How I'm Trying To Live More Sustainably

It's near impossible to avoid the threats we're facing, as result of our general carelessness as a world population. I watched a video recently that stated in bold, "Nature doesn't need people. People need nature." 

And that struck a chord. I've never watched or read something that summed up something so comprehensive, into something so straightforward and hard-hitting. It's undebatable that the human race, especially with the advances of the modern age, are consistently mistreating what we are supposed to be taking care of. 

So I made a decision to try and make a small difference, and this is what I've been doing in order to do so. They're small things, but all of us doing them as a collective can make a notable difference:

Vegetarianism

I've been pescetarian since the 1st of January, with the view to go fully vegetarian in the near future. I regularly get people asking me "but don't you miss bacon?" to which the answer is trust me, it's not that hard! If you feel unable to fully cut meat out of your diet, why not try having certain days of the week where you don't eat meat? Anything makes a difference. 

I may do a full blog post on my reasons for going vegetarian, but I want to avoid being 'preachy' as much as possible! I really didn't find it too difficult, and any trouble adjusting was outweighed by the ethical and environmental benefits of my decision. 

Sustainable Fashion 

This is a fairly new idea I've been researching, as it's just not something that occurred to me before. I had heard about the issues surrounding sweat shops abroad, and the cost of cheap clothing in this country, but didn't know it was such a broad problem until I watched this video. 

I still have a lot of scope to improve my impact in this sense, but I'm trying to approach fashion in a more ethical way. I have tried to do this by introducing myself to vintage clothing, and selling any unwanted clothes on Depop. I still do shop at high-street stores due to my limited budget as a student, but will try to cut this down in the future. 

Water Bottles 

It makes me cringe when people purchase plastic bottles, with the intention of using them once, and then throwing them away. It's just so unnecessary! I re-use water bottles until they're falling apart, but I have recently heard that the chemicals in their interior can be damaging to our health. Therefore, I'm going to purchase a water bottle made up of organic material, so I can keep on using it, with no rubbish or health risk whatsoever! 

Plastic Straws

Straws are not only plastic, but they have the potential to be so harmful to ocean species. There are awful images of turtles who have ingested straws that have entered the sea. Sometimes, I can't avoid using them when I'm given them in restaurants and bars, but we no longer use them in the house. 

Water

I love a hot shower at the end of the day (though maybe not in this heat...) but I've recently been trying to take shorter showers, in an effort to use less water. Alhough, small changes can be made instead - if you're shaving your legs in the shower, turn off the water whilst doing it! Also, for a few years now, I have always turned off the tap whilst brushing my teeth. 

I know these things seem so small they're almost insignificant, but I promise you that a small difference is still a change, and that's the main thing! However, there are still changes that I want to make in the future, to live more sustainably:

• Period Products - I'm anxious about moving from what I'm comfortable with, but I'm aware of the huge amount of waste products, such as tampons and pads, are causing. Therefore, I'm going to research more sustainable options.
• Email over Post - I love a paper copy as much as the next person, but a decision as small as selecting to be given information by email, rather than post, already reduces paper waste. At the moment, by banking information is delivered by post, so I plan to change this soon. 

How are you trying to live more sustainably? I'd love to hear about your ideas!