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How can we make more sustainable consumer choices?

How can we make more sustainable consumer choices? with Money Bites
How Jason Mamoa is making the switch to more sustainable spending choices and what we can learn from him.

Bite-Size Read:

  • More of us are trying to make sustainable spending choices.
  • Jason Mamoa shared his experiences in making more sustainable consumer choices.
  • We look at what we can learn from Jason’s sustainable switches including reducing our use of single-use plastics.

 

Every dollar you spend contributes to the global economy.

And more of us want to make spending choices that contribute to sustainability. In a cross-generational study, 77% of those surveyed wanted to learn more about sustainable lifestyles. 

However, making sustainable choices with money can be really hard.

This creates a gap between what we aspire to and what we actually do. In a further study, 65% of people wanted to buy brands that advocate sustainability but only 26% actually did. So, when a celebrity leads by example and has their actions match their rhetoric, we stopped to listen.

 

 

 

The story on Jason Mamoa and his sustainable consumer choices:

As the famous aquatic superhero, Aquaman, and a former Baywatch lifeguard, Jason Mamoa spends a lot of time in and around the water. And he’s increasingly passionate about sustainability. He even addressed the United Nations General Assembly on the topic in 2019

So how did he start taking action in his own life?

In this recent interview Jason did with InStyle magazine, Jason discussed his struggles with money, including being “completely in debt” after Game of Thrones. Seeing a celebrity be so honest about money and their struggles with finances was refreshing.

Equally refreshing was that in the same interview, Jason shared how he was making spending choices that would be more environmentally friendly. Many celebrities preach about being green while taking private jets, which generate 10 times the amount of carbon per passenger. By contrast, Jason’s practical tips are something we can learn from in our own spending behaviours.

 

 

 

Here’s Jason Mamoa’s switches for making more sustainable spending choices:

 

 

 

1. Switch single-use plastics for reusable products

Jason has an “absolute ban on single-use plastics” including wattle bottles, straws and plastic forks. This includes bringing his own food packaging like Tupperware. We get this because so much of what we use involves single-use plastics, including food delivery services.

  • Take action: Bring your own reusable water bottle or coffee cup to work to reduce your use of single-use plastics.

 

 

 

2. Switch eating meat every day for Meatless Mondays

Jason shares that he is working on his meat consumption by being 100% in on Meatless Monday. He was prompted to cut back after learning that “producing a quarter pound of meat requires 1,850 gallons of water”. According to Jason, if global meat consumption reduced by 15%, “it would be like taking 250 million cars off the road each year”.

  • Take action: Try experimenting with vegetarian meals to reduce the meat in your diet.

 

 

 

3. Switch driving your car everywhere for energy-efficient transport

Jason drives Harley motorcycles but tries to “keep it down to a dull roar”. He’s also switches his old cars to Tesla or hybrid models that are more energy-efficient.

  • Take action: Try walking all or part of the way to work to cut down on your car usage, with our podcast keeping your entertained on your commute.

 

 

 

4. Switch electricity grid reliance for solar panels at home

Jason shared that he had “put everything off the grid for solar” around his house. Solar panels use the power of the sun and use this as a form of electricity. If your government subsidises solar energy programs, you could also save money on your power bills.

  • Take action: Start small with a solar charger for your phone or look into solar panels, including government energy payback schemes which can see a solar system pay for itself within 2 to 7 years.

We’re all working at it, you don’t have to kill yourself over it. It’s little tiny things and I’m always learning because we’re not perfect, far from it.

This quote from Jason Mamoa reminds us that making more sustainable consumer choices takes time. Look at what changes you might be able to make in your own life to be more sustainable with how you spend your money.

  

Written by Kate Crowhurst

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