SUSTAINABLE LIVING

If you’re interested in becoming more sustainable, reducing your carbon footprint and living a more sustainable lifestyle, there are countless ways in which you can do this. Things that will help you to have a more positive impact on the planet. From buying less in general, to reducing your plastic waste – and so much in between. Sustainable living has become so much easier over the last few years with more companies choosing sustainable products and materials where possible.

However, sustainable living is more than just what you buy, it’s more about how you choose to live your life as a whole. The good news is that these days it’s possible to change just about everything to a more sustainable option. Whether it’s how you travel, your diet, even how you do your recycling. You don’t even need a huge bank account to become more sustainable, you could even save money by switching to sustainable living. Sustainable living, or green living as it’s sometimes referred to, is a very broad term for living a lifestyle that doesn’t deplete the planet of its natural resources. Cutting down trees and killing animals and insects for example. Sustainable living means reducing our demand for things like non-renewable energy sources. Instead, opting for the use of renewable resources, and only using what we really need. An example of this would be commercial fishing with huge trawlers, depleting the ocean of all sea-life. A better option would be to line catch a single fish when we plan to eat it. There would be no waste, and mammals such as Dolphins, Sharks and Turtles wouldn’t get killed for no reason. It’s all about making better, healthier choices for the planet. Examples of this could be to – only buy products made from recycled materials, avoid fast fashion, shop at local markets. A great money saving one is to make sure your home isn’t consuming water and energy you don’t really need. * Turning off plug sockets when not in use * Not leaving electrical items on stand-by * Having shorter showers * Don’t leave the tap running while brushing your teeth * Only using the washing machine with full loads

Sustainable living is all about doing what we can to reduce our own contribution to climate change. If we all carry on the way we are, scientists believe the planet will be beyond repair within the next 50 years – how scary is that! Whether you’re still here or not, think about your children, and their children – what kind of world will we be leaving for them? We are all stewards of the planet, looking after it while we’re here, before passing it on to future generations. I would hate to think we were the generation that killed an entire planet! Take A Look At Your Washing Washing machines and clothes dryers come with a rather large environmental price tag these days due to the energy they need to run, along with the amount of water they consumer per wash. However, there are many ways you can change your clothes washing habits to be more sustainable. Where possible, wash your clothes on a 30 degree wash, no higher:

● Wear clothes longer so you do fewer washes ● Switch your washing machine to a front loader rather than a top loader ● Choose shorter washing cycles – yours may have an eco or time save option ● Wash clothes on a colder wash – no more than 30 degrees ● Switch to natural detergents

Do You Have To Drive?

A great way to reduce your carbon footprint is to use your car as little as possible, or to car share if you need to. Instead, perhaps you could walk, get public transport, or even ride your bike. The more you use your car, the more you’ll be damaging the environment due to the pollution being emitted from your vehicle. If you have long commutes to and from work, perhaps you could look in to doing a car share with anyone else from your area. If that isn’t an option then perhaps public transport such as trains or buses might work for you. Even once or twice a week if not using your car would be beneficial to the environment. Do you remember how quiet the roads were during lockdown – wouldn’t it be great to have it like that one day!

Ditch The One Use Plastic

One of the worst contributors to the environment is plastic. Especially one-use plastic items such as straws, coffee cups and plastic bags. It’s estimated over 385 million tons of plastic was produced in 2015 alone! This number is said to have almost doubled since then, so it’s not getting any better. However, the good news is people and companies are starting to make changes. Reusable alternatives are now becoming more popular, and more widely available. From reusable travel coffee mugs, glass and metal straws and a plethora of reusable shopping and produce bags.

Switch To Sustainable Fashion

When you hear people talk about sustainable fashion, it can be hard to know what they really mean. Sustainable fashion could mean any of the following… ● Opting for products made in your country ● Items are ethically made using sustainable resources and materials ● Clothing that can be worn for years ● Buying secondhand whenever possible is the ultimate goal. To produce less from new, use what we already have for longer periods of time, and recycle what we can’t use anymore.

Of course the best example of sustainable living is to make what you can yourself, using what you already have at hand. This means you don’t have to buy anything new, or travel anywhere to get the items. It also means you can use up something that would have gone to waste.

Whether it’s turning an old pillow case into a handkerchief, or growing your own fruit and veggies. Using old socks as hand-warmers, cutting a pair of trousers down into shorts…etc. Anything you have at home can be made into something that you can continue to use again and again. You could even make your own cleaning solutions instead of buying bottles of chemical filled cleaners. Or use old coffee grounds as a delicious body scrub. You just need to think outside the box!

Eat Plant Based

Did you know, eating vegan, or plant based for just one day a week can save the equivalent of 1,160 miles worth of fuel! Surely if nothing else, doing this is worth it just to save you all that money on petrol/diesel. Reduce Your Food Waste

Did you know, approximately 30-40% of of all food ends up as waste, filing up landfill sites, which equates to around 130 million pounds of waste per year in the US alone. If you are able to, composting is the best way to get rid of any waste you do accumulate as it provides nutrients back in to the soil. By doing this, you are also helping to reduce the amount of methane gas released into the air. Methane gas is also another major factor in the effects of climate change, so needs to be stopped where possible. One misconception is that by putting any food waste you have into your food bins, you’re helping the environment. This actually isn’t the case at all, as this food goes onto those landfills and causes the methane gases to be released. If you can, compost your food where possible to do your bit for the environment.