10 Easy & Affordable Ways To Live A More Eco-friendly Life

Living sustainably has a bad rep for being expensive, inconvenient and restrictive. If you want to live a more sustainable life and find yourself overwhelmed, you can always start with the little, easier things.

Read on to find out 10 easy and affordable lifestyle changes you can incorporate into your life.

#1 Get a reusable bag

Photo from Daiso Singapore via Instagram

Instead of hoarding plastic bags, simply bring you own reusable bag with you! Try these eco-friendly reusable bags from Daiso come in all kinds of cute patterns!

#2 Recycle your clothes

Photo from hm.com

According to the National Environmental Agency, Singapore generated 219,800 tonnes of textile waste with only 6% of it being recycled. If you love fast fashion and changing out your wardrobe, recycle your clothes instead of throwing them away. A convenient way to recycle your clothes is to simply drop them off at any H&M outlet where they will pass them on to their recycling partner.

#3 Bring your own cup or tumbler to the cafe

Photo from Starbucks

Think about all the takeaway coffees you've had - it's probably a lot! An easy way to reduce your carbon footprint is to bring your own mug to the cafe. Starbucks has an initiative where you enjoy 50 cents off when you bring your personal mug or tumbler and opt to fill it with your favourite beverage. We love these limited edition mermaid-inspired Starbucks tumblers (left $34.90, right $25.90)!

Photo from shopee.sg

An even more eco-friendly option is to use a reusable glass bottle! This Sailor Moon glass water bottle ($9.90) is just too cute!

#4 Use a reusable straw

Much like using your own cup or tumbler, you can start using your own reusable straws as well! Try the metal straw set ($7.50) from Seastainable which comes with a pouch, a regular straw, a bubble tea straw and a cleaner. Alternatively, you can try the bamboo straw set (from $15 for 5 straws) by Bamboo Straw Girl.

#5 Save water

Photo from pub.gov.sg

Saving water is eco-friendly and won't cost you a cent. In fact, you'll end up saving money. Easy ways to reduce water usage is to take shorter showers and wash a load of dishes at once rather than one at a time. You can also request to receive a free Water Saving Kit by PUB which can help you reduce up to 5% of your water consumption.

#6 Bring your own takeaway containers

Photo from asos.com

If you like buying meals to enjoy in the comfort of your air-conditioned office or home, skip the takeaway containers and bring your own instead. Even if you don't like washing dishes, it's a small sacrifice that will reduce your carbon footprint!

You can find affordable lunchboxes online or in stores like Daiso and Don Don Donki. We love the set of lunch boxes by Sass & Belle ($11.12) to hold different dishes or snacks!

#7 Bring your own cutlery

Photo from themobilehub.com.sg

Skip the disposable cutlery and bring your own set of cutlery! The Beihe Wheatstraw Cutlery Set ($7.90) comes with a fork, spoon and chopsticks in a convenient container made out of recyclable material.

#8 Buy refills

Photo from lioncorp.com.sg

Instead of buying new containers, buy refills instead! This way, you avoid wasting raw materials and energy on packaging and also get to save money in the long run. The waste generated from a refill is significantly less than the plastic containers. This is especially true for small bottles like hand soap!

#9 Carpool

Photo from grab.com

Of course, the most eco-friendly way to commute is by public transport. But if you prefer driving your own car, you can opt to carpool! Grab has GrabShare, which allows you to give a ride to passengers who are along a similar route. This is not only more eco-friendly, but it helps you cover a bit of your petrol costs too!

#10 Eat less meat

Photo from fatburger.com

Meat consumption contributes to significantly more greenhouse emissions than vegetables or grains. While the best option is to cut off from eating meat completely, this can be a huge challenge, especially if you're a meat lover!

Start with small changes, like trying out "Meatless Mondays" where just for one day in a week, you avoid eating meat completely. Another option is to try out vegan meat like the famous Impossible Foods! One of the most affordable options in Singapore is the one from Fatburger ($12.90) that tastes indistinguishable from a burger with real meat!

Share this post with your friends who want to be more eco-friendly too!

Text by: GirlStyle SG