We're all trying to do our bit to help make the world a better place - from cutting out single use plastics to turning off the lights when we leave the room - every small action adds up to big change. There are a whole host of little changes everyone could make that really do make a difference. Here are a few ideas for changes we can all make today to make the world just a little bit better for the future...
Recycle
We know, recycling is not a solution to all our waste problems (it's better to skip the single-use plastics altogether). But if you’re going to recycle, please ensure you do it correctly! Otherwise, you may end up doing more harm than good. Recycle Now has all the information you could possibly need including what can and can't be recycled, how to recycle specific items and where in your local area to find different recycling facilities. The best thing you can do is repurpose items rather than recycling them - try and reuse cardboard boxes, glass jars and even plastic bottles before you recycle them to help extend their life even further.
Driving Habits
We all know it is best to walk or take public transport but that’s not always possible. By changing how you drive you can cut down on your harmful emissions and ensure you get the most miles possible out of the fuel that you’re using. Adding a liquid fuel catalyst to your car can help reduce emissions. Cutting down your speed can also have an impact on your emissions. Did you know that a car travelling at 60mph uses on average 10% less fuel than a car driving at 70mph? If you can change your schedule so that you can car-share, that can be a really great option too as 1 car on the road is better than 2!
Easy Donations
There are some great places out there that make it really, really easy to donate to great causes without having to put in a second of your time! For example, Ecosia is a search engine that invests their advertising revenue into projects that plant trees. It works exactly the same way as Google, Yahoo, Bing, Firefox or any other browser that you usually use. By doing something as simple as changing your search engine you can make the world a greener place, one tree at a time! If you travel a lot you can also offset your emissions by making a donation towards climate crisis causes. There are plenty of websites online to do this for you, and many airlines even offer this service directly when you purchase your ticket. Ecologi is also a really easy way to donate a little money each month towards helping the environment and reducing your carbon footprint.
Food Choices
Meal planning is a really great way to reduce food waste and even save yourself a little money too. Buying locally sourced produce also helps to reduce your carbon foot print. Eating more plant-based meals is also a fantastic option, not just for the emissions saved but also for the animals. Did you know that meat-eaters are responsible for almost twice as many dietary greenhouse-gas emissions per day as vegetarians and about two and a half times as many as vegans? Any food you do need to get rid of, be sure to dispose of properly. If you can, use a food waste bin or compost your own food waste. If the food is still edible, consider using apps like Olio where you can give away unwanted food to others who can make use of it.
Changing Energy Providers
Everybody needs energy for their homes, and there’s an awful lot of choice out there when it comes to picking a provider. It is important to think about where the energy comes from and how it is generated. It can be simple to change your energy provider to someone more environmentally friendly, and it can also be a financially beneficial option too. You can read more about greener energy suppliers here. It may also be worth looking into upgrading your utilities at home as they may not be running as efficiently as possible. There is also an increasing number of banks that support and invest in environmental projects and renewable energy, without charging you any extra. You can read more about the different banks here.
Cut out fast fashion
Save money and save the planet by buying less and buying good quality. Fast fashion is one of the most wasteful industries on the planet. Research shows that a garbage truck’s worth of clothing and textiles is landfilled or incinerated every second. Every. Single. Second. There are thousands of tonnes of clothes currently sitting in landfill, producing greenhouse gases as they break down, wasting the vast amount of resources used to create them. Our current clothing industry is incredibly polluting, resource-intensive and wasteful as well as mostly unethical. Consider shopping second-hand to help keep perfectly good clothes out of landfill and even save yourself some cash! Charity shops, bootfairs and online platforms such as depop, Vinted and eBay are great for finding pre-loved fashionable treasures.