5 Ways to Live a More Environmentally Sustainable Lifestyle

An environmentally sustainable lifestyle begins by thinking about the resources that come in and go out of your home and figuring ways to reduce the load. How is your energy generated and how much do you use? Where does your water come from and go when you’ve finished with it? What about your household rubbish? It can seem overwhelming at first because we’re so used to getting our electricity or gas from companies and we get our water from the council supply. 

Tiny House living is eco friendly especially if your house is off the grid. There’s less carbon footprint building a Tiny House than a regular home and less impact on the land as the house is built offsite, delivered and nestled amongst trees.

Concern for the future is real but there are steps we can take to shift our focus and habits today. The return to nature will have a positive impact on environmental sustainability and make us feel more healthy.

In this article, we will give 5 simple ways you can make your day-to-day life more environmentally-friendly to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

Be a creator, not a consumer!

Eat more wholefoods and store dry goods in glass

Most Aussie Tiny House owners live full time in their homes – some with full-sized fridges, some with a smaller fridge. Either way, there’s usually a vegetable garden and healthier-looking pantry with less packaged, processed food and more wholefoods.

Whether you’re a one at a time or big overhaul kind of person, get out the jars or the Tupperware from the bottom drawer and create an appealing pantry that inspires home cooking. 

Schedule when you’ll shop at your local health food store or bulk self serve store. Scoop your own pasta and flour instead of the old supermarket style of grabbing a packet and notice how much better you feel already. What’s good for you, is good for environmental sustainability. Don’t waste food!

Don’t waste food

Zero waste is an ideal that’s hard to reach but when it comes to food scraps they can be used to feed the chooks or added to the compost for zero waste. Make good use of the last of the vegetables that linger in the fridge towards the end of the week, cook some through your dog or cat’s food or turn mixed vegetables into minestrone soup or a curry! 

Remember the cycle – choose what you bring into your home environment so you don’t have a problem dealing with it going out. Once you begin to live a more sustainable lifestyle, watch your habits evolve! You’ll automatically reach for a basket and jar when going shopping and feel so much better about what you bought that it reinforces the healthy habit. 

Your good intentions will become sustainable habits with practice.

Reduce your need for things

A Tiny House has less space for ‘stuff’! Minimalist living with less clutter has its challenges yet on the other side of attachment and consumerism is freedom and creativity. 

Do a ‘Spring clean’ of your wardrobe, your kitchen cupboards and the files on your computer. Making space and keeping it clear is the essence of a simpler life. Choose differently what comes back into your space by asking ‘Do I love it? Do I need it now?’. 

Use eco-friendly products

Many homes nowadays have a rainwater collection system and are plumbed into mains water during dry seasons only. Many Tiny Houses don’t have a rubbish bin service, using the local tip instead, and they rely on grey water systems to take dishwashing and shower waste water into the garden.

Purchasing eco friendly shampoos and cleaning products is a first step to a more eco friendly lifestyle. To become more environmentally sustainable, buy an all-in-one simple castile soap like Dr Bronner’s and reduce the amount of packaging and products in your home. 

Learning how to make household cleaning, bath and body products from simple ingredients following a DIY YouTube video is the next step in taking care of the planet and your health at the same time. 

Use less energy and water

With increasing water and electricity bills, we’re already adapting how we use these precious resources. Heating and cooling is the main draw on energy in a home. Here’s a reminder checklist of ways to save money by conserving water, gas and electricity:

Do you..

• Turn the tap off while you brush your teeth?
• Wash full loads in the washing machine or choose the best water level for the load?
• Run the washing machine rinsing water onto the garden?
• Have a water tank attached to your home?
• Dry clothes on the line or clothes horse instead of using the clothes dryer?
• Shut the spare room door when the heater is on in the living room?
• Dry your hair in the sunshine instead of using the hair dryer?
• Switch off standby mode on the TV and other devices over night?
• Adjust the flame on the gas stove so heat isn’t wasted up the sides of the saucepan?

We’d love to hear your ideas for living a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Comment below and share with our Tiny Living community.

Do you want to reduce your carbon footprint and live more naturally in a modern designed home? A partly or fully off grid Aussie Tiny House might be what you need to start a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle! See inside 3 different Tiny House models on Living Big in a Tiny House.