Powerful Daily Green Habits I Adopted for an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle – Series 5

Welcome to series 5 of my Daily Green Eco-friendly Habit blog posts!

This post continues from my previous one, where I shared the initial steps of my journey and what sparked the shift toward a more sustainable lifestyle. These small changes can be fun, especially with kids who might enjoy getting involved.

For instance, I’ve made a little game out of it with my younger child. She earns a sticker every time she chooses not to buy something made of plastic or finds a way to reuse her old belongings instead of getting new ones. Once she’s collected enough stickers, she gets a reward, like a book or something else she’ll use and enjoy.

In this post, I’ll share practical, easy-to-follow tips to help you establish meaningful green habits. These steps are simple enough for anyone to try, even if you’re just starting. My changes over the years have made a noticeable difference in our daily lives and the environment, reinforcing my commitment to living more sustainably.

My advice? Start with one small change. Stick with it until it becomes part of your routine, and then move on to the next. Starting on too many changes at once can be overwhelming and generally ends in burnout. If you start with one small habit, it’s much more manageable and won’t disrupt your daily life. Take a look at the posts, see what resonates with you, and start with the change that fits your lifestyle best.

Several of my friends have asked me the same question “How to make powerful daily green habits a part of your routine?”. I gave them the exact practice I followed, start small but be consistent. Consistency is the only way to turn anything into a habit. It will feel like a painful chore in the beginning but soon it will become a part of your daily life. Without you realizing it you have formed a green eco-friendly habit and doing your bit to save the environment.

Daily Green Habits – 5th Change I made for an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle

We all have seen rubbish bins overflowing with plastic disposable cutlery like plates, spoons, forks, etc. This is a common scene in almost every household, especially nowadays when we have several options for takeaways or deliveries.

On an average day, most of us eats around 2 meals a day from outside if we are not cooking at home. In general, I eat my lunch and dinner from outside and try to eat something at home for breakfast. In a 4 people family, imagine the number of disposable containers and cutlery we are using.

This alone results in around 500 gm of plastic waste in a week from a single household. Now you can just imagine the plastic waste coming out of any neighborhood, city, state, and country.

I am sure, we all are aware that most of this plastic doesn’t get recycled or recomposed if straight goes to landfills or in water bodies.

This was another major change I made in my daily life to ensure that it falls into my eco-friendly lifestyle and turns into a daily green habit.

Powerful Daily Green Habits I Adopted for an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle – Series 4

Eco-friendly-personal-care – Powerful Daily Green Habits I Adopted for an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle – Series 6

Swap Plastic Containers with Reusable Containers

I took the photos of trash bin of some of the restaurants near my work place and when I started paying attention to the photos, I noticed that most of the plastic waste is being generated from spoons and forks.

Many restaurants serve the main course on reusable cutlery but will not provide reusable spoons and forks instead plastic disposable spoons and forks are being used.

This is what I have usually observed in the cafes near the central business district which are overrunning their capacity during lunchtime rush hour. I have seen their bins overflowing with this wastage which can be avoided just by planning a bit.

I get that washing and drying small items like spoons and forks can be a hassle, and it’s easy to misplace them, which is why restaurants often try to cut corners. However, this approach isn’t sustainable or eco-friendly in the long run.

I tried to talk to a few restaurant owners and they all said that most of the crowd comes around at the same time and they have to ensure to serve as many people as they can, hence they opted for easier option this is use disposables.

There is another interesting fact some restaurant owner told me is that, when someone eats using lightweight plastic disposable cutlery you tend to eat more ☹.

Stainless Steel Containers

I started carrying a few boxes of stainless-steel containers in my bag and in my car too. I started carrying them with me during lunchtime if I am going to a place that is known to serve food in disposable cutlery or if I plan to eat on the go.

Here are some of the boxes which i bought from Walmart and have been using it for more than 3 years.

If not an entire set of cutlery, the least cutlery I carry in my purse is a stainless-steel spoon and fork. I have a habit of having frozen yogurt (I know it has calories but some habits just don’t go away 😊), and carrying my stainless-steel spoon saves at least 3-4 spoons every week. Just imagine the plastic save 1 person alone can do.

There are a few times when I forgot to take my cutlery with me and I ended up taking the disposable spoon, I wash that and use it again for at least another few times before disposing of it. Many people will say that it’s unhygienic and might cause sickness but I ensue to wash it thoroughly after every use. I have been using this for the past several years and have never caught any infection.

Another issue is with food trucks, they don’t have a place to wash and dry the cutlery, hence they have no option other than to use disposable cutlery. I generally take wraps or sandwiches from these places which come wrapped in paper. Which is somewhat better than plastic packaging. But to reduce my plastic waste, I ensure not to take plastic bags.

If I am eating pasta, spaghetti, or anything that can be carried in my container, I always have a container with reusable cutlery with me. This surely saves a lot of disposable plastic waste and helps me to live more eco-friendly way.

Here is my reusable stainless-steel cutlery set. I have one of these in almost all my bags. Few of them can be found in my car at any given point of time.

You don’t have to buy this online; you can easily get this at any supermarket at half the price you will get it online.

Silicon Folding Containers

I tend to have eyes bigger than my stomach so I always end up ordering more than I can eat. I don’t like to throw away the food so I ended up asking the waiter to pack the food and they had to pack it away in disposable containers. But soon I started carrying my silicon folding containers to take away the leftover food. It helped me to reduce the plastic waste quite a bit.

I agree that it was quite awkward to carry my boxes and do the packing of leftover food by myself in front of all my friends and colleagues but I made a conscious effort to also speak about it. I noticed that some of them approved the approach after a little hesitation, I went a step ahead and ordered some boxes for them too.

My favorite brand is “Bryantye” from Amazon. I must have bought close to 20 sets of this particular product from Amazon. I have even gifted this to several of my friends and family members.

I like these boxes as they make my life much easier. These are BPA Free, Freezer Safe, Microwave Safe, Dishwasher Safe, and made of Food Grade Silicon. These make my life easy. I get my leftover food in these boxes, straight they go to fridge and goes to microwave. All 3 steps are done in the same container.

Notice: Remember to PULL UP the air vent valve on the lid or REMOVE the lid entirely when HEATING! To avoid the buildup of steam.

• It provides value for money as the set of 4 containers comes in under 15$.
• One set comes with 4 different sizes boxes: small (350 ml), medium (500 ml), large (800 ml), and extra-large (1200 ml). Perfect for individual snacks, fruitcakes, cereal, and sharing with loved ones, can hold any kind of food (hot or cold/liquids and solids) to meet your daily needs.

• These are made of FDA-approved food-grade silicon material that is non-toxic, tasteless, odorless, non-stick and easy to clean, reusable. Each container with a sturdy lid and a secure buckle, which is easy to open and close, preventing liquids from leaking and spilling when taking lunch on the go, which keeps your food fresh for a long time.
• These being collapsible, it fits nicely into my purse along with my reusable bag and I am hands-free while going in. I just have to carry the food while coming out from the restaurant which in any case I have to do.
• These containers have a temperature resistance range of -40°C (-104°F) to 220°C (410°F), microwave, freezer, and dishwasher compatibility. I have tested these containers on all kinds of dishes including the oily sticky ones too. I am guilty of enjoying them once in a while 😊. I was surprised to see that these non-stick didn’t absorb any oil and there were no oil stains. I was pleasantly surprised. I simply put them in the dishwasher and I get squeaky clean containers every time.

• I am still using my first set which I must have bought around 2 years ago. I did buy a few more sets to keep it in my car and in my office along with reusable bags to make this change into an eco-friendly green habit.

I’ve been documenting the small, intentional steps I’ve taken over the past decade to reduce my environmental impact, and the difference in the amount of plastic waste I generate now compared to back then is striking. These aren’t just theoretical ideas—I’m sharing products and practices that I’ve personally used and experienced. This approach is what makes my content genuine and practical because I only recommend what I know works.

My goal isn’t to transform you into an eco-friendly guru overnight. Instead, I believe that making small, manageable changes over time can lead to significant, long-lasting results. There’s no pressure to become perfectly green right away, but there’s no better time than now to start making those changes. With each step, you’ll find that living more sustainably becomes easier and more natural. This journey is about progress, not perfection, and I’m here to share what’s worked for me in hopes that it can help you too.

You can refer to my other posts here.

FAQ

I always feel more comfortable reading any post if I get answers to the most frequently asked questions also on the same page. That’s the reason I try my best to answer as many questions as possible in my posts. Here are some of the most frequently asked questions I found on Google, pls read on.

• What are eco-friendly practices in daily life?
  • Use LED lighting throughout your home. Use more public transport. Wash your clothes less often. Eat less meat. For more ideas you can refer to the above blogpost.
• What are five eco-friendly habits?
  • Reduce your electricity use.
  • Conserve water.
  • Skip single-use items; reuse instead.
  • Buy used goods.
  • Go meatless one day a week.
• What are eco-friendly things for everyday life?
  • Activities in daily life that are eco-friendly are listed below: Walking or cycling for short distances. Turning off fans and lights when not in use. Usage of cloth bags instead of plastic bags.
• What is an example of an eco-friendly lifestyle?
  • Reduce, reuse, and recycle: The first step towards an eco-friendly sustainable lifestyle is to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Reduce refers to reducing the amount of waste we produce by consuming fewer resources, such as energy, water, and raw materials.
• What are green habits?
  • Green Habits are environmentally-positive habits that can minimise the impact of individual action on the environment and reduce our carbon footprints.
• How can I be more eco-friendly everyday?
  • Here’s 10 ways to get started.
    • Avoid Single-Use Plastics. …
    • Recycle. …
    • Reduce Food Waste. …
    • Conserve Water. …
    • Offset Your Carbon Emissions. …
    • Invest in Sustainable Cleaning and Beauty Products. …
    • Practice Sustainability Outdoors. …
    • Support Environmental Causes, Sustainable Businesses, and Vote.
• What are eco-friendly behaviors?
  • Switch to Renewable Energy
    • This can help reduce carbon footprint and mitigate negative effects on climate. Other eco-friendly habits include: Switching the lights and other electronic equipment when unused. Conserving water and not leaving it running while washing hands, face, and/or teeth.
• What are the three eco-friendly practices?
  • Reduce, reuse and recycle are the three R’s that are meant to support nature. Plastic bags are non-biodegradable and cause soil erosion and water pollution. Therefore, cloth bags should be used instead of plastic bags. Switching off lights and fans when not necessary can help in the conservation of energy.
• How to be more green at home?
  • Reduce energy usage
  • Using a toaster or toaster oven instead of the main range.
  • Washing clothes in cold water instead of warm or hot.
  • Selecting the low heat setting on your dryer, or line drying your laundry.
  • Using natural light and turning off lights in rooms you’re not in.
• What are some examples of green living?
  • 10 Best Ways to Live a Green Life
    • Reduce the use of fossil fuels. …
    • Travel to closer places for longer periods of time. …
    • Use public transport. …
    • Plant trees and support reforestation. …
    • Reduce your amount of waste. …
    • Make repairs and upcycle into new things. …
    • Stop using single-use plastics. …
    • Support local businesses.
• How eco-friendly is your daily life?
  • Eco-friendly habits – such as developing a recycling mindset, reducing your dependence on fossil fuels with green technology, and keeping your air conditioner set to less wasteful settings- reduce negative environmental impact and can be adopted easily and quickly into any lifestyle.
• What are the 5 habits to reduce waste?
  • 5 easy ways are explained in the above blog post.
• What is a green living lifestyle?
  • A green lifestyle involves making conscious choices to reduce one’s impact on the environment by adopting environmentally friendly practices. These practices include reducing energy consumption, conserving water, minimizing waste, using renewable energy sources, and using sustainable modes of transportation.