I Tried Living 100% Sustainable for a Month.

Have you ever thought of living 100% sustainable and eco-friendly? This is what happened to me when i left Nairobi city to the village in Nyanza region of Kenya for one month.

Day 1: The Reality Check

When I told my friends that I was going 100% sustainable for a month, they laughed. "Good luck with that," one of them smirked. "No electricity? No fast food? No plastic?"

But I was determined. In Africa, sustainability isn’t just a trend—it’s survival for many. People in rural areas live off the land, use zero-waste methods, and recycle almost everything. Could I, a city-born millennial, do the same?

My first challenge was food. Supermarkets were out of the question—most products were wrapped in plastic and imported. So, I headed to the local open-air market with a woven basket, buying only what was locally grown. Fresh cassava, plantains, tomatoes, and beans—straight from farmers who had never heard of the term "organic" because that’s just how they farm.

Cooking without gas? That was another challenge. I borrowed a charcoal-saving jiko (stove) from my neighbor, realizing quickly that cooking on firewood isn’t as romantic as it looks in documentaries. Smoke in my eyes, sweat dripping, and a new appreciation for my grandmother’s generation.

Week 1: Breaking Old Habits

Plastic was my biggest enemy. Everything in the modern city is packaged—from drinking water to snacks. I invested in a gourd calabash for water (like my ancestors used) and made my own cloth shopping bags from old fabrics.

Electricity? I tried using solar lanterns at night. My phone? I charged it using a small hand-crank generator and only used it for emergencies. Internet withdrawal was REAL.

But the biggest shock? Waste disposal. No trash bins, no city dumps—everything had to be reused or composted. I started making biofertilizer with food scraps and discovered that old newspapers make great toilet paper

Week 2: The Unexpected Struggles

By the second week, I hit a wall. I missed fast food. I missed Netflix. I missed my air-conditioned room.

Also, washing clothes by hand and drying them in the sun felt like a full-time job. I now understood why older generations value their clothes so much—when you wash your jeans by hand, you don’t throw them on the floor carelessly.

My biggest challenge came when my friends invited me to a wedding. Everyone arrived in stylish outfits, but I had vowed to only wear thrifted or homemade clothes. I showed up in a repurposed Ankara dress—beautiful but simple. It sparked conversations about fast fashion’s impact on the planet. A win for sustainability!

Week 3: Unexpected Wins

Something surprising happened—I started feeling healthier. My diet was 100% natural, with no processed foods or artificial flavors. My energy levels soared.

Also, my budget? Cut in half. Without Uber, fast food, and electricity bills, I saved more money than ever.

People in my neighborhood noticed my efforts. An elder told me, “You’re living the way we used to, before plastic took over.”

I started a community compost project, encouraging others to use kitchen waste for farming. Even kids got involved, and by the end of the third week, we had a thriving organic vegetable garden

Week 4: What I Learned

By the final week, I had mastered the art of sustainable living:

✔ Cooking with less energy

✔ Living without plastic

✔ Supporting local farmers

✔ Recycling EVERYTHING

✔ Saving money

But I also realized why many people don’t do this—it’s inconvenient. Modern life is built for comfort, not sustainability. It’s easier to buy bottled water than to carry your own. It’s simpler to order food than cook from scratch.

Would I do this forever? Probably not 100%, but I will keep many habits. I’ll support local markets, use less plastic, and waste less food.

Final Thoughts: Can You Live 100% Sustainable?

The truth? It’s HARD. But it’s possible.

If you’re in Africa, you already have access to the best sustainable practices—local foods, natural energy, and traditional wisdom. The key is to adapt small habits into modern life.

Would you ever try this challenge? Let me know in the comments!