Today I want to talk about 10 simple green hacks I am doing at home to live a more circular life.

Sure we have our careers, but at the end of the day, we all have a home to go back to.

These steps are actionable and save money and the planet.

Ready?

1. Reduce Food Waste

Reducing food waste is a crucial step toward a circular home. Plan your meals, store food properly, and get creative with leftovers. Compost scraps to enrich your garden soil, turning waste into a valuable resource. Apps like Olio can help you share excess food with neighbors, ensuring nothing goes to waste.

2. Buy Second Hand
Embrace the charm of pre-loved items! From furniture to clothing, buying second-hand reduces demand for new products and keeps products out of landfills. Platforms like eBay, Facebook marketplace, Sellpy, thrift stores, and local online marketplaces offer great options.
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PS: If you’re ever in Sweden, you have to see this first-ever recycling shopping mall.
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3. Go for Reusables
Replace single-use packaging with reusable alternatives. Invest in durable metal water bottles, coffee cups, shopping bags, and kitchenware. This simple switch can significantly cut down on waste and reduce your environmental footprint
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4. Repair what you can
​Get a repair-first mindset. Keep your things in use for longer. Learn basic repair skills or use services like Repair Cafés, where volunteers help fix items for free. From sewing a button to fixing ICT, repairing saves money, reduces waste, and keeps items in use longer.
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PS: Drycleaner always knows how to fix a shirt or pants!
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5. Get rid of dangerous chemicals
​Normal cleaning products can be harmful to both the environment and your health. Go for eco-friendly alternatives. If you are in the EU, the most trustworthy ecolabel is the EU Ecolabel.

6. Rent instead of buy​
Renting stuff instead of buying it can save a lot of money and waste. From gardening tools and equipment to party supplies and even clothing for special occasions. Check out Rent for Runway for clothes or Fat Llama for tools

7. Save water
​Cut water usage by installing low-flow shower heads and fixtures. If you have a house, try using rainwater for gardening. Simple habits like these can make a difference in your household water consumption.

8. Shop less
​Follow the advice here:

9. Bike ​
No cramped buses and subways, no more ticket checkers, no more traffic jams. Biking (especially with an e-bike since I got kids) has been one of my biggest green life hacks. Now we can make 10-minute trips to the sea and take a swim right after preschool!

10. Buy everything organic​
You will not save money here but it’s important for a whole other reason – animal welfare, climate, and your health! After having worked in the European Parliament on circularity and food safety, I wouldn’t buy conventional milk and other “non-green” products. My biggest motivation is the health of my family and myself.

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These things combined can :

• save you between 4000 – 8000 USD (I asked CHAT GPT, no source here)
• are better for your health, planet, and consciousness

At the end of the day, it comes down to embracing a minimalistic mindset. There’s a great movie about it on Youtube right now. ​

Are you doing any of these steps in your home? Hit reply and let me know your favorite green hacks!

But here’s the thing:

There’s only as much we can achieve as consumers.

The biggest thing is to get engaged!

In your workplace, community, or politically.

That’s it for this week, see ya next Saturday! Vojta