Just what is sustainable living?
Is it living off the grid, living off rain water & solar power.
How can we all access elements of a sustainable lifestyle without going over the top?
Sustainable living doesn’t have to be an overwhelming process - from improving your energy efficiency and recycling habits to shopping smarter and making eco-friendly home improvements. With just a few small steps, you can make a big impact on your environmental footprint at home. Check out these 5 steps to help you to improve your eco-footprint.
Step 1. Define in your own words what you WANT your sustainable home to look like.
Decide – are you just looking at making a few smaller changes to help you improve your eco-footprint.
Start with a vision: what kind of life do you want to create? Think about the future and your goals for your home. Are your goals focused on reducing energy use and waste? Or maybe you want to focus on improving air quality in your home, or growing your own food? Decide what you WANT and then figure out how to prioritize where to start.
Whichever you decide define it in your own words so that your goal is clear.
Without your goal – you’ll get lost among all the little things you could be doing. Rather than the actual things you CAN start doing right now.
Step 2. Implement 1-2 really simple changes to help get you started
There are many really small changes you can make within your home to start living more sustainably.
I’m just going to throw out a few ideas. Take them or leave them:
- Start composting
- Learn how to recycle properly
- Start cooking more
- Turn off power points/lights when not in use
- Get power efficient utensils
- Shop only 2nd hand items
- Declutter
- Get a rainwater tank installed
- Start switching to plastic-free products
- Start switching to non-toxic products
Each and every one of these ideas will benefit not only your household but also our Planet!
What are you waiting for – write a list of what changes you could make & start implementing them today.
Step 3. Include the family members
Without getting family members involved, it’s possible your sustainable home dream will soon fizzle.
So, there are some basics that you need to start inviting family members to get in on.
- teaching kids to turn off taps to save water
- turning off the lightswitches
- teaching kids (and partners) what bins things go in
- reduce energy usage, recycle, or give up single-use plastics.
To get your family involved and excited about making your home Environmentally friendly, here are some ideas for engaging everyone:
- Assign each family members a task or goal for sustainability within the home.
- Have fun competitions between family members to see who can reduce their water/energy usage the most in a day/week/month etc.
- Make an eco-friendly activity like gardening into weekly family time - this way everyone is learning while having fun!
Obviously, the ‘bigger’ ticket items like installing solar panels, and getting a rain water tank may need further discussion but you get the picture.
Step 4. Analyse, refine, repeat
Creating an environmentally friendly home is an ongoing task.
It’s about looking at how you can do better, then analyzing if you actually have done better, refining where needed & then repeating.
Here, within our household I’m on a mission to further reduce our household landfill waste. Since the pausing of REDcycle services, I’ve realised our soft-plastic waste is waaay over the top (to say the least).
Sure, I use reusable produce bags and always say no to the 15 c shopping bags. But now, I’ve had to refine how I can even further reduce our plastic waste.
I’ve put my ‘really not a fan of baking’ hat on and baked some cookies/muffins for the kid’s lunchboxes as an alternate to plastic-wrapped snacks.
And so on.
My point here is there are always steps we can take to do better. To do more. It’s about finding what works for your household and going from there.
Step 5. Congratulate yourself for every small step you take.
You’re almost done with your sustainable living journey at home! Once you've taken all the steps, don’t forget to congratulate yourself and celebrate your small wins.
Plus, think about how great you'll feel when you can proudly say that your home is as sustainable as possible. So every step along the way deserves a round of applause—from switching to energy-saving light bulbs to implementing composting for food waste. Congratulate yourself for each small change and continue on your journey towards a more eco-friendly lifestyle!
Your Pathway to a Sustainable Home Starts with You.
Sustainable home is something everybody can - and should - strive for. By making small, achievable changes to the way you consume energy, waste, water, and food, it’s possible to make a positive impact on your home, the environment, and your wallet.
Start with the basics and work your way up, as convenient and affordable. Every step matters. You don't need to make drastic changes overnight to make a difference. With just a few adjustments, you can start to make a big impact on your home and our Planet.