How to Live Sustainably and What Stops Us?

All of us who try to live sustainably run into different psychological and mental barriers sooner or later. For some, they slow down their eco-friendly lifestyle. For others, they stop it completely. Let’s look at some of the most common ones and try to find ways to overcome them.

1. Does living sustainably even make a difference?

This is probably one of the most common questions asked by eco-heroes, especially when alarming news keeps appearing day after day. Whenever this question starts creeping into your mind, think about the future of your children, your grandchildren, and the people you love.

If we fail to solve environmental problems, they will one day ask us why we allowed things to get this far, why we polluted rivers, cut down forests and, above all, let global warming escalate to the point where it seriously threatens the health of future generations. They will ask what we did to stop it. As Leonardo DiCaprio once said: “The world is watching. The next generation will either vilify us or glorify us.”

We can make excuses and say that big companies and governments are to blame, but what could we have done ourselves? Can we really look our children in the eye and say we did nothing? Old wisdom still applies: not even a leaf moves without the wind. And we must be that wind of change. Through our votes in elections, through our daily decisions, and through the way we choose to live.

You can find examples in our articles 10 low-cost tips to help fight climate change and 7 tips to help fight deforestation. Every one of us has an impact and a share in the damage being done to our planet. That should never be forgotten.

If you feel the world is not moving in the right direction, read positive articles, whether here on our site, where we try to focus mainly on uplifting stories, or on other news platforms such as positive.news. It does matter. Your behaviour will inspire others over time. Spend time with other eco-heroes, whom you can easily find on social media, and it will remind you that you are not alone in this fight.

2. It costs too much money.

That depends on our needs. For example, eating less meat often means lower food costs overall. Buying second-hand items is usually cheaper too; you just need to learn how to check their quality and whether they work properly, whether it is clothing, electronics or furniture. And when we do buy something new, we can do our best to make it last as long as possible. You can read more in our article How to extend the lifespan of our household appliances.

Overall, one of the best environmental tools we have is our consumption. By thinking carefully before every purchase, our eco-friendly lifestyle can also become more economical for the family budget. Or we can invest the money we save in zero-waste household products, fair trade items, or donate it to an environmental or educational organisation. You can find more ideas in our article 15 tips to help the Earth, your health and your wallet today.

3. My family thinks I’m odd, and I can’t get eco-friendly habits accepted at home.

This is a common problem in shared households. One person tries to live more sustainably than the other. A partner may refuse to change their habits, or even openly dismiss environmental issues altogether. It is one of the most common and most difficult obstacles in an eco-friendly lifestyle. But just as with any other conflict, the best approach is to try to find a compromise.

Agree to reduce meat consumption and try to find new lunch options that are healthy, tasty and suitable for everyone. If you want to buy eco-friendly products, go shopping for them yourself. Always try to show the practical benefits of each sustainable habit to the rest of the household. Even if someone is not convinced by the environmental argument, they might respond to financial, health or practical reasons instead.

You will almost certainly face jokes or people downplaying environmental issues. Ignore it. Remind yourself that everyone has a right to their opinion, even if it is often shaped by convenience or a lack of information. Some people simply need more time to reach the point where they are ready to change the way they live. Do not give up. Keep going, because you already know why you are doing it.

4. Sustainable living is starting to bore me. I’ve burned out.

Living sustainably should not be about entertainment or about being noticed. You need to keep reminding yourself why you chose this way of life in the first place. When thoughts like these appear, look back at your beginnings and the progress you have already made.

At the same time, it helps to set yourself new goals, because there is always something to improve and always something to change. Taking part in environmental conferences, talks or workshops can also be encouraging. Watch a documentary at the weekend, read a book, or listen to a podcast that helps you remember why treating the planet with care and respect is so important.

5. I can’t give up my comfort.

No one is perfect, and no one becomes 100% zero waste with a zero carbon footprint within a year. Some things are easy to give up. Others, especially those we have enjoyed for years and that bring us comfort or pleasure, are much harder to let go of. At the beginning we often have an ideal picture in our minds, but over time we realise it is not as simple as it seemed.

In moments like these, it is important to remember that it is better to be imperfectly eco-friendly for the long term than perfectly eco-friendly for a short time, only to become so fed up with it that you give up completely.

If you find that there is one area of life where you simply cannot force yourself to make the greener choice, do not beat yourself up over it. Even someone who manages to reduce their meat consumption by only a third over the long term, without going fully vegan, has still done a great deal for our shared planet.

6. People criticise me for not doing everything in an eco-friendly way.

We come across this obstacle very often in discussions on social media. Someone may follow a zero-waste lifestyle but not be vegan, and then get a wave of abuse from vegans. Someone else may be trying to cut their carbon footprint while still occasionally buying food on a train or a coffee from a vending machine. Paradoxically, these slips are often pointed out most by people who already have a problem with sustainable living in general, but also by people who are trying to live sustainably themselves.

Yes, sometimes it is right to point something out and remind someone that a certain choice is not especially eco-friendly. But if we feel the urge to do that, let’s do it kindly, without sounding dismissive, judgemental or accusatory.

Each of us has limits we cannot cross at a given moment. For one person, it may be shopping in a zero-waste store because it feels too expensive. For another, it may be being unable to give up meat. Someone else may not be willing to stop driving and switch to public transport. We need to respect one another in this. Instead of criticising, it is far better to encourage and inspire each other by sharing which obstacles we have managed to overcome and how we did it. That kind of inspiration influences people far more effectively than blame ever will. After all, we all want the same thing: for people and nature to live in harmony.

We hope you keep going in your sustainable journey and your effort to change the way you live. We hope this article helps you do exactly that.