We are all aware of the pitfalls of living a wasteful life, and yet many of us are too set in our ways to change. I myself am guilty of living wastefully, and it took me moving to the Budapest to realise the errors in my ways.
Here’s how Budapest taught me that living sustainably is way easier than I thought…
Get a reusable coffee cup
I love a good trip to a coffee shop (who doesn’t?), most of the days I can barely function if I don’t get my morning Matcha Latte. I noticed in Budapest and in a lot of capital cities though, that you will get your drink in a disposable cup even when you are sitting in. It wasn’t long before I realised my morning matcha ritual was causing a lot more damage to the planet than I ever imagined.
I soon switched to a reusable coffee cup. This has got to be one of my best purchases to date (I bring it everywhere with me) as not only am I reducing my plastic waste, I’m even saving money each time I buy my drink. Everyone is winning.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdvINzFhQzJ/?taken-by=bronte_barratt
Set a meat free day
Budapest is known for its variety of meaty dishes and I can confirm that gulyás and chicken paprikash are absolutely delicious. However, if we set aside a vegetarian day, it’ll do wonders for the environment. I initially started with this and followed the movement of #MeatFreeMondays, which snowballed into meat free weeks, then meat free months. Eventually, I became vegetarian.
Going veggie was my own personal choice, but even setting aside one day or even one meal where there is no meat consumption will significantly help the environment.
RELATED: THOUGHT BEING VEGGIE IN BUDAPEST WAS HARD? GUESS AGAIN…
Bring your own utensils
Budapest is known for its eclectic street food. If you love to eat street food as much as I do, think about how much plastic utensils you’ll be using once and then throwing away. I started bringing my own, and never looked back. By bringing your own you’ll significantly reduce your plastic waste and get to eat all the street food until your hearts content, guilt free.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYqeo6IhVcP/?taken-by=bronte_barratt
Buy your fruit and vegetables loose
During my first food shop in Budapest I instantly noticed that all the vegetables and fruit were loose and not wrapped up in layers of plastic like the UK. At first, I thought this was strange and reached for a plastic bag to put my groceries in, but then I stopped to think for a minute. I thought about all the plastic bags I would be wasting daily (I eat a *lot* of vegetables) if I were to put each individual vegetable or fruit I purchased in a separate bag. Bring bags from home!
RELATED: THERESA MAY HAS PLEDGED TO ERADICATE ALL PLASTIC IN THE UK BY 2042
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