Tips for greening your life

Vegetables and paper shopping bag

So, pretty much everyone knows how to recycle, and we’re sure you’re taking your re-usable bags to the supermarket these days. But there are so many more things we can do to green up our lives.

It’s not going to answer all of our problems, but if we want to tackle climate change, normalising green living and changing our behaviours is absolutely crucial for future generations.

Recycling should always be the last port of call. Try and think about how you can repair, reduce and reuse before simply popping something in the recycling bin, as sometimes things don’t end up where we expect them to.

Have a look at our tips to see what you can add to your repertoire of green action.

Take a short (but sweet) shower

An average bath holds 160 litres of water, with an average shower (around 8 minutes) using around 65 litres, proving showering is better for your pocket and the planet. But we can reduce that even further, ideally, an eco-friendly shower will last around 5 minutes long. You can even get a shower timer to make sure you’re not wasting water.

Switch to eco-friendly household products

There are all sorts of options available here; reusable cloths that you can pop in the wash rather than using disposable wipes, non-plastic scrubbers and non-toxic household cleaners that aren’t going to harm the planet when they go down the drain. Here’s ten to get you thinking.

Get better with your food waste

According to Wrap, £810 worth of food is thrown away by the average UK household each year. We’re aware this is an industry-wide problem as well as a household, but we can try to do our bit to cut down on our wasteful habits. Shopping lists are a great way to only buy what you need rather than being drawn in by special offers. Get creative with left overs and be sure to compost any spare waste so it can be turned into renewable energy.

Can you exchange throw away to reusable?

Can you switch your tampons for a mooncup? Change to reusable nappies? Revamp napkins and handkerchiefs? And the classic – carry reusable cups and carrier bags? You can even get reusable sandwich bags now, and reusable cling film. Get researching – you’ll be surprised at what you can find.

Switch it off!

When your phone or laptop are charged fully, unplug them. When you’re done with household appliances and technology, turn them off at the switch. Standby and all night charging can waste an awful lot of electricity. And always make sure you turn the lights off when you leave a room - try to get the young members in your house into this habit from an early age.

Go paperless

Get in contact with all of your suppliers and switch to paperless. Not only is it better for the planet (saving paper and ink) but it will save you a lot of life-admin headaches and piles of paper accumulating at home.

Ditch the plastic

You can get all sorts of plastic replacements now; bamboo toothbrushes, bars of shampoo in tins that you can refill. Zero waste shops are also on the rise in the UK, just bring your own containers and bottles to refill when you’ve run out.

Walk or cycle when you can

If you’re a parent - is there a walking school bus at your child’s school? Can you cycle to a train station if you have a long commute to work? Solo car journeys to work are awful for our planet and our air quality. Try and work out the most sustainable way you can get to work and try and stick to it.

Switch to renewable energy! (it’s a no brainer)

Have a look here to see if you can save money as well as the planet.

Going green doesn’t need to be an ordeal, it’s easier than it’s ever been and can save you money as well - all it takes is a bit of thought and a few tweaks.

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