Sustainability is often gentrified. This means it becomes a commodity that not everyone can afford – only those with adequate expendable income. This idea is especially common on social media, where influencers post their “perfect” sustainability routines. You’ve probably seen it: to live zero-waste you need a fancy macrame produce bag, bamboo cutlery and straws, fancy food containers and so on; people grow their own food and are able to compost in their backyards or through their municipal waste system; Teslas roam the streets; people order non-dairy milks in their $6 latte at coffee shops.
While these all can be considered sustainable, these actions are not accessible to everyone. What if you live in an apartment without a backyard or balcony to grow food, and your building doesn’t have organics collection or recycling? What if you cannot afford the Tesla, let alone the expensive macrame produce bags? What if you struggle to put food on the table for yourself or your family, and all of your incoming goes to supporting the household?
All this to say, living sustainably is viewed as a privileged lifestyle because our society does not make these goods and services affordable or accessible to the general public. They seem exclusive, therefore those who do not fit the typical “sustainable person” profile are discouraged from trying to live sustainably.
The fact is, anyone can live sustainably. There are different ways you can practice sustainability in your life to accommodate your unique living conditions. In fact, there are many free ways to live sustainably. Once you realize this and know how to live sustainably without spending a dime, anyone and everyone can contribute to positive change in the world.
There are many more than 5 free ways to live sustainably, but to get you started, here are just a few great examples!
Save the packaging.
I haven’t bought food storage containers in years. Why would I when the food items I purchase already come in perfectly good, durable containers? This includes glass jars from store-bought sauces, condiments, soups or drinks, takeout containers or plastic containers from pre-made food items, etc. You can use them for holding spices, dried goods or baking supplies in the kitchen; package up leftover soups, stews and curries in the fridge; use them for holding stationary, flowers, makeup brushes, art supplies – just about anything.
Buy in bulk? Save the large boxes or bags for storage. Reuse grocery store bags if you don’t have cloth ones. Cereal boxes, granola bar boxes, or any type of flat paper surface from packaging makes great scrap for studying: I open my cereal boxes and use the interior to brainstorm report ideas, study for exams, take notes and more. What this example shows is that you can make the most of your purchases by finding a second (or third) purpose for just about anything! This saves you money in the long run since you don’t have to buy extra products to serve the same function of the repurposed product.
keep it cool...
One of the simplest things you can do to save energy is washing your laundry in cold water because heating the water is responsible for 90 percent of the energy used by a washing machine. You can reduce your energy usage drastically simply by making this switch, while also cutting down on your utility bill!
...but not too cool.
On the flip side, you can save energy by reducing the amount and time you have AC or fans running in the summer months. Only use AC when you need it – temperatures drop at night, so consider only running it in the daytime when your household is home. Only run fans in the rooms you are currently in. This will again reduce your electricity bill, saving you money in the process. If you live in a building with centralized heating/cooling, consider closing the blinds when it’s hot to keep your room cool, and keeping dark surfaces, materials and electronics away from windows.
don't forget to unplug.
Just like your AC and fans, don’t leave your electronic devices plugged in when they’re not in use. Phantom or vampire power is a real thing, so even when devices are fully charged they suck energy out of the grid. Simply unplugging your devices when fully charged or when not in use (e.g. tea kettles or toasters) is all you need to do. If you have the money for it, you could certainly invest in a smart power bar that shuts off at certain times or when devices are done charging – but remembering to unplug makes this purchase unneccessary (just convenient).
save the scraps.
Reducing food waste is easy and reusing food scraps is a perfect example of how to do so, especially if you do not have access to organics collection or composting. You can use leftover food scraps to make broths and soups by freezing a bunch until you are ready to make the recipe. Egg shells and coffee grinds can be used as fertilizer for your plants. Lemon rinds are effective for cleaning surfaces and disinfecting. The list goes on, but here is a blog post I shared with clever ways to repurpose food scraps.
save the scraps pt. 2: clothing.
Clothing and other cloth materials go through wear-and-tear. Eventually they may become unwearable (for me, this always happens with socks within a few months…I don’t get it). Rather than throwing away your garments, find fun ways to repurpose them. Turn tattered t-shirts into cleaning rags, mug sleeves, headbands, hair ties or a tote – all you need are scissors and cloth, no sewing required! I made this DIY video on how to turn an old t-shirt into a tote bag. You can pretty much make anything from a piece of cloth, and there are plenty of tutorials on the internet to help.
final thoughts.
As you can see, there are many simple ways to live sustainably without spending money. Like I said, there are many other things you could do to live sustainably for free – hopefully these 5 free ways to live sustainably opened your eyes to some of the possibilities out there!
- Three cheap, easy and eco-friendly cleaning tips (podcast, blog)
- 10 tips for living sustainably in university
- How to live sustainably when you don’t feel supported
- Five easy, healthy and sustainable ways to eat well on a student budget
As you can see, these 5 free ways to live sustainably are easy, fun, and (of course) affordable. Like I said, there are many other things you could do to live sustainably for free – hopefully this post opened your eyes to some of the possibilities out there!
If you enjoyed this post, be sure to check out these ones:
What are your favourite free ways to practice sustainability? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time.