During this period of the pandemic we have really seen nature detox itself while humans were in lockdown. What we also saw was the damage we as humans have caused over the years and the urgent need to shift towards a more environmentally friendly approach to life.
There is an individual level change that we must make to support the environment in your own way. The more of us, as individuals, make that choice, the more likely are we to shift the market and demand towards sustainable goods and services.
Something that I did not recognize that came with sustainable and minimalist living was the positive mental health impact it had on me. I found myself more aware of myself and need, I became less materialistic and more content.
In this article I will elaborate some of the changes that I made to be more sustainable.
Grocery Shopping
The obvious changes that most of us have made in our lives, including myself, is using our own cloth bags for shopping rather than depending on the store. Even if the store you go to provides paper or cloth bags the idea of carrying your own is to reduce waste. To reduce the amount of plastic I buy I have also found myself buying lesser junk food. This change has been healthy not only for the environment but also for my physical health.
Some of the other options people have resorted to is carrying their own pouch of Spoons, forks and steel straws to reduce their usage of single use plastic. To some this may seem extreme but, it is a practice that can make a huge change, because you do not have to use those weird paper straws that are now being provided in place of plastic. Plus, these utensils are light weight and do not take up space, so it is a feasible change.
Personal Hygiene
Personal hygiene is an important aspect of our lives, especially women. For this reason, making changes in this area is the most difficult because they are habit driven.
The first change I made was shifting from the mainstream pad brands towards pads that were made using plant-based material and are completely biodegradable. There are more sustainable options out there like cloth pads and menstrual cups, but this was a more comfortable change for me.
When it came to my skin, I shifted to an Ayurvedic Indian brand. The main reason I shifted was because the formulas were based in Ayurveda and sustainability cultivated natural ingredients. This means if they do go into the oceans, they are less likely to cause chemical pollution as compared to the mainstream products we find in today’s market. The company is also vegan, cruelty-free and sustainable.
Even for my teeth, I shifted from plastic brushes I shifted to bamboo toothbrushes. Unlike the plastic toothbrushes we use, which end up in landfills, the bamboo toothbrushes are biodegradable. This was the easiest and probably the most important transition that I made.
Stationary
This was a tricky area for me since I am someone who absolutely loves stationary. In my effort to search for more eco-friendly stationary I realized that there were not many eco-friendly alternatives. But there is still a way to reduce your carbon footprint.
The obvious change, but not a change everyone has a luxury of making, is shifting to tablets and laptops completely. With the current technology and the ability to writing on tablets using electronic pens has made it an easy transition from pen and paper to using digital equipment.
The more sustainable option that I have chosen personally is shift from ball point pens and gel pens to fountain pens. When it came to paper, I decided to use elephant poop-based paper. No, it does not smell and is sanitized. Another plus of using this paper is that when we purchase such notebooks the profits go towards funding elephant sanctuaries that protect elephants from poaching.
If you are still someone who is more comfortable using ball pens there are alternatives that use 70% lesser plastic. One such organisation based in Kerala that employs the differently abled to make these pens.
House Essentials
An area where we see a lot of water pollution waste is the house cleaning zone. What we do not realise is that a lot of the products we use for the washing machine, mopping and cleaning dishes consists of chemicals that are not necessarily the best for the environment and in some cases, even our house.
The brand that I shifted too, tackled not only water pollution but also plastic waste. This is a service that provides all the necessary cleaning products for homes and additionally has a subscription service that delivers the refills for the products in paper-based packaging that can be recycled.
Even kitchen tissue paper rolls can be replaced with bamboo-based tissues that are reusable until hundred washes and are less wasteful.
Luxury and Travelling
The last area where we are worried about being eco-friendly is buying clothes and general shopping.
Going online I realised that there are several brands that promote sustainable clothing or the more locally sourced clothes that support small weavers and artisans. Fabrics like hemp and organic cotton that are most sustainable than the general polyester-based fabrics that we find in most clothes. These clothes are still more expensive that the mainstream clothes but limiting the amount of clothes I buy in a year to only one or two purchases make up for the expensive fabrics I chose to invest in.
Even while travelling I do not believe in depriving myself of shopping. I instead chose to be mindful of what I buy. Instead of investing in souvenirs like key chains I chose to support local artisan and their products that are unique to the culture and country I am visiting. Not only am I taking a piece of the culture back home I am also supporting the local culture that would otherwise be lost because of capitalism.
Why I Share My Story?
My personal journey towards becoming more sustainable has taught me a lot of things. It opened my eyes to how unaware I was about how wasteful I could be while also realising that there are so many options out there that are more eco-friendly.
Something that I learned in the process of becoming sustainable was that I did not have to be perfect. The first step that I did not realise I had to take was accepting that I cannot be completely sustainable. The idea is to be as sustainable as possible. Once I started, I knew that every purchase I made was going to a good cause. Even an event as small as purchasing the basic cleaning products for the house made me more mindful and self-aware. These seemed like the small victories that boosted my days irrespective of whether I was having a good day or a bad one.
Another thing that I learned in the process of becoming more sustainable was that it made me shift my priorities. As much as I loved stationary my priority had become being more sustainable. Every time that I thought of buying something it was always based on wants. When shifting my focus on sustainability I saw myself focusing lesser on my wants but more on my needs and whether the purchase I was making, is sustainable or not. It taught me the importance of focusing my priorities and being grateful and accommodating with what I already have.
We are born for a cause and a reason but there is an additional duty that we have towards the planet. It is our obligation that we leave the earth a better and cleaner place for the future generations. That is a responsibility that we carry on our shoulders and one that must be taken seriously. Living a sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyle is not only better for the planet, but also gives us mental peace and a purpose to our life.
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