AD| The environmental crisis is a growing problem in the world today and the threat has only been intensified by the rise of global warming and plastics in our oceans. In order to combat this, people are embracing eco-friendly living.
Changing to a more eco-friendly way of life doesn’t have to be a massive change. It’s all about making small adjustments to your everyday life. After a while, it becomes second nature to go green.
Keep in touch with the news
In our fast-paced world, we are struggling with many issues and environmental problems are not always the top stories. Keep in touch with the latest findings and developments around global warming and the environment to keep yourself up to date. This will remind you of the importance of being eco-friendly.
Eco-friendly products
One of the best ways to start living an eco-friendly lifestyle is by purchasing eco-friendly products.
Buy clothes that are made from recycled products and avoid fast fashion. You can buy eco-friendly cleaning products, avoid using coffee pods and stick to beans to cup instead
Eco-friendly packaging
Check that the bespoke packaging that your favourite products come in is plastic-free. Can the packaging be recycled?
You can use refill stores where you take containers and weigh products which avoids packaging altogether.
As packaging is always discarded at some stage, it needs to be sustainable!
Check a brands website
Most websites will have a ‘sustainability’ section which tells you about the brand’s ethos around the environment. These usually include an action plan on what they have changed so far, any charities they’re working with and how they will evolve in the future.
Give away old items
If you have some items that aren’t worth selling, list them as free on Facebook Market place so the item gets a bit more use and saves someone else buying one!
This is great for things like old books, DVDs, clothes and general household items.
Buy and sell second hand
Buying second-hand items and selling your old items is a great way to recycle. This is especially great for baby products and clothes which get replaced so quickly!
Meal plan
Stop wasting fresh food – only buy what you need and have a clear meal plan. Every so often, we have a day where we just stirfry or roast any veg that’s going off soon to make a delicious meal with a random mix of vegetables. Try to prevent it from going to waste!
Another option is to cook larger portions so it gets used and then freeze some.
Educate your children
If you have children, then start talking to them about the environment. Model a good attitude towards taking care of our earth and teach them about sustainable products and what they can do to help.
Use what you have
In your quest to become more environmentally friendly, it can be tempting to get rid of all the plastic in your house in favour of a more sustainable alternative. But that just results in you sending something to landfill/waste/recycling that still has life in it.
If you already own products that aren’t environmentally friendly, then just used them and replace them with better ones when the time comes.