LifeTips

Diet & health

Looking after the planet is all very well, but you won’t get far if you conk out before you finish your good work! Furthermore, a healthy lifestyle is better for the environment – whole foods require less mechanical processing while exercise burns calories – not oil!

Worth knowing

Living sustainably

Tips

1. Browse LifeMachine > Directory to locate products and services that contribute towards a sustainable lifestyle.
2. Try alternatives to a clothes drier.
   • During the summer, hang your clothes outside where they will not only dry but be further cleansed by the suns rays.
   • Come winter, hang your clothes in a warm sun lit room. This is not only better for the environment, but your clothes will not suffer the damage caused by some mechanical driers. A conservatory is an ideal location to dry clothes when the weather is damp or windy outside.
3. Live within a distance of your work and shops that makes it practical to use sustainable transport such as walking, bicycling or skating.
4. Shop with re-usable (cloth) bags, or put your shopping into a backpack. The latter is better for your back. Don’t forget to wash reusable shopping bags.
5. Avoid purchasing foods in packaging, opting for lose fruit and vegetables instead.
6. Do not use or purchase products made with palm oil. Here is a good reason why.
7. Wear clothes made from natural materials, such as cotton or linen. (The latter is naturally cooling during hot weather – no man made material is as effective or biodegradable.)
8. Democratically encourage new urbanism (Learn more here at 41:41)
9. Reduce the number of household cleaning substances you use – let nature do her thing. Fragrance free soap and water work just fine. Ever noticed how clean and bright the clothes warn by people in 3rd world countries are? They do not use all those harmful products, just water and sunshine. Related to 1, above, if the weather in your country of choice cannot be relied upon to dry your clothes outside, how about building a conservatory? Not only bright and airy to help dry those clothes, but a nice way to relax with a book, guitar or sketchpad.
10. Unplug electrical appliances and gadget chargers when they are not being used.
11. Building your own home or office? Like all Earthships (more), why not design it to be self sustaining from the get go – like this.
12. If you are going to buy an eco friendly vehicle, check the fuel consumption first, not all hybrids make that much difference. If you can afford it, buy a 100% electric car and signup for clean energy if it is available in your area.
13. Now this is a tough and controversial one, do you really need a fridge, or could you get by with a smaller one? A fridge is the one appliance that is permanently drawing energy. Why not build an underground larder that will remain cool all year? Keep as many perishables as possible in the larder – and don’t buy what you won’t consume.

Recycling

• Recycling is an important part of living a sustainable life. How Can I Recycle This? is a website which offers nearly 10,000 suggestions on how to recycle, reuse or repurpose over 800 different items that what otherwise just be chucked in the bin.