Human beings currently consume 1.7 times the natural resources that the planet can provide each year. Simply put, we are living in this world as if we have somewhere else to go. This is because resources are often used as if they were infinite.
It is important to take some actions and change some habits in order to reverse this situation. Taking care of water and saving energy at home are key to maintaining a more sustainable lifestyle. In turn, there are certain actions that seem minimal but that, when done, will make us responsible consumers.
What does this mean? Responsible consumption is the name given to the set of practices and strategies that are designed to allow human beings to carry out their normal, daily activities with a different perspective on the use made of natural resources and the waste that is generated.
Apply these tips and remember that every dollar you spend is a vote for the world you choose to live in.
28 actions that will make you a responsible consumer
1. Separate your waste. In this way you will be contributing to recycling and you will be helping to reduce the extraction of natural resources.
2. If you have a place, compost organic waste. Use the remains of fruits and vegetables to fertilize and enrich the soil on your balcony or garden.
3. Returnable glass containers are preferable to plastic ones, since after being washed, they can be used many times.
4. Before throwing away something you don’t use and is in good condition, give it away or sell it on an online auction site.
5. Request your notifications, statements and bank statements online, thus you will reduce unnecessary postal mail and avoid the felling of hundreds of trees for paper manufacturing.
6. Try not to use disposable napkins and tissues. Use cloth ones and wash them only when necessary. You can also use reusable coffee filters.
7. Do not throw garbage on public roads. Throw it in its corresponding basket. If you don’t have one nearby, keep it in your pocket until you find one. Always carry a reusable bag with you.
8. Avoid using disposable crockery, cutlery and cotillion. If it’s unavoidable, use labels to mark the name of the guests on each piece of tableware so that throughout the meeting they use the same elements and not new ones. Then you can wash the disposables and save them for the next party.
9. Use matches instead of lighters, as they break down more easily. Another alternative is to use lighters that are refillable.
10. Prioritize the content before the packaging. Choose products that use only the necessary packaging to guarantee the quality and safety of what you buy. Prefer products with FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper or cardboard packaging. This means that the use of the tree as a raw material does not generate desertification or reduction of native forests.
11. Choose quality appliances and toys. Before you buy, remember the saying: “Cheap is expensive.” Take into account the useful life of the products to generate the least amount of scrap possible.
12. To wrap gifts, use recycled paper, magazines or newspaper.
13. Fix things that break. If they can be repaired, don’t throw them away.
14. Don’t throw away food. Plan a weekly menu and, based on that, make a monthly purchase. Buy only what you need. You might be interested to know that half of the food produced in the world is thrown away, which is a huge waste of the planet’s resources.
15. Try to serve adequate portions on the plate. Every year 2,000 million tons of food are thrown away.
16. When you go to the supermarket, take your own reusable bags. Say no to plastic bags!
17. In your house, use only biodegradable waste bags.
18. Eat seasonal fruit and vegetables. In addition to being cheaper, they are usually grown locally, unlike those that are imported and have a higher carbon footprint.
19. Buy products in bulk. When that’s not possible, try to stick with family packs. Choose those products with cheap spare parts to fill the containers you have at home.
20. Print only if absolutely necessary. If you do, try to make it on both sides. This way you will save 50% of paper.
21. Use FSC certified or recycled paper.
22. To save ink, use eco-friendly fonts. This will allow you to save up to 50% ink.
23. Collect used batteries or batteries in a bottle and take them to a recycling center. Make sure they don’t end up in a landfill.
24. A mercury battery contaminates 600,000 liters of water. Never dispose of them with your household waste.
25. Don’t buy electronic devices that use button-type batteries. They are very polluting and difficult to recycle.
26. Use rechargeable batteries. Each one replaces about 500 of the conventional ones.
27. If you are going to place a hearth or salamander in your house, choose one that is closed and with a double combustion chamber. Use only firewood from cultivated forests, eco-firewood or pellets (pressed residues of beetroot, sugar cane, corn, jatropha, camelina and residues from agricultural, forestry, livestock, urban activities).
28. Recycle very old or torn clothes. Cut it into rectangles and use it as a rag to clean the house.