While brushing your teeth, turn off the tap

If you eat out, only order what you can finish

BYOB. BYOT. Bring Your Own (water) Bottle and (coffee/tea) Tumbler.

Refuse to buy packaged snacks. But if you must, find products with the least plastic packaging. Or non-plastic packaging.

Swap your plastic toothbrush with a bamboo toothbrush.

BYO(R)B. Always Bring Your Own (Reusable Cotton) Bag. You never know when you need it!

A longer shower does not mean cleaner. 10 minutes is better, 5 minutes is best, 3 minutes is good.

If you are dining out for a meal with leftovers, ask to take them home. Eat leftovers another day, or freeze them for a longer shelf life.

If you have a vehicle, it’s OK not to wash it every day. It is also OK not to wash it once a week. If you don’t have a vehicle and take public transportation, congratulations!

Be kind to yourself. Lifestyle shifts can be uncomfortable.

Choose an item or two from your wardrobe, something that you have not worn for a while, and they’re in good condition. Find a friend to swap it with, you’ll end up with a new piece without spending any money!

Before you go grocery shopping, plan your weekly meals, and avoid buying more than you can consume in a week.Content

Take inventory of your skin care products. Reduce the number of skincare you think you need to rebuy. Sometimes less is more, and your skin can breathe naturally.

Wait a week before making non-essential purchases to avoid impulsive buying.

Try to make your snacks at home. If you don’t like cooking, buy zero-waste snacks. i.e. apples, oranges, bananas, pineapples, carrots, and many more!

More often than not, we can drink without any straws. Or you can have your reusable straws, too!

Replace buying new items with experiences. Make a list of how to use the funds for activities like vacations, movies, or dining out.

Try to just have 2 or 3 screens of Apps open at the same time.

Find reusable cloth napkins, some stores sell those made from upcycled fabrics. If you’re a handy person, you can even try to sew them yourself!

Wow…it’s Day 20 of 30! Take a deep breath, you’ve managed to take one small step each day toward a Lifestyle Shift!

If you cook at home, make a little bit more at a time to freeze. Reheat meals on days when you’re too tired to cook or go out.

Buy what you need, not what you want.

Recycling is a business, things that do not have enough resale value, are usually not recycled. The plastic recycling rate is less than 9%. Buy items that are sold in glass or aluminum packaging, they are more likely to get recycled. Paper packaging is not the best, but still has a better recycling rate than plastic.

Purchase shampoo, shower gel, and other liquids in larger bottles. It might be a bigger investment upfront, but it’ll be cheaper in the longer run, and you won’t have to travel as often to replenish them!

Pick one or two broken items that you have, and check if you can have them repaired. If not, find out how to dispose of them so they don’t automatically go to landfill.

Learn to enjoy simplicity, and try to avoid collecting stuff.

Baking soda has many purposes, the same as vinegar. Floor cleaners can be made from lemongrass boiled in water. Research simple, eco-friendly cleaning hacks online.

Check the content of your food cupboard or refrigerator. Look for items that have passed their “Best Before Date”. Open, and sniff. If it doesn’t smell foul, it’s because some food items are still safe and consumable 2-3 days past their expiry date.

Pick one of your trash bins at home. Or the one by your desk at work. Write down what you find in them. Then next to each item list replacements, or reductions for each item. For example, if you find a single-use coffee cup, write “tumbler” next to it.

Remember, it’s impossible to go 100% zero waste overnight, or even in 30 days. Progress, not perfection, is the goal.