Week 1: 3 Tips for a more Sustainable Lifestyle

We make it quick and convenient for you: Every week, we show you 3 simple ideas that help you to make your life more sustainable step by step. Our planet will thank you!

Let's face it: the transition to a fully sustainable #lifestyle will not happen in just one day. And that is perfectly fine! It takes time and knowledge to understand the problems we cause and the ways we can solve them. But with this weekly article, we want to inspire you. We want to show you little things that make you part of the change we need to make to help our #planet.

1. Sustainable Grocery Shopping

When I started studying in the USA, I was not yet as environmentally conscious as I am now. But one aspect that immediately became clear to me is how many #plastic bags you get when you buy groceries in stores like Target or Publix. The stores claim that they try to "pack more efficiently" or "encourage their customers to bring their own bags". But I don't think they are really focusing on anything other than cost reduction. That's why I would like to #encourage you to bring your own shopping bag. First of all, in the long run, you will automatically stop collecting the millions of plastic bags that fill your garbage bag at home. Secondly, if we really want to help our #nature, it is not too much to ask to start with the small things like reducing the amount of plastic we use. Did you know that yearly, only Americans use about 100 billion plastic bags that require 12 million barrels of oil to manufacture?

2. Package Free Products

This idea is not manageable for every product, especially not in "average" #grocery stores. However, more and more package-free products are being offered and give us a good opportunity to be a little more sustainable! For example, many shops offer the possibility to simply buy fruit, vegetables, or nuts without plastic packaging; and in most cases, they offer paper bags instead of plastic, as these are a bit more stable. In this way, you can avoid using plastic and you are not dependent on the prescribed quantities from the supermarket.

3. DIY Make-up Remover & Reusable Pads

This one is for the girls: If you ask me, I have a feeling that no make-up remover is perfect. Either it dries my skin or it doesn't seem to remove all my #makeup. But here's the solution: First, use reusable pads. The normal cotton pads you use are soft, but there are options like bamboo pads, which are just as soft AND #reusable, and you can wash them out! So you don't have to freak out if you notice that someone else has taken the last cotton pad because you simply have your own! Secondly, use coconut oil to remove your make-up! Just grab the organic make-up at the grocery store and you'll see: All the make-up will disappear and your skin will glow like never before!

x GreenWave Team