A FOOLPROOF GUIDE TO SUSTAINABLE LIVING

“Reduce, reuse, recycle” is just the beginning

We hear a lot of scary stuff these days about the impact modern living has on our planet, but the good news is that there are countless things you can do to live a more Earth-friendly lifestyle. Just about anything you do provides an opportunity to practice sustainable living, including what you buy, what you eat, how much garbage you create, the transportation methods you use and the charities you support. At the Good Housekeeping Institute, sustainability is important to everything we do, and we've built a unique expertise on the topic. In 2009 we launched the Green Good Housekeeping Seal, and we created GH’s Sustainable Innovation Awards in 2019. We also host an annual Raise the Green Bar sustainability summit to help teach people how to make smarter choices. Caring for the planet is a top priority for us, and we want to make it easy for you to get on board.

What is sustainable living?

Living a more sustainable life starts with understanding that sustainability is a broad term that can be defined in many ways. But generally speaking, it refers to a lifestyle that avoids depleting the earth's natural resources by reducing demand for water, energy, trees and fossil fuels. It means making an effort to create less waste, and it prioritizes the use of renewable resources and minimal consumption. It can also be defined as “the practice of making sure we don't deplete the earth’s natural resources while maintaining a strong economy for future generations,” says Good Housekeeping's sustainability director, Birnur Aral, Ph.D. Put another way, this style of living is all about making healthier choices for our planet and the people who live on it. Examples include buying products made from recycled materials and making sure your home isn’t overusing water and energy. There’s also a growing connection between social good and environmental sustainability, and many organizations are increasingly tying together traditional sustainability efforts with mission-based work centered on a specific problem or issue.

Why is it so important?

Living a more sustainable life is better for the health of the planet and all the living things that inhabit it, including humans. Living this way can mean less pollution, fewer greenhouse gases, less waste, healthier oceans and forests and so much more. Plus, as more people make the switch to more planet-friendly living, more companies work harder to follow sustainable practices during manufacturing and more policymakers advocate improved environmental practices. The bottom line: Sustainable living is about doing whatever you can to reduce your personal contribution to carbon emissions, natural resource depletion, water and chemical use and waste accumulation while striving to make the earth a better place for all living things.

SIMPLE WAYS TO live a more eco-friendly lifestyle

1. START SMALL — BUT START NOW.

One of the most important things to know as you transition into more sustainable living is that little changes really add up — and they do so quickly. Don’t feel as if you need to overhaul your whole life at once. Start with simple tweaks like switching to energy-saving lightbulbs, drinking filtered tap water in a reusable bottle instead of downing it from single-use plastic, buying fewer things you don’t actually need and being conscious of how you dispose of goods from mattresses to clothing and beyond.

2. GET SAVVY ABOUT SPOTTING GREENWASHING. Our GH Lab experts discovered just how confusing and unclear “eco” or “green” label claims can be. When we put the question to over 5,000 people in the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Sustainability Survey, 26% of respondents said they believed “green” meant “Earth- or environmentally friendly,” 19% answered “reusable, recyclable or recycled,” 13% said “eco-conscious” and 10% thought it meant “sustainable.” Other write-in answers included “natural,” “organic,” “compostable,” “plant-based” and “healthy.” In reality, all these things might contribute to making a product more “green” or “sustainable,” but according to the FTC Green Guides, brands must explain why a product is green before they can legitimately use eco-friendly claims on their labels. Once you learn to identify the terms and claims — and spot the products that are impostors —  you will be better equipped to make truly sustainable choices.

3. RETHINK YOUR MODES OF TRANSPORTATION. Walking, taking the stairs and riding a commuter bicycle are some of the easiest ways to get around more sustainably. That's because they require no energy (other than your own!) and emit absolutely zero greenhouse gases while helping boost your cardiovascular health. Driving a combustion-engine vehicle, on the other hand, is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. If distance puts walking or riding a bike out of the question, public transportation and car-sharing are good alternatives, along with e-bikes and scooters. If you don't have your own bike, consider the growing number of rent-a-bike services popping up in neighborhoods all over the country. If that's not an option for you, fortunately most car manufacturers are making bold predictions about adding electric and hybrid vehicles to their rosters.

4. MAKE SMARTER SHOPPING CHOICES

Ditch single-use bags and bottles.

One of the biggest contributors to the global waste epidemic is plastic pollution. When you consider that an estimated 381 million tons of plastic were produced in 2015, it's no surprise that the sheer volume wreaks havoc on the health of global wildlife and marine life. The good news is that reusable bags are a simple choice, and using them is encouraged around the world through plastic bag bans. Keep a stash of reusable bags in your trunk and a small one in your purse so you’ll always be prepared when you wind up in a store.

5. BUY FROM EARTH-FRIENDLY BRANDS AND COMPANIES.

“Corporate sustainability is thought to have three pillars: people, the planet and profit,” says Birnur Aral, Ph.D., director of the GH Institute’s Health, Beauty & Environmental Sciences Lab. “This means ensuring the health of employees. For a company to be sustainable in the long run, minimizing or even reversing its environmental impact should be just as important as turning a profit.” So do your research, and look for brands that promote sustainable practices like reducing water and hazardous chemicals used in production or that make their wares with recycled materials or sustainable fibers. You can also look for trusted third-party logos on the label — e.g., EcoCert COSMOS for organic cosmetics, Fair Trade Certified ingredients and products that are GreenGuard Certified.