How to live a more sustainable life: 10 tips

Living a more sustainable life improves our planet and our direct living environment. But in most cases, it also helps you to live a happy and healthy life and save some money in the process. Would you like to know how to live a more sustainable life? Read my easy, accessible tips below.

Make love, not fear

Did you realize we live in the biggest ecological crisis since the beginning of human kind? As humans, and also the world we live in, we depend on a certain ecology. This is based on a certain climate, a specific range of temperature and enough sunlight and water. If these conditions change, we cannot live, nor can nature survive.

Ok, we already knew that. So how can we change? We can change by looking ahead. A sustainable life is more than solar panels and insulation. We also have to change the way we think and act. We can start small, by looking at ourselves. If we change ourselves first, then the world will become a better place to live for all of us.

First we have to love ourselves, then we can love our planet. We don’t need to fear climate change, but love our planet with its climate. In this way, we currently don’t live in an ecological disaster, but in a different reality.

10 tips for a more sustainable life

What can you do to have a more sustainable life? Some tips a more obvious for you, other more challenging. Apply those things that can make your life more sustainable in an easy, but effective way. I must point out, though, that these tips are in order of importance.

Tip 1: Switch to a green electricity supplier

Choose green energy! This is not only better for our planet. Green energy makes the air you breath in your living environment more healthier. It is such a simple step, with huge positive consequences on the long run.

Choose green energy from windmills or solar panels. Go for the very best option available. You can additionally choose to compensate your gas usage by compensation programs. This compensates the CO2 emission you cause by burning gas.

This is not only tip number 1 in this list. This is the most important and most effective step you can take to actually make a difference.

Tip 2: Put solar panels on your roof

Additionally to tip 1: if you install you own solar panels, you will also save quite some money on the long run on electricity costs, and actively safe our climate. Actually, financially speaking an investment in solar panels has a great return. It is therefor a smart investment.

Tip 3: Meditate each day

Are you always busy? As a result of stress, you don’t have the time or energy to think clearly anymore and follow your priorities. Meditation truly helps. In fact: meditation makes you more loving and allow you to be in touch with yourself.

Tip 4: Make one good gesture every day

Try to be a better person. It is quite simple. Promise yourself to try to do at least one good thing for another person every day. The occasion will reveal itself. For example: help you neighbor with groceries, give a homeless person a meal, offer your seat to the old person in the bus/metro/train, help a friend in need, etc. Or of course, buy less. If you still buy something, you can always use the TreeClicks app that plants free trees when shopping online. To be more loving is a choice.

By allowing yourself to be more loving, you show this love to the people in your social environment. Spread the love, and pay it forward!

Tips 5: Don’t kill with your own hands

Life is valuable, also insect life. Insects are like humans part of our eco-system. Don’t kill flies, spiders or bees, cause then you break the vulnerable system. Allow them to live. It’s also psychological. It helps you to be compassionate about other lives. The next step is to allow them to live by having a insect friendly garden. The bees and the birds will thank you for it.

Tip 6: Become a flexitarian, vegetarian or vegan

Meat production is not very environmental friendly, while a human body doesn’t need so much meat on a daily basis. On the other hand, a flexitarian diet is way better for your health. You‘ll look healthier and feel more energetic. Try to eat less meat, and I promise that within a few weeks you won’t miss it at all.

Tip 7: Enjoy nature

When you appreciate nature more, you’ll want to preserve it better. So enjoy nature near your house. Walk or cycle through parks forests or natural reserves. Appreciate the trees, flowers, birds and life. Nature is beautiful, and worth preserving.

Tip 8: Make you house more energy-friendly

Walk trough your house and write down in what ways you can save energy.

Replace old appliances, most of the time old appliances use an excessive amount of energy compared to new, energy friendly appliances. It’s way more eco-friendly to replace these old ones, and buy new A+++ appliances, to save quite a lot of energy.
Replace ordinary light bulbs with LED lights. LED lights use a considerable less amount of energy.
Unplug unused plugs, they still use energy.
Turn off appliances you don’t use. They still use energy, even on standby mode.
Fix leaking water taps and toilets, to prevent wasting water.
Replace your shower head with a water saving shower head. You probably won’t notice it, but it will save tens of liters of water each day.
Install a water saving toilet flush, that uses the amount of water needed to effectively flush a number 1 or number 2. More water is simply not needed.
Turn on the washing machine when it’s full, to limit the times you turn it on.
Hang clothes to dry, and use the dryer as less as possible. Drying machines are big energy users. Hanging your clothes to dry, instead of using a dryer, also makes your clothes more durable.
Clean your freezer from frost. Your freezer uses more energy when frosted.
Produce less waste. Use less plastics to produce less waste. The waste you do produce, you can easily recycle or reuse in many different ways. This will decrease the total amount of waste you dump in the garbage can.

I’m sure there are many more small changes that can make your house more sustainable. The result is a decreasing energy bill.

Tip 9: Compensate CO2 emissions on your airplane trip

Are you going to book a flight? Better choose an alternative way of transport, like a train or bus. But when this is not possible, you can compensate the CO2 emissions on your flight.

Tip 10: Eat locally, and seasonal

Local food is fresh, and therefor delicious. Non-local food has travelled a long time before it ended up on your plate, resulting in a huge CO2 emission. That is totally unnecessary. Try to choose food that is produced locally. And also: eat more seasonal food. Our off-season food has been produced in polluting green houses, while seasonal food is delicious and fits your mood. You can read more sustainable living tips in this blog.

Good luck, love and have fun!