SUBSTAINABILITY TIPS

Sustainablity tips

Here is the final set of sustainable tips from me. This makes a total of 20 from all the Ekbladets from this year. Check them out too at the Lounge! As winter is approaching this time the tips are going to be focused on winter and spring. It’s important to be sustainable in four ways, social, human, economic and environmental.. These are usually known as the four pillars of sustainability. Here are the five recommended tips for sustainable living this season!

1. Be water wise

As winter is approaching it is getting colder day by day. This leads to more and longer hot showers. Which leads to waste of water, the longer you stay the more water is wasted. Did you know that a typical shower usually requires 20 gallons of water! That’s about 2.5 gallons per minute. The longer the shower more water is used. So be wise and use the right amount of water.

2. Transport

With the cold, it is natural to opt for cars, however, it is more sustainable to use buses or public transport to get to places. They are not just convenient, but also very warm and economical. Transport in travels, it is common to go on trips or back home during the winter holidays, when you do so, try to opt for trains instead of flights, this is because for many reasons, trains are more hassle free, safer, cheaper, less stressful, flexible and fun. But not only that, opting for trains also means opting for lower co2 emissions. So, go for a sustainable travel choice this winter holidays.

3. Responsible source for your winter coat

We all need jackets to step out especially in Umeå, surviving without a winter coat is close to impossible. When you buy a winter coat, buy it by being aware of the source of the product, be it wool, feather or Cashmere. It is usually written on the tag of the product. It applies not just to coats, but to many different types of products, like belts, purses/ bags, gloves, hats,etc. This winter when buying things, just be aware and choose the products you buy or invest in responsibly.

4. Gifts this christmas, no plastic wrapping paper

Now that winter is near, so is Christmas, the season of gift giving. I know you all must be excited to give and receive gifts from and to loved ones. But this festive season try to use less plastic gift wrapping paper and limit your use of plastic. Other alternatives for this are using paper wrapping paper, paper bags or even a reusable bag (bonus gift ). So this christmas more paper less plastic.

5. Be energy efficent everywhere!

Now that it is getting dark earlier, you would need to use lights more often. By being energy efficient, you are not only being sustainable, you also save a lot of money as you conserve energy. Just because it’s dark, you don’t need all the lights to be on, use the lights in the room that you sit in and need. Even though it gets dark earlier, that doesn’t mean that there is no light outside. Use the natural light as much as possible. So, be energy efficient this winter and save energy and your hard earned money!