Is it Possible to Live Green in the City?

Nowadays, more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. More so, the UN predicts that by 2050, the number of people living in cities will rise to around 70 percent. So naturally, we are all urged to start searching for ways to live a more sustainable life. But that’s not always an easy thing to do — especially if you live in an underdeveloped city or in one where authorities rarely get involved in this kind of movement.

Around the world, numerous cities are taking steps towards a greener city life, and Sydney is no exception. Here, it has developed an entire community movement around liveability and sustainability. Nevertheless, in this article, we’ll list some of the best things that you can change about your way of life in order to live greener and healthier.

Change Habits

The power of habit is probably the only thing that stands between you and living a greener, healthier life. We’re so used to doing things a certain way, that it comes hard for us to find motivation and make the right changes for our health and the environment. One of the most obvious examples is our habit of using cars everywhere we go. That’s a big no, especially in a big city like Sydney where you can use public transportation or even walk wherever you need to go.

How about spending less time watching TV? That sounds like a scary change, but it’s one that will not only save lots of electricity resources but will also save a bunch of your time. And then the next step for you would be to start questioning your food choices. This one might be the hardest of them all because most people have a hard time finding the right balance in their diet, but nutrition and sustainability might be the winning combination for you.

Reuse and Recycle

The process of recycling in a city can be a very well-oiled machine. That’s a fact that authorities in Sydney have proven by placing yellow lid bins all over the city. These bins were specially made to be very recognizable and to encourage people to recycle more. You can recycle anything, from plastic to bigger stuff that you don’t use anymore. For example, there are places where you can recycle mattresses in Sydney.

How about reusing things? Throughout time, we’ve developed a bad habit of throwing away stuff that we’ve used for more than a year or upgrading our gadgets and devices even if they work perfectly fine. Take advantage of thrift stores, try to reuse devices and goods from your family or give away your unwanted stuff to other people who might need them; it’s much better than throwing them away.

Connect with Others

There’s no better way of creating a healthy environment for you and your family, other than connecting with people from your community and turning the green life into a neighborhood project. The things that people are capable of when they come together and stick together are absolutely fantastic and that shows in everything that we do. You can all start with small things, like exchanging opinions and advice on living green and you can take it further to community political campaigns and movements that can make a big change.

You can join or you can even initiate a green community in your area and that way you’re strengthening the environmental movement. You’re also making new friends who share the same ideas as you and together, you can give your city a better chance of becoming greener.

Turning your life into a green-oriented one is definitely not an easy thing to do. It takes time and patience, motivation and lots of ambition. Therefore, is not a thing you can start doing overnight, because it won’t work, especially in a restless city like Sydney. Start with a small change and try to overcome the power of habit — a single one. Then take it from there and start spreading the word, because the ‘living green in the city’ initiative is completely doable.