When we start switching to a more sustainable life, the most difficult thing to change is our old consumption habits. Sometimes we need to say goodbye to our favorite brands in favor of the environment or spend some time to find more sustainable alternatives we like without hurting our wallet.
That explains why many people give up in the beginning because breaking our old habits that were ingrained in our brain for such a long time and replacing them with new ones is not easy. It takes patience, dedication, lots of research, and support from family and friends.
Also, we tend to buy some products quite often compared to others, without reflecting on our consumption patterns. Unfortunately from a sustainability perspective, some items we use daily are harmful to the environment. Some of them take several takes even several hundreds of years to decompose and they pollute the environment. For example:
That's why it's important to take a step back from time to time and think about our consumption habits.
One way to make it happen is to keep a journal. By noting down our consumption patterns, we can keep track of both our spending and goals about living more sustainably.
- Be easy on yourself, set little goals in the beginning. You don't have to change your lifestyle and become a completely different person in one day.
- Be more specific and less ambiguous. For example, if you're not recycling yet and want to start recycling, you can make time each week to sort waste and get rid of it.
- Try to make your own products instead of buying unsustainable alternatives. Maybe devote some weekends to DYI projects and make your own eco-friendly products instead of buying unsustainable alternatives?
- Find sustainable alternatives to your favorite brands. You can make a list of your favorite sustainable shopping places, restaurants, cafes so that you don't run out of places to go and give up.
- Take note of important days such as anniversaries and birthdays so you can make time to prepare something eco-friendly instead of rushing around and spending a huge amount of money on ready-made products.
- Don't forget to customize your journal. Every journey is different and not everyone follows the same path. You can start from scratch, investing in your own water bottle instead of buying a plastic one every day and slowly change other habits.
Don't forget, it might take longer than you had planned, but it's a journey worth taking!
