10 ways to be more sustainable in your day-to-day life 🌱
Updated on June 7 2026
It’s almost Earth Day, so I thought I’d share some of the things I try to do in my day-to-day life (and apply to Luneta, ofc!) to be more sustainable and decrease my impact on earth 🌍 People might think that individuals can’t change the current climate crisis, but if each person started making small efforts, can you imagine our combined impact?!
1) Reuse, recycle, rethink, repair
Before buying something new, think about whether you can reuse something you already have. Making the most of existing materials is always the most sustainable option. Here are some fun ways you can do this:
Shop your wardrobe! What clothes have you not worn in a while and could style differently, or could jazz up to bring them new life? Repeat that outfit you love, I guarantee no one (of importance) cares! When I was in uni, I would proudly boast about not repeating an outfit the whole school year, but these days I’m basically like a cartoon character, repeating my favourite looks and wearing different accessories to bring newness to my wardrobe.
Tired of your own clothes? Try a fun clothes swap with friends of similar style and shape. This concept can apply to anything, not just clothes. I do this a lot with jigsaw puzzles and books!
Before making a purchase, ask yourself, "Will I really use/wear this as much as possible, or do I just want to buy it because it's trendy or on sale right now?". Being honest about this will save you a lot of money, and I speak from personal experience as someone who used to be addicted to shopping…
Upcycle glass jars, cardboard boxes, etc., into new things! Think wine bottles as candlestick holders or vases. I like using stickers and washi tape to make anything look cuter.
Speaking of upcycling, if your clothes have stains, tears, holes, etc, consider embroidering over them or adding fun patches! I’ve experimented with dyeing garments as well, and they turned out great.
Get creative with things you already own! For example, I reuse objects I already have at home, like plates, books, sheets, clothing, vases, etc, as props for taking photos of Luneta products.
2) Rent or borrow
Before buying something new, consider whether you could rent or borrow it. Instead of buying a new book, do a book swap with a friend or join your local library. For the plant lovers, ask a friend for plant cuttings or get them from public spaces (with permission, of course). Instead of buying clothes or appliances you'll only use once, consider renting them. And of course, don't forget the good old-fashioned borrow. Just remember to return what you borrow, or you’ll lose some friends XD
3) Buy second-hand or from small businesses
If you really need something new, consider buying it second-hand or from a small business. Thrift stores, charity shops, vintage shops, and online platforms like eBay, Etsy, Depop, Vinted, etc., offer great pre-loved items; and Instagram is a great way to discover small businesses. Visiting craft markets in your area is another way to find small businesses and keep money within your community. And of course, walking around your neighbourhood and supporting all the independent shops and restaurants there. Your corner shop is a small business. Your local dry cleaner/tailor/shoe cobbler is a small business. Give them your support!
Moreover, avoid supporting businesses whose values you don't agree with. Stop giving your money to billionaires! Do you REALLY need something by tomorrow? Granted, sometimes we do, and we can't go out to buy it at the moment. But try your best to plan, shop local, shop early before holidays and birthdays, and vote with your money!! If we all make the conscious choice to buy from ethical companies, the big companies will hear and make the investments needed to be more eco-friendly and pay their workers better. Support smaller and more transparent businesses. If you are against genocide, avoid all the companies listed on the BDS website.
Buying good quality things means you'll have to buy new things less often. So, shop less by buying better. And remember, if you love it and will use it for a long time, then do buy it - especially if you're supporting a small business! ❤️
4) Mindfully rehome items you don’t want/need anymore
A lot of people do the mental gymnastics that “it’s ok to buy more and more, as long as I donate some of my old stuff”. Except that only 30% of clothes donated in the UK are actually resold, according to a 2019 report from the UK government’s Environmental Audit Committee - the majority of the remainder is sent to the Global South, ending up in piles on the shores of Ghana or at the Atacama Desert. Instead of dropping stuff off at the charity shop, here are some things you can do instead:
Put them up for sale on Depop, Vinted, eBay, etc. It’s more work, but at least you’ll recoup some of the money you spent on buying the item in the first place!
Ask friends and family if they don’t need something like that. For a personal example, I have very sensitive skin, and it often doesn’t agree with new skincare I want to try. When this happens, I ask friends, co-workers, etc if they’d like to try the cream out instead. It might feel a bit embarrassing, but most of the time, people love getting free stuff!
Try your local buy nothing group, or freecycle.org if you’re in the UK. I have rehomed many, many things using freecycle, and it’s such an amazing resource. This is a great way to donate things you’re sure no one will want to buy, as people might use them to gather materials for upcycling. Just remember to always describe the condition of the items truthfully.
In summary, you should only donate items that are in good condition and that you’d be willing to pay for at the charity shop.
Some brands (like me!) take items back when you’re done using them. This is something called End-of-life responsibility, and ideally, there should be legislation ensuring all brands did this - if companies were responsible for what they produced in the first place, you can bet they’d actually build things to last. You can learn more about Luneta’s EOL programme here.
5) Ditch single-use products and anything wrapped in plastic
If you need something new, consider swapping disposable items for reusable ones. Some examples could be:
Reusable makeup pads instead of cotton pads
Period cup or panties instead of tampons/sanitary pads
Reusable water bottle instead of buying individual water bottles
Reusable cloths instead of kitchen paper
Reusable bags instead of plastic bags
I also prioritise non-liquid forms of cleaning products and shampoos/soaps. I love the “just-add-water” solutions provided by smol for cleaning products and BlackMarket for handwash, and I always go to Lush for shampoos and soap bars.
A bit in the same context, but if your company makes t-shirts for every event, or if you’re thinking about making t-shirts for your pal’s hen do… maybe don’t? No one will want to wear it in a year, and as you can imagine, charity shops won’t be able to sell them on. They’ll just end up in a landfill (see point 4 above).
6) Bank ethically
You are probably aware that banks use the money you deposit to lend to and invest in other companies and funds. Wouldn’t you feel better if you knew your bank has policies against working with industries like fossil fuels and weapons? I subscribed to the Ethical Consumer magazine to know how my banks rated, and which banks were worth switching to, but this is behind their paywall. To start with, I’d check this article, also from the Ethical Consumer magazine and currently free to read, to see which banks are complicit with Israel and genocide. You’ll usually find that when a company is doing a horrible thing like supplying weapons for genocide, they’re probably also hurting the environment and putting profits over people.
7) Avoid using GenAI
Unless you’re using AI to cure cancer or do groundbreaking research about something actually important, please don’t use chatGPT, Claude, etc. Please use your own brain to write an email or research for a paper, and hire real artists to make art. I’m writing this without using AI, and yes, it took work!! But I strongly believe that it’s worth it in the end, and makes this post worth reading.
Some quick reasons why you shouldn’t use GenAI (not just environmental):
A chatGPT query uses 10x the electricity a google search does (source)
GenAI needs huge amounts of fresh water to cool its processors and generate electricity. “The global AI demand is projected to account for 4.2-6.6 billion cubic meters of water withdrawal in 2027, which is more than the total annual water withdrawal of 4-6 Denmark or half of the United Kingdom” (source). Every drop of water that gets sent to a data centre is one less drop of water available to actual humans. Watching this video by Rep AOC might help you better understand what it’s like living near a data centre (spoiler alert: It’s horrible).
AI spills out incorrect information 45% of the time (source), and people can “poison” the results to be whatever they want them to be (source)
Using AI makes you stupid with time (source)
AI is being used in warfare (source)
AI steals from artists (source)
Fascists love GenAI (example)
I have three anecdotal examples from my day job showing how AI sucks (not Luneta). I work for a small-ish jewellery company which, as most capitalist enterprises do, needs to grow year on year. I work on their e-commerce website (I write product copy, write and make their marketing emails, update their website with new promotions, etc).
Our designer started using AI to create pictures of models wearing some of our pieces, and published them on our website. No one did a quality check on them, and when I was doing my regular work, I noticed a lot of the jewellery in these photos was slightly different (as in different beads, the chains didn’t match what the actual products had, the pieces were not in proportion with the model, stuff like that). Theoretically, our designer is using AI to save money on hiring a model and a photographer, and saving the time he’d spend on the shoot and retouching photos. Now, I’m in charge of QAing the photos he AIs, so I’m wasting my time pointing out where these photos are wrong, which he then needs to waste time AI-ing again. Sorry, but if humans will still need to QA whatever AI spills out, isn’t it better to just do the real thing in the first place, you know - like we used to?
I was on holiday in Japan and the company simply couldn’t wait for me to be back to publish some new products, so they used AI to write the product descriptions. Again, none of them were quality-checked before being uploaded to the website. Months later, our director realised that some of the product names had been changed by AI, for example, from “Jakarta” to “Milan”. I guess AI just thought Milan was cooler than Jakarta?? So, again, a human (me) had to go back in and correct the discrepancies. Needless to say, this wouldn’t have happened if a human had just done it in the first place.
I was in a meeting with our ESP’s account manager (our email service provider, basically the platform we use to make and send our marketing emails). He made this whole deck about our performance during Black Friday last year. On one of the slides, a table included a specific KPI (key performance indicator) and how we compared to other companies. I asked him what that KPI meant, and he didn’t know! Surely, if he had prepared the presentation himself, he’d know what it stood for. Sorry, but that’s just sad.
8) Join an activist group in your area
Join your local climate activism group. I’ve gone to actions organised by Stop Rosebank and Fossil Free London, and although it was scary at times, it really helped me feel like part of a community that cares about the fate of the world, and more hopeful about the possibility of a different future 💞
Most of these groups offer a variety of ways you can contribute - not just by going to demonstrations, if that’s not your thing. They can always do with monetary donations as well!
9) Vote
Legislation is one of the most important ways to fight climate change. Make sure your candidates are aligned with what you believe in, and go vote!! It still shocks me that voting isn’t mandatory in the UK (it is in Brazil, where I’m from).
10) Spread the word
Lastly, be an influencer in your community. If you set a good example, others will follow. Talk with everyone you know about the things you’re doing and why they’re important. If you have a platform, post about these things! It’s not like Luneta has a huge following, but I love sharing information on my instagram and here on the blog about what we can do to make the world a better place for all of us.
Last thoughts
Remember, sustainability is a journey. Start small and don't aim for perfection. Every small step counts! #progressnotperfection
It’s interesting to think about how a lot of these actions entail actually engaging with people and things, instead of quickly going through everything. It’s about connecting with your friends and your community, instead of buying from a faceless, huge company. It’s about talking to people. Trust me, it’s more work, but you’ll feel better in the end.
Further reading
There are also many activists/writers out there that we can learn from. I love following Aja Barber (read their book: Consumed), Mikaela Loach (read their book: It’s not that Radical), Amanda from Clotheshorse Podcast (they make the cutest posts and I’ve been listening to their podcast for years, so much to learn!!), Venetia Lamanna, Tori Tsui (read their book: It’s not just you), Nikita, and Dominique Palmer to learn more about climate, consumerism and sustainability.
Thank you for reading. If you’ve gone through the list and would like to invest in colourful, sustainable jewellery you’ll reach for again and again, check out my shop. All my jewellery is either handmade to order by me in London with rare vintage beads, or is original vintage, making the most of pre-existing resources 💖