When you decide to go onboard and go full throttle on a new way of life where you cut down on the waste you put into the environment, you will end up keeping a lot more than you think.
If you already own things like that plastic table and desk, you’ll want to keep it because it will never compost and it will never be recycled, but if you own dangerous plastic you’re eating from, you’ll want to rid your home of that and replace it with sustainable and healthier options.
- Replace Your Lightbulbs with LEDs – You can go ahead and keep your lightbulbs until they burn out if you wish, but you’ll save about 50 percent of the energy you now use in lighting if you switch. For some people, though, it’s just more economical to change the lights as they burn out instead of all at once.
- Replace Old Appliances with Energy Star Rated Appliances – If your appliances are old, they’re probably not Energy Star appliances. Thankfully, you can buy used Energy Star appliances now. Your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore probably has more inexpensive energy-efficient, Energy Star options for your home.
- Replace Old Plumbing Fixtures with Low Flow Fixtures – When it’s time to upgrade your house, you will want to investigate the various types of plumbing you have. Changing it out to something more sustainable that uses less water is always going to be a great way to fix this issue as soon as possible.
- Replace Hot Water Washing with Cold Water Washing – When you wash your clothing, you really don’t need hot water. You will get them just as clean using cold water and you’ll use less energy doing it.
- Replace Any Single-Use Tools with Reusable Tools – Stop buying paper towels, throwaway dishes and flatware, and bottled water. Anything that is only single-use is going to add more pollution to the environment with massive repercussions.
- Replace Eating Out with Eating at Home – Eating more food at home and avoiding fast food is essential to ensuring that you are healthy, but also it helps the environment. You’ll use less energy and create less waste.
- Replace Shopping with Gardening – Instead of shopping as a fun activity, take up gardening. When you garden, you produce food for yourself and the animals with less waste.
- Replace Last-Minute Errands with Planned Errands – Everyone runs errands sometimes, but if you batch them, you’ll use a lot less energy. Set up your schedule so that “going into town” isn’t for just buying milk but for doing more sustainable chores all at once.
- Replace Unhealthy Cleaners with Sustainable Green Options – Look at the cleaners you are currently using. Read the ingredients. Check the packaging and try to replace them with homemade or other sustainable options.
- Replace Your Car with a Bike When Possible – Anytime you can ride or walk instead of getting in a vehicle with an engine, you’re saving the environment. Not only that; you’re also going to make yourself healthier, which is going to further reduce your waste in terms of medical care and supplies.
- Replace Your Alarm with Natural Light – If you can remodel your home to provide more natural lighting, or consider that when you build new, you’ll be able to wake up and go to bed more naturally. This is going to cut down on your energy usage and make you healthier.
- Replace Your Electricity Source with Solar or Wind – If you live in an area of the world where you can set up solar or wind power, this is going to be one of the most significant savings you can enjoy.
As far as what you should keep, keep the stuff that you use every day and repurpose the things you already use in new ways. You really don’t have to change yourself that much to live a more sustainable life. Just look at or hold each item and ask yourself whether getting rid if to will make you healthier or not, and whether getting rid of it causes more environmental damage than keeping it. Then moving forward, don’t add more dangerous pollutants to your world.
