fossil fuels is another excellent way to reduce one’s carbon footprint and help stop climate change as individuals. Renewable energy sources are naturally replenished, so instead of depending on fuels to power our homes, offices, and workplaces, we can shift to other forms of energy like solar, wind, biomass, or any other form of renewable energy that is sustainable.
Shop with your bags.
Another way to help the climate by living sustainably is by carrying your shopping bags whenever you go to the mall or market to buy your daily house needs. It is known that shopping malls and stalls provide customers with plastic bags to carry their purchased goods. Still, these plastic bags are not easily disposable, so instead of piling up the plastic bags in our house, we can use reusable bags for our shopping.
Conclusion
There are a thousand and one ways to live sustainably, and where it seems like we can not do it all, the goal is to live sustainably as much as possible to contribute to a more liveable world for us all. Besides helping the climate, sustainable living is also healthy for human health and is becoming a trend. Here are some eco-friendly business ideas that can also make you some money.
