Hey Planet Lovers!

So recently, we came across an interesting sustainable swap. Have you ever heard of COMPOSTABLE COFFEE PODS? These are home-compostable coffee pods which degrade in natural environments without requiring any specialised machinery or equipment to facilitate their break-down process!

They can be easily disposed of at home, in a garden, organic waste or food bin, and will completely breakdown within a few weeks. Isn't that great?!

Interestingly enough, if on average, you consume two cups of coffee a day using regular coffee pods, the simple switch to compostable pods over a long period of time would make a BIG difference!

It's the SIMPLE SWAPS such as this that can create sustainable habits that could last a lifetime. And this is what we want to touch upon in today's blog - i.e. aside from this simple coffee pod swap, what are some ideas for you to start your sustainable habits, and more importantly, how can you get started?

Without making this blog unnecessarily long, we have laid out a SERIES OF 4 STEPS for you below which you can go through to see if you're MAKING THE MOST SUSTAINABLE CHOICE possible and understand if there are ANY BETTER ALTERNATIVES out there. Ready? Let's go!


1. THINK: about what you use in a typical week and if you really need to use these products and create this waste? Or is there something that you can alter that will reduce your impact long term?

2. EVALUATE: the products that you use, asking yourself “what wasteful things do I use very quickly and dismissively?”. These are typically single use, often packed in plastic, and usually exists for the purpose convenience. Things like chocolate bars and drinks bottles are wastefully packaged and are quite mindlessly used, only existing in the hands of the consumer for a matter of minutes.

3. CONSIDER: the alternatives out there. Is it a case of one investment to replace many single use options, for example reusable bags? Or maybe it’s changing your brand loyalty and buying eco-friendly small companies rather than big polluting corporations?

4. WHEN IN DOUBT, ZOOM OUT: These changes might seem tiny short-term, but when you take these small habits and put them on a big scale, so much waste is saved. Filling your own bag for your weekly shop would save 52 plastic bags per year from becoming waste. Refilling a water bottle instead of buying a soft drink every day would save over 300 plastic bottles. Think of the long term effects of your sustainable habits, the positives are undeniable!


EXAMPLES
Sometimes these lifestyle changes are simple transitions, like using a bamboo toothbrush instead of a plastic one. It’s a direct swap with something quite readily available. Sometimes changes are a little more life altering, like switching your shopping habits and going to a different store, like visiting a greengrocer or market for vegetables instead of your local convenience store or supermarket, to avoid plastic packaging.

With some things, an alternative that is to break the habit completely. Don’t buy that unhealthy drink once a day, buy it once a week and transition to never buying it at all. You’ll save plastic waste and you’ll feel far healthier too.

So that's it folks! When you feel powerless to plastic pollution and environmental issues, remember that your small efforts really can make the biggest difference. Build those small sustainable habits today and see what a HUGE difference it makes! :-)