3 Easy Ways to Start a Sustainable Lifestyle
Being sustainable is a journey, you won’t be trash-free overnight. Just starting by making small changes as you can afford to do so makes a big difference.
Most people have the option for trash and recycling through their town or private waste management, but I am going to suggest 3 things you can personally (and affordably) do beyond just separating your trash and recycling.
I have been trying myself to be more sustainable in an effort to save the environment. I do the basics such as: trying to use food storage containers over wrapping in tin foil or cellophane, use reusable beverage containers, opt out of straws or use a steel or silicone straw, donate/reuse/repurpose/sell items worthy of those avenues, and use reusable bags while shopping. My husband has recently taken the lead on a couple of these changes and I’m super happy he is on board!
Here are the 3 changes we made:
Cold-brew Coffee at Home
We are iced-coffee drinkers year-round. Yes, even in the Winter in New England. But the amount of waste and money spent buying coffee daily is so high! A few years ago for Christmas I bought this cold-brew maker and coffee grinder for my husband (read: us). It’s been a life-changer! We saw a monetary savings, but also a trash savings. True to New England, we use Dunkin’ Donuts whole beans to make our cold-brew 😉
Just recently I tried out making cold-brew tea in the cold-brew maker, and I must say, it was also very delicious. Perfect for sipping outside in the summer months with a slice of lemon.
Reusable “Plastic” Food Storage Bags
Second, my husband surprised me a couple months ago and bought reusable food storage bags. The amount of waste from plastic food storage or sandwich bags is so high. The convenience is understandable, but the impact is so harmful. I love that they are dishwasher safe, and depending on the contents of the bag, I will sometimes turn them inside out for washing.
Town Sponsored Composting
I have been asking my husband to help me compost at home. One day I dream of having a garden in the backyard like my grandparents and parents always had. Since we aren’t there yet with the status of the backyard, it doesn’t make much sense to build a compost bin and have nowhere to use it.
Instead, we signed up for the town-sponsored compost company (my husband’s idea!). This has made composting so easy! Our company is Black Earth Compost – definitely check it out if you live in Massachusetts! They not only take compostables, but also textiles. This is huge! Sometimes recycle centers aren’t equipped to handle textiles, so this gives me more confidence any clothing or other fabric goods will be donated or shredded for industrial purposes.
We got this super cute countertop compost keeper, with *get this* compostable filters for smell and spoiling, and compostable bags.
It’s truly been a dream for me! We have reduced what ends up in the trash barrel greatly, which was a visible way to see the progress. Talk about rewarding! Also, we get vouchers for free compost from the company!
List of the 3 easy changes we made:
1. Cold-brew coffee at home
2. Reusable (and dishwasher safe!) food storage bags
3. Town-sponsored compost
These changes do not inconvenience us in any way, in fact in some ways it’s directly improved our lives. Always having iced coffee ready to go, um yes! Storing reusable bags over boxes of Ziploc bags = space saver! And paying for them to take our compostable waste, but also getting free compost? I’ll have to do the math, but could be a break-even cost wise (I mean probably not because they have to make a profit to function, but I don’t mind supporting that cause).
What are you doing to be more sustainable? Did this help you with ideas at all? I’d also love some suggestions on other changes I can make in the comments!
Happy Earth Day!
