50 WAYS TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE FOR EARTH DAY

Especially for earth day 2021, I have put together a list of 50 different ways to be a little more sustainable in our everyday lives. The guide is here for inspiration and helps those seeking simple changes. Every small adjustment makes a huge difference!

My goal is not to overwhelm but to give helpful information and hopefully list something you may not already know.

I have added some links below in some of the bullet points, so look out for the highlighted words in green to find more information or products.

Ways to Avoid Plastic.

Invest in a good water bottle for on the go. Many of you may already own a water bottle but has your bottle got a purification filter? I recently invested in a water bottle from Drinksafe-Systems who make water filters to help protect third world countries from viruses and chemicals. Not only would you be supporting a great company, but you never need to buy a plastic water bottle ever again! (even on holidays)

Bring your own bags when grocery shopping or why not use a Kōzo Design shopper!

Get in the habit of carrying your own reusable coffee cup. There are many on the market but I recommend Husk UK Their Huskee Cups are made from recycled coffee husk.

Try carrying your own utensils and drinking straw.

Make homemade sodas if you love fizzy drinks but don’t want the plastic it comes in.

Shop from farmers markets to avoid plastic wrapping.

Use re-fill stations and shops and bring old glass jars or drawstring organic cotton bags to refill.

Go bagless on grocery home deliveries.

Buy bread from bakeries that use paper bags or make your own bread. Here is a very simple sourdough recipe.

Make homemade cleaning products with bicarbonate of soda, lemon and vinegar. It honestly works wonders!

Buy reusable natural rubber gloves.

Use 100% cotton dishcloths. Simply wash and reuse over and over. They will be more long-lasting and less harmful to the environment when you throw them away.

Either make your own or buy locally made soaps, shower gels and hand washes to avoid plastic bottles.

Try using a biodegradable toothbrush and glass jarred powdered toothpaste.

Ladies! switch to 100% organic cotton tampons, it’s not just great for the planet but they are also bleach free!

Use vegan or beeswax wraps instead of clingfilm.

Ways To Reduce Food Waste.

Chop, portion and freeze food items that are coming to the end of the use by date.

Only stock up on dried foods and long-life foods such as grains, dried beans and tinned goods. Shop fresh fruit and vegetables daily.

Use the Olio app to give unwanted food items to people in need but please follow current government guidelines with social distancing.

Donate unwanted food to food banks. Homeless and vulnerable people are always in need.

Eat ALL your greens, yellows and reds! Don’t waste the tops and ends of vegetables such as beet tops, carrot tops, courgette flowers, turnip greens, celery tops and radish tops. They are delicious and many of them can be used for homemade pesto.

Use soft or browned fruit for baking or smoothies. The secret to a perfect banana bread/cake is using overripe bananas (the darker the better!).

Regrow your vegetables – you can regrow so many vegetables such as lettuce, pak choy, spring onions, carrot tops, garlic, celery, leeks and much more by placing them in water by the window.

Use onion skins and vegetable ends to make homemade stock.

Coffee grounds can be used as fertiliser or even as a mosquito repellent but if you mix coffee grounds with sugar and olive oil or coconut oil you have a perfect body scrub.

Use pumpkin or squash seeds for snacks by toasting with olive oil and salt.

Pickle and ferment to make food last longer. Treat yourself to The Noma Guide to Fermentation.

Add eggshells to dog food as it helps with their digestion. They can be used to grow seeds in as a zero-waste option and broken eggshells can be used for fertiliser too.

For all other food waste, compost it!

Ways to shop to be more sustainable.

Buy groceries from local farm shops, independent food grocers, farmers markets and local fruit and veg home deliveries.

Support local makers by going to makers markets, recommending them to friends and family and buying from their shops.

Buy secondhand goods from charity shops, bric-a-brac, vintage shops, car boot sales, Freecycle, Gumtree, Facebook marketplace or even Depop.

Buy less, choose well and make it last. The fine words of Vivienne Westwood. Purchase high-quality garments that will last for years and not just weeks or months. Find companies that offer lifetime guarantees such as Montane, Patagonia and Dr Marterns.

Learn to sew or use a local tailor to bring your clothes back to life. Did you know that you can have your favourite clothing made completely unique with either custom repairs, embroidery and sashiko?

Support companies that have ethical practices. Who use sustainable materials and aim to reduce their carbon footprint.

Purchase from organisations that give back to charities or the environment.

Buy electrical goods with a warranty or guarantee.

Buy biodegradable products as much as possible.

Ways to be more sustainable from home.

Wash your clothing at 30 degrees and use eco-friendly laundry liquid or even make your own. Don’t forget that you can refill cleaning products at local resource shops/refill stations.

Have your windows and doors sealed properly.

Air dry your clothes and opt out of using a tumble dryer.

Moving over to LED lightbulbs.

Change to a greener energy supplier such as Bulb.

Cut down on your energy use at home as much as possible.

Try to not use your car when leaving your home. Walk or ride a bike instead.

Eat less meat or even better go vegan! More than 30 per cent of the earth’s surface is being used for livestock and generates 65 per cent of human-related nitrous oxide, which has 296 times the GMP of CO2.

Recycle as much as possible.

Try going paperless. Banks and shops are now offering paperless options. Receipts are now available via email.

Store dried food in air sealed glass jars and refill at restore shops/refill stations when needed.

I also highly recommend an eco-friendly water filter for your home. I use and love Phoxwater filter, which has a refillable cartridge to eliminate single use plastic cartridges. The refillable cartridge filling is 100% biodegradable.

Well, that is it folks. I hope you have picked up some useful tips that will help you make some simple changes for the good of our planet.

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