1. Eat Plant-Based & GO VEGAN
- Eating more plant-based meals, free of meat, dairy, and animal products, is not only beneficial to your body, but also the animals and the planet too. According to studies by the University of Oxford, eating a plant-based diet is one of the biggest ways to reduce your impact on planet earth and to help our climate crisis. Animal agriculture is the biggest driver of deforestation as forests are being cleared to make way for growing animal material feed and grazing. We are running out of land and space to grow food for the world’s expanding population. ⅓ of the world’s cereal crop is fed to animals for more meat, fish, and dairy consumption. Squandering any food is wasteful, but when meat, fish, or dairy are thrown away, all of the grain and water used to produce these resources are considered a waste too. Currently more than one million animals are threatened with extinction due to not only the climate crisis, but also animal agriculture. Half of the world’s marine species is also on the brink of extinction. Many people believe that going vegan or plant-based is solely about wellness, but it’s much more than that. It’s also about not contributing to more cruelty in the world. There are infinite benefits to going vegan and consuming more plant-based meals.
- Some of my favorite recommended documentaries that help to change lives are Cowspiracy, Seaspiracy, What the Health, Forks Over Knives, Earthlings, Game Changers, Dominion, and more. For more daily educational information, follow my friends on Instagram at Plant-Based News, Seaspiracy, Sea Legacy, Forks Over Knives, and We are Veganuary…just to name a few.
- Juicing! Don’t forget about juicing! If you’re just getting into this lifestyle and trying to find your way, an easy way to detox, get the old waste out, and overcome food/substance addictions is through juicing. I have so many recipes on my channel for you to try. The health benefits of juicing are endless, and it will support you on making better choices on your plant based journey. If you’re looking for a new juicer, give the new Nama J2 juicer a try. I love it because it saves me time and prep, and it also allows me to batch juice several jars of juice at a time. Save $55 with my bestie’s code JENNIE10 at namawell.com.
2. Use Non-Toxic Products
A part of being sustainable is being a conscious consumer. We vote with our dollar, and it’s our job to shop responsibly for products or with brands who are also in alignment with eco-friendly and cruelty-free practices. Several brands are changing their approach to either go organic, be climate neutral, use less harmful additives, use less toxic chemicals, and more. More and more studies are coming out showing that many toxic ingredients can be linked to cancer, disease, chronic illness, and more. What you put ON your body matters just as much as what you put IN your body. Make sure it’s good for YOU, the animals, and the planet.
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Clean beauty products and home-care products use less chemically driven ingredients that are better for the animals and the planet.
3. Reduce Your Waste & Compost (Go Zero Waste)
- Learning how to best reduce my waste and go zero-waste was an area I definitely needed improvement in, and I’ve studied minimalism and other practices to help me get closer to this goal. I’ve always been good at composting my fruits and veggie scraps, but I wanted to get even better at approaching consumerism in a more conservative and sustainable approach.
- Let’s touch on composting for a moment. There are several ways to get started composting. For years, I have simply purchased compostable and biodegradable bio bags for my trash, and I’ve filled them with my scraps, buried a hold, and buried the bag. It decomposes naturally and turns back into soil. If you are living on a farm, there are many other ways you can explore composting. There are many different compost bins out there available for purchase, and you can simply spread the composted soil in your yard, pots, or garden. Vitamix recently released their compact FoodCycler where it recycles and transforms fruit cores, vegetable peels, and more food scraps into fertilizer and reduces your family’s food waste.
- Use organic options whenever possible. In general, they will be better for the planet and hopefully created with more intentionality and consciousness than other products. Small batch is where it’s at. This is an opportunity to start supporting more small businesses in the world that are doing good!
- Travel sustainably. If you’re going to travel, try to travel as sustainably as possible. Flying isn’t environmentally friendly, but there are ways to travel in which you leave a lighter footprint. You can look more into this.
- Recycle correctly. Don’t just throw away your trash and think that they will separate your recyclables for you. Did you know that if you don’t organize your rubbish properly, it all just gets thrown away as trash? Be responsible in organizing what can be recycled and what not.
4. Leave a Lighter Footstep & Conserve Energy
- Going GREEN in terms of energy use is another area in which I am improving. You can find ways in which to power your home and necessities which are more earth-friendly and sustainable than others.
- Look into getting solar panels or supplying your home with a cleaner source of energy.
- Look into more electric ways of powering your necessities.
- Drive less or use a bike. Electric bikes are all the rage now-a-days. Ride your bike instead of driving to work.
As mentioned prior, look into more sustainable ways of traveling or being more selective with your traveling as to help save natural resources. - Clean with more non-toxic cleaning products, and start reducing your use of mass-produced items.
What I’ve shared with you here is only the beginning. There are so many more ways to be and live sustainably. I am certainly learning and evolving as well, and one day will be completely self-sustaining with the elements of nature. I hope this list of my recommended items has helped to plant some seeds for you and inspires you to live with an eco-friendly consciousness in mind. Every step we take towards a more plant-based lifestyle matters. I’m taking many of these steps in my life, and I hope to have you join me.
