Use Less and Save More: A Guide to Simple Sustainable Living

Did you know that 95% of the water that enters our homes goes down the drain? Not to mention that American’s today use 127% more water than we did in 1950…where water is the scarcest resource worldwide. 

Scarce {adjective}
*Scarcer, Scarcest
1. Insufficient to satisfy the need or demand; not abundant 
2. Seldom met; Rare

In order to create a sustainable living lifestyle we must collectively work together to reduce the amount of waste we produce in our households. Here are some helpful tips and interesting facts about the waste we produce and how we can strive toward sustainability:

Sustainable Living: Facts and Quick Tips Around the Home

Fact 1. The average American household takes home nearly 1,500 plastic shopping bags home each year… That equates to 100 billion plastic shopping bags thrown away nationally. These bags end up in landfills and often pollute our rivers and oceans – leading to loss of sea life and polluted water sources.

Quick Tip 1. In order to reduce the amount of plastic shopping bags each household uses, try investing in these reusable-shopping totes to not only save the planet but benefit a charity: 7 Reusable Bags that Benefit Charity

Fact 2. Buy an older home with older toilets? Struggling to part with what’s comfortable? What if you knew that your old porcelain throne was costing you 3 gallons of water per flush? Yeah, you heard it right… 3 gallons per flush… That’s roughly three pennies per flush at an average of five flushes per person, times four persons per household equals fifty cents per day. That would mean your toilet is costing you $219 per year… 

Quick Tip 2. What if you could cut that cost in half and save the planets scarcest recourse? Click the link to find some of the most efficient thrones: Water Efficient Toilets that Conserve Water and Save You Hundreds

Fact 3. Each year, one person produces one million pounds of material waste that end up in landfills. The truth about landfills is that no one is paying attention to the problem and instead we are creating more waste. American’s will produce approximately 400 million tons of garbage THIS year… See the quick tip below to see what you can do.

Quick Tip 3. A Zero Waste Home seems impossible and unachievable, but with Bea Johnson’s tips on how she and her family stay waste free, you could be on your way to a more sustainable lifestyle.