When the idea of sustainable living enters people’s minds, images of secluded houses on permaculture plots of land spring to mind. Living off-grid and isolated from the happenings of the world, this is seen to be living the quintessential ‘sustainable life’. However, most of us find ourselves trapped in the confines of urban sprawls, surrounded by industrialised complexes and swathes of traffic. While existing in modern society, it seems as if living sustainably is just impossible. So, that begs the question – in such a world, is sustainable living achievable?
If you’re wanting to be a sustainable soul, there is no need to quit your job and buy a small farm – though that is an option, too. Every day we have the capacity to make changes to the way we live that contribute to a more sustainable way of life. We can refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot. These five Rs serve as the stepping stones for positive lifestyle changes and they can also be applied to larger, more habitual practices, too.
To start, we can refuse the things we simply don’t need in our lives. Fast fashion, and the want for new clothes every season, is the perfect example of this. By refusing items that contribute to millions of tonnes of textile waste each year, we can immediately shift our attitudes of consumption from superfluous to sustainable. Yet, fast fashion isn’t the only way to transition to a more eco-conscious way of living. We have the power to make even greater changes through what we refuse. It’s becoming better understood that what we eat has a major impact on the environment. The consumption of meat and other animal products play a significant role in climate change and unsustainable practices, with pasture raised animals still being an unsustainable alternative. Eating a vegan diet is one of the biggest changes you can make to reduce your carbon footprint. It’s here that we can exercise our ability to refuse animal products and eat a plant-based diet to greatly reduce our environmental impact and hopefully create lasting sustainable change.