As the scale of the environmental crisis quickly reveals itself, many people are understandably scrabbling for practical ways to reduce their carbon footprint and make their lifestyles more sustainable. Of course, there are countless ways in which an individual can attempt to lower their carbon footprint - from turning off the lights more frequently in their home to keeping annual holidays to local destinations. The problem is that, because of the sheer scale of the sustainability issue, it can be easy to become overwhelmed by it, and slip into inaction.
Naturally, this is the worst approach to take
because you aren’t helping to solve the problem. Instead, you need to find
small and easily repeatable habits to slot into your daily life, and then build
from there. There is no doubt that we live in a consumerist society which
values instant gratification over long-term sustainability, which encourages
many people to replace items before they need to. Therefore, a fantastic
way to live more sustainably (and cheaply) is to buy particular products once
and continue to use them until the end of their working life.
This is how you can do it.
Buy the
right product
If you want to buy a product with the full
expectation that it lasts for as long as possible without needing to be
replaced, then your focus should be on buying the right product in the first
place.
Start by conducting detailed research on the
market. Seek out product reviews – both from professional journalists or
bloggers and from actual customers. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses and
ascertain which product meets your requirements the best.
Then consider the price of the product.
While a high price tag is no guarantee of quality
or durability, you are more likely to find it in premium items. When a product
has a cheap price, it will almost certainly have been created using similarly
cheap materials, to a lower standard, by a less innovative team.
Although it is tempted to buy a cheaper
product, this could prove a false economy. If the product falls apart in a
matter of weeks, then you will have to buy a replacement anyway, doubling the
price.
You can also choose a type of product which
is inherently designed to last for a long time – such as a single-speed
bicycle. Given that there is less to go wrong than other bike variants, this
could be a strong option if you want to live sustainably. You can check out a
range of single speed bicycles at steedbikes.com.
Learn
to repair rather than replace
One of the central tenets of living
sustainability is the ability to repair, instead of replacing,
products. The classic examples are sewing an old pair of ripped jeans back together, restoring your car or replacing the battery on your
phone.
Although it is more exciting to buy a new
product; by repairing existing items, you can give them a new lease of life.
Live a
more minimalist lifestyle
Another great way to be more sustainable is
to adopt a minimalist lifestyle.
This means you put less emphasis on acquiring
material goods and instead declutter your life. You focus on the essentials and
eschew the rest. If you only buy the basic version of what you need, there
is less likely to be parts that will go wrong or need replacing.
Not only is this good practice for leading a
simpler life or saves you money, but it helps decrease demand for
environmentally damaging products.
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