Eco-Friendly Tips

There's plenty of things you can do at home, work, out and about and on holiday to reduce your environmental impact

Home

• Minimise your energy use (eg - switching off lights and electrical appliances, turning down the thermostat)

• Add another layer before turning up your thermostat

• Buy energy efficient appliances when your old appliances become broken

• Reuse and repair what you've got before replacing it

• Spend more time outdoors which will reduce your screen time and the time spent indoors using energy

• Reduce food waste by planning what you're going to eat for the week ahead so that you only buy what you're going to eat

• Reduce your meat, fish and dairy consumption as agriculture and fishing are among the most environmentally destructive industries

• Use eco-friendly cleaning products (some of which you can make yourself)

• Reduce the water you use (eg - have showers more than baths, have quicker showers, don't leave taps running when washing or brushing teeth, don't fill up your kettle fully)

Garden

• Plant a mixture of bee-friendly flowers to attract pollinators such as bees

• Get a compost bin and put your scrap food and garden waste in there

• Don't buy soil that contains peat as this contributes to the destruction of peat bogs

• Avoid using pesticides and fertilisers as they affect soil health

• Install bird boxes and insect houses to encourage wildlife into your garden

• Use reclaimed wood to create flower beds and borders

Shopping

• Buy local organic produce as organic farming is better for the environment and buying local reduces the impact of transport and supports your community

• Buy second hand before buying new to reduce the need to use up new resources

• Avoid 'fast fashion' and buy good quality ethical fashion that lasts and doesn't go out of fashion too quickly

• Hire and rent items you're not going to keep for long

• Download the Giki Badges app which lets you scan a product barcode to find how sustainable a product is (https://badges.giki.earth/)

• Take your own shopping bags with you

• Look out for products with less plastic packaging

• Support your high street and shop less online because goods bought online often come wrapped in lots of packaging and have to be transported long distances

Work

• Work from home to reduce the need for work related travel and the need to run offices

• Send emails before sending letters

• Recycle waste paper and save scrap paper for notetaking

• If you can't work from home, ask your employer to make your place of work greener (https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/community-and-advice/green-living/ways-to-go-green-at-work/)

Holiday

• Have more UK holidays

• If you're having a UK holiday, stay at Green Tourism accredited accommodation (https://www.green-tourism.com/pages/home)

• Take a reusable water bottle and a reusable coffee cup or flask with you

• Take your litter home

• Travel by train, boat, ferry or coach before using a car or plane