Integrating sustainability into your everyday life doesn’t have to be complicated, uncomfortable or expensive. You don’t have to change all of your habits right away, either. Pick an area you want to start with and, step by step, integrate the sustainable habits you feel comfortable with into your everyday life.
1. Buying sustainable food
If we adjust our shopping habits and our diet a little, we can do good for the environment.
Seasonal and regional food
For one, you can pay attention to what fruit or vegetables are in season. If the food is in season, there is a high probability that it has not been imported. The best thing to do is to take a look at the country of origin when shopping. If the food comes from Germany, it usually has a much better climate balance, since long import distances are eliminated.
An additional advantage is that seasonal food is usually also cheaper, since there is a particularly large supply of them. Some foods, such as Chinese cabbage or mushrooms, are even “in season” for most of the year. You can easily find out which fruit and vegetables are in season on the Internet, for example at www.regional-saisonal.de/saisonkalender.
Less meat
Meat production requires significantly more agricultural land and is more energy-intensive than fruit and vegetables, which means it causes significantly more CO2. Water consumption due to animal husbandry is also very high. The consumption of beef has the greatest impact on the climate, because cattle have a particularly high demand for feed and emit a lot of methane. Therefore, it helps the climate and nature to go vegetarian or to reduce one’s meat consumption.
2. Reducing waste
There are many ways to reduce the amount of waste you produce in your everyday life. These are just a few examples on how you could reduce that amount of waste.
Reusable bags
One way to save plastic when shopping is to bring your own baskets or bags. This is not a big effort and just a matter of habit. There are also reusable fruit and vegetable nets that replace plastic bags in the vegetable section.
Zero waste shops
Zero waste shops are the best way to shop with as little packaging waste and plastic as possible. Maybe there’s a zero waste shop near you that you can try? Often, though, the prices here are a bit higher and you don’t get everything you need. Then, of course, you can always make sure to buy products with as little plastic packaging as possible when you’re doing your regular grocery shopping.
Wax cloths
You can also save plastic when covering your leftovers by replacing plastic wrap with beeswax cloths. Beeswax cloths work well for covering food. You shouldn’t wrap raw meat or fish in your cloth, though, because beeswax towels can only be cleaned with water. Another way to cover bowls is to simply place a plate on top of the bowl. Effective and easy! Tupperware also often works well for storing food.
Foodsharing
With foodsharing you can help to ensure that less food is thrown away. You can register as a private person at https://foodsharing.de and connect with the community. This way you can find out what opportunities there are in your region or city to save food. There are also other platforms for food recycling, such as the app “Too good to go.” Here, restaurants, cafés or bakeries sell their leftover goods at bargain prices.
3. Cleaning without chemicals and plastic packaging
Many cleaning products contain chemicals that enter the groundwater via wastewater and endanger people and the environment. Of course, you still want to have a clean apartment. But this is also possible with natural, environmentally friendly cleaning agents! In part, quite simple home remedies from the kitchen are ideal for cleaning. Another advantage is that you can put your homemade cleaning products in a reusable spray bottle and save on packaging waste.
Baking soda
Baking soda is a real all-purpose cleaner. It can clean grease stains, dirty grouts, stubborn odors, limescale, burnt pots or a clogged drain. To clean, you can simply put some baking soda on a damp sponge.
Vinegar
Vinegar essence or even regular vinegar is also a great cleaning agent. However, it is quite aggressive, so you should wear gloves when cleaning and find out beforehand which materials tolerate vinegar or vinegar essence as a cleaning agent. In general, vinegar is amazing for getting rid of limescale, dirt and foul odors. If you are bothered by the intense smell of vinegar, you can add a few drops of essential oil.
4. Using sustainable hygiene products
Hygiene products can cause a lot of waste. But there are sustainable alternatives!
Washable cloth pads
Reusable cloth pads are an excellent alternative to traditional cotton pads. You can simply throw them in the washing machine at 60 degrees and reuse them. This way, you’ll save yourself some trash. With an absorbent and skin-friendly fabric, you can even make your own pads and recycle fabric leftovers.
Menstrual cup or underwear
Meanwhile, there are also some alternatives to tampons and pads, since they produce a lot of waste. For example, there is the menstrual cup for insertion or washable period underwear. It might sound strange at first but give a try! Of course, if it’s not for you, you can stick with traditional hygiene products, but it might be more useful and convenient than you think.
5. Checking ingredients and avoiding microplastics
Often we don’t even know what exactly is in the products we buy. Some ingredients are harmful to our bodies, others to our environment. Often, these ingredients then also end up in our wastewater.That’s why there are apps like CodeCheck that allow you to simply scan the barcode of an item and then see what ingredients the product contains. The app also tells you directly whether these substances are questionable, harmful to your health, or harmful to the environment, and if so, why. This way you can shop sustainably and consciously. All you need is a smartphone with Internet access. The app is particularly useful in drugstores. Here you can see whether microplastics, palm oil, hormones or other substances are contained in the products you buy.
6. Buying second hand
The textile industry has a big impact on the environment, because chemicals are used and large amounts of water are consumed, as well as CO2 being released. The process stages of textile production that have a particularly strong impact on the environment are the cultivation and production of raw fibres and textile finishing. However, there are numerous opportunities to shop for great products that have not been newly produced but have already had a previous owner. DAS KAUFHAUS, for example, is a social department store that offers second hand fashion and furniture. Here you can discover great individual pieces, shop at low prices and protect the environment at the same time. In addition, more and more large online stores like Zalando or ASOS offer second hand platforms.