Creating new habits is tough. They say on average it takes about 21 days to form a new habit. That means 21 days of repetitive behaviour. Which isn’t easy for me. But with the New Year approaching, I’m always trying to create new habits rather than resolutions.
I want these things to stick with me throughout the year and for many years to come. o I’ve made a list of some sustainable habits I created this past year and some I’m looking forward to trying out in the new year. But even if you’re reading this in the middle of the year, it’s never too late to start creating sustainable habits.
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Sustainable habits to start:
1. Preserving water
This is something I need to get better at. What can I say, I love long showers? But it’s estimated that the average showerhead releases 2.5 gallons of water every minute. That’s a lot. A good way to start preserving water is to take shorter showers. Try timing your shower to your favourite song. (And no, sorry, it can’t be Taylor Swift’s 10 minute version of all too well. 😉
2. Stop overconsuming
One of the main reasons landfills are so full is because of over-consumption. Because of the demand for consumers to buy more, brands make cheap, unsustainable things that aren’t built to last and they end up in landfills. Whether it’s clothing, electronics or any other item, commit to stop overconsuming. Only buy what you need instead of every trend you see.
3. Reuse…everything!
Reuse jars, containers, and yes, even plastic! DOn’t toss plastic containers or bottles. Find ways to reuse them and preserve their life even longer, preventing them from ending up in a landfill. Once this becomes a habit for you, you won’t even notice yourself doing it.
4. Reduce your animal product intake
Reducing the number of animal products you consume has a huge impact on our environment You don’t even have to go vegan OR vegetarian. Just be conscious of the number of animal products you’re consuming and try to limit it to once or twice a day.
5. Start storing your food correctly to reduce food waste
Food waste is a huge contributor to climate change. Since food doesn’t actually break down in landfills, it’s important to learn how to store our food correctly so it doesn’t go bad before we can eat it.
My favourite items to reduce food waste:
Learn more about storing food here
6. Switch to reusable period products
If you’re someone who menstruates make it a goal of yours to switch to reusable period products. This can be a number of things like reusable pads, a menstrual cup or my personal favourite, Thinx reusable period underwear! (Get $10 off here!)
My favourite zero waste period products
7. Learn more
Commit to reading books on sustainability, or watching documentaries concerning topics you care about. We can never know enough and we can never know everything. Making learning a habit again once you’ve been out of school for a while is tough but it’s worth it.
8. Start eating locally
Eating locally is another great sustainable habit to try out. Chances are when you’re grocery shopping, you don’t know where the food you bought came from. And while it’s not possible to eat 100% locally, you can certainly eat a lot more locally than what you’re probably used to.
Learn more about the importance of eating locally here
Creating sustainable habits isn’t easy but it is possible and it is so, so worth it. You also don’t need to start all these sustainable habits at once. Take it one at a time, that way you can get used to doing it before starting yet another new habit. You got this, friend.
Thank you for reading this post! I hope it was able to give you some ideas for new sustainable habits to try out. Please don’t forget to share this post and follow me on Instagram for daily low waste living inspiration.
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