24 May 2022

Have you ever heard the phrase ‘low impact living’ and wondered what it is? It almost sounds like it means you live your life not moving around a lot or remaining isolated somewhere. That's not exactly it, though. Low impact living refers to the amount of impact you have on the planet. That's at its absolute basic breakdown. Ultimately, the greater the impact each of us has on the Earth the more it affects our health and overall wellbeing. But there’s really more to ‘low impact living’ than this. Here's what it means to live a ‘low impact life’.

How to Achieve ‘Low Impact Living’

You have to really plan to live a low impact lifestyle today. We live in such a disposable world that it's hard to not just run out and buy new all the time. And really, nothing is created to last anymore. Furniture, appliances, and even computers either don't last or become obsolete the moment you make the purchase. But living a life with as little impact as possible on the planet is not impossible to achieve.

Here's what you need to do as follows:

Invest in Your Future

No, this doesn't mean education. Invest in things like cloth grocery bags, cloth produce bags, a reusable water bottle/coffee mug, bus pass or bike. These things can pay off in the end. While you might have to purchase those grocery bags initially, many grocery stores give you a refund for each bag you use of your own. You could pay off the purchase of these bags in just a few trips to the grocery store.

Be Prepared 

Keep a few cloth or material-type grocery bags in your car and an extra water bottle or coffee mug. You never know when you'll need to run to the grocery store for something and you don't want to be caught unprepared for that trip and have to use the store's plastic bags (if they are still being used in store). So being prepared will come in handy.

Cook From Scratch

Making your own sauces will use less packaging and hence create less garbage. Less waste means less impact on the environment.

Live a Minimalist Lifestyle 

Only purchase the clothes that you would normally wear on any given week to get you through until you wash again. Plan your shopping trips and don't stray from them. Making your own clothes will lower your impact on the environment as well. Being able to mend your own clothes instead of throwing them out will be great too. I have also seen for myself a bag that has been knitted out of old plastic bags in order to re-use that which is not good for the landfill.

Buy Used 

Shopping in thrift stores is a good way to get some great gently used items that you need in your home. If your refrigerator goes and it can't be fixed, go with used instead of buying new. Or maybe swap with someone on appliances. You might have an appliance you no longer need that you could swap for one that you do need with another person. Older appliances are easier to repair if they are still workable, so you'll save money this way.

Recycle and Compost 

When something has outlived its usefulness to you, that doesn't mean it's no longer useful to someone else. That refrigerator that's not worth repairing could make great parts for a refrigerator repairman. So, see if you can find someone to take it off your hands.

Composting is a natural way to recycle food scraps and biodegradable items. If you have the space, set up a worm farm for your food scraps or even a simple compost bin.  It is a great way to get the nutrition of the food scraps back into the garden by decomposing the food and creating cheap manure and at the same time have a thriving compost full of happy and healthy earth worms.  

Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle 

Refuse, reduce, reuse, and recycle whenever you can. If you follow this method of thinking when it comes to the way you live, then you'll live a low impact life.

Low impact living does not mean you have to give up certain luxuries and comforts. You can still live a very full life while also remaining a ‘small blip’ so to speak on the screen of life. So, give low impact living a try. You might find it to be really easy to achieve and maintain.