A 20-year-old’s guide to sustainable living | HerCanberra

Everything you need to know about canberra. ONE DESTINATION.

A 20-year-old’s guide to sustainable living

Posted on

With the state of our natural world degrading, and the environment suffering from climate change, it can be quite distressing to think about what our future will be.

I’ve often been hit with the feeling that no matter what I do, it’s all helpless. But this isn’t true. As my Mum says to me, if every person does their little bit, it’ll all add up.

I lead a very busy life and it can be hard to find ways of being sustainable and operating in more eco-friendly ways. But I’ve been working hard on finding small things that I can do, and I’m now at a place where I’m implementing small actions and choices that I know are reducing my carbon footprint and minimising waste.

Visiting the library

I’ve been borrowing from the library since I was little. I love having access to so many books that I can read for free. If I start reading a book and don’t like it, I don’t regret it because I can simply return it. But being a library user also helps the environment. By borrowing books, I’m ensuring the materials and energy that goes into making them aren’t wasted and fewer resources are extracted from the environment to make more copies. Borrowing also keeps items in use longer which supports the circular economy (a model that aims to keep materials and products in circulation, rather than turning them into waste). And it’s not just books in libraries now. There are audiobooks, magazines, CDs and DVDs.

Fact: Australians are borrowing six books a year from their public library on average.

Thrifting

I’m a massive fan of thrifting. While there is always an assorted batch of clothes, and it does take a while to sift through the many questionable choices, there are often hidden gems amongst the racks! By thrifting, I’m giving fresh life to old clothes that could’ve ended up in landfill, and I come home with unique pieces that aren’t being mass-produced. If you’re worried about germs, don’t wear the clothes until you’ve put them in a load of washing. Thrifting is also a lot cheaper than buying something new!

Fact: Thrift stores rescue around 300,000 tonnes of textiles from landfill each year.

Bringing a water bottle

I’ve gotten into the habit of never leaving home without a water bottle after being caught waterless and desperate for a drink of water many times. I would cave and buy a plastic bottle of water. I used to keep these bottles and reuse them, but they’re hard to wash and if you lose the lid, it’s all over. Now, I make sure whenever I’m out of the house for a while, I’ve got a full reusable water bottle. This has saved me many plastic water bottles. Carrying a bottle with me has also made me drink more water as I want to make it lighter. Win-win!

Fact: 53 per cent of plastic bottles bought by Australians end up in landfill, and 12 per cent end up in our environment.

Catching public transport

The classic public transport. When I’m on a bus or the light rail, I know I’m simultaneously saving money, reducing traffic and cutting emissions.  As the public transport isn’t the best in my suburb (one bus route that runs sparsely), I tend to use public transport more around the town centres. Alternatively, I’ll drive to a nearby park and ride, and then catch the light rail. I like to use this time to do some reading, which helps make the trip go faster. I also know I can’t expect everyone to catch public transport because sometimes it’s just not possible to get to certain locations without a car. But even if you catch public transport every now and then, it’s one small step that can make a big impact overall.

Fact: One full bus can take more than 50 cars off the road.

The Container Deposit Scheme

Would you be surprised if I told you my friend Tim has a running competition in our friend group based on how many 10c bottles each person gives to him? It started as a joke in school, but it’s now become an incentive for the group to collect any bottles that can be recycled at the container drop-off centre and give them to him. Tim then donates the money he makes from the cans to charity. I’ve witnessed many joyful transactions of a massive garbage bag of cans handed over to Tim, in return for a high five and a promise of moving up the rankings. It’s an easy way to get into the habit of saving cans, and I’d encourage you to start with your friends! Assign a leader who will receive the cans and keep track of the scores. You’re playing the long game while also saving the planet, one can at a time.

Fact: 598.96 million drink containers have been returned in the ACT through the scheme since June 2018. This helps reduce litter and landfill!

Shopping at environmentally friendly places

I often choose to shop at places that have a focus on being environmentally friendly. The Body Shop and Pura Holistic Studio are two of my favourites. I feel good knowing I’m supporting businesses that focus on the environment and how they can reduce their carbon footprint. These stores encourage bringing in bottles to get a refill of products, instead of buying another new container. This reduces single-use plastics and excessive packaging waste. Refill options also typically require less energy for production and transportation compared to single-use items.

Fact: Over the past decade, Australia’s public consumption has grown from 123kg of plastic per person in 2010 to 147kg in 2021, and only 14 per cent of that is recycled.

Owning a chicken

My family has owned a hen for many years of my life and not only do we get fresh eggs, but we can also give her our food scraps, reducing our food waste. Instead of kitchen scraps going into the bin, she happily pecks them up. The less that ends up in landfill the better. If I’m out eating my lunch from home and there’s food scraps, I’ll take it home to give to the chicken, instead of throwing it in the bin. When I get my own place, if there’s a suitable environment for a hen, I’ll certainly be looking into getting one of my own!

Fact: In Canberra, around 26,000 tonnes of household food waste go to landfill each year.

I’m still trying to find more ways of being sustainable. I don’t think I’ll ever stop. I’m lucky to be surrounded by people who also prioritise the environment and share with me what they do.

These are just some of the ways I try to help the environment, but there are still more like buying reusable Ziploc bags and using plastic bags as bin liners, that I implement to do my bit.

While it might not seem like much, if we all practice small sustainable practices like this, they’ll combine to form a massive positive impact.

From little things, big things grow.

Related Posts

Comments are closed.

© 2025 HerCanberra. All rights reserved. Legal.
Site by Coordinate.