Tips from Earth Mart: How to Live a Sustainable Lifestyle
Green Living - Earth Day’s 50th Anniversary

Good planets are hard to find. Let’s make Earth Day every day! Our friends at Earth Mart are sharing tips on how to live sustainably. Let’s grow together!


1 - Create Your Eco-Goals

One of the best ways to start your earth-friendly lifestyle is by creating eco-goals. Commit to following a few guidelines on going green. Need ideas? You can reduce plastic consumption, eliminate food waste, and lower your carbon footprint. You can also eat plant-based foods, use organic products, and support a circular economy. What will you choose?

Since it can be challenging to start adding new green guidelines, first “Find your Value” in terms of goals and commitment. Once you have an achievable vision, then your commitment will last longer. Many of us grew up in the Plastic Age, where our lifestyle revolved around convenient, quickly produced, and cheap items. We were encouraged to be high consumers which sadly left the planet with over 2 million tons of waste each year. Now, we are becoming more aware of sustainable lifestyles. Creating new, green habits is often a major overhaul to our thinking process. It can take a while to piece together. Be patient and keep setting goals. 


2 - Stay Inspired & Informed

Knowledge is power! Stay motivated by researching sustainable living habits. Eco-friendly blogs, documentaries, social media posts, and online articles are a great way to find inspiration. By seeing what others are achieving through mindful living, you’ll know that you can do it, too! Staying informed about trends and tips also helps us to stay environmentally minded. There are a range of topics to keep us educated. Find approachable ways to achieve your green goals. Be creative and have fun with your research. Share your ideas with your friends. Let's make the earth a better place!


3 - Practice Mindfulness Living

Buy things that matter. Practice mindfulness when shopping. Ask yourself if you really need it. Think about how it will impact the environment when it is thrown away. Develop an awareness of how much you really need. Many times, we quickly discard food, clothing, and items. Instead, buy earth-friendly items that will be properly used. Learn about a product’s ingredients, materials, packaging, production process, purposes, design, long-term investment, and environmental impacts.

As consumers, we often make decisions on auto-pilot based upon affordable prices and convenience. Wouldn't it be nice to shift our habits to more mindful thinking? You can do this by being aware of the multiple perspectives of each purchase. For example, some items that are ethically made with fair trade may initially seem more expensive, but they were created with strong ethics and lasting materials which are intended to serve you for decades. Additionally, when it comes to skincare, be aware of how the ingredients can harm you or the earth. Learn how the product was made to see if it had a negative impact upon animals and the environment. When we practice mindful living, we often see that less is more. This helps us to make smarter consumer choices… and be better global citizens.


4 - Focus on Progress. Not Perfection

You can do it! Take sustainable living one step at a time. Go at your own pace to develop eco-conscious habits. Start with realistic goals that you can easily achieve.  Once you are familiar with the process, then add more goals. It’s okay to have setbacks. Just keep trying and don’t give up. Keep in mind is that sustainable living isn’t a competition. You don’t need to beat anyone. Just enjoy the process of achieving your green goals. Discipline and consistency are the key. Remember that each small change creates a solution.  Sustainable living is not an all-or-nothing game. Every action counts.


5 - Encourage Others

Sustainable living is about teamwork! Share your knowledge with good intentions and kindness. This helps inspire others to make positive changes. By giving support and encouragement, we can motivate people to make earth-friendly choices. A great way to share your sustainable living tips is through leading by example. When others see how you implement earth-friendly habits, they may be inspired to apply the same practices to their own lifestyle. Even small changes to your home-life, office work, and diet can have a big impact on the environment. Sustainability is for the people and the planet. This global goal requires cooperation, empowerment, and solidarity. If we all chip in, we can really make a difference!


Thank you to Non and Mya for sharing these useful tips! Let’s keep working together to make the world a better place. A sustainable lifestyle is good for us and good for our planet. :)