- Apr 9, 2025
16 Green Living Tips You Can Start Today
Living green isn’t always about moving to the countryside or completely saying no to plastic. Sometimes, it’s just about the small choices you make like carrying a reusable water bottle, switching to natural soap, or using grass straws instead of plastic ones.
These tiny changes may seem small, but they help reduce plastic waste and start you on a path to sustainable living your own way.
At CHUS, we want to show you a few fun and easy ideas for living more sustainably. No need to “revolutionize” your life, just pay attention to the little things you already do every day. Give it a read. Who knows? You might already be living green without even realizing it.
Green living starts with small daily choices
Mornings – Start Your Day with Simple Green Habits
Living green doesn’t have to mean attending climate summits at 7AM. Sometimes, it’s just about doing the same things a little differently.
Morning is when we’re most alertmaking it the perfect time to quietly sneak in a few sustainable habits without changing your whole routine.
1. Wash up with natural soap
Unlike bottled body wash, bar soap doesn’t need plastic packaging and doesn’t contain microplastics tiny particles that harm oceans and marine life.
It’s a simple switch that reduces plastic waste, and it’s also gentle on your skin, naturally fragrant, and eco-friendly in every way.
2. Brew coffee with a Vietnamese phin instead of capsules
Capsules may seem convenient, but they’re often made from non-recyclable plastic or aluminum.
A traditional phin filter creates zero waste, and even better used coffee grounds can be reused to fertilize plants or absorb odors in the fridge.
This small switch supports your local coffee culture and cuts down on industrial waste at the same time.
3. Bring your own water bottle and tote bag
Instead of buying plastic bottles every time you’re thirsty, carry a personal water bottle to refill throughout the day.
One reusable bottle = hundreds of plastic bottles saved each year.
Pair it with a tote bag, and you’ve already said “no” to single-use packaging from morning to evening a small habit that adds up fast.
4. Use rice or grass straws for take-away coffee
It may seem minor, but plastic straws are hard to recycle and often end up harming marine animals.
Switching to biodegradable rice or grass straws is an easy green upgrade you still get your take-away coffee fix, without adding more plastic to the planet.
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Start your day with easy green habits like using natural soap and a reusable bottle
Midday – Light on Your Stomach, Light on Waste, and Light on the Planet
Lunchtime is when we often go for whatever’s quick and convenient. But with just a few simple tweaks to your routine, you can reduce plastic waste, protect natural resources, and take better care of your own health all without much effort.
1. Bring lunch in a glass or sturdy plastic container
Foam boxes are hard to recycle and can release harmful chemicals when used for hot food. Glass or durable plastic containers are long-lasting, safer for your health, and help cut down on waste throughout the year.
If you pack lunch 5 days a week, you’re already avoiding around 250 foam boxes a year, pretty impressive for such a small habit.
2. Ordering takeout? Add a note: “No plastic cutlery, please”
It only takes one short line, but it can help reduce 2–3 single-use plastic items with every meal.
If you order food often, this tiny change makes an even bigger difference and it doesn’t cost you anything.
3. Use your own spoon and chopsticks instead of disposables
Personal utensils are compact, easy to carry, and always clean because you handle them yourself. It’s not only an eco-friendly choice, but also shows care and mindfulness in how you eat.
4. Turn off lights or lower the AC if the room is already bright or cool
Lunch break often means fewer people around, yet lights and air conditioning still run at full blast. Switching off unnecessary devices helps save energy, reduces strain on the power grid, and of course is better for the planet.
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Lunchtime habits to live greener: reusable lunch boxes, less plastic, more care
Afternoon – Slower Pace, Greener Choices
Afternoons tend to slow down a little you might sip on a drink, scroll your phone, or swing by a nearby convenience store. These small routines, with just a slight shift, can help you live more sustainably without even trying too hard.
1. Use Ecosia instead of Google
You search things daily, what to eat, your schedule, the weather. Ecosia is an eco-friendly search engine that plants trees with every search. Same habit, different tools and you’re doing good every time you hit “enter.”
2. Buy water, not extra waste
Feeling thirsty is normal. But grabbing a plastic bag or accepting a plastic straw every time you buy a drink adds up to avoidable waste.
The fix? Carry a reusable fabric bag and your own straw made from rice, grass, or stainless steel. It’s stylish, clean, and cuts down on single-use plastics with ease.
3. Delete junk emails they contribute to carbon emissions too
Sounds odd, but every unread email takes up server space and data centers consume a lot of energy to run and stay cool. One ignored email = a few grams of CO₂ per year. Multiply that by millions, and it’s not so small anymore.
Clearing your inbox at the end of the day helps both your mind and the environment.
4. Share links instead of attachments when possible
If you often send documents, try using links (like Google Drive or Dropbox) instead of heavy file attachments. Attachments take up storage space, which means more energy use and more CO₂ emissions.
Links are lighter, easier to update, and a smarter, greener choice especially in the workplace. One tiny habit. Big collective impact.
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Green your afternoon with smart searches clean inbox and less plastic waste
Evening – Slow Down, Live Greener
Evening is the quiet pause of the day. A time when you return to your space, slow your pace, and unwind from the daily rush. It’s also the perfect moment to adjust a few small, nearly invisible habits, ones that, when repeated daily, can make a real difference.
No pressure, no complexity, just a bit more mindfulness, and you’re already living more sustainably.
1. Use leftover water (rice rinse, veggie boil) to water your plants
Every day, you might be pouring away cups of water that seem uselesslike rice rinse or boiled veggie water.But for your indoor plants, that water is a gentle nutrient boost.
Instead of draining it away, give it to your greens. It costs nothing, takes no extra effort, and turns your kitchen into a quiet little eco-hub.
2. Sort your waste before taking it out
Instead of tossing everything into one bag, take a minute to divide your waste into three types: recyclables, organic waste, and everything else.
This simple step helps waste collectors process more efficiently and eases the burden on overloaded landfills in urban areas.
3. Remove paper labels and plastic wraps before recycling bottles or cans
It sounds tiny, but many bottles and cans don’t get recycled properly just because the labels weren’t removed. Peeling off those plastic stickers takes 5 seconds, but makes a big difference for recycling systems.
A small, mindful gesture that shows you care not just about waste, but about doing things the right way.
4. Turn off your Wi-Fi and unused electronics before bed
Even on standby, electronics continue to drain power. Switching them off before sleep saves energy, extends the life of your devices, and most importantly, lets your body and mind truly restfully unplugged.
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Green your night by reusing water sorting waste and turning off unused electronics
In short
Sustainable living isn’t about doing everything right. It’s about choosing the right things that you can do and sticking to them with consistency and care. Whether it's carrying a fabric bag or switching to a rice-straw, each choice you make leaves a mark.
And if you're looking for a place to start or to keep going drop by CHUS. It’s filled with little things that carry big meanings: from natural soaps and glass bottles to beautiful, reusable bags.
Who knows you might find a gift, for yourself or someone else, that starts with something small but speaks volumes about how you choose to live.
