Making eco-friendly choices that help the planet is not as complicated as you may think.
Sustainable living has been all the rage in the past few years with people all over the world wanting to slow down the effects of climate change and preserve the welfare of our planet.
But with so much information coming from everywhere, it can be overwhelming to know what to do.
Below we have shared our five simple tips on how to live a more sustainable lifestyle.
Avoid food waste
New Zealanders throw away an alarming 86kgs of edible food each year!
Not only does food waste cost the average Kiwi household an extra $644 each year, but it affects our environmental impact as food waste releases a harmful greenhouse gas, methane, polluting our air.
The two main reasons we throw away our food is because we don’t eat our leftovers and some foods go bad because it is not stored properly, most commonly being bread, leftovers, citrus, apples, chicken, and bananas.
Reducing our food waste helps lower our greenhouse gas emissions, including emissions in the food production process and emissions from the decomposition of food waste in landfill.
A good tip: make a list before food shopping and stick to the list. Use what is in the fridge before buying more food and move items that need to be consumed first to the front, so you don’t forget about them.
Shop eco-friendly products
To live a green and sustainable lifestyle, it is important to support the brands that share your same values.
Look for the brands that are eco-friendly, cruelty-free, sustainable, and ethical. Focus on the materials they use in their packaging and the ingredients used in their products.
HealthPost have a curated collection of the best brands in natural health, clean beauty, and eco-living, highlighting the products that are good not only for you, but for the planet also.
Brands that offer transparency, sustainable supply chain, circular packaging, waste-free packing, and carbon offsetting include Ethique, Kester Black, Emma Lewisham, Aleph Beauty, Living Nature, and Linden Leaves.
Grow your own produce
Not only with planting a garden help the planet but you may find that gardening may help with your mental health and wellbeing.
Growing your own produce means you can enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables without any added chemicals.
If you’re stuck on growing your own garden, Kiwi Energy has a great eco-friendly garden guide full of tips and tricks to help you on your gardening journey!
Buy sustainable or second-hand clothing
Fast fashion is said to be the second-largest polluter in the world just after the oil industry, with the environmental damage increasing as the industry grows.
Tearfund’s ethical fashion guide states that the fashion industry is also among the top five industries at risk of modern slavery and producing 10 per cent of the world’s Greenhouse Gas emissions.
To lessen the impact the industry has on the planet, you can opt to buy your clothes from op shops and brands you know make sustainable choices when making clothes.
Major brands including Maggie Marilyn, Kowtow, WE-AR and Allbirds all act against climate change and the fashion industry by creating sustainable and environmentally conscious items to reduce their impact on the industry’s environmental pollution.
Ditch single-use plastics
A simple yet very effective tip is to get rid of all single-use plastics.
Try making a habit of bringing your tote bag wherever you go or keeping multiple re-usable bags in your car, so you don’t have to keep buying more when you’re doing your shopping.
Carrying your groceries or anything else with a reusable bag significantly reduces our daily waste in the world.
According to Environment Minister, David Parker, New Zealanders throw away an estimated 159 grams of plastic waste per person every day.
Produce bags, sandwich bags, paper towels and so much more have options to use reusable products.
Switching to use some of these products will do wonders in helping your impact with bettering the environment!
