Taking a soulful ride on the green side: My journey towards living sustainably
“It’s only one straw”, said 8 billion people.
It all started while I was solo traveling in Vietnam almost one and a half years ago, where I met this wonderful person who inspired me greatly to take my first step on this path. I gradually started thinking and reading more about our Planet, Climate Change, and Sustainable Development Goals. The initial steps can bring about some anxiety (aka eco-anxiety) and worry along, and thus it’s important to start slow and get comfortable in the process.
The first steps…
For a few months, in the beginning, I read and watched a few videos on the impact inefficient waste management has on our Planet, at a global as well as at an individual level. It truly made me understand the seriousness of waste segregation, and the benefits associated with it: reduced landfills, reduced haulage, easier and efficient recycling, more material recovery, compost that can feed the others, and much more! Fortunately, my gated community collaborated with a waste management organization, BigBin, who collect waste segregated into biodegradable and non-biodegradable which they further either compost or recycle accordingly. I further went on to research more about the zero-waste practices I could bring into play at home, for the community, and our planet!
Bringing about a change to my lifestyle and everyday habits wasn’t so easy in the start, there was a lot of confusion about where to start from, and was skeptical as to whether I should make the changes all at once. Something that really helped me was splitting my whole lifestyle into categories: Dental Care, Personal Care, Kitchen, Travel, Home Care, Closet, and Gifting. Next, I made discrete sections in my journal and wrote down every little thing I currently do and use, and the alternative sustainable options, if available. This personally made me more aware and mindful of my actions too and brought about a good amount of clarity.
Choosing Kindness :)
The very first product to be replaced was that plastic brush in my toothbrush holder. I purchased the Bare Necessities Compostable Bamboo Tooth Brush and reused all the old plastic brushes for cleaning purposes. Every swap that I made thereafter gave me a deep level of satisfaction, as I was much more aware of where the products originated from, the ingredients/materials they were made of, and where they finally ended up, once used.
Apart from making changes to lead a zero-waste lifestyle, there were a number of other little steps that I started to take: saving electricity, taking shorter showers, not wasting food, growing more plants, preferring online bills over paper bills, to name a few.
We often associate kindness with how we treat other people, but our planet does so much for us, and we don’t always recognize it or return the favor — the earth deserves our kindness, too. Let’s choose kindness.
The learning never stops!
There’s something to learn (or maybe unlearn) every day in this beautiful journey! There’s no destination to go to, it’s a journey that’s till the end of time, for us and the Planet to co-exist and to keep giving back.
There has definitely been a huge shift in my lifestyle and in my perspective too, but there’s still a long way to go. There’s a lot more I need to adapt to and learn from, and this truly fills me with excitement!
Also, remember that sustainable living is not about throwing away all that you currently have (which are ungreen or toxic) and replacing them with eco-friendly alternatives. Use your current resources completely and then make the swap next. The 5 R’s: Refuse, Reuse, Reduce, Recycle and Repurpose — the go-to mantra for efficient waste management.
The process of transforming to an eco-friendly lifestyle should be according to your pace, take baby steps, go for it slowly and gradually. I can say with confidence that this will be a gratifying experience and will not just be better for the planet but for you as well, for your body, mind, soul, and wallet (yes, sustainability is not expensive!)
We’ve been learning since second grade about how wonderful our Earth is, and oh yes, it sure is phenomenal, but it’s dying and it needs us now more than ever. We don’t have to give up on things we like or want to hold on to, we just need to be more mindful of the choices we make and think about our Earth once before we pick that product up, or before we throw that piece of clothing away.
The Earth is what we all have in common, let’s treat it well.
To read more on sustainability and eco-friendly living, do check out https://www.gosustainbubble.com/
