How to Live A Sustainable & Green Lifestyle

Last Updated on 31 May 2022 by Lily

15 Green Lifestyle Examples

The world is changing rapidly, and we are at the beginning of a major change. People are more receptive than ever to sustainable practices and more willing to adopt them in their day-to-day lives. Environmental awareness has been growing more and more each year. However, many people don’t know where to start when it comes to adopting a green routine. Are you one of them? No worries! That is why today I want to share 15 green lifestyle examples for you to start living a green & sustainable lifestyle.

Let me tell you what is a green and sustainable lifestyle exactly first in case some of you don’t know about it.

What Is A Sustainable And Green Lifestyle Exactly?

There are a lot of choices we make in our everyday life and most people make these choices automatically as a daily habit. Because making a comfortable choice is easy and quick. A green and sustainable lifestyle is about being aware and conscious. Aware of every little choice you make may cause damage to the environment. Consciously make green choices instead of automatic ones in order to reduce the impact or even make a positive impact on our planet for future generations. Basically, making decisions based on earth.

Why is Living Sustainable & Green So Important?

The idea of living sustainable and green is not a new one, but it’s certainly more important than ever. With the world population growing at an unprecedented rate and our natural resources depleting at an alarming rate, we have to take action before it’s too late. What can we do to help reduce environmental impacts? The answer is to start living more a sustainable & green lifestyle. Every step you take towards eco-friendly living is one that helps the world. Even if it is the thinnest thing, if we all do it together, we can make a huge change.

A sustainable lifestyle has not only a positive effect on the environment but also on our health. Personally, since I started making green and sustainable choices in every aspect of life, my health (mentally and physically both) has been improving significantly.

As we are all humans, sometimes life gets busy which makes us overwhelmed and we easily forget about other things. But we all should not forget to be kind always. To yourself, to people around you, or even to strangers, to animals, to our planet. Because kindness doesn’t cost you anything right?

Here are 15 Green Lifestyle Examples:

First 5 Green Lifestyle Examples:

1. Before Purchasing Anything, Rethink If You Really Need It

You know what I’m talking about.

You buy something, and it’s so cool, but you can never find a use for it. You never even end up using it once, and then the next thing you know, it’s in your closet collecting dust.

It happens to everyone—and if you think about it, it makes sense. We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with new products and new ideas for how to spend our money. It can be overwhelming! But there’s one thing that will always hold true: buy less stuff, but buy higher-quality stuff when you do buy it.

When you buy things that are high-quality, they tend to last longer than other things that are mass-produced and cheaply made. So when you do have to buy something new (which is inevitable), choose items that will last longer than their cheaper counterparts—you’ll save money in the long run!

Always keep in your mind that “less is more” and “quality over quantity”.

2. Get Organic Foods at A Farmer’s Market or Organic Supermarket at Your Local

Shopping at local farmer’s markets is a great way to get started. Buying seasonal, organic foods that are harvested at their peak means they have plenty of nutrition, and buying from local farmers means you’re supporting your community and reducing food miles. Also shopping at local farmer’s market saves vast amounts of packaging and plastics. If there isn’t a farmer’s market in your area, you can try organic supermarkets such as Planet Organic, Daylesford and Buy Whole Foods Online.

3. Use Your Own Reusable Bag When You Shopping

Plastic bags are non-biodegradable and made from fossil fuels which cause enormous pollution and leads to huge potential consequences for climate and the environment. Not only does it cause damage to the planet, but also it affects human health and animals. Moreover, plastic bags have to be taken into landfills and it will take 15 years to 1000 years to break them down. So using reusable bags protect the environment, animals and humans. Oh one more positive thing, using your own reusable bags saves money on each purchase as many stores impose an extra charge for plastic bags.

4. Carry Your Own Reusable Bottle Always

I already wrote how bad using plastics is above, but again plastic waste is very harmful and causes huge environmental issues. You might think that it shouldn’t be a problem because water bottles can be recycled. That’s a tricky part. Unfortunately, that is not happening. The majority of these bottles end up in a landfill (more than 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced since the early 1950s. About 60% of that plastic has ended up in either a landfill or the natural environment.)

Therefore it is very far from sustainable. Did you know plastic bottles can leach chemicals into your bottled water? Ewwww. Use your own reusable bottle always for yourself, animals, and the planet.

5. Use LED Lighting at Your Home

We all know that the best way to be sustainable is to use natural daylight from the sun. But if you can’t access it, then you should consider using LED lighting instead of traditional light bulbs. It will save you up to 90 per cent of energy and last much longer which means you can save money too!

Another 5 Green Lifestyle Examples:

6. Clean with Non-Chemical Products

If you’re like me, you probably want to keep your home as safe as possible for you and your family. And while there are lots of products out there that promise to do that, they don’t always live up to their promises.

I’m sure you’ve heard it before: using eco-friendly cleaning products is the best way to keep your family safe from harmful chemicals. But what does that mean?

The thing is, almost all cleaning products contain some sort of chemical that can harm you and your family—not to mention the environment! So what’s supposed to do?

Well, one option is to use eco-friendly cleaning products that are made from non-toxic and biodegradable ingredients. This will keep everyone safe (and no harm done!). If you’re not sure where to get them, check 9 Best Environmentally-Friendly Household Cleaning Products!

7. Use Green and Sustainable Interiors For Your Home

Since 2020, we spend a lot of time at home, don’t we? Creating your home more sustainable and healthier for you, your family and the planet is what we need to do more than ever.

Don’t know what sustainable interiors are? Learn from here.

As much as possible, use natural materials such as wood, stone and ceramics in your home. It can be used in flooring, wall cladding or furniture. These materials are eco-friendly because they are made from renewable resources like trees or stone and they don’t use toxic chemicals during their production process.

8. Challenge Zero-Waste

Have you ever heard of Zero-waste before? According to Wikipedia, “zero-waste is a set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. The goal is for no trash to be sent to landfills, incinerators or the ocean.”

The 5 R’s of Zero-waste are Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rot. First, three R’s are the most important as I said before, even if a product is recyclable, it most likely ends up in landfills. So dare yourself from today. Once you try it, you’d be surprised how much rubbish you can easily make for a day. Imagine how much rubbish billions of people make every single day…

9. Shop at A Second-Hand Shop or From Ethical and Sustainable Brands For Your Fashion Items or Interios

The fashion industry is one of the biggest pollution makers, especially fast fashion brands. They sell trendy clothes at affordable prices for anyone, although the quality is very low that you can wear them just once or twice and go to the bin. Furthermore, producing these clothes uses harmful chemicals which not only cause terrible pollution but also damage people’s health who’s working in the factory. Do you still want to wear clothes made by people who are suffering to make the clothes you wear? Learn more about why you should choose sustainable and ethical brands over fast fashion from here and you can also learn the differences between slow fashion, sustainable and ethical fashion from here if you are interested. A most sustainable way to shop for clothes is to get them from second-hand shops or charity shops in your area.

And this goes the same with interiors. There are plenty vintage stores or pre-owned shops.

10. Go Green Your Personal Care

When it comes to making the eco-friendly choice, it’s important to choose products that are made with genuinely eco-friendly features such as organic, recycled and minimal packaging. That way, you know that you’re not just choosing a product because it looks good on paper—you’re choosing a product that will actually help the planet.

You can find plenty of green products from here.

5 More Green Lifestyle Examples:

11. Invest in Energy-Efficient Appliances For Your Home

You might be thinking, “Why would I want to spend money on energy-efficient appliances? Doesn’t that just mean I have to spend more money?”

But actually, it’s the opposite! Energy-efficient appliances cost you less money in the long run because they consume less water and energy. This means your utility bills will be lower by 5 to 30 per cent. Also, these appliances can help improve indoor air quality in your home. So not only is it better for your wallet, but it’s also better for your health! Check out this article for more information: here.

12. Eat Less Meat or If You Can, Go Vegan

This is probably a hard part for some people. I think changing eating habits is quite a big deal. Why should you consider eating less meat? It is because shifting to a more plant-based diet is the most significant way an individual can combat climate change, soil, air and water pollution, ocean dead zones, and some other problems caused by industrial livestock production. Obviously, you can save many animals as well. Consciously choosing what we eat every day is essential. And you know what, there are plenty of high-quality meat alternatives and they are delicious. However, if it’s hard for you to not eat meat at all, just reduce the amount you eat. That is still a big help. It is better slowly start instead of going vegan all of a sudden. Please know your body better first. Your health is as important as environmental issues.

13. Use Milk Alternative Such As Soy Milk, Almond Milk or Oat Milk

If you’re a coffee drinker, you probably know that cow’s milk is the most common choice when it comes to drinking your morning joe. But there are some other options out there that can make your morning cup of coffee a little more interesting.

There are soy, almond, oat, coconut, rice, hemp, and cashew milk that all taste great with coffee. And if you’re looking for something creamy but don’t want to use dairy products, these milks will do the trick!

I love adding a little cinnamon to my almond milk lattes—it gives them an extra kick!

14. Consider Passive Solar Design

According to Constellation, the passive solar design uses energy from sunlight to aid in healing and cooling living spaces. Using no mechanical or electric equipment, the passive solar design relies on building materials that reflect, absorb or transmit the sun’s radiation. Inside spaces are designed to facilitate the movement of sun-heated air without the use of fans. The results can reduce the amount of energy used to heat and cool your home.

15. Pay Bills Online

Going paperless is one of the best ways to reduce your environmental impact. Nowdays most of companies allowed you to pay online. So switch to digital and reduce your waste and go green in your everyday life.

Final Thoughts On How to Live A Sustainable & Green Lifestyle

I hope you will try at least one of them out and make it as your new lifestyle. I want to remind you that you don’t have to do it all at once. You can do it one by one which you feel like you can do and make it a habit. And then you can try the next one. Because changing the lifestyle you’ve been having for so many years is not as easy as you think.