What is stopping us from aligning our values with our actions? Time and money says Kate Hall. Photo / 123rf
What is stopping us from aligning our values with our actions? Time and money says Kate Hall. Photo / 123rf
We all want to be more sustainable, but there can be daily challenges that are hard to navigate, from finding the time and money to make more environmentally friendly choices, to grappling with a partner whose priorities are different to yours.
What would the world look like if we all lived sustainably? If our supermarkets were package-free, our local farms flourished without pesticides, our roads were designed for bikes and legs, electric trains flew through the country, and malls were transformed into repair cafes?
It’s rare that I meet someone who isn’t pro-sustainable living and up for at least a soft version of the dystopia I’ve described; most people want to thrive on this planet. A study surveying 10,281 consumers across 17 countries found that 85 per cent of people have shifted their purchasing habits towards being more sustainable over the last five years. But why is sustainable living still a niche lifestyle?
What is stopping us from aligning our values with our actions? Time and money.
I asked 607 sustainable lifestyle enthusiasts what their biggest barriers to adopting new sustainable lifestyle habits are.
Amongst a handful of various answers, including a husband’s lack of support, time and cost were most commonly mentioned.
A study carried out in Australia supported my ad-hoc research by identifying “time and budget” as two of the biggest barriers to participation in sustainable and healthy practices when it comes to active transport.
If time and budget constraints are the main barriers stopping us from living a sustainable lifestyle and in turn combatting our climate crisis, how can we get past them?
Our bus systems are infrequent and choosing the bus can take up to five times longer than a car trip (speaking from experience).
Top off these barriers with the time it takes to research every item you purchase to check if the supply chain is ethical and you’ll have no room for anything else.
We all have jobs to do and mouths to feed. Sustainable living often looks like a lovely hobby for those rich in time. But I’d like to suggest that the extra time it takes to go out of your way to live more sustainably, is mitigated by the time saved in other sustainable activities.
I buy my toilet paper on subscription. Every 18 weeks it arrives “naked” in a simple cardboard box. I don’t have to write it on my shopping list or take time to buy it at the shops.
I’ll admit, it can be frustrating to visit four different stores to ensure I get my milk in reusable glass bottles, my fruit from local growers, my meat from a local butcher, and my pantry staples from a package-free store. But I buy in bulk and shop monthly. My personal record is two months between food shopping stints. Shopping sustainably and less frequently requires a huge habit shift that won’t happen overnight, but it saves a lot of time when you get it right.
You might save money if you live more sustainably
When it comes to the cost barrier, a similar theory to the time problem applies. The extra price (the true cost) we pay for items that are made fairly, without exploitation of people or planet, is overall alleviated by the core values of sustainable living that include buying quality or not buying it at all.
I bought a sustainably made dress in November 2020 for $320. I thought about it for over a month before I made the purchase. I’ve worn it approximately 160 times, taking it to a total of $2 per wear so far. I spot-wash the dress and hang it out to air dry in the wind and sun. I have machine-washed it approximately five times since 2020 because I know that each time I put it through the wash it loses longevity. The dress is in a similar condition to the day that I first purchased it. It will last me a lifetime, making the cost per wear dramatically low - far lower than a $10 Kmart dress.
More cost-saving techniques that are better for the planet include using off-peak power (clean energy is cheap energy!), repairing something instead of buying a new item, sharing tools with neighbours, and conserving water.
More cost-saving techniques that are better for the planet include using off-peak power and conserving water. Photo / 123rf
‘I’d love to live sustainably, but my husband won’t recycle’
When you’re trying to live a certain way and the other people in your house are not making any attempts to join you, it’s a major roadblock. Studies have found that climate change affects women more than men, but is that really why women seem to be the main group of people caring about sustainable living?
There’s a lot at play here. Some suggest that the reason why women are at the forefront of the sustainability movement is because the primary household tasks still fall on them, regardless of their other work. The blatantly feminine marketing on sustainable products does not help the gender imbalance in the home and thanks to toxic masculinity, a man is less likely to feel comfortable carrying a reusable cup into a coffee shop in case someone thinks he cares for the planet.
To the hundreds of people I’ve talked to who are continuously frustrated by their partner’s lack of enthusiasm to get on the sustainable living bandwagon, I say “control what you can”. Remove plastic from your skincare routine, take your reusable containers with you when you eat out, and shop second-hand.
I understand it can feel demoralising when you care so much about the environment, yet your partner isn’t interested, but you cannot control their choices and you’ll only end up angry if you try to. Focus on the areas of your life that you can live sustainably and hold grace for the shared elements of your lifestyle that are less sustainable.
A sustainable lifestyle has many barriers and I won’t pretend it isn’t tiring to continuously consider people and the planet in every decision I make. But sustainable living is easier than it appears if you look at it as a change in ideology rather than quickly swapping out a mainstream purchase with an eco one.
When we shift our mindsets, focus on habit changes that are within our control, and use what we already have, our biggest barriers, time and money, can turn into the best rewards.
