Photo by Cherry Laithang on Unsplash
Bring nature into your home
Grow your own herb garden. There are many different herbs and even vegetables that you can grow in pots and containers on your own windowsill or other surface. Gardening is a mindful, relaxing activity that will help you deal with stress and anxiety. And, of course, you will have your own fresh produce ready to be added in your meals whenever you want.If gardening isn’t quite your hobby, you can simply take care of a houseplant. There are so many different plants, flowers and succulents that can add some green and freshness in your home to always remind you of the nature’s beauty.And, to make it more sustainable, research if you can get some houseplants that somebody else is trying to get rid of – you will save money and also save a plant from being thrown away to die.
Make your home more eco-friendly
There are so many ways you can live a more eco-friendly lifestyle – from what you eat, to what you buy and what you wear. However, there are also quite a few things that you can do in your home to ensure that it is as sustainable as possible.
- Always switch off any electricity or light that isn’t in use to save energy resources, and consider switching to eco-friendly light bulbs.
- Open up your curtains to let in more light instead of switching on the lights.
- Open your windows to fill the rooms with warmth and fresh air.
- Research your electricity, gas, water providers to check how sustainable their methods are and swap to a more eco-friendly provider if needed and possible.
- Use Ecosia as your Internet search engine to plant trees every time you search for something.
Clean your environment
The best environment for productivity is a clean and organised one, so take some time to tidy your home. Declutter – look at your belongings and decide if you really need everything you own. When is the last time you used it? Will you ever use it again?However, don’t throw away what you don’t need anymore! Find someone to gift or sell it or donate it to a 2nd-hand store or to a shelter instead to avoid unnecessary waste.You can also repurpose what you have. Could this old jar be turned into a container for pens? Could this old shirt be cut up into some rags for cleaning?When cleaning your home, look carefully at your waste. Check where you create most waste and act to reduce it. Do you have lots of food waste? Maybe you should create a compost or find someone who would appreciate some food scraps for their garden. Do you have lots of plastic food packaging?Next time you go shopping, try to look for alternative items in glass, metal or no packaging instead. And don’t forget to research the recycling bins in your area to see how you can organise your waste and make sure it ends up in the right bins.Finally, you might be interested to make your own cleaning products. Most cleaning products in stores are filled with chemicals that are damaging not just for the environment but for your own health too. Thankfully, there are a few natural ingredients that will do the job and that you possibly already have – such as baking soda and vinegar.
Take care of yourself
Just like the cleaning products, there are also plenty of beauty, hygiene and self-care products that you can make with simple natural ingredients, such as oils and herbs. Putting these products together will be a relaxing and fun activity and it might make your self-care routine even more special as you’ll know exactly what you’re putting in and on your body.
There are also ways to make your cooking habits more sustainable –
- by finding or creating recipes to use up your left-overs instead of throwing them away
- by making your own snacks like cookies and crisps instead of buying snacks in plastic packaging
- by shopping mindfully and never buying too much
You can also consider to reduce your meat and dairy intake as the meat and dairy industries are damaging for the environment.
Educate yourself
If you are passionate about the environment, make sure to educate yourself. Listen to podcasts, read books or online articles, watch documentaries – today’s world is full of resources to study from. Whether it is animal rights, pollution, environment, plastic or anything else, you can always learn more to be able to inspire and educate others too.If you’re passionate about a cause, you can also find ways to actively support it. Find charities or organisations that fight for the goals you believe in and donate some money to them or just share information about them. Or, you could always just send a message to thank them for their work and brighten their day!
Have fun
Finally, there are ways to entertain yourself while being mindful of the environment. Make some seed snacks for birds to be hung in trees, create a collage of dried leaves and flowers, start your own rock or pinecone collection.You could also find ways to get creative with your waste – take old pieces of clothing to sew up a bag or a blanket, use old newspapers and card to make your own paper, paint and decorate old bottles and jars to create room decorations.And, while you’re here with us, you can also have fun while planting trees with us for free – check out our online quizzes
Over to you
As you can see, you don’t always have to go out and spend lots of money to feel like you’re helping to protect the Earth. Sometimes all you need is to look around at what you already have at home, make some smart choices and get creative.
