15 Small Lifestyle Changes To Make In 2020 To Help Our Environment
Naturally with what is going on in our world right now, it felt obvious to me that starting a discussion about environmental sustainability here on the blog was really important.
I saw a quote on Instagram the other day that said something like ‘It’s just one plastic straw, said 7 billion people’.. and it really made me think about the little decisions we can make to be more environmentally sustainable and how they can still be impactful.
Now I want to make this really clear. I am in no way a perfectly sustainable human being, I also don’t agree with shaming people because they aren’t a vegan or still shop at Zara. For some reason, especially in the social media space, a discussion that should be full of positive encouragement often becomes judgmental, toxic and anti productive.
There are so many people who are doing their best, and you would be totally surprised by how much of a difference a small household change can make such as wrapping kids lunchbox sandwiches in reusable/compostable beeswax wraps instead of that plastic cling wrap we all had growing up. Can you imagine how much plastic is avoided by making that one tiny household change?
Small changes make big impact when they are consistent and being practiced by lots of people, but sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming to even know where to start.
I’ve made a list of some great changes that I’ve made over the past year that I will be implementing in 2020 as well as some new ones that I’d like to try. I hope that you could find at least one change in this list that you could implement into your life this year to include yourself in the bigger scale impact these changes can make!
Keep reusable shopping bags + keep cup in the boot of your car at all times.
Keep a reusable water bottle in your handbag/in your car at all times
Use reusable cotton rounds in your skincare routine. Just pop them in the wash at the end of the week! This saves so much unnecessary waste. You can get them from Amazon
Decrease your meat consumption or cut out beef completely. If you aren’t vegan like I am not, decreasing your dairy and beef intake is better than nothing as cows create a huge amount of greenhouse gases that are causing global warming, more so than cars or planes
Buy more quality and less quantity: shop sustainable, high quality clothes and products that will last a long time in your wardrobe. My favourite sustainable & ethical brands right now are Savannah Morrow The Label and Somewhere by Maggie Marilyn. The top I am wearing in this blog post is by Savannah Morrow and I love it!
Shop second hand or from rental stores. My favourite second hand store is Tatty’s on Ponsonby Road in Auckland for amazing premium and designer finds. I also love Designer Wardrobe for hiring beautiful special event pieces!
If you own a Nespresso machine, take part in their sustainability program. You can purchase their Coffee Pod & Capsule Recycling Bags here, keep one in your kitchen and empty your used capsules once your machine needs clearing. They hold 130 capsules and all you need to do is pop down to your local NZ Post shop and they will send the bag off to get recycled. Nespresso capsules are made of aluminium and are infinitely recyclable, so you can become a waste free at home coffee drinker!
Care for your clothing properly and pay attention to washing instructions so your clothes lasts longer. When clothes get worn out quickly, especially lower quality pieces, it’s more tempting to throw them out. If you look after them carefully, they will last a lot longer in your wardrobe. If your budget only allows you to shop at fast fashion retailers, this is a great way to be a more sustainable consumer.
Learn to recycle correctly, know what can and can’t be recycled. For example I realised early last year that I needed to pull out string handles from cardboard retail shopping bags before throwing the bag into my recycle bin because they aren’t recyclable. Pay more attention so that it makes the job easier for the people on the other side!
Use a biodegradable toothbrush instead of your standard Colgate plastic one. I’ve recently switched to a charcoal infused toothbrush by a NZ brand called Grin, they also do toothpaste with really clean ingredients that are better for our mouth health and biodegradable dental floss!
Take public transport when you can, it’s actually really fun and I love avoiding parking and being able to read my book!
Wrap kids/partners lunches in beeswax wraps. I was recently gifted a super cute Ruby Beeswax Wrap which I use to wrap up Liam’s sandwiches/wraps that he takes to work for lunch - they are reusable for one year and after that you just pop it int the compost. They’re absolutely brilliant! You can get them from Lily Bee, Honeywrap, & Kiwiwraps
Make a compost bin. They’re so easy to make! I really like this simple DIY website that also has a link of what you can and can’t compost, and then what you can use your compost for after it’s finished composting (every 3 months or so)
Avoid your dryer at all costs, hang your washing on the line as much as possible. Invest in a good drying wrack that’s sturdy, I love this one from Father Rabbit because it looks beautiful in your home and will make hanging up your washing feel a bit more chic
Say no to plastic cup tops and straws when you’re getting takeaways. I went to Hoyts to see a film with my nana the other day and was pleased to see that they had moved to paper straws. I think we can all agree that we hate paper straws, but anything is better than plastic.
Shop at refillable grocery stores. GoodFor is amazing and is located in Ponsonby, New Lynn, Takapuna, Wellington & Christchurch
I would love to hear about the changes you guys are making this year and some other ideas that I may not have thought about. Let me know in the comments below any great ideas you have!
Lastly before I sign off, please be kind to each other and try not to judge others. We are all on our own sustainability journeys and some people may have not have started theirs yet, they need encouragement, not judgement. Whether you only make one of the above changes or you’re completely committed to veganism, remember that we are all doing our best and I don’t believe that our efforts in saving the planet should be associated with any negativity.
Encourage, inspire and support others and let’s do our absolute best to make a big impact this decade.
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