You can find plenty of family bloggers or influencers who share their green lifestyle online: minimalist / zero-waste / vegan / mindful families, and more. I have nothing but admiration for people who are capable of extreme lifestyles and follow up concretely on their values, but I tend to feel overwhelmed when I witness those realities on social media. They feel far and unattainable to me, and they discourage me from even trying. Am I the only one feeling like this? 

We are not the “greenest” family but we have embarked on a journey of small changes, and improved our lifestyle targeting sustainability and ethical consumer choices over the years. We used to produce a lot of waste, we struggled to change our diet, and we chose comfort over sustainability more times than we care to admit to. If you feel you’d like to make moderate changes and do not know where to start from, this post is for you. If you commit to challenge one habit every month you’ll be in a completely different place a year from now!

#1: Use reusable shopping bags

Reusable bags are easy to find nowadays. Commit to use only them. I keep mine in the car trunk to make sure I remember them when I go shopping. An additional tip is to keep a couple of compactly folded plastic bags in your purse.
There’s another trick in my hat to minimise plastic consumption while shopping: I keep a small container filled with small plastic bags for veggies and fruits in my handbag. Wherever allowed, I put veggies on the scale with no container and stick the label directly on them. Otherwise, I use my own bags and avoid getting new ones. Whenever you visit a store and you are offered a plastic bag, consider if you really need it or you can shove things in your handbag.

#2: Switch to the menstrual cup and reusable pads

This section is women only. Years ago I stopped using disposable pads during my period. It was a game changer in terms of user experience, economic convenience, and sustainability. I have written about my experience with the menstrual cup here. In addition, I use reusable pads. You do not need both, but an additional layer makes me feel more comfortable. Use this online calculator to check how much money and waste you are going to save by leaving disposable pads or tampons behind.

#3: Get rid of stuff

You don’t have to go full-way minimalist, but a severe round of decluttering can help a lot. Months ago my husband and I took on the herculean task of decluttering our house. You wouldn’t believe how many cubic meters of space we freed. I thought I was smarter than our moms who have 30 year old things stored free of purpose, yet I was baffled by how much useless junk I had kept. The amount of stuff we own is directly proportional to decades of consumerism brainwashing. I highly recommend to do the same and free space in your house. Then stop and reflect in your shopping habits, otherwise you will not be any wiser in 6 months.

#4: Shop second-hand or responsibly

Shopping second-hand items is popular in Finland (check out my FIN-ENG vocabulary). I have taken on to shop most of my own clothes in second hand shops because the local offer is wide – I am aware I could not do the same in Italy. Nowadays thanks to Ebay and Marketplace, used items are easy to find. I think second-hand is especially smart when it comes to children’s accessories and clothes, as typically you need them for a short period of time. Over the years I have formed a complex ring of hands-me-down with friends. Then there’s always the option of borrowing instead of buying. We have completely lost that habit, haven’t we. If you live near Helsinki, be aware libraries lend plenty of objects. Contribute to a circular economy.
Following up on decluttering, commit to quality over quantity. I know ethical brands are more expensive, but do you really need five shirts that will lose dye or go out of trend in a year or can you buy one good quality and durable shirt instead? Build a personal list of favourite ethical brands and commit to support them. Learn to wait and save, remind yourself of why you are doing it. 

#5: Cut on online shopping

I have written in the past about the risks of online shopping. Retailers always swing the same bate in front of our eyes to make us forget about hidden costs: convenience. It’s so damn hard to resist the urge to buy if our object of desire is one click and a free delivery away. This is something we are still working on as a family. My aim is to walk into physical shops as much as I can. What helps: setting a monthly budget for online shopping, keeping grocery lists for different stores or categories (I recommend the app Wunderlist), and in general accepting that convenience is not a good guiding light for an ethical and sustainable lifestyle.

#6: Plan all meals

In our family, we have virtually no leftovers. We have cut the food we throw in the trash to almost zero. The main reason is that I sit down before our weekly grocery shopping round and carefully plan the week meals. I enter the store knowing exactly what I need and how much of it. Regular family life helps in planning a week ahead, we rarely have surprises in our schedule. Wasting food may still happens, but it’s an exception as it should be.

#7: Bring your own container

There are many occasions where we are invited to use single-use items that we could replace with reusable ones. An example from my routine: I used to get coffee from the work cafeteria in a disposable mug, until I took on the habit to take my travel mug along and fill that instead. I know more and more cafe chains are cutting on plastic cups, yet bringing your own container is way more impactful. About 16 billion disposable coffee cups go to waste every year. That’s a staggering figure! Similarly, use reusable containers to store or bring along food. Please ban straws forever from your household. Some stores allow customers to refill detergent bottles or even water bottles: use that option if you can. For worldwide figures on plastic waste, check out this fact sheet.

#8: Use cloth napkins

I was raised in a household using cloth napkins, but I realised as an adult this is not the standard way. Several families use kitchen paper or single-use napkins at every meal. Don’t! Purchase cloth napkins and wash them regularly. Beside being a sustainable choice, it’s a simple way to cut a useless expense from your family budget. I don’t wash them after every meal, usually I change them once a week or so (depending on how dirty they get). 
Another small habit you can change is to bring your own cutlery to picnics or trips, as opposed to using plastic.

#9: Ban liquid hands soap

Soap bars are (1) cheaper, (2) way more durable, and (3) produce less plastic waste than liquid hands soap. The liquid soap fever started when the fear of soap bars being unsanitary spread. That myth has been discredited by several scientific studies, but the convenience of pressing a finger on a dispenser made the habit stick.
I should mention that liquid soap is not a soap bar in liquid form. Liquid soap is full of chemicals, while soap bars are mostly fat (not necessarily animal fat). Even liquid soap production requires more energy and produces more waste. This is a small yet very impactful habit you can change in your household!

#10: Save water

As obvious as it may sounds, save water. Be critical of your personal or household’s impact on water consumption. You can check how you are doing using this list and set on improving your habits. Even more important, teach your kids to do the same. Recently I have noticed how my kids empty their water glasses in the sink when they clean their spot at the dinner table. I’m planning a way to spare that water and use it to water my indoor plants. There’s always space to improve. Another way to save water, among other things, is to change your diet. Animal agriculture uses about one third of the world’s drinkable water. I am not advocating for you to go vegetarian, but cutting on meat consumption can help the planet a lot:  I have recently shared how I did it and I hope to inspire other meat-lovers to do the same.

Choose one habit and start today. Commit to change one habit every month and you’ll have tremendous impact. Do you have anything to add to my list? What works for your family? Comment down below and let me know.