Sustainable living means balancing today's needs with those of future generations. It's about addressing climate change, environmental degradation and social injustice through how we live our daily lives.

Living sustainably looks different for everyone, depending on your location, culture, housing situation and budget. As individuals, it means minimising negative environmental impacts while maintaining a good quality of life.

Think of it as 'sufficiency' - leading a fulfilling life that prioritises health and wellbeing while using fewer resources.

The Big Three Priority Areas

Before diving into all 101 tips, focus on these three areas for maximum impact:

  • Energy use - Switch to electricity powered by renewable sources
  • Diet - Reduce food waste and limit meat and dairy consumption
  • Transport - Cut down on flying and driving

101 Sustainability Tips

At Home

1. Install solar panels - Generate your own renewable electricity

2. Add battery storage - Store solar energy for use when the sun isn't shining

3. Switch energy providers - Choose renewable electricity if you can't install solar

4. Conserve energy - These simple changes can cut bills

5. Electrify everything - Replace gas appliances with electric alternatives

6. Insulate your home - Stay cooler in summer and warmer in winter by insulating roofs, walls and floors and by weather sealing your home

7. Get an induction cooktop - More efficient than gas and safer for indoor air quality

8. Install a heat pump - Efficient heating, cooling and hot water in one system

9. Switch to LED lighting - Use 75% less energy than traditional bulbs

10. Retrofit rather than rebuild - Renovating saves resources and emissions

11. Choose sustainable building materials - Timber, recycled content, low-carbon options

12. Avoid concrete where possible - Major source of emissions; use timber alternatives

13. Install natural benchtops - Avoid engineered stone that risks worker health

14. Use FSC-certified timber - Only buy responsibly sourced wood

15. Paint your roof white - Reflects heat and reduces neighbourhood temperatures

16. Install double or triple glazing - Dramatically improves temperature control

17. Add ceiling fans - An affordable way to improve comfort and reduce energy use

18. Use thick window treatments - Blinds can cut heating costs by 65%

19. Consider green walls - Living walls moderate temperature and support wildlife

20. Switch to electric BBQ - Eliminates fossil fuel use and air pollution

Graphic of home and lightbulbs

Transport & Travel

21. Walk and cycle more - Cycling is 10 times more important than electric cars for sustainability

22. Use public transport - Advocate for better services if they're lacking in your area

23. Get an electric bike - People with e-bikes cycle twice as often and travel further

24. Try a cargo bike - Amazing for carrying groceries, kids or running a business

25. Drive less often - Road transport accounts for 12% of global emissions

26. Go car-free - Saves money and improves wellbeing if feasible in your area

27. Choose electric vehicles - If you must own a car, make it electric

28. Maintain your vehicle - Regular servicing keeps it running efficiently

29. Limit flights - Aviation benefits a privileged minority; avoid non-essential travel

30. Avoid cruise ships - Extremely polluting with poor labour practices

31. Combine trips - Plan errands efficiently to reduce total travel

32. Work from home - Eliminate commuting when possible

Bike graphic

Food & Diet

33. Reduce meat and dairy - Especially beef, which has the highest emissions

34. Limit rice consumption - Choose alternative grains to reduce methane emissions

35. Reduce fish consumption - Oceans are under threat from warming and overfishing

36. Try a Mediterranean diet (or a culturally appropriate alternative) - Could reduce global emissions by 15% if widely adopted

37. Support animal welfare - Choose vegetarian, plant-based or vegan options

38. Plan meals carefully - Only buy what you need to reduce waste

39. Learn proper food storage - Make fresh produce last longer

40. Compost food scraps - Prevents methane emissions from landfill

41. Buy organic when possible - Better for soil and biodiversity, when not managed by corporate farms

42. Shop at local markets - Support producers in your region (reduces supply chain risks)

43. Choose whole foods - Minimally processed options have a lower environmental impact (unlike ultraprocessed foods)

44. Look for fair trade products - Supports ethical production practices (in general)

45. Avoid palm oil - Linked to deforestation and habitat destruction

46. Support small food businesses - Counter corporate concentration in food systems

47. Grow your own food - Even herbs on a windowsill make a difference

Compost, green, plastic and paper recycling graphic

Urban Living & Community

48. Advocate for lower speed limits - 30km/h on residential streets saves lives and reduces pollution

49. Demand safe cycling infrastructure - Separated bike lanes encourage more cycling

50. Promote green space access - Support the 3-30-300 rule (3 trees visible, 30% canopy, 300m to park)

51. Care for street trees - Water struggling trees during severe droughts and heatwaves, or contact your local council

52. Live in smaller spaces - Use fewer resources to build, heat and cool

53. Support medium-density housing - Townhouses and small apartment buildings reduce urban sprawl

54. Don't knock high-density housing - High rises are necessary around transport hubs

55. Take back the streets - Convert car parks and streets for people

56. Repurpose abandoned buildings - Turn old malls into affordable housing

57. Reclaim golf courses - Benefit less than 3% of people; could be community solar or housing

58. Support mixed-use zoning - Retail, residential and commercial in one area to improve services and encourage walking

59. End single-family zoning - Allow diverse housing types for affordability and sustainability

60. Participate in local planning - Comment on development proposals in your area and be a YIMBY (yes, in my backyard)

61. Get to know your neighbours - Check on elderly and vulnerable community members

62. Attend community events - Support local culture and connection

63. Join local government activities - Environmental action happens at the local level

64. Volunteer regularly - Contribute time and skills to causes you care about

Gardening & Green Spaces

65. Plant a wildlife garden - Support local pollinators and native species

66. Replace lawn with wildflowers - Lawns waste water and provide little ecological value

67. Compost at home - Turn food waste into valuable soil amendment

68. Grow a survival garden - Enhance food security with diverse fruit and vegetables

69. Follow no-dig principles - Protect soil structure and carbon storage

70. Avoid chemical fertilisers - Use compost instead for healthy soil

71. Never use herbicides - Protect human health and beneficial insects

72. Install a garden pond - Provide water for wildlife and pollinators

73. Join a community garden - Access growing space and learn from others

74. Create therapy gardens - Support people with disabilities and the elderly

75. Grow native plants - Best adapted to local conditions and wildlife

76. Plant trees in your garden - Filter air, reduce heat and support biodiversity

77. Support independent seed suppliers - Maintain genetic diversity in food crops

78. Install green walls - Moderate temperatures and provide wildlife habitat

Water Conservation

79. Track water usage - Monitor consumption to identify saving opportunities

80. Take shorter showers - Even one minute less makes a difference

81. Install water-saving devices - Low-flow showerheads and dual-flush toilets

82. Run full loads only - Washing machines and dishwashers on eco cycles

83. Fix leaks immediately - Maintain plumbing and appliances promptly

84. Install rainwater tanks - Capture stormwater for garden irrigation

85. Build rain gardens - Filter stormwater pollution naturally

86. Reuse greywater - Capture shower and sink water for garden use

87. Choose water-efficient appliances - When replacing old machines

88. Dispose of biodegradables properly - Prevent microplastic pollution in waterways

89. Grow drought-tolerant plants - Reduce irrigation needs once established

Responsible Shopping

90. Buy less overall - The most sustainable purchase is the one you don't make

91. Become a conscious consumer - Choose companies with strong environmental and social practices

92. Reuse, repurpose, recycle - In that order of priority

93. Avoid single-use plastics - Carry reusable bags, bottles and containers

94. Eliminate other plastics - These are byproducts of the fossil fuel industry

95. Stick to your budget - Avoid overspending on unnecessary items

96. Stop buying new clothes - You probably have enough for several years

97. Keep electronics longer - Only replace when repair isn't possible

98. Understand sustainability - Know what makes a product sustainable

99. Buy in bulk - Reduce packaging and transport emissions

100. Choose sustainable delivery - Support bike delivery and fair wages

101. Vote with your wallet - Boycott companies with poor environmental records

Social Action & Advocacy

Beyond individual choices, sustainable living includes working for systemic change:

  • Donate regularly to causes you support
  • Give to charity - clothes and household items in good condition
  • Join a union for workers' rights and fair conditions
  • Become an activist for causes you care about
  • Join protests and raise awareness through demonstrations
  • Vote for change - research candidates committed to climate action
  • Support education for all, especially minorities and low-income students
  • Value diversity and call out prejudice
  • Listen to Indigenous perspectives and traditional knowledge
  • Boycott harmful organisations - banks funding fossil fuels, companies with poor records

Getting Started

These tips are designed for people in wealthy countries with the capacity to make changes. Start with what feels manageable and build from there.

Remember: individual choices matter, but they also influence others and contribute to the collective action needed for a sustainable future. You're part of the system, and every positive change you make creates ripples that extend far beyond your own life.