Reducing personal carbon footprint

How do we keep our planet cool as businesses continue to emit carbon as usual?

Instead of waiting for someone to do something about it, I focus on what I can do to reduce my own carbon footprint first. Disclaimer: This list is not built overnight. My zero-waste journey started in 2018. The keyword is ‘start’.

– I committed to zero shopping on fast fashion, online/offline. Although I must confess, I buy new items once in a blue moon, a pair of shoes or a dress from a local brand, but I am proud to say I buy nothing from fast fashion or ultra-fast fashion brands!

– I buy a lot less when compared to my shopaholic days and buy secondhand first or adopt items from others.

– Swapping is my new shopping habit. My wardrobe collection is mostly from Cloop, and I still use what I already have #lovedclotheslast. If I stop wearing something, I will bring it back to Cloop to circulate locally through swap/resale, with part of the proceeds channelled to various causes. See beneficiaries.

– I don’t use aircon at home. I’m a fan girl. At work, we only switch on the AC when there are guests.

– I’m not a fan of red meat and I have been reducing my meat intake gradually. In 2023, I chose to go on a meatless, plant-based diet.

– Learning to grow my own greens. Corridor to table. Sweet potato leaves are the easiest. When I shop less generally, I can invest more in supporting local produce, made-in-Singapore brands, and home-grown brands.

– I compost food waste such as kitchen scraps, fruit peels, natural hair, nails, … When my compost bins are full, I freeze and drop food waste at a nearby community farm which accepts them. Lucky for me, that’s City Sprouts.

– I turn some food waste, such as spent coffee grounds and citrus peels, which can be acidic for composting, into cleaning solutions.

– I walk and cycle or take public transport such as bus and MRT within Singapore. I took the coach in and out of SG-MY previously, and I try to reduce travelling by air as much as possible, or get tickets which has lower emissions.

– I bring my own water bottle and reusable bags most of the time. I will bring my own bowl, cutlery, and cup if I know I will be doing takeaways, or when I am going to an event which might be using disposables.

– I do my best to avoid single-use/disposable, whether it’s made of plastic, paper, biodegradable, compostable, recyclable, or not.

– My guilty pleasure is using facial sheet masks. My current favourite is a Bali brand, which sells them in a pack of 8 mask sheets instead of one sheet per pack. I will also reuse the used sheet mask (after it’s dried up) to wipe dusty areas or pick up fallen hair on the floor.

– Another confession – I still have a lot of beauty products to use up and they come in all the plastic numbers you can imagine! Thankfully, there are collections of clean and dry beauty empties available in some retail stores now, including L’occitane (all brands accepted), Kiehl’s and BodyShop (own brand only).

– I stopped buying makeup, and I continue using what little I have for special occasions – one brow pencil with black and brown on each end, one eyeliner, one small compact eyeshadows, and three colour lipsticks. My daily makeup is stripped down to two naturally tinted coconut lip balms in paper packaging, which doubles up as colour and glow for my cheeks. Best travel-light buddy.

– I refill liquids whenever possible from cleaning products to drinking water. Thankfully, there’s a hot and cold water refill at my workplace.

– I stopped buying plastic bottled beverages. If I have to, I will opt for a canned drink as it has a higher recycling rate.

– I order hot drinks mostly since I kept getting a straw in my drink after saying ‘no straw’.

– I prefer to spend time in nature and not malls. The best things in life are free.

– I shower without switching on the heater most of the time. It’s getting hotter and hotter these days anyway. Enjoy a nice cold shower. Research suggests that cold water may boost your mood and decrease anxiety.

– I unsubscribed from promotional emails and opt out of ad mail in my letterbox through SingPost.com – Scroll all the way down and click on ‘Contact’, choose ‘Personal Enquiry’, click ‘Postal’, select ‘Category: Advertising Mail’, followed by ‘Sub Category: Opt-Out Service’, and congratulations! You will soon be free from most ad mails, including the IKEA catalogue.

– I do my laundry in full loads each time. Use laundry strips and bring an organic laundry detergent pouch that uses magnesium, not chemicals, to clean clothes during travelling.

– I soaked some clothes beforehand and used the dirty water to flush the toilet.

– I stop buying tissue paper in small packets or boxes. I collect unused napkins from cafes and restaurants that came with the cutleries or served by default, which would otherwise be thrown away even if no one uses them. I have a pouch full of it and only use one when I need to. I could use one napkin for quite a few times.

– I stopped buying kitchen napkins and used cloths, rags, or dried facial mask sheets instead.

– I adopt things from various communities, such as plants, books, and furniture.

– I transfer used stickers onto a notebook, collect waste like loose threads, and cut labels from apparel to make art. See below!

I can go on and on and on!

There are so many ways to reduce waste and personal carbon footprint. Occasionally, I will add one new challenge for myself, add another, and another one. Over time, these became second nature and effortless. Have fun with it, and be creative about it.

I’m not perfect at zero-waste and you don’t have to be perfect about it too. A straw still ended up in my drink from time to time, and that’s okay. Try again. ::)

What do you do to reduce your waste? Leave a comment below!