For the past few years, all of us are focusing more on sustainability and trying our best to reduce energy usage and unnecessary plastic. Are you ready to go even further in 2022? Here are a few ideas that will help you boost your sustainability and turn you into a true environmentalist:
Buy locally and sustainably
No matter how dedicated you are to minimalism and being self-sufficient, you still need to buy plenty of things every day. With that in mind, make sure to do your shopping mindfully and opt for local and sustainable options. For instance, when buying food, buy from farmer’s markets where you can find organic, plastic-free goods harvested near you. When buying clothes, research the brand and make sure they are using sustainable materials and taking good care of their employees.
Give up single-use plastic
Hopefully, you left plastic straws and single-use bags in the past years ago, but in 2022, you can give up even more single-use plastic. For instance, if you’re grabbing coffee-to-go every morning, you can buy ceramic mugs. Also, a reusable water bottle will minimize the need for single-use plastic bottles. If you love to pack lunch for work or school, forget about Styrofoam packaging and opt for durable Tupperware instead. If you have to grab something single-use, at least take your time to do some research and choose more sustainable, recyclable, recycled and bio-degradable options.
Drive smarter
Today, we all rely so much on travel that it’s practically not possible to cut it down. We need transportation to go to school, work, do errands, see family, etc. However, the travel industry is directly responsible for a huge carbon footprint and energy waste. Whenever you can, try to walk, bike or use public transport. And if you need your car as well, make sure to invest in an electric model. Charging your car can be made very easy and practical with EV PowerHouse installers and consultants and their many solutions for electric vehicle chargers. You’ll have all the freedom to dictate how and where you charge your car, and in today’s world of skyrocketing fuel prices, you’ll get to save a lot of money in the long run.
Go vegetarian or vegan
Of course, you don’t have to give up meat and dairy right away, but making at least one vegetarian or vegan day a week can also make a big difference. Challenge yourself to have Meatless Mondays and prepare fun, nutritious and tasty vegetarian recipes all throughout 2022. This is good for the environment, for you and for all the cute animals.
Cut your showers
There’s really nothing as satisfying after a long day than a pleasant shower—it can make you feel like a whole new person. However, long showers also use a lot of water and energy (and both are precious and very expensive today). What you can do is set an alarm and limit your showers to 5 minutes. You’ll still get to enjoy the water, do all your hygiene tasks and feel great after, but without harming the environment.
Embrace natural drying methods
The easiest method to dry your clothing is to just dump it into a dryer and let it spin and tumble in the heat. However, your clothes dryer is a huge energy hog, requiring the same amount of energy as your fridge, washer and dishwasher combined! To reduce this energy waste, try to use the power of the sun and wind to dry your clothes and reduce your carbon footprint. When you’re in a hurry to dry something, go ahead, but otherwise, you can simply use air-drying racks and lines.
Green up your yard
If you have a beautiful garden with a big lawn, you know how much time, water, effort and tools it takes to maintain your green lawn. So instead of wasting resources on having a plain green grass lawn, you can opt for more sustainable alternatives like groundcovers, clover or native perennial beds. With these alternatives, you’ll get to enjoy greenery yet avoid waste. Plus, more native plants will attract useful pollinators and provide homes and food for small animals.
In 2022, we can all do just one additional thing and boost our sustainability significantly. Next year, you can do even more until you become completely sustainable and responsible.
