My philosophy is that living sustainably doesn’t have to suck.
We can all take steps to reduce our environmental impact without becoming off-grid homesteaders who abstain from cheese (but if that’s your jam, rock on!). In fact, this “all or nothing” mentality is what stops us from making greener choices.
Instead of trying to do All The Things, we can let our needs and values shape our eco friendly lifestyle. Forming new habits is far easier when they’re connected to something we care deeply about.
My goal at Low Impact Love is simple: to help you find joy in sustainable living.
If you’re a passionate home cook who wants to cut back on meat, awesome! If you donate money to animal welfare charities but don’t understand what belongs in a recycling bin yet, that’s okay, too!
Wherever you are in your journey, I’m here to offer ideas, tips, or just a (virtual) shoulder to cry on when you try vegan ice cream for the first time.
My journey so far
I was the kind of kid who carefully carried bugs out of the house, who cried at the zoo because the animals didn’t have much room. Like a lot of people, I grew up caring about the environment, but I didn’t know how to help aside from recycling and donating money.
When climate change became a nightly news fixture, I was concerned. But I also felt helpless. What could I possibly do that would make a positive impact?
Now, this is where I’m supposed to say I had some big “ah-ha” moment that inspired a major lifestyle change. But that’s not what happened. Rather, it was a series of small moments over time that led me to adopt greener habits.
After graduating university, my (now) husband and I moved across the US with a tiny U-Haul and $1,000 in the bank. For months, we sat on folding chairs, ate off hand-me-down dinner plates, and spent our free time taking walks in the beautiful nearby park. It taught us that we don’t need things to be happy.
We put this lesson to the test in 2018, when we sold our house and most of our possessions and relocated to London. Everything we kept came over as checked luggage, and we’ve been careful about buying anything new since arriving in the UK. I held out for five months before deciding to get a microwave…
A year later, I met a cow while glamping in Suffolk. The next day, I gave up beef and became a flexitarian.
Today, I’m more conscious about how my choices impact the environment. I plan our weekly meals to reduce food waste. As products break or run out, I research sustainable alternatives before replacing them.
Am I a plastic-free maven with a closet full of organic cotton clothes? That’s the dream, but I’m not there yet.
I have a LONG way to go on this journey, and that’s okay. Because the best thing about low impact living is that there’s always a new goal to work towards. It keeps life interesting, and that’s a win-win in my book.