We already know that being childfree is the single most effective way to reduce your carbon footprint. But what about being single? Isn’t living alone wasteful? Well, unless you’re living in a Tiny House fueled entirely by renewable energy, yes. Living alone is inherently more wasteful than shared living.
Why? It’s because we singles tend to
- consume more wasteful food products
- use more energy per individual (compared to those who share utilities)
- (possibly) drive alone more often
- throw away more food
But there’s good news. If you love your solo life, there are plenty of ways you can reduce your carbon footprint even further and make your solo home eco friendly.
{If you like the ideas in this post, make sure you download the FREE checklist at the end!}
Recycle
In my area, it’s almost impossible to find an apartment complex that offers recycling. Even if you live somewhere that doesn’t offer a recycling service, recycle anyway. It’s a pain (especially when you realize just how quickly a single person can accumulate a trunk’s worth of recyclables), but it’s worth it. Some places will even pay you a small amount for your aluminum cans, which offsets some of the hassle of driving the stuff out to the recycling center yourself.
Watch your utilities
When you live alone, your water bill is going to be noticeably lower than when you live with others. The same may be true for your energy bill as well. But don’t forget that just because it’s not costing you a lot of money, doesn’t mean you’re not wasting resources. Keep an eye on how much you consume, especially if your utilities are included in your rent.
Buy a space heater
Consider shutting off your central heat, especially if you live in a single-family house. Since you’ll only be in one room at a time, heating your entire house isn’t just inefficient, it’s wasteful. To stay warm in the chilly months, buy an energy-efficient space heater instead.
REMEMBER – Please always follow all of your space heater’s safety instructions to the letter, and use central heating at night.
Cut down on food waste
It’s easy to waste more food when you’re living alone. Outside of freezer meals for one (which have a lot of unnecessary and wasteful packaging), food just isn’t portioned for someone living alone. Fresh fruit and veggies are especially difficult to consume before they go bad. Thankfully, My Domaine has a great guide on how to avoid food waste as a single person.
{Wouldn’t it be great to have this info in a simple checklist you can refer to later? Just keep reading…}
Compensate in other ways
Having one fewer child may be the most significant way to reduce your carbon footprint, but why stop there? If you’re worried that your solo lifestyle is wasteful, consider making one of the other most effective lifestyle changes:
- ditch solo driving
- fly less
- go vegetarian
- buy green energy
What not to worry about
Before I close this, I also want to remind you of a few things you shouldn’t be worrying over. Is living alone wasteful? Compared to sharing resources with a roommate, yes. But compared to the average American lifestyle? No. Remember that an eco-conscious solo person like you is already likely doing better than the average soccer mom, so bear that in mind next time you’re thinking about how much energy you could save if you shared your fridge space with a roomie.
The biggest false concern I hear is how we single folks aren’t getting the most energy-efficient usage of our square footage. This usually comes in the form of the old, “What will you do with all that space? A family should live here” line. And sure, taking on a roommate will reduce your carbon footprint. But simply having more air under your roof doesn’t automatically make you more wasteful.
We Americans really like to think in terms of what’s the best deal per unit of measurement. And in general that’s fine. But when it comes to getting the most value for your square footage… those numbers can get a bit skewed. For instance, if your well-meaning friend really thinks you’d be doing better by filling your extra bedroom with a baby, she overlooking a few very important factors. As far as preserving our planet’s natural resources goes, it’s much better to be a single person in a two-bedroom apartment than a family of five.
{Thank you for reading this article! Download your FREE checklist below to help you keep track of the eco-conscious changes you’re making in your solo life.}
Has anyone ever hassled you about your “wasteful” solo lifestyle? Have you heard the “a family should live here!” line before? Share your stories in the comments below.
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