Do you ever find yourself completely overwhelmed by the information on the world wide web about how you need to be more sustainable?
If you feel that you’re not doing enough for the melting ice caps, then I have some tips for you! Over the past few years, I have been becoming increasingly aware of our human impact on the World. But by just doing a few small things you can make a difference.
1. Eat less meat!
Now, I know what you’re thinking…..I own the latest BBQ grill! How do you expect me to eat less meat?! Or how do I get the gains without eating enough protein? I didn’t say don’t completely stop eating meat, you just need to eat less. Food production accounts for one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and takes up half of the planet’s habitable surface (interactive.carbonbrief.org). Once you start to look at how much goes into food production and the negative effects they have on the environment, it’s really hard to ignore the facts. The reason I decided to have a majority meat-free diet was not only an ethical decision but largely environmentally based. You can still eat meat but, just limit your intake to once or twice a week. Also, you can still cook delicious tasting veggie options on your BBQ 😉
2. Limit your food waste
Did you know in Australia we waste 7.3 million tonnes of food each year, enough to fill 13,000 Olympic sized swimming pools (www.ozharvest.org). There are a few options here, if you have the space you can compost all your veggie scraps, these days you can even buy contraptions to do it for you! You can also dispose of all your scraps in the green bin, though do look up what can and can’t go in there first! Another great way to limit your food waste is to use the parts you wouldn’t usually use i.e. broccoli stem and blitz them up to make a base for soup or fritters. Simples!
3. Don’t buy new clothes
The environmental impact of this behaviour is significant: the clothing and textile industry is depleting non-renewable resources, emitting huge quantities of greenhouse gases and using massive quantities of energy, chemicals and water (sustainability.uq.edu.au). Fast fashion is one you may not think of straight away but has significant effects on the environment. Where I used to find myself scrolling on ASOS, I now find myself scrolling through Facebook marketplace. You can pick up new clothes for a fraction of the RRP. There are also many markets and stores that sell preloved clothing as well as your local op shop! You can also save yourself some pretty pennies along the way!
It’s up to us!
We all have a part to play in looking after the planet and everyone has different ways or methods on how you can do this. It’s important to remember that whilst you may want to do it all, it can become quite consuming and overwhelming. Start someone where small and you can always grow from there to do bigger and better things!
