What does a low carbon lifestyle actually look like?

What does the prospect of switching to a low carbon lifestyle feel like to you? Daunting? Exciting? Vague and impossible? Low carbon choices face a serious communication problem. 

Fossil fuel companies have run serious misinformation campaigns to muddy what people think a low-carbon life is. Those campaigns have made actions like recycling or replacing existing plastic with new glass containers feel like the best things to do. 

To add to that, individual action has been framed as either the only solution or completely powerless. The truth is in the middle. Cutting serious amounts of carbon must happen through political leaders and industry. Individual action can’t do that. 

But, our behaviour does have incredible power through collective behaviour change. When you take part in one low carbon habit, you subtly inspire the people you love to consider it normal and worthwhile.

What are the most effective actions, though?

The Centre for Behaviour and the Environment completed an amazing study looking into how behavioural change would make a real difference to climate change. They have hard evidence backing some targeted and achievable actions that cut pollution and spur others to do the same. The best thing is, adopting these behaviours aren’t worse for your life. Often, they’re better.

I’d like to take you through what a low-carbon lifestyle actually means – and why it’s a better way to live than a high-carbon lifestyle. 

The top priority? Reduce your food waste.

Reducing food waste is the biggest behavioural action people and businesses can do to solve climate change. When food is buried in a landfill and decomposes with no air or worms or soil, it heats the world with methane. Plus, all the carbon we make to produce that food goes to waste too. 

New Zealand wastes a lot of food – $3.2 billion a year worth. That’s $1500 of food a year for every household. Collectively, that food produces 409,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year – the same as 150,000 cars on the road. If you waste as little food as you physically can, you’ll be doing a great service to the world and your budget. 

Using all your food can also be fun. My partner and I have a blast boiling up our vegetable scraps at the end of the week to make stock – and compost what’s left over. 

Eat more plants

Adding more plants to your diet, and eating less meat, is another highly effective way to emit less carbon. I’m a vegetarian because of this, but you can still enjoy meat and make a big difference.

If you can, buy carbon neutral meat. Eat more chicken than beef – chicken produces the smallest amount of carbon of any meat. If you’re committed, swap out three days a week where you eat no meat. That alone will cut about 350kg of carbon from your life each year.

Take the bus, an electric car, or a bike!

Transport is the hardest part of life to take action individually, in my view. How we get around is entirely determined by the choices our leaders make in what infrastructure they build.

If you live in Wellington City, you’re comparatively lucky. We have a lot of feasible options. You could switch to an electric car if you have the money to afford it. There are lots of public transport options, even if can be creaky sometimes. When you take public transport to commute, you can spend more time reading or doing hobbies than focusing on operating heavy machinery.

If you want to be a rebel like me, use the fantastic bike lanes popping up. Cycling on roads sucks because you’re in a constant state of fear. Cycling in bike lanes is magical. I bike every day and I’m always floored by how beautiful it is. I get to be present in our city and in nature rather than isolated from it. Plus, I’m confident it’s the fastest way to get around the city. Expect another article about that soon.

Compost your food scraps!

Composting is a great way to live a low carbon lifestyle. Instead of sending carrot ends to decompose in a landfill where they emit methane, composting returns them to the earth and creates delightful soil. 

There are options for every lifestyle. If you live somewhere with a garden, you can compost the traditional way. If you’re in an apartment like us, you can pay for a composting drop off service like Kaicycle or get indoor systems like Bokashi composters which compost meat as well.

All in all – a low carbon lifestyle feels pretty good.

When you live in Wellington, all of these are pretty simple options to change your own behaviour. These save carbon, save money, and lead to a far more fulfilling life. 

By taking public transport, your commute can become leisure time. 

When you use all the food you buy, you save money and create fun new traditions with your loved ones to make the most of scraps and leftovers. 

By composting, your plants thrive and you can feel cool making soil. I feel cool at least.

By eating more plants and lighter meats, your gut will be kinder to you.

Best of all, you’ll have a more fulfilling life knowing that you’re leaving the world a little bit better for the people who come after us. 

If you choose just one of these actions, that’s incredible. It saves a little bit of carbon from entering their air – and most importantly, it makes these behaviours feel normal to the people you love. That’s the real power we all hold – the ability to influence our community to want low carbon lifestyles.

Behaviour is contagious, so your little action makes it easier for others. The most important thing you can do is pick one thing, do it, and urge our leaders to do more on behalf of us all. 

Climate change is a hard, scary problem. But the solutions to it aren’t scary at all – they’re exciting and fulfilling. Living a low carbon lifestyle doesn’t mean swearing off the pleasures of life. It means having fun, saving money to spend on the things you love, and feeling more connected to your community. That sounds like a pretty nice life to me.