The world has a lot of big problems and often we feel like we can’t do much about them.  However, there are many little changes we can all make to do our bit towards making things better.  Living a more sustainable life with a view of our impact on the world is a great approach. Here are 10 ways to help you live more sustainably today.

1 – Cut Back on Animal Products

This doesn’t mean you need to become a vegan (unless you want to). It takes a lot of resources to produce animal products – one gallon of milk uses 2000 gallons of water due to the amount of feed that the cow needs – so you can see how cutting back on dairy produce, for example, can help you live a much more sustainable life. A positive side effect of this is that, by cutting out some dairy products like cheese, you may also find you feel healthier.

2 – Filter Tap Water to Drink

In the UK, it’s safe and inexpensive to drink tap water. This doesn’t apply to all parts of the world but if you live somewhere where you can filter tap water and drink it, try it.  This saves money on buying bottled water and cuts back on plastic waste.

3 – Unplug Unused Appliances

Many appliances use a dribble of electricity when they are plugged in, even if they aren’t doing anything.  By unplugging them when not in use, you not only save a little money on your electricity bill but help cut back on the demand for fossil fuel-created power resources.

4 – Start Car Sharing

A car-sharing pool can be a great way to cut down on travel costs as well as being fun.  Talk to people in your area or at your workplace and see if a carshare could work.

5 – Switch to LED Light Bulbs

Conventional light bulbs waste around 95% of the power they use.  While new LED light bulbs are more expensive to buy, they are far more energy-efficient.  They also last much longer – some as much as 25 years depending on how much you use them!

6 – Use Public Transport

Public transport may have seen cutbacks but there are still many areas with a good network, especially in the cities.  If you can use public transport to get to work, the shops or anywhere else, try to do it, even if it’s only occasionally.  This cuts back on single-person vehicle use and all the pollution and fossil fuel use associated with it.

7 – Take the Stairs

Using the stairs has a couple of benefits.  Not only does it get that extra bit of exercise into your day, but it also saves on the energy needed to run an escalator or elevator.  These take a lot of power to run and if people used them only when they needed to, this is another way to minimise electricity and fossil fuel use.

8 – Use a Push Lawnmower

A push lawn mower is one that doesn’t use electricity or a battery. As the name suggests, you simply manually push it across the grass. It obviously needs a little more effort so might not work for everyone but, for those who can, it is worth considering. You’ll get a little exercise and push mowers do an excellent job of cutting the lawn!

9 – Turn Off the Tap While Brushing Teeth

Water wastage is a big problem and one of the top causes is when we brush our teeth.  Simply remember, when you are doing the brushing, turn off the tap! Just turn it back on to rinse.

10 – Buy Second Hand

There are some things we need to buy new and others where a good second-hand option can be cost-effective, such as household furniture or clothing.  This increases sustainability because you are saving these items from going to the landfill site. Do the same when you are clearing things out– offer them to charity or on swap sites rather than sending them to the landfill.

These are just 10 examples of ways you can live a sustainable life and cut back on the resources that you use.  If everyone put just two of these into action, the difference on the planet would be huge.  So which two could you start with?