You might have heard about a little thing called sustainability. Sustainability is a lifestyle that is able to be maintained without harming earth’s ecosystems. It is important to practice sustainability for a variety of reasons, mainly because it can help decrease waste production and help protect natural systems. On top of that, sustainability can be economically beneficial! Here are five easy changes you can make to live a more sustainable lifestyle!
① Switching from Plastic to Bamboo Toothbrushes
Worldwide, around 3.6 billion plastic toothbrushes are used, with roughly 80% of them ending up in the sea after being disposed of. This amount of plastic waste can take a devastating toll on the environment. Because toothbrushes are an item that are disposed of regularly, it is important to find an alternative that can safely be disposed of. Luckily, bamboo toothbrushes are the perfect alternative. While keeping the same design of any manual toothbrush, bamboo toothbrushes have the added benefit of being decomposable, aiding in reducing the amount of plastic we use in our daily lives.
② Switching from Plastic to Reusable Bags
Plastic bags are incredibly harmful for the environment, not only for their production which releases pollutants into the air, but also because of their inability to break down when disposed of. Plastic bags are notorious for getting trapped in waterways and in animal habitats, harming species of animals worldwide. Switching to reusable bags is a great alternative because they are much sturdier than plastic bags and more environmentally friendly! Instead of buying a plastic bag everytime you go to the grocery store, you can simply bring your own. Since reusable bags aren’t made of plastic, they are much more durable. Most reusable bags are made out of cloth, so this allows for long reuse. On top of this, these bags don’t end up being disposed of like plastic bags, so they don’t have the risk of harming ecosystems!
③ Switching from Plastic Bubble Wrap to Paper Packaging
While bubble wrap may be fun to play with, it is nowhere near an environmentally sustainable packaging option. When disposed of, bubble wrap takes over 1000 year to break down in the landfill, more than 10 lifetimes! On the other hand, paper alternatives such as honeycomb paper wrap not only has the advantage of easily being reused or recycled, it also saves a lot of space.
④ Switching from Plastic to Paper and Reusable Straws
Making a switch from plastic to other more eco friendly types of straws is something that can make a positive impact on the environment. Since straws are such a commonly used item, the amount of waste generated from them is huge. On the world’s coastlines alone, there are an estimated 8.3 billion plastic straws. Straws make their ways to oceans and other sources of water, not only creating blockages for water flow, but also harming the different plants and animals in that ecosystem. Sea animals commonly consume plastic straws, causing increases in plastic-caused marine death. Luckily, paper and reusable straws prevent all these issues. Both straw alternatives are much better for the environment because of their materials; without the plastic in them, non-plastic straws don’t have the downside of harming different ecosystems when they make their way to them. Furthermore, paper straws are biodegradable and much easier to dispose of. Reusable straws, typically made of either glass or silicone, can easily be carried around and washed, with their durable material allowing for the straw to last a lifetime.
⑤ Switching from Plastic to Woven Plant Pots
Plastic pots are extremely common nowadays, but they are also wasteful. Because of plastic’s inability to decompose, it actually takes 450 years for plastic to break down in the landfill! Instead, try woven plant pots, which are much better for the environment because of the material they are made of; the pot itself is made out of natural fibers that can easily decompose. On top of that, they are much more aesthetically pleasing!