10 / 100 - sustainable acts
hello dear friends!
as we were trying to put together an article with all of our collected material on simple acts you can do to make your life more sustainable,
we got quite overwhelmed of all the possibilities out there -
and we were also convinced that no one would have the perseverance and motivation to read an article,
that never seems to find its end :-)
therefore we decided to divide all of our ideas into bite sized pieces and just bring you 10 seperate articles that will combine 100 acts to a more sustainable life in total!
so here are our first ten! we try and incorporate the simplest of the simplest,
and also some tips for the more advanced environmentalists out there :-)
hope you learn something new! feel free to share your thoughts and comments either here or on instagram with us! <3 lots of love, marie
N° 1 / 100 - always bring a bottle
it doesn’t have to be a fancy one - u can also just use a leftover bottle from your last apple juice or something!
buying and discarding bottles after a single use produces insane amounts of waste, even with the german pfand system - almost every bottle ends up in a landfill anyways, and with every new purchase, you’d add to it.
source: politico.eu
N° 2 / 100 - sell clothes instead of donating them
although donating seems to be a reputable act prima facie, it actually isn’t as sustainable as you might think:
for various reasons, according to an article from the huffington post in 2016, 85% of clothing ends up in landfill. this could be due to the items not being re-sold quickly enough or the condition the garments are in.
another ambivalent fact is that the donated clothes get shipped to developing countries, which we might see as only positive - but unfortunately, that’s not the case.
because there’s such a surplus of clothing, people in developing countries don’t “need” to produce new garments anymore, which leads to unemployment and maladjusted economy.
we don’t want to tell you that you shouldn’t donate clothes anymore - of course, overall that’s a honourable act - but we encourage you to think before doing so -
basic / mainstream pieces have a higher chance of getting re-sold than niche items for example; and also, question yourself: why do i have so much to donate? should i maybe overthink my buying habits?
so, to wrap up this point - a way of being more in control about the destination of your unwanted garments is reselling them yourself on apps/websites like kleiderkreisel, depop, ebay, etc.
of course that takes more time and effort to set up; but maybe this way they find a new home in which they will be cherished; you might think a little longer before purchasing something next time
and you also make a little profit which you could save up for investing in a sustainable piece you have been eyeing for a bit now :-)
or take part in some community event like swapping clothes at your university or a backyard; look them up on facebook, i bet you’re very likely to find something in your area, too!
N° 3 / 100 - use fresh produce bags instead of plastic bags
this may not seem like something new to you, but i must tell you - the amount of people who still use plastic bags in grocery shops are insane!
i think i don’t have to point out all of the benefits fresh produce bags have over the plastic ones - but there might be coming a whole article about plastic and its impact on the environment in the future :-)
in the meantime; u can stock up on some of these babies from our “extras” section - they’re even better than the ones you can get in stores, as they only use leftover materials and therefore introduce formerly discarded fabrics scraps back into the circulation.
N° 4 / 100 - save water
this one seems obvious as well, but i find it highly underrated - i think i’ts really important to be aware of your water usage; sometimes you tend to forget how precious it is because it is always available.
but using water more consciously, turning it off when we are in the shower and soap ourselves, brush our teeth, do the dishes, maybe take a quick shower instead of a bath more often, use a dishwasher when we can,
collect rainwater and use that for our plants instead, there are so many little things that add up with time, especially because everyone uses water everyday -
just imagine the huge impact collective consciousness would have in this topic!
N° 5 / 100 - cancel all the physical newsletters and mail
i stumbled upon this idead about a year ago, when i heard in a podcast that people actually store their documents and everything in digital folders, not physical ones.
at first i found myself confused, because, especially growing up in germany where bureaucracy seems to be the second word you learn as an infant right after being able to say “mama”;
literally everything was communicated through physical mail. and as much as i love analogue writing and the nostalgia that comes with finding an envelope in your mailbox,
receiving unnecessary newsletters or documents i might just need for the record at some point in my life but and until then get lost in the depths of random boxes in your parent’s attic;
is just something absolutely redundant, when you could just store the exact same document digitally, without taking up any physical space.
that doesn’t just save paper, but also makes you feel less cluttered in your personal home.
therefore, try and change every mailing service, starting with your bank and ending with your phone provider, to a digital one. you almost always have the option to choose.
N° 6 / 100 - use electronic devices for as long as possible
this to me seems to be quite underrated as well, but maybe because it’s not talked about enough - electronic waste is one of the main contributors to landfills; difficult to isolate individual materials again and therefore in almost every case not able to be recycled / reused again.
so before buying a new phone, a new hairdryer that you’d only use for the wedding of your aunt karen anyways, another pair of headphones because you don’t like the colour of the old ones anymore or a vitamix because everyone on youtube seems to use one for their smoothie bowls - consider and ask yourself - is this purchase really necessary or could i eventually just live with what i have at the moment?
if the answer is yes, good on you, you don’t only save money but also keep some electronic device for piling up on another landfill;
and if the answer is no - maybe ask friends, ebay or a community service to rent a tool; buy it second hand or if you really need to buy a new one, invest in something that would really last you for a long long time.
source: pinterest
N° 7 / 100 - get creative with food!
we often accumulate so many random food items from dishes we once made,
and tend to just throw it aways once they get bad or not used up quickly enough -
a fun and sustainable attempt could be to get some inspiration for cooking with these leftovers -
maybe even invite some friends over to bring their leftovers along; host a brunch with a lot of little somethings to shareand eat together - this way you don’t only prevent food from going to waste,
but also foster meaningful friendships and can exchange ideas and inspiration
about living a more sustainable life!
N° 8 / 100 - invest in quality products
this one might speak for itself, but i believe that this is often overlooked or cut off with “i can’t wait until i saved up and just need this thing immediately”.
many times i find myself thinking and feeling the same urge to have something immediately - but holding on for a second, listening and questioning myself and my desire/impulse,
i can often reconnect, understand and decide that i can indeed wait for an item and don’t die from not being able to afford it right away.
because in the long run, i’d be more content with the pieces that will last me longer, i’d cherish them more and take better care of them if i know how long i had to wait for them.
that’s not only a great little exercise for practising some self-discipline, but also a major step towards a more sustainable lifestyle and creating a demand for quality products:
you vote with every purchase, vote for either a fast pace industry that lives off of pieces breaking quickly and therefore being discarded, thus creating a demand for new products with the same lifecycle;
and if we don’t break that, it won’t ever come to an end.
N° 9 / 100 - don’t use tealights
you probably didn’t expect that and maybe ask yourself why this is something you shouldn’t be doing anymore, because who doesn’t love the coziness and romantic atmosphere a lit candle gives a space?
but i often find that exactly these little aspects get ignored constantly, and therefore never questioned and changed. and because it’s something so mundane and ubiquitous, i felt the need to point it out:
because how many times did we buy a 100 pieces packet of tealights for 2,99€ at ikea in just one autumn? too often, i can ensure you. because with every tealight being burned down after the short period of 4 hrs max,
one little aluminium tin is discarded. imagine this in every household, every day of the gloomy seasons. it’s an incredible amount!
and there are so many easily accessible options you could choose instead! in almost every regular drugstore you can find the same tealights made of beeswax, which mainly come without the aluminium wrapping.
also, why not use regular pillar candles instead? they also last you longer than just 4 hrs most of the time, and don’t use any extra packaging.
and in case you couldn’t find a pillar candle holder you like yet, we have some sustainable, thrifted ones in our homeware section, too! :-)
N ° 10 / 100 - share what you have
books, your wardrobe, tools, whatever. your friends will be more than happy to lend you their favourite book, your roommate will look bomb in your sweater too and your neighbour will thank you with some homemade cake for sharing your drilling machine with him. it’s not only a heartwarming feeling to support others, but also a wonderful way to not having to spend money and buy everything brand new -
and also, in most cases it’s easier to ask for help carrying that dresser you just got on the flea market to your apartment on the fifth floor without an elevator, when your friend still owes you a favour in exchange for the last time you lend him your car :-)
source: pinterest