- Stick to your food disposal routine and share it with your household. Visual cues can help.
- Always segregate your food scraps and containers. Take the time to teach this if you’re staying home with family or friends.
- Make your compost bin accessible to the kitchen. You want everyone to develop an easy habit out of it.
It’s close to a year now that we’ve had to make big changes in our lives, that one short trip to the grocery store requires plenty of precautions.
The pandemic may have altered the world but it shouldn’t stop us from caring for it. If anything, we must remain even more dedicated to ensuring Earth has a future. Otherwise, millions face famine, disease and displacement in a decade.
Sustainability during covid may be challenging but still possible. Here are ways to be and stay eco-friendly in the time of a pandemic.
1. Keep composting
Renewed lockdown rules across the globe has once again led people to turn to takeout. With food deliveries making their way to our kitchens more often, it’s even more crucial to keep composting. Here’s how you can do it better if you’re not living alone:
2. Eat smart
If you must eat out, eat smart. Restaurants are doing their best to stay in business while ensuring it is safe to dine in their spaces. Your role as a diner goes beyond skipping dining in if you’re not feeling well, or wearing your mask as your server inches closer. It is also important to bring your own utensils and have your own container to put your leftovers or scraps for your pets.
It also helps to be aware of how restaurants are sourcing their ingredients. Remember that just about every decision we make affects the future of our planet.
3. Continue buying in bulk
One of the biggest pollutants killing our planet is plastic. Aiming for sustainability during covid means avoiding the use of single use as much as one can, if not totally. Considering the monumental adjustments against human interaction, this can get tricky.
The good news is there are countless bulk aisles and sustainable stores everywhere to keep us on track. Continue to support those local businesses by making large orders of your staples so you don’t have to step out too often. Furthermore, the fewer trips your grocery deliveries have to make, the less carbon emissions Earth needs to suffer from.
4. Invest on reusable masks
Here’s one terrifying estimate: If everyone in the UK wears a single-use face mask each day for a year, it will generate 66,000 tons of contaminated waste and 57,000 tons of plastic packaging. If the rest of the world does the same, the damage will be irreparable.
Cloth fabrics are much more sustainable and are ideal for our everyday use. They are washable, and can be worn plenty more times than a single-use that is deadly to the planet. While you’re at it, keep in mind where you’re buying your reusable masks from. Aim for smaller businesses that are more mindful in their production. It is a no-brainer but an essential choice to make when staying sustainable during covid.
5. Be inspired
Now that we have more time at home, we must take this as an opportunity to stay informed and enriched. Be aware of what’s going on in the world, and how an eco-friendly lifestyle can keep us going. Find inspiration in people who are on the same path as you. This way, despite a pandemic challenging our lives everyday, we are fighting the good fight.
