How To Have A More Sustainable Lifestyle
The transition to living a more sustainable lifestyle doesn’t happen overnight and no one can ever really do it “perfectly”. However, there are some simple steps everyone can take to try and live with the well-being of our planet and ecosystems in mind and we have listed our top ten to get you started below!
1. Go plant based part time - cut down on animal products!
If you are still a meat, fish, or dairy eater try and cut out animal-based products, either a few days a week or switch to plant-based recipes for one meal a day. Perhaps make your weekday lunches vegan or vegetarian. Get inspired by filling your Instagram feed with plant-based chefs, who are constantly sharing new and exciting recipes.
2. Find your local farmer's market and buy organic whenever possible.
Shopping locally is always best. Not only are you supporting local farmers, but you are buying food that hasn’t had to travel very far, cutting down on emissions. All of us at REV try and shop at our local farmers market every week, and it is a highlight of our weekends! When you can, we urge you to choose organic, as it is better for our planet and our bodies. Believe it or not, shopping from your local farmers can even be cheaper and you can avoid plastic completely, which can be hard to do in conventional grocery stores.
3. Watch your plastic use and find zero waste stores.
From cereal to grains to sugar, a lot of our essentials come in single use plastic packaging. Cutting down on your plastic consumption is one of the most important sustainable choices you can make. Thankfully most cities globally have fantastic zero waste stores, where you can bring your own containers to refill on your favourite ingredients. Shopping this way can also be cheaper because you can buy things in bulk too, meaning fewer trips to the grocery store too!
4. Switch to clean beauty.
Sadly, the beauty industry is one of the worst polluters, both with plastic and chemicals. Most conventional skincare and makeup come in single use plastic tubes, containing formulas with parabens, silicones, phthalates, coal tar, and more. None of which should be touching our skin or going into our waterways.
We recommend switching to zero waste makeup and sustainable skincare, and we promise you’ll notice the difference too. We love the makeup brand Juni who use entirely plastic free, aluminium casing for their lipsticks. And for zero waste shaving, look no further than Well Kept for all our essentials and a reusable blade trade in programme!
5. Break out the bicycle for urban travel!
Using a bike as your means of urban transport is not only great for your health but it is also friendlier to our environment. “Cycling has a carbon footprint of 21g of CO2 per kilometer. That’s less than walking or getting the bus and less than a tenth of the emissions of driving” [Source: Bike Radar]. We know that cycling is not always an option for getting to work but investing in a bike means you can choose to cycle to the shops or to meet friends instead of taking the bus!
6. Invest in a reusable coffee cup, grocery bag and water bottle.
Skip plastic at every chance. The best way to do so is to make sure you are using reusable options. When it comes to a water bottle or coffee thermos, look no further than Ocean Bottle, an amazing company using upcycled ocean-bound plastic. Turtle bags are a staple among the team at REV, and we keep them in our purses at all times to throw any last-minute shopping in!
7. Choose trains over planes.
Plane travel is incredibly unsustainable. We understand having to fly to visit family but when picking a vacation destination, pick a location you can travel to by train! When you travel by train instead of a plane to the same destination, you are cutting your CO2 emissions at least in half. There are also non-CO2 greenhouse gases formed at higher altitudes, when flying, so when you travel by train you are avoiding other emissions too.
8. Make your outdoor space a biodynamic space for regeneration.
Whether you have a lawn or a terrace, growing your own herbs, vegetables, and flowers is a wonderful thing to do for the planet (and yourself). By turning your outdoor space into a colorful green wonderland, you are not only cutting down on your need to go out and buy produce, but you are also helping all your local insects. Butterflies and bees alike are both responsible for pollinating our plants, and their unique roles ensure a balance is kept in their food chains and within the natural environment. By supporting your local pollinators, you are supporting the health of the Earth too.
9. Shop small, shop local.
Shopping small and local as much as possible is one of the best ways to be sustainable. Now more than ever, as businesses are trying to recover from the effects of COVID, it is so important to support our local economy. By buying clothes, furniture, food, wine and more locally, you’re also significantly reducing your carbon footprint. This is partly why we offer a big selection of British brands, some of which are even our neighbors in London! We really encourage to be thoughtful about most of the purchase you make and do research before swiping your card to ensure it is as ethical as possible.
10. Educate yourself!
The most basic (but important) act that anyone can do is to continuously educate ourselves. Learning more about not only what our planet is facing but what we can do about it is one of the most powerful ways to change the minds and habits of millions of people. By educating yourself, you can have informed and meaningful conversations with friends and family to spread important messages about climate change and sustainability. Knowledge is power!