Leading a more sustainable lifestyle

Forever New lace top | Shop Brett Robson skirt | Zara shoes & bag | ByCaraLee earrings and necklace

Today’s post is a little different to my usual write-up, however, it is an extremely important one and something I am so passionate about.  We could all do with a few tips on leading a more sustainable lifestyle.  We’re currently living in a world in which  is suffering from global warming and climate change.  Our oceans are becoming dumping grounds for all sorts of pollution which is killing sea life.  The Amazon rainforest, the earth’s biggest producer of oxygen, is under serious threat as it is being destroyed to create farmland for cattle which produces a huge volume of carbon dioxide .  It’s incredibly sad, but we can all do our little bit to save the world.  There are so many different ways to help out so I thought I’d share a few tips on how you can make a difference.

Refuse single-use plastic

Okay, this one is a biggie because it can make a huge difference!  Stop buying bottled water and opt for a and instead.  Invest in a that you can throw in your gym bag so you can whip it out for your favourite post-workout treat.  Grabbing a coffee to go?  We’ve got to the point now where posing with a disposable Starbucks cup is not attractive because we know how much waste that will generate and it actually just looks ignorant.  Be sure to pack your .  Going grocery shopping?  Pack your reusable grocery shopping bags and say no to pastic ones.  While you’re out doing your grocery shopping, try to avoid buying fresh produce packaged in plastic.  Definitely ditch plastic straws.  Personally, I think straws are completely unnecessary, however, if you enjoy a cocktail from time to time, I’d recommend purchasing a few that you can keep in your handbag for those spontaneous after-work sundowners.  These little steps had make great leaps and bounds in leading a more sustainable lifestyle.

Eating a plant-based diet

We live in a meat-obsessed world but we are consuming so much that it is not sustainable in the slightest.  The oceans are being completely overfished to the point that sea-life can’t replenish itself.  Chickens are being pumped full of hormones to grow quicker so that they can be slaughtered sooner.  The eco-system is unable to keep up with our meat-crazed lifestyles and it is completely unsustainable considering that the human population is exploding and the eco-system can’t naturally cope with the rate at which beef, poultry, pork and fish are being consumed.  Not only are all these growth hormones bad for your body but they’re doing pretty awful things to the animals you’re eating too.  Eating a plant-based diet can dramatically reduce your carbon footprint and your body will thank you for increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables.

Sustainable fashion

Mass producing clothing with poor quality fabrics can reduce the costs of a single clothing item dramatically.  For the consumer, this often means they are able to purchase more for less.  This might sound great, however, not a good thing.  Fast fashion generates a large amount of waste.  Poor quality garments don’t last long at all and need to be replaced far sooner than higher quality garments.  By shopping smarter and investing in good quality fabrics such as cotton, silk, linen, cashmere, etc, you will not only have clothing that will last you for years but you will also be doing the planet a favour by not generating so much waste.

Use cruelty-free beauty brands

Brands such as Urban Decay (which are included in my makeup must-haves), Essence, The Body Shop, LA Girl, Becca, Anastasia Beverly Hills, Physicians Formula, NYX and Lush are doing incredible things to ensure their products are not tested on animals and are designed to assist each consummer in leading a more sustainable lifestyle.  With the eco-system already under attack, we should defnintely not be contributing to this vicious cycle for the sake of makup.  You can find a full list of which brands are cruetly-free here.

Recycle

While we’ve become really good at refusing single-use plastic, we are often left with cardboard, glass or plastic packaging of our consumables.  Think an empty bottle of wine, pot of face cream or the packaging of your empty foundation containers.  It can all be recycled.  If you get into a routine of sorting your waste for recycling, it will soon turn into a habit and one you’ll feel so good about it when you drop off your sorted items at a recycling point.  There are so many recycling points around these days that you won’t need to look far to find one.  It’s a simple task but one that can make an incredible difference.

Every single little thing you do can make a difference on our environment.  There is no need to live on an over-polluted planted if we all take steps into our own hands and start making changes towards leading a more sustainable lifestyle at home.  I truly hope this Monday Motivation post inspires you so make a few changes.  If you have any other suggestions, please leave them down below so we can all share this information and help one another lead more sustainable lifestyles.