Top 5 tips to live a more sustainable life

In this article, sustainability advocate and presenter Venetia Falconer shares her top 5 tips for living a more sustainable life.

For more on healthy food, sustainable fashion and environmentally friendly living, be sure to follow @venetiafalconer on Twitter and Instagram.

1. Eat more plants

It’s common knowledge that we need to be eating less meat and dairy for not just our own health, but the planet's. Eating more veggies could inspire you to be more inventive in the kitchen, which is super rewarding.

Always make sure you have a variety of vegetables (can be fresh or frozen, they’re just as nutritionally dense), good sources of protein like chickpeas, tofu or tempeh and I always bulk buy things like oats, rice, pasta, dried fruit, nuts and seeds, so I can quickly throw a dish together.

And don’t forget herbs and spices – they make our food taste great and, as our ancestors would tell us, they have some great therapeutic benefits to offer too.

2. Slow your fashion

Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world. There’s so much to be gained from having less. Organise and de-clutter your wardrobe so you can celebrate the pieces you already own. Look after them and mend them when they break.

Fancy something new? Host a swap shop with your friends. Need that hit of dopamine that walking into Zara gives you? Try a charity or vintage store instead. Going to an event? Try renting something for the weekend.

3. Travel mindfully

There are many appeals in being a jet-setter, but flight emissions are extremely damaging. Try to travel consciously. Prioritise trains over planes and maybe favour a staycation, when you need to get away.

4. Support conscious brands

It only takes small changes to be more sustainable in your own home. Since I’ve switched to Who Gives A Crap loo roll, I’m never looking back. Drown out the amount of plastic you use by switching to plastic-free tea bags, such as Pukka’s and use Ecover re-fill stations when you run out of washing up liquid and detergents.

5. Stick to your kit list 

In the same way that you wouldn’t leave your house without your wallet and keys, always bring a reusable water bottle and coffee cup and a canvas bag for any groceries - or mindfully made purchases.

I also like to bring a Tupperware box and re-usable cutlery if I’m going to be buying food to take-away or attending a street feast market. This may seem like a lot at first, but I promise, pretty soon, you’ll feel lost without the weight of your water-bottle in your backpack!

Instagram: @venetiafalconer Twitter: @venetiafalconer Blog: venetiafalconer.com