Last year, the world was made aware of the impact that plastics are having on our environment by David Attenborough’s Blue Planet 2 documentary. As a result, we were inspired to try to live sustainably to save our planet, but what exactly is sustainable living and how can we incorporate this into our daily lives?
Sustainable living is all about sourcing our food, water and shelter in environmentally friendly ways, so that we do not compromise the earth’s natural resources for future generations. To lead a completely sustainable life, we need to cut down on pollution, use less natural resources and replenish what we use.
To help the nation become more eco-friendly, self storage provider, Space Station, who set themselves their own personal target of halving their carbon footprint within three years , has put together their top tips on sustainable living for beginners.
Turn off devices
Whilst it can be convenient to leave your laptop or television on standby, doing so can be costly to the environment. The average person uses 727 kwh (units of electricity per year). This amount of energy results in over 300 kg of CO2 a year, which is equivalent to pollution caused by driving 870 miles in a car. Consider your environmental footprint at home by switching off devices when you aren’t using them and, where possible, try switching from environment harming products to eco-friendly ones like Space Station has, such as changing fluorescent lights to energy efficient LEDs.
Recycle
The UK produces waste equivalent to the weight of 100 million cars each year and toxic gases from these overstacked landfill sites contribute to the amount of pollution we have in the air. Recycling your household waste such as empty plastic bottles is an easy way of helping the environment right from your armchair. If you’re creative, you can also look into upcycling by taking a piece of what would have been rubbish and making it into something brand new that you can use in future, such as jam jars being turned into stylish storage containers. Upcycling furniture can be very satisfying and cost-saving at the same time.
Eat less meat
When we plan our evening meals, many of us do not think about the impact our food is having on our ecosystem, but 20% of all our greenhouse emissions derive from the meat on our plates. Becoming flexitarian or adopting ‘Meat Free Mondays’ is an easy way of reducing your meat intake without giving up all together. Eating one less steak a week is the equivalent of taking a car off the road for three months!
Walk instead of using the car
Wherever possible, replace your short car journeys with walking or cycling. This is a great way of helping the environment and also getting a bit of exercise. Living car-free saves the environment 2.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
Lead a minimalist lifestyle
The average person has £1,000 worth of clutter in their home, so it’s important that we think carefully about our purchases to prevent us accumulating so many items. Letting go of items that don’t bring value to our lives gives us more space and can give us a greater sense of wellbeing. It also allows us to focus on those items that really do mean something to us, without them being diluted by clutter. If you find yourself with far too many items and not enough space to put them, but you would rather avoid throwing them away, putting them in storage gives you the best of both worlds, meaning you can lead a clutter free life, without the worry that you might regret throwing something away completely.
For more information about Space Station’s green initiative visit: https://space-station.co.uk/about-us/going-green/