This Is the Most Important Change to Be More Sustainable

I know a lot of people who are trying to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle, and the first step they take to do so is accepting they can do better as living beings on this planet. Being more sustainable as individuals is crucial to help the world become better, that’s why I’m always sharing ways to live more consciously, building a zero waste home, and tips on how to start this sustainability journey. However, there is a more basic concept that comes before all of this; it’s the most imperative change you should make when you are starting to live in a way that is gentler on the Earth, and it’s the base from which everything else unfolds: slowing down.

We are always buying clothes faster than we can wear them, buying more food than we can eat, filling our house with stuff we don’t know where to store. For this reason, I believe being more mindful, and embracing an intentional and conscious approach to life, is the key to advance on your personal sustainability journey. By simply slowing down (which basically doesn’t require you to do anything, only to stop doing some things), you will reduce your emissions and your waste and, most importantly, you will change your mindset, which will be necessary for the following changes that you will make.

To help you take this first step, I created a list of questions you should ask yourself to make sure you slow down and have a great start to a long-term sustainable lifestyle!

Questions to ask yourself that will help you slow down

1. Do I want this? & Do I need this?

I decided to put these two questions together because even though they tackle different things, they have a similar nature. When you are thinking about buying something, a good thing to ask oneself is whether you want it or need it. The second one will always reign over the first one, but wanting something is also nuanced, and can have different layers. How bad do you want it? Do you want it because it’s a trend? No matter where the questions lead to, the best thing to do is to put it to rest for a few days. Sometimes, we want something one day, but we don’t anymore when time passes by. A great way to slow down is to tame impulses. Once you stop shopping impetuously, you have already started slowing down–congrats!

The second feeling, having a need, is a different matter. A good tip to follow in this case is to find if that need can be fulfilled with something you already own, or even something someone you know owns and no longer needs it.  

2. Is this a quality product?

This question is relevant in many areas of your house and life. From electronics, to clothes, among others, buying quality products is a great way of becoming more sustainable and slowing down. The reason is simple: when you buy something that will last, you don’t have to keep on buying a replacement if it breaks. One quality object can make up for a dozen cheap ones. The challenge is to be able to pay a bit more money which costs less in the long run, but if you see it as an investment and not a splurge, you can appreciate the benefits that the decision will yield in the future.

3. Will I still like this product in 1, 5, 10 years?

We talked about how a quality product will help you slow down and be more sustainable. However, even if you buy, for example, a quality jacket instead of a $15 one, its capacity to have a long lifespan means nothing if you don’t make the best out of it. Let me say it another way: no matter how good that jacket is, if you don’t wear it, its durability will be futile.  

Therefore, it’s essential to ask yourself whether the thing you are buying will still be relevant to you in a few years. You can buy a quality piece of clothing, but if it’s trendy and unlikely to survive the tides of time, then it won’t be sustainable and won’t help you slow down. The best way to do it, in this respect, is to find that meeting point between need and quality. Buy that coffee machine from a good brand that makes the best coffee for you to drink every morning, because you will probably still drink coffee in a few years. Buy that black classic jacket that will still be fashionable and useful for the winter days of 2035. Buy those high-quality golden hoops that you would have worn ten years before and you will still use in 10 years, instead of those cheap earrings that will turn green.

4. Where did this come from?

Another recommended way to slow down as a consumer is to understand where certain things come from. There’s nothing like the raw truth to be a bit skeptical about a purchasing decision. Would you still buy a beautiful pair of sneakers if you knew they come from a tortured cow’s skin and were made by children in horrible working conditions? When we dig deep into the supply chain, and don’t just assume things show up at shelves at the store, we can cherish it differently. The pair of sneakers stop being just that and become everything and everyone that was involved in the making of, they become the sweat, the tears, the cries of pain, the mother who doesn’t get paid enough to support their families, the environmental destruction that results from creating new things massively.

Get informed, learn, and get involved, and I can assure you that your mindset will change completely. You may sporadically buy something from a brand that’s not sustainable or its values are a bit shady–we are human after all, and sometimes we just have to–but you will definitely appreciate it more, cherish it for longer, and be skeptical about replacing it as fast as you once did.

5. Where will this go to?

Once you have asked yourself where something came from, you can consider its sister question: where will this go to? The effect is almost the same, for it will help you analyze the impact of your choices, and how a small decision, like buying something, has repercussions beyond our own selves.

If we know that the decision we make today will have an impact tomorrow, then we will be more likely to slow down and rethink. The fact of the matter is that textiles can take 200 years or more to decompose in landfills, which means that future generations will be witnesses of that purchasing choice you made when you thought you needed trendy jeans. This question also relates to the one that assesses quality and usability in the long-term. The more you use a garment or any object, the less of them will be in the landfill. Slowing down = less environmental impact. The benefit is dual, however: we don’t only reduce waste and resources used to make a product, but we also decrease demand for it, especially when we all make these decisions together and create collective impact and lasting change.

6. Do I have anything at home that will fulfill the same purpose?

Oftentimes you need to look closer to yourself to find what you are looking for. Take this hyperbolic scenario: “I need a dress for Jules’ wedding”–fine, there’s a need. Nonetheless, albeit there is a need, it doesn’t have to be gratified with something new. Perhaps you already own an outfit that can be worn to Jules’ wedding, or your sister can lend you one. What we want and what we need could be within our hands’ reach. Whenever you are feeling the urge to seek a solution elsewhere, stop, think, slow down, and avoid making a hasty decision that can easily be avoided by being creative or frugal.

7. Am I buying this out of impulse, or have I been thinking about it for a long time?

Finally, a very relevant question to ask yourself in the hopes of slowing down and being more environmentally friendly, is how long you have been thinking about buying ‘X’. Is it an impulsive purchase, or have you been pondering over it for a while?

For instance, some sandals I own are old and are starting to break, but I wanted to make sure I replaced them with vegan sandals I loved. To make sure I did love them, I left an open tab in Google Chrome with the link to the sandals I thought would work best for me and checked on them every now and then. A few times it has happened that I reopened the tab, and I was glad I hadn’t purchased something. After a few months, I bought the sandals. A need became a thought, turned into an analysis that I let sit, and only then it became a decision. Jumping from need to decision is not slowing down, it’s the equivalent to going from kindergarten straight to college!

I hope these tips on how to slow down, which I consider to be the most critical change to make when trying to live more sustainably, were useful to you. Ask yourself questions, embrace the discomfort they bring, and enjoy a more conscious way of living.

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Hi, I’m Melina,

I’m the creator of Sustainable Rookie, and my goal is to share what I learn throughout my sustainability journey, so that I can help other people live a more conscious life.

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