Recap: 12 Month Eco Living Challenge
On my Instagram account, I set myself a 12-month challenge, where each month explored a new way to incorporate sustainable living principles and practices into my daily life.
I had made some lifestyle changes in the past but I knew that there was so much more I could do. The challenge I set myself helped me go a few steps further.
Here are the topics I explored and the changes I made:
- Jan: Changed my search engine to Ecosia
- Feb: Created a capsule wardrobe for my kids
- Mar: Started recycling coffee pods and educated my family on recycling correctly
- Apr: Ate less meat and more vegetables
- May Started home composting to deal with food waste
- June: Swapped regular toothpaste for plastic-free tooth tabs
- July: Swapped period pads for period undies and regular shampoo and conditioner for paper packaged products
- August: Purchased a reusable straw for bubble tea (we love bubble tea!)
- September: Switched my bank to a company that does not invest in fossil fuel companies
- October: Swapped dishwashing powder, laundry liquid, toilet cleaners for alternatives that do not harm aquatic life
- November: Switched my energy company to one that does not mine, generate or transport fossil fuels
There was a commitment to ditch gift wrapping in December but I honestly haven’t fully embraced that yet.
So this experience has had me thinking about all the different ways sustainability can be incorporated into our lives. Especially for someone like me, living in the suburbs with no bulk food shop insight. Too lazy to completely embrace DIY options and so hopeless at crafting or being creative that the reuse route is a no-go area.
Yet, even for someone with all those hang-ups (which many of us have!) there are ways to live sustainably and do our part.
When I look back on the actions taken, I can sum them up into 3 actions steps:
- Sort: Household routines and recycling systems
- Swap: Everyday items for eco-friendly alternatives
- Support: Corporations that deserve our business
These are things we can all do.
The first is about habits, the second about our purchasing power and the third is about exercising our consumer power.
These changes may seem small. I will be honest, none of these actions are going to change the world.
But steps like this matter. The changes you make will influence future decisions you make, for the better. They will influence others around you. It will be something that will be passed down to your kids.
And who knows how that will affect generations to come.
xxx Tahsin
