Save the environment without hurting your pocket: A simple guide to sustainable living at low cost

 

Save the environment without hurting your pocket: A simple guide to sustainable living at low cost

Today, environmental awareness or 'green living' is not a luxury concept, but rather it has become an essential part of our daily lives. Many people think that environmentally friendly or sustainable living probably means buying expensive organic products or spending a lot of money. But the truth is exactly the opposite! If you want, you can develop a great eco-friendly lifestyle by reducing your monthly budget.

Here is a simple guideline on how to do great things for the environment without even realizing it, at low cost:

1. Changing these 10 things in your kitchen will reduce your carbon footprint!

The most waste in our home is generated from the kitchen. It is possible to make the kitchen eco-friendly without making any major changes, just by making small changes in habits:

• Plastic scrubber vs. jute/coconut scrubber: Plastic dish scrubbers produce microplastics. Instead, use natural coconut husk or jute scrubbers. It is cheap and blends with the soil.

• Single-use plastic jars: Instead of buying plastic jars from the market, wash empty glass jam or honey bottles and use them to store spices.

• Paper napkins vs. cotton cloth: Instead of expensive paper towels, use old cotton cloth or towels to wipe the kitchen. They can be washed and reused.

• Plastic bags vs. cloth bags: Keep a cloth or jute bag with you from home when going to the market. Both paying extra for plastic bags and polluting the environment will stop.

• Chemical cleaners vs. vinegar-baking soda: Instead of expensive chemical sprays to clean the slabs or sinks of the house, use a mixture of vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda. It is completely safe and economical.

• Plastic water bottles: Start using steel or glass bottles instead of plastic bottles.

 • Non-stick pan vs. iron pan: If the harmful Teflon coating of non-stick pan is damaged, it is harmful to health. Instead, use a long-lasting and healthy iron or cast iron pan.

• Tea leaves vs. tea bags: Tea bags contain plastic particles. It is cheaper and better for the environment to buy loose tea leaves and strain them.

• Kitchen waste vs. household fertilizer: Instead of throwing away curry leaves or tea leaves, put them at the base of tub plants. You will save on the cost of expensive chemical fertilizers in the market.

• Cooking in open containers vs. using a lid: Covering the container while cooking saves gas or electricity and reduces carbon emissions.

2. Say ‘No’ to fast fashion: Look trendy and stylish with old clothes

The habit of buying cheap trendy clothes frequently is seriously damaging the world's climate. However, with a little creativity, it is possible to make yourself unique and stylish with old clothes:

• Mix and Match: Wear a simple pair of jeans or a kurti with a different veil, jacket or scarf. You will look new every time.

• Upcycling: You can cut up old jeans to make trendy shorts or a cool bag. You can also cut up an old boring saree to make a beautiful kurti or shrug.

• Clothes Swapping: Instead of buying new clothes for a special occasion, swap clothes with your siblings or friends. It costs nothing, but the style is completely new!

• Buy quality clothes: Instead of buying 5 cheap and less durable clothes, buy 1 piece of good quality that will last for years.

3. Some bonus tips to protect both your pocket and the environment

• Save electricity: Turn off the fan-light when leaving the house and unplug electronics that are in standby mode. This will reduce your monthly electricity bill by a lot.

• Prevent water wastage: Do not leave the tap open while brushing your teeth or washing dishes. Saving water means doing the greatest favor to nature.

• Repair culture or repair habit: Try to repair and reuse something instead of throwing it away if it is slightly damaged.

## How to make a homemade eco-friendly all-purpose cleaner

Instead of expensive chemical-containing floor or slab cleaners in the market, this natural cleaner works great to clean the kitchen sink, oven, cabinets and dining table.

 Ingredients:

• White Vinegar: 1 cup

• Water: 1 cup (better if slightly warm)

• Lemon peel: 2-3 lemon peels (for a nice aroma)

• An empty spray bottle

Preparation method:

1. First, place the lemon peels in a glass container or jar and pour 1 cup of vinegar into it.

2. Close the container and leave it in a dark place for 1 to 2 weeks. This will allow the lemon essence to mix with the vinegar and the strong smell of vinegar to go away.

3. After 2 weeks, strain the vinegar and pour it into a spray bottle.

4. Now mix 1 cup of water in that bottle and shake well.

Usage: Spray any oil-stained area in the kitchen and leave it for 2 minutes, then wipe it off with an old, dry cotton cloth. The area will become shiny and fragrant in no time! 

(Warning: Do not use vinegar on marble or granite floors, as it can damage the stone) 

## Here are some great ideas for repurposing old clothes and some recent important statistics on plastic waste: 

1. Easy ideas for upcycling old clothes 

To avoid the harm of fast fashion, you can give a new look to the old clothes lying in the closet with a little intelligence: 

• Kurti or Anarkali from your mother's or grandmother's old saree: You can cut an old saree made of cotton, georgette or silk and make it a wonderful trendy kurti. Using the wide hem or hem of the saree as a border on the neck, sleeves or lower hem of the kurti gives a great ethnic look. If you make it with more girth, it will become a royal Anarkali gown!

• Shrug or Kaftan from Saree: Since the fabric of georgette or chiffon saree is light, it is very easy to make a stylish long shrug or kaftan to wear over jeans or tops, which does not require much sewing.

• One-piece dress from old shirts: You can make a wonderful casual one-piece dress or top by cutting off the sleeves of your brother's or father's old cotton oversized formal shirts and adding a stylish belt or elastic at the waist.

• Eco-friendly tote bag from old T-shirts: By cutting the sleeves and neck of the T-shirts that are no longer worn, and sewing the bottom (or cutting small ribbons and knotting them), it is possible to make a sustainable cloth bag for the market without a sewing machine.

2. Essential Statistics to Reduce Plastic Waste (Data & Stats)

You can use these reliable data on the blog to convince readers why we should reduce plastic waste now:

• The brutal truth of global recycling: Many people think that even if we use plastic, it can be recycled or reused. But only 9% of the total plastic produced worldwide can be recycled. The remaining 91% of the plastic ends up in landfills or ends up in rivers and oceans, causing serious environmental damage.

• Plastic Overshoot Day: The level of plastic use around the world is so alarming that every year, after a certain day, man-made plastic waste exceeds the global capacity to manage it. According to recent statistics, this day falls in early September of the year, which proves how critical our waste management is.

• Regional situation and targets: Plastic use is constantly increasing in South Asian countries. For example, Bangladesh produces about 800,000 tons of plastic waste every year. To address this dire situation, Bangladesh has set ambitious national targets of increasing plastic recycling rates to 50% and reducing the use of single-use plastics by 90% by 2025-2026.

Conclusion: Small steps, big changes

Ultimately, sustainable living or environmental awareness is not an overnight miracle. It is the sum of our small daily decisions. Returning a plastic bag while shopping, giving a new look to an old dress, or turning kitchen waste into fertilizer—these seemingly small actions, when done together by billions of people, have a far-reaching impact.

Being eco-friendly does not mean making your life difficult, but rather it is a great art of living in harmony with nature while saving your pocket at a low cost. So start today from any small corner of your home. Remember, this small conscious step you take today will give a beautiful, green and livable world for the next generation.

Finally, sustainable living does not mean reducing the joy of life, but living consciously. Start today with a small change from your kitchen or cupboard. Remember, your small cost-effective step can make our world beautiful for the next generation.