10 Tips For Living A Sustainable Lifestyle This Earth Day

Earth Day is right around the corner and we’re here to support our planet. Celebrated every year on April 22nd, Earth Day is an environmental movement. A day dedicated to the earth and how we should look after it.

What is Earth Day?

In a nutshell, it’s a day for people to step back and appreciate all the Earth has to offer. For others, it’s a time when communities can come together at a global level and take important environmental action. It ranges from organised community cleanups to small lifestyle changes that can reduce our negative impact on the planet. Now that Earth Day is attracting the attention of thousands of people around the world, it’s important that we are focusing this awareness and energy towards sustainable change.

What Can I Do?

There are a bunch of ways to protect our earth and making simple lifestyle changes is the best place to start. We’ve put together a few easy tips that you can action at home or the office to help make a difference this Earth Day.

1 ) Turn Your Lights Off

Yep, it’s that easy. Turning off lights in empty rooms is a great way to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. During the day, open up those blinds and let the sun light up your home. While you’re lights are on, it’s worth investing in LED lights. They’re energy efficient and your electricity bill will be happy too.

2 ) Plant Something

Grab those gardening gloves and get digging. Whether it’s a small herb garden, a full-scale veggie patch or some pretty flowers for your front yard, planting is great for the environment. If you go native, you’ll do our ecosystem a solid by attracting pollinators like bees, butterflies and birds.
If gardening isn’t your thing, get around Greenfleet. A leading environmental organisation that’s on a mission to protect our climate by restoring our forests. We’ve partnered with the non-profit to help you offset your carbon emissions and we’ll reward you for it! Learn more about the CarbonCover 365 program.

3 ) Reduce Your Food Waste

Food waste has a massive impact on the environment. Trapping food in garbage bags creates greenhouse gases, such as methane, which affect air quality and overall public health. By wasting food, we’re wasting the resources used to not only grow the food but also package and transport it.

You can easily reduce your food waste at home by:

• Making a grocery list. Take stock of your pantry and fridge before you head to the supermarket so you don’t overbuy.
• Meal planning: planning a few meals each week helps prevent you from buying too much food.

4 ) Avoid Plastic

Plastic is a big no-no for the environment. It takes years to break down, leaving microplastics behind which can wreak havoc on the environment. Instead of plastic bottles and single-use coffee cups, grab yourself a reusable alternative.

Next, take a look at your kitchen and bathroom. Plastic sponges can easily be swapped for eco-friendly dish brushes or compostable sponges. You can also reduce plastic waste at home by switching to refillable shampoo, conditioners, dish soaps and hand wash.

5 ) Save Water

It’s easy to waste water at home, but it’s just as easy to swap these habits for less wasteful ones. Producing water takes energy, so the more water you save, the more energy you save.

It’s simple. Take shorter showers, turn the tap off while brushing your teeth, install water-saving shower heads, use your dishwasher or washing machine for full loads only, and don’t leave the hose on when washing your car.

6 ) Reuse And Recycle

Ready to part ways with something that’s still in good working condition? Donate your goods and give them to someone else to love.

Get creative and reuse what you would normally throw away. If you need repurposing inspiration, look no further than your very own hemp shoe bags! Use them as a cleaning cloth for your shoes or organise your suitcase when travelling.

7 ) Reduce Your Landfill Waste

For those hard-to-recycle items, Terracycle has you covered. A global waste management company that collects and repurposes traditionally non-recyclable waste. Our store, warehouse, customer service and marketing teams participate in Terracycle’s recycling programs in an effort to keep our waste from landfill.

Start composting! You can compost plant-based food scraps, used tea or coffee grounds, eggshells, shredded paper and old flowers. It’s super easy to start a composting bin and by reducing your landfill waste, you’ll be giving your garden a good nutrient boost.

8 ) Get Outside

Appreciate the planet and spend time outside. Immersing yourself in nature makes you value this place we call home and is a great way to learn more about the earth and its ecosystems. Whether you’re hiking or gardening, these outdoor hobbies help create a bond so you can become personally invested in creating a better future for people and the planet.

9 ) Heat And Cool Efficiently

It’s getting cooler and we know how tempting it is to turn up the heating. The same goes when it’s hot outside and you’re scrambling to crank up the aircon. You can conserve energy (and your bills!) by heating and cooling your home efficiently. The key is to use your system so it doesn’t work harder than it needs to and you can easily do this by turning on eco mode.

Be sure to close your doors so the heating/cooling only applies to the space you’re using, too.

10 ) Educate Yourself

Earth Day is all about education and creating awareness. Pick up a book, read an article, listen to a podcast or watch a documentary. There are so many resources out there to help us better understand the climate crisis and what we can do on a global and individual level to help the environment. Do your part by sharing your knowledge with family, friends and colleagues, too.

Make Sustainable Swaps One Step At A Time

We’re all too aware that change doesn’t happen overnight. Swapping out old habits can be overwhelming and costly. Start small, choose one area in your house to implement change (for example, the kitchen) then once you’ve nailed it, keep going with the rest of your house.

Earth Day shouldn’t be limited to one day, we’re on a mission to do better for our planet. From sourcing biobased materials to supporting initiatives that help both people and the planet, we’re working towards a sustainable future. We’re on a journey to keep our world clean, healthy and thriving— and we’d love for you to join us.