10 Simple Steps Towards Sustainability

There are a thousand and one things you could do – or buy – to live a more environmentally-friendly life. However, not all of us have the time or inclination to make large lifestyle changes, even though we have that little voice in our heads that tells us we need to do our part for our planet. This list, therefore, outlines ten things you can do today - with little if any cost - that will make a real difference in the long run. These are all things I have done/try to do regularly to reduce my impact.

1. Put a bucket in your shower

We all know that we should turn off the tap when we’re brushing our teeth, and that we should limit our showers to three minutes or less when we can - but this little step can harvest you an amazing amount of water to use in your garden.

Here in Queensland, where we live on the driest continent on Earth, lots of people I know have started doing this. You know those first few moments when you turn on the shower and have to wait for it to warm up? Well, instead of letting that precious water go down the drain, you can catch it in the bucket and use it later to water your plants. Just make sure to avoid getting any soap or other chemicals in the water! I used to use our mop bucket, but I didn’t like the idea of using a bucket that sometimes has chemicals in it. Therefore, I went a bought a jumbo-sized bucket from the local discount store, and it has worked wonderfully!

2. Organise your waste

Most of us who live in cities have access to recycling. In Brisbane we have two bins – normal waste and recycling. This makes it really easy to keep recyclables out of the landfill. Our recycling bin only gets emptied once a fortnight, but with four adults, it is always overflowing. That means that a minimum of one out of every three bins we fill is getting recycled again – and we don’t often fill our normal bin.

Recycling is easy these days - all paper goods are recyclable, and plastics and tins are all labelled these days. So just remember to think twice before chucking away that plastic milk bottle – rinse it out and recycle it instead!

3. Grow something

Growing your own plants has a multitude of benefits. Firstly, you are doing your little part to offset climate change – the more plants the better! Second, if you grow native plants, you help to sustain our natural environment and wildlife. Third, by growing food plants you not only contribute to a healthier lifestyle for yourself and your family, (not to mention the taste of home-grown produce!), you also reduce your food miles, and get the satisfaction of providing for yourselves while saving money. Finally, the creation of a beautiful, productive garden also fills you with a sense of achievement and well-being that is well worth the effort.

Your garden doesn’t have to be large – while I dream of a couple of acres, I have lived in rental houses and duplexes for years, and the majority of my gardening has been in pots. I’ve never been without my potted garden, and I have a number of treasured plants that I have had for years, and which all have a story behind them – like the desert rose I chose one valentines day that, unlike a bunch of flowers, will continue to grow and bloom the rest of my life.

4. Re-use

You’ve heard the cliché before: we live in a throwaway society. Yet it is a cliché for a reason – it’s true. Gone are the days when we would – heaven forbid! – mend something, instead of chucking it and getting a new one.

But part of living sustainably is finding new uses for old ‘rubbish’. This can be as simple as using old t-shirts as rags and cleaning cloths. My favourite re-use of late was when I used some old tyres I found under our rental house to make a compost bin – completely free, and making use out of some pretty horrible old garbage.

Next time you think about throwing something away, first think ‘is there some other way I can use this?’, or ‘is there someone else that could use this?’ – BEFORE you resign it to eternity in landfill.

5. Reduce the use of your car

This is a tough one for many of us. If you live in the city, it is often possible to do this to a certain extent – by walking to the local shops when you run out of milk, or taking the train or a bus when going to work or out of an evening. If you live a little further away from things, you probably rely on your car to get you anywhere.

I have to drive about half an hour to work, because I live on one side of the city and work in the suburbs on the other side. I hope to change this and move closer to my work, but in the meantime, I just try to avoid using the car near home when I could walk. Another option, and one I’m seriously considering, is ditching the car in favour of a scooter. A saving in fuel costs and emissions means you may very soon see me joining the mod legions!

6. Switch it off!

As a child I had a terrible habit of leaving the lights on in a room I was no longer using. My mother worked long and hard to break me of that habit, and today I’m the one grumbling and walking around turning off lights others have left on!

It’s a pretty simple rule – if you’re not using it, switch it off! And don’t leave appliances turned on at the wall, even if they’re ‘off’ – especially if they have standby mode. They’ll still suck power off the grid and waste energy and money.

7. Eat local

Eating food grown close to where you live makes sense for a number of reasons. First, it’s likely to be fresher – and, if you buy it from a farmer’s market or fruit and veg shop rather than a big supermarket – also cheaper. Second, you’ll be supporting local farmers and business. Third, you’ll be reducing your ‘food miles’ – the distance your food has to travel, and thus the amount of fuel burnt to transport it.

8. Compost

For many years now, I have composted all my kitchen waste. The thought of throwing good food scraps in the bin where they will rot in landfill and do the environment no good does not appeal to me.

Admittedly, I’ve not often gotten any garden use out of this process, as I’ve moved a lot, but the main thing is the process of returning food to the earth, and contributing to the natural cycle.

Of course, composting is a fantastic way to add to your garden – especially when you combine kitchen waste with garden waste, and other bits and pieces of organic matter that you can get your hands on. And it doesn’t need to be complicated!
I mentioned my current recycling bin in the Re-use section above – and it works a treat!

9. Carry a bag

Like a lot of people, I’m guilty of good intentions. The number of times I’ve gone shopping, only to get to the checkout and mentally slap my head for forgetting my fabric shopping bags… I do somewhat assuage my guilt by saving the plastic shopping bags and either re-using them or returning them to the recycling bins outside certain supermarkets. However, there is no doubt that reducing the number of plastic shopping bags blowing through our cities or floating in our oceans is a good thing.

So, make the effort to buy a couple of cheap fabric shopping bags, and then remember to use them! I’ve set myself the challenge of not taking any bag from any shop for a month – let’s hope I don’t forget my bags next time I go grocery shopping!

10. Buy recycled/second-hand

I can’t remember the last time I even considered buying bleached, four-ply, super-soft toilet paper. And if anyone I’m with in the supermarket suggests it, they’re likely to get a glare from me in return!

Toilet paper is just one example of a number of recycled products we can buy – just keep an eye out and go for the sustainable option when you can! Also, consider the second-hand option when buying many different goods. You can often find high-quality items at much lower prices, thereby saving yourself some money, and saving a perfectly good item from going to the tip. Thankfully, with sites such as e-bay around these days, it’s a whole lot easier to get access to a large selection of quality second-hand goods. Also, check out freecycle.org. This is an organisation that connects people who have things to give away.

If you take just a few of these steps towards sustainability, you’ll be reducing your impact on the Earth, and often enriching your own life in the process. All the best of luck in your journey!

Jess