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”That old saying, ‘Rome wasn't built in a day,’ couldn't be more accurate, especially when it comes to forming new sustainable habits,” she continues.
Kira believes it’s all about focusing on the small swaps you know you can maintain long term, instead of adopting the ‘all or nothing mentality.
After all, you are more likely to form long-lasting sustainable habits if you focus on the positives and benefits, reframing the habits as something that is good for you, as well as the planet, instead of a sacrifice.
To help you on your at-home sustainability journey, Kira has shared her 4 tips to get you on the right path.
Learn how to store it properly so it stays fresh and lasts longer, like proper sealing, storing fresh produce in TasteLockAuto crispers.
Get creative with meals and use food that needs to be eaten first, like leftovers.
If you start doing too much at once, it can easily fatigue you. I always recommend starting with one or two swaps and building them up over time. If you fall off the wagon, know that it’s ok, we all do. Just start again and know it gets easier to form new habits the more you practice.
Here are some thought-starters:
If you want to reduce meat and dairy, start with a meat-free day one day a week or swap out your breakfast and coffee milk with a plant-based option, like quorn or tofu.
If you want to reduce your food waste, start with the habit of meal planning and creating a grocery list before you shop each week.
One of the biggest myths I hear about sustainable living is that it’s expensive. In actuality, one of the very first steps towards living more sustainably is to stop buying things you don’t really need.
Over-consumption is at the root of the planet’s environmental crisis – we are using up our natural resources at almost double the rate that the planet can regenerate. When you invest in reusables, well-made clothing, good-quality appliances, and things designed to last a lifetime - you will save money over time.
Sustainable living is about using what we already have and reducing our consumption is the main goal.
When I started blogging, one of the first things I learned and wrote about was fashion, its impact on the environment, and the importance of caring for our clothes. Back then I used to hand wash a lot of my clothing – delicate fabrics with newer plant-based fibers and woolen knitwear.
Nowadays, modern appliance technology has come such a long way I can trust that my washer and dryer can properly care for my clothes. For all those clothes I used to handwash, I started using the special cycles for wool and delicates, always washing in cold, and using the AutoDose function for laundry liquid. Six months on my clothes are still good as new.
Here are some easy ways you can make your laundry routine more planet-friendly:
Wash left often – the more we wash the quicker our clothes will wear. Instead of a full wash spot clean any stains.
Wash in cold with a gentle detergent and use the correct cycles on your machine to wash your clothes gently.
If your clothes have holes or tears repair them, there’s no need to throw them away!
Electrolux’s Sustainability Squad is a group of 10 leading influencers from the region, helping us to spread the world on sustainable practices to communities in APAC and MEA. The squad members, each of whom brings a unique perspective on what sustainability means to them, have been carefully handpicked by Electrolux from all over the region. The Squad members come from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam.
Our aim is to inspire our consumers and our communities to make more sustainable choices and shape living for the better. Showcasing the latest in Electrolux technology, the entire initiative is built on the idea of making better choices for the environment — and how better choices can become second nature with good habits and the right appliances in your household.
In paid partnership with Kira Simpson.
1 https://www.ozharvest.org/food-waste-facts/
Sustainability advocate, Kira Simpson, shares her top tips to help make your sustainability journey at home a seamless one
”That old saying, ‘Rome wasn't built in a day,’ couldn't be more accurate, especially when it comes to forming new sustainable habits,” she continues.
Kira believes it’s all about focusing on the small swaps you know you can maintain long term, instead of adopting the ‘all or nothing mentality.
After all, you are more likely to form long-lasting sustainable habits if you focus on the positives and benefits, reframing the habits as something that is good for you, as well as the planet, instead of a sacrifice.
To help you on your at-home sustainability journey, Kira has shared her 4 tips to get you on the right path.
1. Start small in the kitchen
There are so many ways to kick-start your sustainability journey, but I always find it’s easiest to start in the kitchen.
Did you know around a third of the food we buy is thrown away1? It’s like buying three bags of groceries and throwing one in the bin when you leave. That’s around $3,000 worth of food per year per household! Food waste is a huge issue in Australia and something that is within our power to change.
Here are some places you can start:
Learn how to store it properly so it stays fresh and lasts longer, like proper sealing, storing fresh produce in TasteLockAuto crispers.
Get creative with meals and use food that needs to be eaten first, like leftovers.
2. Build up to bigger habits
If you start doing too much at once, it can easily fatigue you. I always recommend starting with one or two swaps and building them up over time. If you fall off the wagon, know that it’s ok, we all do. Just start again and know it gets easier to form new habits the more you practice.
Here are some thought-starters:
If you want to reduce meat and dairy, start with a meat-free day one day a week or swap out your breakfast and coffee milk with a plant-based option, like quorn or tofu.
If you want to reduce your food waste, start with the habit of meal planning and creating a grocery list before you shop each week.
3. Don’t fall for the misconceptions
One of the biggest myths I hear about sustainable living is that it’s expensive. In actuality, one of the very first steps towards living more sustainably is to stop buying things you don’t really need.
Over-consumption is at the root of the planet’s environmental crisis – we are using up our natural resources at almost double the rate that the planet can regenerate. When you invest in reusables, well-made clothing, good-quality appliances, and things designed to last a lifetime - you will save money over time.
Sustainable living is about using what we already have and reducing our consumption is the main goal.
4. Get to know your appliances
When I started blogging, one of the first things I learned and wrote about was fashion, its impact on the environment, and the importance of caring for our clothes. Back then I used to hand wash a lot of my clothing – delicate fabrics with newer plant-based fibers and woolen knitwear.
Nowadays, modern appliance technology has come such a long way I can trust that my washer and dryer can properly care for my clothes. For all those clothes I used to handwash, I started using the special cycles for wool and delicates, always washing in cold, and using the AutoDose function for laundry liquid. Six months on my clothes are still good as new.
Here are some easy ways you can make your laundry routine more planet-friendly:
Wash left often – the more we wash the quicker our clothes will wear. Instead of a full wash spot clean any stains.
Wash in cold with a gentle detergent and use the correct cycles on your machine to wash your clothes gently.
If your clothes have holes or tears repair them, there’s no need to throw them away!
About the Electrolux Sustainability Squad:
Electrolux’s Sustainability Squad is a group of 10 leading influencers from the region, helping us to spread the world on sustainable practices to communities in APAC and MEA. The squad members, each of whom brings a unique perspective on what sustainability means to them, have been carefully handpicked by Electrolux from all over the region. The Squad members come from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and Vietnam.
Our aim is to inspire our consumers and our communities to make more sustainable choices and shape living for the better. Showcasing the latest in Electrolux technology, the entire initiative is built on the idea of making better choices for the environment — and how better choices can become second nature with good habits and the right appliances in your household.
In paid partnership with Kira Simpson.
1 https://www.ozharvest.org/food-waste-facts/
