Ready to do your part in saving our planet? We bet knowing all the environmentally sustainable terms can be quite tricky. And, with some buzzwords like "carbon footprint" or "compostable" being thrown around in discussion, things can surely get a little intimidating, especially if you are starting out as a beginner. However, adopting a sustainable lifestyle doesn't have to be that overwhelming! It's easy; just start out with a simple aim to be gentle towards the planet and watch out for your activities that can perhaps lead to a safer environment. And, if you are starting your environmentally friendly journey and aren't sure how to digest all the information out there, we are here to make it easy for you. Read on and explore what exactly sustainability means. Plus, navigate through different eco-friendly buzzwords that can help you get the hang of all the gruesome terminologies out there. Sustainable This one is perhaps the most common and recognizable eco-friendly term on our list. Simply put, being sustainable means mindfully using natural resources rather than wasting them in massive amounts. According to the UN, some renewable resources that can help you live sustainably are solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, ocean, and bioenergy. Carbon Footprint A carbon footprint is a buzzword that resembles the amount of greenhouse gases, like CO2, used to support certain human activities, like driving a car or using an air conditioner. Remember, the higher your carbon footprint, the more you damage the environment. Our natural occurrence alone can indeed produce carbon footprints. One example is breathing. We breathe out CO2, which is a greenhouse gas. And while this is unavoidable, we can limit other activities like driving a car every day or using air conditioning to the fullest. There are several resources through which you can actually calculate your carbon footprint. You can even use the footprint calculator by Environmental Protection Agency to get a more visual and appealing experience. Biodegradable If you want us to get literal, the bio means "life," and "degrade" means to break down. So, when we say that something is biodegradable, it can break down into its most basic components naturally through fungi, microbes or bacteria and blends back into the Earth. Plant-based products like our kitchenware and tableware are biodegradable; they break into water, carbon and other natural minerals and mix back into the planet. Here's an interesting fact: everything on the planet can biodegrade on its own. However, the difference is that some take days to biodegrade while others take centuries. But ideally, a material is considered biodegradable if it breaks down within a few days. This is why biodegradable things are environmentally sustainable. Compostable This is one of the eco-friendly terms being used a lot. A product is compostable if its waste can be recycled and reused. All products labeled as compostable undergo vigorous testing to ensure they break down on their own within a specific time span and do not release harmful gases into the environment. So, apart from them not contributing to landfills, these products also are a great source of healthy compost for the soil. Biobased Ever heard of organic products? This one's just that! Typically, biobased products are curated from natural raw materials like plants. Some examples are water bottles made from leaves, sustainable tableware made from leaves and clothing made from milk. When shopping for biobased products, make sure they are 100% natural. Meaning they are not a hybrid or a mix of something natural and petroleum-based plastics. Here's How We Value Life at EcoSoul Our mission is more than just offering sustainable products. It's more about encouraging a lifestyle that gives back to the environment and living that is safer for the generation to come by. So, if you have just started your eco-friendly journey, this is where you can start. Practice sustainability every day and shop from our diverse collection of environmentally sustainable kitchenware and tableware, and rev up your kitchens with sleek, highly durable products.