Part of sustainable living means becoming more aware of the decisions we make and the impact they have on the Earth.

How To Live A Sustainable Lifestyle

What Is Sustainability?

Sustainability is the practice of meeting our needs without compromising the environment and future generations’ ability to meet their own needs or compromise the Earth’s natural resources. Learn more here.

How Do You Live A Sustainable Lifestyle?

Living a sustainable lifestyle means becoming more aware of the decisions we make and the impact they have on the Earth. There are some things in daily routines that wreck havoc on the environment and other things that help to preserve the Earth. If you’re having trouble following, think of it like money and a bank account.

If you have $1,000 in your savings account and you spend $50 every day, in 20 days you will have $0 in your account. But, if you look at your daily spending and only spend $2 each day, you will spend that total of $1,000 in 500 days instead of 20.

Sustainability is understanding what it is we are working with––Earth. The second part is understanding our actions––what we purchase, the choices we make, etc. A third component is recognizing Earth’s nonrenewable resources produced and maintaining them with actions and initiatives.

What Are Nonrenewable Resources?

• Oil

• Natural Gas

• Coal

• Nuclear Energy

Oil, natural gas, and coal are called “fossil fuels”. Read more about nonrenewable resources here. If we refer back to the money and budgeting example, the purpose of sustainable living is to maintain the nonrenewable and natural resources Earth has. We are using a lot of those resources and scientists have reported (click here to view the data and findings) we will eventually run out of some. In order to prevent that from happening there are certain things we can do in our lives to maintain those resources and make sure more future generations than less are able to experience them as well.

Living Sustainably

Living sustainably means utilizing, reusing, and seeking better options. If you want to live a sustainable life shop more purposefully. Don’t buy a bunch of things because you simply can. Instead, think about the investment and long-term gain. Sustainable living is purchasing items that can be reused many times instead of single-use items. And, the second component of sustainability is ensuring that when you are purchasing something it is the best option for the environment. The next time you need or want something, pump the breaks and Google sustainable options. It can be as simple as “eco-friendly washing machines” or “plastic-free makeup brushes”.