Downsizing or Living Small – The Easiest Way To Lower Your Carbon Footprint
Making the world more sustainable can be done in a lot of ways. Here at GreenJournal we tend to focus on green energy as a way of actively reducing carbon emissions and promote a more environmental lifestyle. There are of course several ways to achieve this, beyond energy practices. One way to reduce your carbon footprint, is by living in a smaller space and with less stuff.
Quality Over Quantity
This is not as puritanical or boring as it may sound. Using fewer items in your everyday life is not necessarily a limitation. Think of quality over quantity. Instead of buying 5 pairs of pants at 10£, consider one pair at 50£. If you do your research and buy quality at a higher price, your garment will last you a lot longer than the cheaper version, probably ending up saving you money in the long run.
Quality over quantity is not only a clever economic choice. Consider the pants once again, paying extra for good quality will usually mean better fabrics are used, and thus a better experience overall with the product. finally, having few but good items of clothing will allow you to use less water and energy on washing them, thus helping the environment.
The positive aspects of quality over quantity are not only economic and environmental. Fewer but better furniture in your home can give you a feeling of less clutter, the extended lifetime such products usually have are also plus. By not buying furniture quite as often you will be contributing to the end of the throwaway-society and help keep the planet green.
One Item, Several Functions
If you are living in a small apartment, you may not have the choice of exactly how many pieces of furniture you want. In this case living small, can also mean living smart. Today, a lot of furniture is made to have more than one function, for example foldout beds hidden in sofas, drawers made into a staircase or a bunk bed, with a desk instead of the bottom bed.
Other items could be a simple desk, that can expand into a full dining table or the more creative ironing board that can swivel and present a mirror hidden underneath.
Rustic and farmhouse dining tables are the ideal way to enjoy a meal while also being environmentally responsible without sacrificing aesthetics. Farmhouse and rustic dining tables are often created from environmentally friendly materials such as reclaimed wood or repurposed metal. They’re also made to last, so you won’t have to replace them for a long time.
The website GoDownsize.com offers a lot of great tips and ideas to limiting your carbon footprint, by living small and using less stuff in your everyday life. A lot of the examples mentioned in this blog post are actually from their page.
They have loads of articles about items as specific as a ping-pong table door and as general as small storage ideas. The page is definitely well worth a visit.