Tips for more sustainability in your everyday life 🌱
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important not only for environmentally conscious people; parents and grandparents also want their children to be more responsible in their use of our planet's resources. In this blog post, you'll find various shinyly.shop tips on how you can live and act even more sustainably in your everyday life.
Avoiding plastic for clean oceans 🐳
Avoiding plastic is a frequent topic on my sustainability blog. The first goal is always to avoid plastic waste wherever possible. The best way to achieve this is to rely on plastic-free alternatives, of which, fortunately, there are more and more thanks to innovative companies. These products can be used multiple times and are often easily recycled.
Plastic-free alternatives:
- **Fabric bags instead of plastic bags**: Reusable fabric bags are not only durable but also environmentally friendly.
- **Beeswax cloths instead of cling film**: These reusable cloths are perfect for covering food.
- **Glass bottles instead of plastic bottles**: Glass is a durable and recyclable alternative.
Before choosing a product with plastic, it's always worth looking for a plastic-free version first. This is the only way to reduce the amount of plastic ending up in the world's oceans in the long term. Innovative packaging materials and general waste prevention are of utmost importance for the oceans.
Chapter 2: Upcycling – Creating something new from something old ♻️
Instead of constantly buying new things and then throwing them away, there are more sustainable solutions. Upcycling is the key here. With a little skill and creative ideas, worn-out clothing and accessories, as well as old furniture and toys, can be transformed into something new.
Creative upcycling ideas:
- **Turn old jeans into a bag**: With a little sewing, you can turn old jeans into a new, stylish bag.
- **Repurpose a changing table**: A changing table that is no longer needed can be used as a practical shelf or desk.
- **Use old glasses as vases or storage containers**: Simple glasses can be decoratively painted and used in a variety of ways.
Upcycling is not only creative and environmentally friendly, but also fun and creates unique pieces with personal value.
Chapter 3: Reducing pollutants & sustainable transportation 🚴♂️
Another popular topic on my sustainability blog is reducing emissions. Find out how you can minimize your CO₂ emissions to help the environment and the climate.
Tips for reducing pollutants:
- **Use public transportation**: Many families are already foregoing their own cars and preferring to use public transportation instead. Regional destinations, as well as many cities across Europe, are easily accessible by train—there's no need to fly.
- **Travel by bus or carpooling**: These alternatives are good for reducing pollution worldwide.
- **Choose pollutant-free products**: Also avoid products that are known to contain pollutants, such as plasticizers, microplastics, petroleum, and other materials that are difficult to degrade.
By consciously choosing your means of transport and products, you can make a significant contribution to reducing pollutants.
Chapter 4: Sustainability in Cosmetics 💄
Those who live more sustainably in their daily lives may also want to rely on natural products for their personal care. Certified natural cosmetics, which are now available from many well-known brands and in all product categories, are ideal for this.
Advantages of natural cosmetics:
- **Facial care**: Products without parabens and synthetic ingredients are better for your skin and the environment.
- **Body care**: Natural cosmetics offer many options for body lotions, shower gels and more.
- **Decorative cosmetics**: There are also many sustainable alternatives in this area.
By avoiding parabens, petroleum-based, and synthetic ingredients, you are not only doing something good for your skin, but also avoiding harmful, persistent ingredients for the environment.
Chapter 5: Regional and seasonal nutrition 🍎
Instead of eating exotic ingredients from all over the world, you can also live a healthy and sustainable lifestyle by using locally grown produce. Regionally grown produce has the advantage of not having to travel long distances, meaning it arrives on your table much fresher and richer in vitamins.
Benefits of regional and seasonal nutrition:
- **Freshness and nutritional content**: Experience has shown that seasonal vegetables and fruit have the most nutrients, minerals and vitamins to offer – in contrast to ready-made and frozen foods.
- **Environmentally friendly**: Shorter transport routes result in fewer CO₂ emissions.
- **Support local farmers**: Buying regional products strengthens the local economy and promotes sustainable agriculture.
Another issue for sustainable nutrition is avoiding products from conventional animal husbandry. Poor animal husbandry is often combined with the exploitation of workers and the use of antibiotics and growth hormones. Avoiding meat is significantly more sustainable. If you don't want to become a vegetarian or vegan, you should at least look for high-quality organic meat when buying meat. Demeter and Neuland, for example, meet high standards in meat production that cannot be compared to those of factory farming.
Conclusion
Sustainability in everyday life means making conscious decisions and taking responsibility for our environment. From avoiding plastic to creative upcycling, pollution-free transportation, sustainable cosmetics, and regional and seasonal nutrition—there are many ways we can reduce our ecological footprint. Every step counts and contributes to preserving our planet for future generations. Enjoy browsing my sustainability blog and implementing the tips in your everyday life! 🌿