Since beginning a journey to a more sustainable lifestyle, you might have read books or articles about decluttering your house, to the point where you are left with just one t-shirt and your absolute favourite pant. You began to clean your house and keep things that only bring joy to you but, after a while, you realise that your house is nearly empty. It looks a lot like embracing a minimalist lifestyle. Does minimalism and sustainability go together?
A definition of minimalism lifestyle is living with less, living with the literal strict minimum. However, it does not mean living with nothing. It should be driven by passion and necessity. In today’s society, we live in a culture where spending and buying is a daily necessity.
Minimalism is known to help people feel calmer and reduce anxiousness but is it sustainable?
A sustainable lifestyle is mainly based on a reduce, reuse, recycle basis.
Reduce:
This first pillar will go perfectly with a sustainable lifestyle. This is one of its main pillars. Instead of over-buying like this society is educating us to do, you can buy products you love, that are more sustainable and that will last. Same in terms of interior design, instead of buying something that will not last you will make sure you own the pieces that matter to you, that makes a statement and that makes you feel at home.
Nowadays we buy more than ever before and we use everything 4 times less. Fast fashion, as well as interior design changing throughout the season, lead us to a society of consumption and of overspending. We are owning more but getting poorer. Let’s change that and focus on the essentials.
Reuse:
This is one part which will differ from a minimalism lifestyle. In a minimalism, you would own only necessary things and let go of the non-essential. However, a big part of being sustainable is keeping things until we find them a second life. Instead of throwing your skirt keeping it and reuse it even years after. Keeping bags to reuse them at the supermarket, keeping yoghurt pots to reuse them as candles, for example, those are sustainability movements.
However there is, in the minimalism lifestyle a small loophole that you can use which is: minimalism is to let go of all the unnecessary things to help you concentrate on what you need and what your intention is. As well in sustainability, there is also a loophole in the reusing part which is: instead of keeping things that I do not know when I will use them investing into products that last ( fashion, pots etc…) or recycle/ give what I feel I can let go of.
Recycle:
Well, this part is quite self-explanatory. In any type of lifestyle, you should recycle: minimalism, sustainable, self-sufficient, or others!
Recycle, nowadays, is easy and can be achieved by everyone. The only part which you should be concerned about is the product you buy. Even if they can last, are they recycled or recyclable? For any reason, you decide you do not want to use it anymore, nothing is worth than waste as it ends up polluting the oceans and landfills
Waste has a dramatic impact on our landfills nowadays. Whenever you buy something you should ensure you can recycle it or it is made out of recyclable material ( support the business who try to make it right).
Respect:
One part that all lifestyles should have as a pillar is respect. We are all different and we try our best to find our best balance. Some will prefer one style of life while someone else will prefer something different. It is important that we educate ourselves, are open to conversation and discuss different lifestyle. It is even more important for each one to respect each other choices as long as we can discuss them to understand. Everyone is different as different struggle.
So yes it is possible to achieve a minimalist & sustainable lifestyle. Every small step is already so important! However, wanting to achieve a sustainable lifestyle does not mean you have to be a minimalist.
I hope you liked this article. Feel free to let us know how you manage to balance your life. Do not forget to follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
