Conscious Living

A beginner’s guide to conscious living for a reduced environmental footprint

As environmental threats such as climate change or plastic pollution are becoming more severe, it’s never been more important for us to live a more conscious lifestyle and reduce our environmental footprint.

However, getting started can often feel overwhelming, with so many different sustainability tips and guides all over the internet. In this beginner-friendly guide to conscious living, we’ve put together some of our favorite small changes which will help significantly reduce your environmental footprint in the long run.

Be mindful of packaging

Most of the products we buy nowadays come in some form of packaging – which can significantly increase their environmental impact. Single-use plastic especially is one to be mindful of. Before you buy a product, think about the impact of its packaging and whether you could opt for an alternative that’s more sustainable. For example, at the supermarket, opt for unpackaged produce whenever possible.

Use what you have

When we need a specific item for an occasion or to fulfill a need, many of us head straight to the (online) store to buy a solution. However, doing so can significantly increase our environmental impact – especially if the product is so specific, we’ll only use it once. Instead, why don’t you look among your possessions to see if you can find something that will fulfill the need?

For example, you may be invited to an event and immediately think you need to buy a dress for the occasion. However, there likely already is a dress that’s perfectly adequate for the occasion in your closet!

Buy second hand

If you don’t already own an item you could use to fulfill the need, buy somebody else’s pre-loved things! Shopping second hand can slash your environmental footprint, as you’re saving items from going to the landfill and giving them a second life.

That’s what we call a perfect conscious living solution!

Choose products you can reuse

The offering of reusable product alternatives has exploded over the past few years – you can now find reusable produce bags, reusable kitchen towels or other zero waste solutions even in bug brand stores. Make use of this and swap wasteful single-use items for their reusable counterparts.

Additionally, if you have the choice, choose to buy these from small, local businesses rather than global corporations, to support your local economy and further manifest conscious living.