20 WAYS TO LIVE A SUSTAINABLE LIFE IN 2020
As we enter a new decade there are huge pressures on the planet. Global warming is widely seen as the biggest challenge that faces society; a monumental task that requires as many people as possible to be aware and take positive actions to reduce harmful effects on our home.
Although national and international policies are of great importance, we cannot rely entirely on governments, local authorities and charitable organisations to fix the problem. Individuals and families must shoulder some of the responsibility and make changes to the way they live that prioritise the planet and environment.
Fortunately, there are many ways we can make such changes whilst maintaining the lifestyles we’ve grown accustomed to and enjoy. We’ve pulled together a list of our top 20 things you can do to live a more sustainable life: how many of these can you begin to implement in 2020?
1. Get aware
Without doubt, the biggest challenge is the easiest to achieve! Expanding your knowledge about the impact of single-use plastic and other global environmental issues will have a great effect on your own mindset. Additionally, you’ll likely share this new knowledge with friends and family, which will further increase the effect of any changes that are made.
There are plenty of great news articles, blogs, documentaries and films out there, but here’s a short “reading list” that has inspired us in our journey to bring Lentils and Lather to fruition:
Turning The Tide On Plastic by Lucy Siegle
The Game Changers (Netflix)
2. Small steps
With your new found knowledge about plastic problems and climate change effects it’s time to start making changes. Whether you become an eco-warrior overnight or decide that lifestyle changes are easier to achieve in small steps, doing something is the key.
As the saying goes: ‘something is better than nothing’, and if many people did a little something rather than relying on a few folk to do everything, collectively we’ll have a greater impact.
3. Children are champions
Without wanting to sound like a cliché, children are the future of our planet. Engage their eco-minds at an early age and they’ll likely continue to be conscious about damaging effects to the environment through their adult life and pass the knowledge onto their own children.
Greta Thunberg is a great ambassador and is responsible for inspiring a generation of switched on humans. Her Penguin book “No-one Is Too Small To Make a Difference” pulls together a collection of speeches that saw her rise to prominence for telling it how it is and it’s a great way to create sparks in young minds.
4. Predominantly plant-based
It’s now widely understood that intensive livestock farming is massively detrimental on the environment. Issues can vary widely depending on the location and type of farming, but it can require enormous amounts of land and water, causes problems with biodiversity, is responsible for polluting waterways and is one of the biggest producers of greeenhouse gases.
But we do have a choice not to use animal products all of the time and many people are taking this on board. There’s evidence to show that the number of people who are adopting vegetarian and vegan diets is on the rise and the supermarket and restaurant industry are quickly finding ways to accommodate this.
Our own diet is predominantly plant-based; we use nut or oat milk and generally opt for vegetarian options when we eat out. In fact, we find ourselves in Greens or Sanskruti restaurants quite often!
5. Cook from scratch
Cooking meals at home is a great way to reduce the amount of plastic waste you produce - and it’s one of the fundamental reasons behind Lentils and Lather and other zero waste shops. You can find all of your staples such as beans, rice, pasta, noodles, cous cous and quinoa, as well as herbs and spices needed to make your dishes zing!
All without plastic packaging of course!
But we’ve heard a few people talk about being unsure of what to cook, so we recommend getting yourself a couple of recipe books to get you started. Our current favourites are MOB Veggie and The Doctor’s Kitchen, which have loads of great ideas for tasty and healthy plant-based meals.
6. Reusable shopping bags
Introduced in 2015, the plastic bag charge is reported to have had a big impact on the number of single-use carrier bags used at supermarket checkouts, however ‘bags for life’ were recently in the news for overshadowing this and is potentially having an even more damaging effect.
Reusable shopping bags are required now more than ever. We have a small selection of shopping bags made from charity shop curtain fabric - unique and chic!
7. Grow your own
Growing your own food is a good way to gain an understanding of the efforts that go into food production and can help teach younger generations about nature and where food comes from.
You don’t need massive amounts of space to do this - even a balcony or small yard will accommodate a few plant pots. Peas, tomatoes, cucumbers and courgettes are a good place to start as they’re quite easy to grow. Knowing that it’s your hard work that’s produced these fruits and vegetables is really rewarding.
We bought some little family members a subscription to Mud & Bloom last year, which inspires and teaches children about nature through seasonal gardening activities and crafts. It went down really well.
8. Refill-a-bubbles
Time to ditch the single-use plastic and get refilling your empty bottles. Typically, household liquids come in a durable and reusable bottle, so why not fill them back up with shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, washing up liquid, laundry liquid, fabric conditioner, hand soap, or household cleaning products?
Your plastic bottles will last a long time and help you to reduce the amount of plastic waste that goes into your recycling bin.
Our biggest seller to date has to be Faith in Nature shampoo and conditioner, however, we’re receiving really good feedback from the new Alter / Native products too.
9. Shop indie
In contrast to supermarkets and chain stores, independent shops offer a very different shopping experience where you can get to know your shop keepers and find interesting and unique products. If the shop matches your ethics about the planet, you’re onto a winner.
These places are generally more than happy to listen to customer demands too, so if there’s something specific you’re looking for, let the shop keeper know so they can source the right products for you.
There are a few really great independent shops in Withington and Didsbury that match this description, including A Curious Collection, Mocking Birds, Moth and, of course, Lentils and Lather.
10. Do the bamboo
Bamboo is one of nature’s wonder products - it’s fast-growing and strong, which means it has lots of applications and is one of the most sustainable resources on the planet.
We should really be using it a lot more than we do already, but it’s great to see its application broadening. From toothbrushes to hair brushes, tissues and toilet roll, but our favourite product is the Jungle Straws safety razor, which looks great and is from a company that believes in rewarding their producers in Vietnam properly.
Did you know, in Chinese culture bamboo represents a commitment to continuous growth and living a simple and straightforward life.
That’s the first 10 sustainable tips for 2020, look out for more in February!.
Any comments or suggestions? Leave them below!