new year. new [sustainable] you

written by rocket science

8 tips on how to live more sustainably this year

 living sustainably didn’t come naturally to me, i didn’t grow up with a hippie mother or a passion for the environment, i was just a person trying to find happiness in all the usual places – money, power and status. but this triumvirate of success didn’t provide me with the happiness that i expected. i was wasting away my life.

by embracing a truly zero waste life, i have been able to go back to university to study full-time to become a doctor, i’ve moved out of 4-bedroom house into a 59-square metre apartment and i’ve dedicated my life to something greater.

the zero waste living movement is centred on reducing the waste you send to landfill and reducing the amount of plastic used in your life. but i want to show you that living a truly zero waste life means also not wasting your life away. quite simply, plastic is mother nature’s non-renewable resource, and time is ours. we shouldn’t waste either one.

i want to show eight simple ways to live an eco-luxe life, one in which we can all be zero waste activists without depriving yourself of the modern luxuries of life.

tip 1: replace your disposables with reusables

replace items such as plastic bottles, paper napkins, plastic grocery bags, disposable coffee cups with reusable options. make yourself a zero waste kit to take everywhere. a zero waste kit can include; a reusable water bottle, reusable coffee cup, cotton bag, stainless steel drinking straw and a spork!

tip 2: set up a composting system that works for you

food waste is a major issue! food sits in our landfills and emits toxic greenhouse emissions. it’s time to compost food scraps instead of sending them to landfill. this might be as simple as sharing a compost bin with a community garden or even setting up your own. shareapp is a free community app that allows you to see what compost bins are in your local area.

tip 3: shop the outer aisles of the supermarket or at bulk stores

shopping the outer aisles of the supermarket means that you are buying package-free food. not only is this better for the planet, it’s also a healthier option for you and your family!

tip 4: make second-hand your first choice

whenever you need to buy something, try to see if you can buy it second-hand first. look at local thrift stores, ask neighbours and friends, try ebay - make a good effort to try to buy second-hand before buying new.

tip 5: be mindful of your time and money

put yourself on a spending ban, eliminate unnecessary engagements from your calendar! money is a renewable resource that we should not waste, time can never be gained back – we should be mindful of how we use both these resources.

tip 6: become a conscious consumer

are you putting your money towards businesses and brands that align with you values? make the switch to companies such as the good loan co. so that your money is also doing good work for you.

tip 7: live minimally

the best way to reduce your consumption is to consume less. this means buy less but buy better. living minimally means only buying what you love, use and can afford. it also means buying second-hand to prevent the use of virgin resources or buying from brands that have transparent ethical guidelines.

tip 8: head outside!

by enjoying the outdoors and seeing how amazing mother nature is, we can learn to appreciate that every step, no matter how small, is important in helping our planet.

in living a truly zero waste life, you actually gain more – more time, more money and more life. isn’t that what we all want in the end: a life of happiness, a life of luxury, a life that isn’t wasted?

anita vandyke is a qualified rocket scientist and medical doctor (bachelor of engineering – aeronautical space and doctor of medicine) and, most importantly, mother to vivian. she was born in guangzhou, china, raised in australia, and currently splits her time between sydney and san francisco. her first book, a zero waste life: in thirty days, won gold at the nautilus book awards in 2019 and has been translated to seven languages. anita writes about motherhood, zero waste living and minimalism on instagram, at @rocket_science, or at anitavandyke.com.