5 Top Tips for Sustainable Living

Mozo recently caught up with Marlon Kobacker from Sustainable Future Group, to chat about how Aussies could embrace sustainability and live a more eco-friendly life. He told us that contrary to popular belief, it doesn't have to be difficult to adopt a sustainable lifestyle. 

In fact, according to Kobacker, there are very few sacrifices you need to make in order to live sustainably, even while still enjoying all of life’s modern conveniences.

Here are his top five tips to make it easy for you - or anyone else, for that matter - to  start protecting the environment against climate change, by sticking to the principals of sustainable living.

1. Reevaluate Your Consumer Habits (and Choose Renewable Energy Resources)

The first step to living a more sustainable lifestyle should begin with an earnest evaluation of your habits as a consumer. In many countries, consumer culture is pervasive and can have a subconscious - and largely negative -- effect on your ability to evaluate the actual necessity of the products and services you purchase.

Take a few moments to evaluate your consumer habits and reflect on the purchases that might be considered wasteful. Whenever possible, opt for used products or products mostly made from recycled materials. Of course, you should also choose renewable energy resources in every circumstance in which it is available, especially since renewable energy resources are usually cheaper and more effective than the other available options.

2. Forgo Plastic and Any Other Environmentally Detrimental Products

Plastic products make up a large percentage of the material found in landfills, and, to make matters worse, plastic often finds its way to the ocean. This has already caused a host of issues to marine life, so forgoing the use of plastic is especially critical.

Reusable bags are one way to avoid plastics, but you should also develop a greater awareness of the many different kinds of materials considered most sustainable. Bamboo, for example, is a great alternative to the more traditional wood products that require such widespread deforestation.

3. Adopt a Water Conservation Strategy

Wasteful water practices are unfortunately common, and far too many people don’t give much thought to water conservation strategies. Rather than using far too much water to maintain a lush, green lawn in a climate in which such lawns would be unusual given the conditions, consider xeriscaping, which favours native, drought-tolerant plants that require very little maintenance and largely eliminate the need for wasteful water practices.

4. Walk or Bike to Local Destinations

Automobiles are responsible for a great deal of the carbon emissions currently having an adverse effect on the global climate, and much of those emissions occur during short trips that are easily within walking or biking distance. Reduce the amount of carbon you emit by using your bike or simply walking to any local destination. Not only will you help protect the environment, you will also improve your overall health and wellbeing at the same time.

5. Eliminate - or Simply Reduce - Meat Consumption

The massive production of meat is one of the driving forces behind global climate change, and the only way to reduce the overall production of meat - which requires a shocking amount of water, food, and land resources - is to reduce the demand for such unbelievably high production rates.

It is admittedly difficult to make a sudden switch to a vegetarian or vegan diet, so try to focus on limiting how much meat you consume on a regular basis. You should also opt for locally sourced and in-season foods whenever possible, as this will help reduce the use of fuel required to transport fruits and vegetables over long distances.

While serving as the director of Sustainable Future Group, Marlon Kobacker has further reinforced his reputation as one of the sustainable design industry’s most prominent and relentlessly innovative thinkers. Mr. Kobacker is also the author of a recently published book: “Removing the Capital Cost Barrier to Sustainable Building Design.”