The world is now producing resources, using energy and creating waste at a rate which isn’t sustainable anymore. This leads to environmental issues, such as pollution and climate change. Which causes harm to the environment, wildlife and also humans.
By making some small changes to your lifestyle, you can reduce your carbon footprint and help to tackle these issues. Everything you do in your day-to-day life has an impact on the planet, from the food you eat to the car you drive.
People are starting to come around to the idea that we need to become more sustainable to protect the Earth for future generations.
Three well-known principles of waste management for sustainable lifestyle.
How to reduce?
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Reduce by buying from local farmers markets and buying in bulk to reduce packaging.
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Stop buying products that are packed with multiple layers of unnecessary packaging.
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Curb your use of paper such as mail, receipts, magazines.
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Avoid single-use food and drink containers and utensils.
How to Reuse?
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Go and encourage businesses who will give you a discount on your coffee for bringing your own mug.
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Always buy products that are reusable instead of disposable.
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Keep a set of silverware at work along with a plate, bowl, straw and cup/bottle that you can wash and reuse
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Encourage products by buying products that come in paper packed or glass bottles preferably. These glass bottles are reused by the manufacturers.
How to Recycle?
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Reuse glass bottles and hard plastic containers or bags that you got after purchasing an item.
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Donate unused goods to second hand stores or donation organizations.
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Buy second hand items in thrift shops. By purchasing second hand items you’ll be supporting local charities in addition to saving items from ending up in the dump. This is intended for households but also for offices and industries.
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Make your own compost in your garden with your fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds, grass clippings, and leaves. The organic matter will also act as a sponge to absorb more water, meaning you might not need to water your plants as much, saving you money and time.
Also, read our article: How is the Netherlands working towards food wastage?
Sustainable Innovation
Here in the Netherlands second hand stores have been increasing from the past few years. For cheaper alternatives and sustainable lifestyle. With this increasing demand a startup called Peerby has come out with a new innovation for sustainable living.
Peerby was founded in 2012 by Daan Weddepohl from Rotterdam. The startup aims to reverse a throwaway society to a world where sharing stuff is a serious alternative to buying (and owning).This reduces manufacturing of things.
With Peerby you can borrow and rent the things you need from people near you. Is it worth spending a lot of money on things you need occasionally? Peerby.com is the world’s first peer-to-peer sharing platform that actively creates offers by asking around via Facebook, push notifications and email.
Peerby enables you to borrow and rent the things you need from people in your neighborhood. Why do you give away hundreds of dollars on things you only need once or once in a while? Imagine an ordinary street with the homes of roughly 100 families. Try to imagine how many durable consumer goods are kept in all these houses: power tools, lawn mowers, barbecues, sports gear, camping equipment, bikes, cars, motor cycles, etc.
We zoeken buren met een kerstmanpak! Heb jij nog ergens een pak liggen? Voeg hem toe & maak je buur blij deze kerst! https://t.co/LPzchRtOtD pic.twitter.com/7DqZm9FRXU
— Peerby (@peerby) December 14, 2016
Last month, the startup raised two million euros from its national crowdfunding campaign to launch Go in ten cities in the Netherlands, among other things.
Accelerators: Founders Institute, Rockstart, Techstars.
Prijzen: $125,000 van het Clinton Global Initiative, B&J’s Join our Core, App My City Award. Daan Weddepohl, bedenker van Peerby, staat dit jaar op nr 13 van de Trouw Duurzame Top 100.
It’s small changes like these which could help you to lessen your environmental impact. If you are a sustainable business join here.
Its never late incorporate Sustainable Lifestyle Now!
Also, read our article: Why do we need Eco-Friendly Batteries?
Image Credits: Unsplash
