Collectively, small lifestyle changes can make a huge impact on the environment-and your life. Looking for happiness and health? What’s good for the environment is also, it turns out, great for you. Here’s a collection of tips from the No Impact community.
learn how to sew.
instead of buying new clothes, or paying someone to fix your old clothes, learn how to diy it yourself.
currently im making my own coat. and as a liner im using an old comforter ..yup thats right an old comforter.
the outside textile was donated to me( retail value 200$ a yard) so im lucky in that sense.
but sewing gives you such a vast selection of things to make ( clothes, household goods etc)
and you can buy a cheap second hand machine anywhere, or even go that extra mile and get a manual one.
This post was submitted by mabel.
Placing an extra bin in the bathroom has been amazing. About 80% of my bathroom waste was recyclable. Toilet rolls, toothpaste packaging, shampoo bottles etc. Both I was too lazy to take it out to the kitchen recycling bin. This makes it easier to ‘do the right thing’.
Once I have a garden compost I plan to collect all the tissues and cotton balls in a green waste bin too.
This post was submitted by BohoBelle.
Reduce your full time working week to 4 days of 9.5hrs each.
I am trying this for the first time and expect to save money mostly on transport. Another small bonus is reducing my professional wardrobe needs.
Obviously the best bit is to have a whole day to myself to work on hobbies. This might increase my homesteading and self sufficiency.
I’ve already found that I like starting work earlier, its very quiet and peaceful in the office. This is good for reducing stress.
*This tip was originally from the Your Money or Your Life book.
This post was submitted by BohoBelle.
For one year I bought no clothes for myself - new or used. The point of this is not what you might assume. It is a way to recalibrate your mind away from consuming as pleasure seeking or pain avoiding. Other ways I’ve done this is to have Buy Nothing Tuesdays, or Eat Local Meals, Weeks or forever! What I found is that my trip was busted - like Colin, I went a long time thinking being grumpy at SUV’s or ‘talking about ecology’ was actually doing something positive. I call that ‘David Suzuki Syndrome’. You just get mad and nothing happens. This year I’m buying no food at work, I’m packing or going without. I stress this is a method to change the way I think (or don’t think) but just consume without need or really the wherewithall to continue apace.
This post was submitted by Jan Morrison.
I eat no meat or meat products to help support a clean environment. After years of giving up all meats…all animal products have been eliminated from my diet. It feels good to know that all of the pollution from animal agriculture is not necessary for a “vegan” diet.
This post was submitted by Lisa.