Steps Toward Sustainability You Might Not Have Considered

There are plenty of small steps we can all take a live a more sustainable way of life. Of course, growing and eating sustainably, and refusing, reducing, reusing, repairing and recycling are all very important. But there are also other ways to live more sustainably. And some of them are things you might not yet have considered.

More Unusual Steps Towards Sustainability

I advise people on how to live a more sustainable way of life. And many people do not consider the following areas:

Sustainable Money Matters

• Bank More Sustainably (Choose an ethical bank or building society – one that has divested from fossil fuels, and which actively contributes to building a better world. Triodos, for example.) The harmful practices of your bank might be undoing a lot of the hard work that you do.
• Consider ways to de-couple from capitalist systems. (For example, by bartering goods and services with others in your community, or getting involved with time banking.)
• Invest ethically. No matter how much money you have, you may be able to invest small amounts into things that further an environmentally friendly and sustainable agenda. (Investing time through volunteering could also be an option.)

Sustainable Surfing (Internet Use)

• Remember, each email you send has a carbon footprint. The impact of your online activities will depend on data centres and other infrastructure and their energy use. Be mindful that your digital activities can have an impact too. In fact, the carbon footprint of the Internet is on a par with the entire aviation industry’s emissions from fuel.
• Use an ethical search engine and you can do good while you surf. For example, check out Ecosia, who plant trees.
• Delete old emails so they are not stored unnecessarily.
• Unsubscribe from unwanted communications.
• Get rid of unwanted media from cloud storage etc..

Of course, the onus to make the Internet more sustainable is mostly on big business – and they are taking strides in the right direction. But we can all play our part.

The digital arena, and finances are two areas where sustainability often falls by the wayside. If you want help to go greener in these areas, please do get in touch.