The Big Picture: How to Be An advocate for sustainability through minimalism

When the the word "minimalism" arises, many immediately imagine chic urban lofts with little to no furniture, or a person who has a total of five pieces of clothing in a bare closet. While extreme minimalists live this sort of aesthetically simple lifestyle, there are still ways to be a minimalist without owning zero "things." Minimalism doesn't have to be a stretch- it's doable. And admirable too. Hopefully this blog will give you a bit of inspiration to start living a more minimal life.

Instead of throwing out everything you own, let's start this slow. We'll keep this gradual and work our way up. Because frankly, I need to ease my way in too. Here's a few things to start thinking about (myself included):

- Do laundry less frequently: Remember, jeans can go many, many days without being washed

- Take shorter, colder showers: It'll help wake you up in the morning too

- Keep the lights off in your house: Do you really need every light on in your home when you can only be in one room at a time?

- Use to-go coffee mugs: I feel like a better person when I do this

- Skip straws: Straws really aren't necessary to drink something

- Use tupperware: Saran wrap is a nightmare to use anyway. We can all agree on this

- Use public transportation: Cars are a hassle. And walking is good for you

These are just a few ideas to start prepping for a minimalistic lifestyle. We can all use less clutter in our lives, both literally and figuratively. I like to think of this as a breath of fresh air- because honestly, I'm suffocating in the chaos of crap life pushes onto me. And hopefully by having less "stuff," we can focus more on things that truly matter. Loving our friends and family, and loving ourselves just as much as the environment. As much as I hate using the phrase "money can't buy happiness"- it really can't. Or if it does, it's probably hurting the planet in one form or another. So let's ditch the "stuff" and focus more on whatever the antonym is for that- "non stuff"? You can be the decider of what that is. Cheers & happy minimizing.