Living A More Sustainable Lifestyle: Tips For Conscientious Consumers

We’ve all seen the screaming headlines and witnessed the distressing images on TV. Seemingly endless clumps of plastic waste, littering our beaches and choking seals, whales, and dolphins. Once virgin forests, now lying in smouldering ruins. Devastating floods, rising sea levels, melting ice floes, and rampant wildfires.

These days, we’re bombarded with fresh headlines about the devastation of the natural world on an almost daily basis. While it’s easy to feel helpless in the face of such destruction, the truth is that we can all play an important part in easing the burden on the environment. By becoming more conscious consumers and embracing a sustainable way of living, we can benefit the natural world and slowly but surely work to change things for the better.

Keen to get started? Here are some top tips on how to live a more sustainable lifestyle from this day forward.

Purchase Eco-Friendly Products

We may not realise it, but every week, we purchase a wide range of products that have a negative impact on the environment. From the toxic chemicals found in our laundry detergents and cleaning products – which end up polluting our watercourses – to plastic items that end up littering beaches and roadside verges, much of what we buy ends up harming the planet in some way or other.

As a result, it’s important to prioritise eco-friendly products as much as you can. From nature-friendly cleaners to cruelty-free cosmetics and items made from sustainable materials, there are plenty of options out there to choose from for the conscientious consumer.

Repair, Don’t Replace

One of the biggest problems with our society’s current focus on consumption at any price is the emphasis it places on buying new things, instead of simply repairing and maintaining what we already have. This is particularly true of electronics – as the well-publicised furore over planned obsolescence revealed.

To combat this throw-away mentality, do what you can to keep your current devices functioning for as long as possible, rather than discarding them. If your mobile phone or tablet goes on the blink, rather than thinking about purchasing a new one, instead take it to a business that specialises in mobile phone repairs, such as the award-winning Likewize Repair. You won’t even have to Google ‘mobile phone repair near me’ as Likewize Repair will send a technician directly to you, wherever you happen to be – and, better yet, they guarantee all repairs for a full year.

Eat More Veg And Less Meat

In the UK, we’re famously fond of our meats – from those mouth-watering breakfast sausages and slices of crispy bacon to the time-honoured institution of the Sunday roast, which could consist of a juicy chicken, a side of beef, or a leg of lamb garlanded with rosemary.

Unfortunately our seemingly insatiable hunger for meat is having a crippling impact on the natural world. The beef industry, in particular, is to blame for a range of environmental evils. These include:

- The pollution of groundwater caused by animal manure

- The production of vast amounts of harmful greenhouse gases

- The clearing of large tracts of forest to make way for the crops required to feed the animals involved in the industry.

The good news is that a number of alternative meat products are currently being developed, and are expected to make up the majority of the market by 2040. While you’re waiting for these tasty new innovations to reach our shelves, you can make a positive difference by reducing the amount of meat you eat each week – especially red meat. Introduce more vegetarian options to your menu, and, if you really must eat meat, try and choose more eco-friendly options such as poultry and fish.

Avoid Products Containing Palm Oil

When it comes to harmful environmental impacts, there’s no denying that palm oil is one of the worst culprits. For one thing, it is responsible for the deforestation of vast swathes of rainforest in order to make way for the growth of new trees to produce more oil. The destruction of so many trees contributes to global climate change and has a devastating impact on the flora and fauna that call the rainforest home. Some of the animals most affected by palm oil-related habitat destruction include endangered species such as orangutans and tigers.

To make matters worse, palm oil isn’t even good for our health, yet it is found in a wide range of products, from peanut butter and lipstick to chocolate, instant noodles, shampoo, and bread. As a result, it may be harder than you might think to steer clear of this harmful substance, but wherever possible it’s important to avoid products that contain palm oil, as buying them will only contribute to the demand for this highly destructive substance.

Final Thoughts

Detailed above are just a few of the many tips and techniques you can use to become a more conscientious and sustainable consumer. While it may seem overwhelming at first glance, the truth is that creating a more eco-friendly lifestyle for yourself doesn’t have to be complicated, nor does it have to involve sacrifice.

Best of all, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are doing your bit to help the planet and all of the precious lives you share it with.