Doing Less to save the Environment? A Beginners guide to Environmental Minimalism

Household consumption is responsible for 72% of global greenhouse gas emissions. A shock statistic, right? Most of the possessions in our life generate some form of carbon emissions both in their production and transport, but how can we all help tackle this and reduce global household consumption? An emerging eco-friendly trend amongst climate activists is the movement towards minimalism which involves decluttering our lives to escape the binds of consumer culture, only buying items that we really need. This blog will highlight 2 simple effortless tips to becoming more minimalistic and how minimalism can help you individually cut down your own carbon footprint.  

1) Spend Less - Spend Wise  

We’ve all heard of fast fashion and the pressures it puts on us as consumers, brands use influencers and other ploys to push trend-driven items at ridiculously low prices, all while producing new clothing collections as often as every two weeks. This business model the top high street chains are adopting is extremely harmful to the environment as clothing production is the third biggest manufacturing industry after the automotive and technology industries. Most staggering of all the fast fashion industry is responsible for 8% of all carbon emissions according to the UN environment 2019.

Making conscious decisions about where you buy items from and for what purpose can help you cut down on your consumption. Minimalists are adopting many methods to tackling this like adopting a 36-piece wardrobe and reusing and recycling clothing items online. Clothing is only one example of where you can spend less, spend wise and is a great place to start when cutting down household consumption but making small critical decisions about our spending habits and consumption can help make a huge difference to the environment and our local community. To be more environmentally friendly decide when buying something whether it is absolutely essential and think about alternative eco-friendly buying opportunities available perhaps looking for local sellers. If you spend less and spend wise you are making a small but significant move towards reducing your carbon footprint and as a bonus you can also become more financially free.

2) Become Detached from your Possessions  

We all have things lying around the house or garage which may not necessarily be “essential” or have a particular purpose in our life anymore. Have you considered however, that these items might be wanted or required by another? Choosing to declutter more often whether that be through selling them online or giving them away as a charitable donation can help others avoid buying these items brand new which further contributes to carbon emissions. Examples can range from old furniture, clothing, technology, DVDs, games, old toys, books etc.

We can become so attached to the items in our house without realising they serve no actual purpose in our lives they also clutter up our homes leaving little room for new items. If more individuals started to re-sell their old items, there would less requirement to buy these items new. This is a small step you can take towards becoming more minimalistic and can also help you gain extra funds to spend on more essential goods.

Conclusion

In conclusion, minimalism is an effortless way to be more eco-friendly. If everyone was to adopt a minimalist attitude there would be a significant reduction in carbon emissions associated with household consumption, this would be a massive step towards a more sustainable green future.