Quick wins to be more eco-friendly at home
Like most you out there in lockdown I've mindlessly watched most of the Netflix archive, and for the most part it's done it's job in allowing me to wind down from an intense day of homeschooling while trying to keep the household chores in check. Yet as I sat there watching 'A Life On Our Planet' I couldn't help but succumb to complete dread of what is to come of our beautiful planet, and in turn my children's future and what we are leaving behind. A line from the teen activist Greta Thunberg UN Climate speech "The eyes of all future generations are upon you. And if you choose to fail us, I say - we will never forgive you" sprung to mind in that moment. And it got me asking myself 'I really doing enough?'
I know the feeling of eco-anxiety one gets when faced with how they can live greener, you can feel quite powerless, we understand that we need to reduce our carbon footprint and we as humans don't always get it right but we do find solutions and together we can turn things around.
Sir David Attenborough says the biggest thing you can do to make change is "Stop all waste! This is our last chance to save the planet." so maybe it's time we all heed those words.
As it's zero waste week I thought what better time than to write this post and aid my fellow busy babe by giving some tips at how they can do their bit.
You don't have to go zero waste overnight but if we think before we buy and only buy stuff we are actually going to use then that's already a huge change because the truth is it's not about a handful of people living zero waste perfectly but rather millions of people attempting zero waste imperfectly that's going to make the huge difference we need to save our planet.
Just having a go, If we all just try our best it will all add up, it's just about doing one switch at a time and then creating a habit you can be proud of.
As a consumer we actually do have more power than we think. By simply going for loose fruit over bagged, or choosing the wonky veg over the perfectly uniform supermarkets will be forced to make change and reduce the plastics and waste because of the pressure of you and I place on them with demand.
If you're feeling a tad overwhelmed a really great place to start is by getting on the Giki website which is a non for profit organisation which tries to inspire tangible changes that can become habitual and make a huge difference to your carbon footprint.
Can I use what I already have? The most sustainable purchase is nothing. So to automatically make a step towards change is to PRECYCLE before you buy, consciously think 'once I don't need it anymore will it go on to be rubbish or a resource?'
What are you saying yes to? small steps can make a huge difference if we take them together.
It can seem to be more expensive to a little more eco-friendly which can be a deterrent for a lot of people, but the good news is the more people choose ethical consumables the more prices with come down, but many of the decisions don't need to cost you anymore. Once you made the decision you'll find things on your radar and you may actually be surprised how much you can actually save making a simple switch.
Here are some quick win's you can try...
Buy a reusable coffee cup
This is all about building up a new habit. Set yourself a challenge to remember your cup the next time you leave the house. Once you’ve done that, do it again! Don’t stress though if you forget it a few times.
Buy a coffee refill cup that fits easily into the bag you carry most often to the coffee shop.
Benefits Some shops charge less if you have your own cup, some charge more if you don’t. Either way you can save every time you buy.
Cut waste and plastic Only 1 in 400 coffee cups gets recycled. This means that over 300 million go to landfill every single day.
Stop using single use plastic water bottles
Buy a refillable bottle and take it everywhere. Don’t have one yet? Use your last plastic bottle, they’re built to last for 500 years!
Benefits
Save money Why pay for something that comes out of the tap for free?
Cut back on plastic Globally we buy 1 million plastic bottles per minute but recycle only half of them. That means 250 billion of them end up in landfill?!
Better for the environment Bottled water has a carbon footprint that is almost 300 times that of tap water.
Use Canvas Bags or a washing basket instead of plastic bags.
Most stores offer a canvas bag alternative to their wasteful generic plastic and paper bags. Although a canvas bag might cost a small amount to acquire, they are actually much more useful than you might think.
Benefits
A canvas bag or laundry basket is sturdier than a traditional plastic or paper bag and can hold more goods, meaning less trips from your boot into the house. Long term it's way cheaper than forking out 20cents per bag.
Set Up a Home Recycling System
When I started to look at what my family were sending to landfill at home, it was obvious what I needed to do, set up a home recycling system.
A bin for landfill, a bin set up for recycling glass jars, aluminium, scrunched up foil, paper, cardboard and hard plastics to go into our recycling bin for kerbside collection. (Make sure that you rinse your jars or containers and scrunch your foil into a ball before recycling! For other do’s and don’ts on recycling be sure to check out this great blog here from one of my fav eco stores 'Seed&Sprout') a bin for soft plastics and one food waste .
Benefits
Big perks if we all do it, 4 billion trees are cut down every year to make paper. However, globally we only recycle about 50% of the paper we use. Less rubbish going to landfill, metal can be recycled forever, 75% of the aluminium ever made is still being used today. The more that gets recycled the less mining for the virgin materials is needed which is incredibly destructive to the local environment. Saves energy.
Change to plastic free periods
If you're someone who hasn't yet jumped on the bandwagon, menstrual products are one of the most common items found on beaches. In 100m the average beach has 4 of them and honestly despite it being so much better for the plant period undies and menstrual cups bloody amazing!!!! (forgive the pun).
Honestly I don't know how I've gone without them. I love my Bonds period undies, Thinx and my DivaCup I'm able to face my period with as little discomfort as possible while feeling good I'm helping the planet.
Benefits
Better for beaches. Save you money in the long term. Less plastic as up to 90% of a menstrual pad is plastic so moving to plastic free or reusable will cut plastic use.
Attempt a no landfill supermarket shop
As you unpack your next shop have a look at what goes in the bin, which parts could you change? Generally the less plastic the better. Try buying at zero waste stores like The Source Bulk Foods Zero waste shops are best for dried goods (pasta, rice, cereals, dried fruit) and refills for your cleaning products. If you preplan your meals every week you can be sure to use up all your ingredients in your fridge so less food is going into landfill. By buying reusable products like Un-Baking Paper you'll be surprised how much per year you'll save. Benefits Less plastic, less carbon, less money! The average household sends between 500 kg and a tonne of waste to landfill every year with lots of that coming from the supermarket shop. Supermarkets know what we buy, when we buy it and how much of it. The more people avoid badly packaged products the fewer of them they will stock.
Plastic is made from oil so less plastic means less oil being pumped out of the ground.
Encourage companies to change.
Swap to a plant based diet!
Believe it or not, cutting back on your consumption of meat can make a huge difference in the environment. More than 30 percent of the Earth’s surface is being used to raise and support livestock. Check out Veganuary. It is a great way to kick start your year and they have advice all year round on how to make the shift. Even just reducing your meat consumption to only 2-3 times a week will however make a difference.
Benefits A plant based diet (even an organic one) will save you money.
Reduce land use and deforestation A plant based diet uses much less land because you don’t need to grow all the animal feed that meat needs. A lot of animal feed is grown in Brazil and threatens the Amazon with wild fires and deforestation as land gets cleared for agriculture.
A vegan diet creates 45% less carbon emissions than a typical diet.
Recycle or compost all of your food waste
Avoiding food waste is best, recycling it is second and throwing it in the bin a distant third! Believe it or not but a lettuce head can take up to 25 years to decompose in a landfill. In a home compost, lettuce leaves can take less than a month to turn into healthy soil that can be used in your garden or on your house plants. Why go out and buy expensive compost when you could be creating your own with things you are throwing out anyway? If you garden at all, it really doesn’t make any sense NOT having a compost bin How to Compost No Matter Where You Live is a good read you can get a great compact compost Bin. So think about have a 'Left-overs' night and reusing your meals or share unused food by doing a weekly check of your cupboards and fridge to find food that’s not been eaten. Then eat it or share it.
Benefits Food farming is the third largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions but globally 1/3 of all the food produced doesn't even get eaten. Thats enough food to feed 3 billion people. It's easy to blame the supermarkets but 70% of that is from our own homes. The average person wastes 173kg of food per year with 70% from direct control within the home making it around 120kg. If 10,000 people reduced only 25% of that waste they would save 300 tonnes of food and for every tonne of food saved by being eaten that would save 4.2 tonnes of C02e which would be enough to drive 185 times around the world in an average car or heat 471 homes for a year. Seeing your food waste for a week will help you think about ways to cut back on waste and save on your shop. Someone will want what you don’t need. They’ll save money, you’ll save waste.
Use bars instead of gels.
Switch from shower gels, shampoos and conditioners to a bar alternative. They do actually work. Shampoo & Conditioner bars are a great alternative to bottles, buy one and try it out. I use these from 'Seed&Sprout' which can come in reusable tins or a simple refills as one of their bars is equivalent to 3.5 x 300ml bottles of shampoo.
Benefits
Cleaner bathroom with less plastic clutter. Save a huge amount of plastic as you’ll no longer need hair care bottles. Some shampoo bars are so good you don’t need conditioner. Bars tend to have more natural ingredients especially if you can find one made by smaller, local brands.
Find cleaning products with fewer or no harmful chemicals.
Be on the product look out for certifications and comments about environmental friendliness and use refills for cleaning products. Many zero waste shops now have cleaning product refills available or better yet make your own. So I joined 'Young Living' a little while ago because it's better for the environment and better for my family and most of cleaning applications use 30 parts water to only 1 part Thieves Household Cleaner which makes it way more cost effective as well.
Home made cleaners actually work but if you’re worried keep a bottle of normal cleaners in reserve.
White vinegar and baking soda make great cleaners. You can simply mix white vinegar and water in equal proportions in an old spray bottle and off you go. There's also an awesome home cleaning recipe guide with a single bottle of Thieves Household Cleaner. You can dodge the chemicals and buy the full range of base ingredients and oils HERE I suggest the 'Healthy Home Bundle' to get you started.
Benefits You know what you’re spraying. The ingredients list of most cleaning products is often not really the full list (which companies have to show on a website somewhere) so with your own you can have more confidence in what you are spraying around. Save on plastic as you can reuse your old bottles. Some cleaning products contain "volatile organic chemicals" which have been linked to breathing problems, your home made products will be free of them. Better for fish and other animals.
Less chemical pollution and save a ton of money. With washing up liquid, washing detergent and household cleaning products many households can use over 30 different products every year Good Housekeeping home made cleaners Buying refills, especially larger ones, is often cheaperUseful links Fill for glass bottle refillables
Embrace a mindful wardrobe
Keep Vivienne Westwood’s mantra of “buy less, choose well” in mind. Breaking the consume-and-chuck cycle. Don’t succumb to the pressure of having to be seen in a different outfit every time you have an event. As soon a garnet catches your eye ask yourself. Will I wear it 30 times or more?’ If you can’t committo wearing a new garment or accessory at least 30 times, walk on by. Similarly, ask yourself what an item will go with. Can you wear it in four different ways with clothes you already own? Be strategic. If there’s a gap in your wardrobe – say you need a white shirt – research the ultimate white shirt for you and don’t invest until you’ve found it.
Buy clothing made from organic cotton or wool
Organic clothing does tend to cost more so buy better, but less often to keep the costs down. A lot of organic cotton farmers rely on rain to water their cotton, instead of having to extract water from the ground which can put pressure on water supplies in local communities. Organic cotton has been estimated to emit 46% less greenhouse gas than non-organic. Less pesticides, as organic farmers use natural methods like crop rotation to control pests and diseases, not chemical cocktails. Hazardous synthetic pesticides used in non-organic farming can damage ecosystems, poison waterways and endanger workers who cannot always afford safety equipment needed to protect them. Conventional cotton alone is responsible for 16% of all insecticides sold worldwide.
Buy second hand clothes
Save money, look unique. Not only are second hand clothes cheaper but you’ll have your own look too.
Better for the environment, as a typical item of clothing takes 10 kg of carbon to make which you can avoid with second hand clothes. Anything made from polyester comes from oil so you’ll be cutting back on fossil fuels too. Saves a lot of water, as a typical items of clothing takes over 3000 litres of water to make, mainly from growing cotton. Buying second hand means that water goes further as the clothing gets used again and again
Repair your clothes
There's so many tips on how to repair clothes and if your clothes are really beyond repair you can still recycle them.
Just add two cups of freshly brewed black coffee to a wash to darken and refresh the colour if black clothes appear faded.
To stop threads unravelling, paint buttons with clear nail varnish.
Visit the cobbler they can breathe new life into tired shoes.
Try life without next day delivery for 3 months
Next time you want something immediately before you click the purchase button ask yourself, "Can I do without it? If not can I buy it locally?".
For clothing think about how many times you’re going to wear it in the coming months.
Benefits
Save money, repairing is usually cheaper than buying. Save carbon and water The fashion industry accounts for 10% of all greenhouse gases. That’s more than 5 times the emissions from flying! It also uses generates 20% of all waste water worldwide.
Learn new skills. Less new stuff being made. Every item you swap is one less new item you have to buy which cuts back on the carbon emissions from having to make it. Save money- Swapping is free!
Sharing is caring
Swap, barter, lend or borrow from friends. You don’t always have to possess something to enjoy it.
Every year the average woman buys 12 pieces of clothing that they don’t wear. If you make a mistake (easily done), try to find that piece a new home where it will be loved. Facebook Market, Poshmark, DesignerX.... there are so many things you can use to either lend or sell. Swap things like clothes by hosting a night where everyone can bring their clothes they no longer want but making sure they go to a good home while getting some new things to wear. Before you buy furniture so if what you're looking for is on Marketplace.
Kids toys are a great for swapping as someone else’s toys feel like new ones for you. School friends and cousins are a good place to find swappers, even toy libraries.
Got loads of books you’ve read? Ask a friend to do a book swap and offer them a selection so they can find the perfect new read. You can share your old baby clothes and toys with friends.
Benefit Each kilo of clothes you share saves over 20kg of carbon that would be been used to make new ones.
Better for the environment Finding a home for your baby clothes could double their useful life saving carbon emissions and water.
Help new parents, as new parents need all the help they can get so saving them a few pounds is a big boost. Save money.
Buy local fruit, veg and meat. Go organic or grow your own.
It’s hard to buy everything organic so just go for as much as you can. Transport is a relatively small part of your food’s footprint so to make a difference you need to go properly local. Try to source food that comes from within 50 miles of your home.
Keep it seasonal. Even if the food is local buying in season is still important to avoid greenhouse growing.
Benefits
Organic farming means no artificial fertilisers and pesticides. Too much fertiliser leads to run off which can create "dead zones" in rivers and in estuaries where too much algae suffocates the fish. 95% of our food comes from soil but 40% of all agricultural soils are seriously degraded due to the effects of conventional farming.
Organic farms have 50% more plants, insects and wildlife.
Better for birds and bees. Support your local farmers places like Gippsland are an incredible food bowl. By shopping locally at farms and markets you keep money in your area, which helps to sustain local producers and create local jobs. It's fresh and healthy and ripe fruit and veg contains the most nutrients and local produce is more likely to have been picked recently. Local produce is more likely to be in season.
Organic food does cost more because the farmers cannot use chemicals on your food to help it grow. However, it’s also not covered in chemicals. Here's a great guide to grow your own Vegetables to grow as a beginnerStarting a new vegetable patch
Avoid plastic wet wipes
Sometimes you need a wet wipe, but sometimes a flannel and some water will do.BenefitsSave money A pack of wet wipes costs the same as a flannel. However, the flannel will last a lot longer. Fewer fatbergs 90% of blocked sewers are due to wet wipes not fat! Help keep the water flowing by avoiding plastic wet wipes. I used these reusable wipes for my kids Cheeky Wipes Benefits Less plastic, every year over $6 billion is spent on wet wipes which means thousands and thousands of tonnes of plastic. Every pack you avoid saves plastic both for the wipes and the packaging it comes in
Eco friendly presents
Avoid giving unwanted presents and using any non recyclable wrapping paper. This tends to be shiny, or sparkly
Tape used to stick presents is often plastic and takes hundreds of years to decompose. Use string, wool, or re-use ribbons (you can iron them to get rid of creases!)
Brown paper and string is a good starting point. You can also use pages from your favourite magazine or newspaper. Old shoes boxes and used tissue paper are good for items you want to box up.
Plan and research before you buy. That way you can really think what would be appreciated, rather than going for an impulse buy. Clothing, cosmetics and fragrances are the most unwanted gifts.
Consider experiences for those who don’t really want anything, or plants, subscriptions, or home-baked gifts can also be popular
When it comes to presents, big doesn’t mean better! It’s best to choose the right present, rather than feel that it’s all about the volume or price of what you give. Try doing a White Elephant Christmas gift exchange rather than buying a present for everyone.
Benefits Avoiding plastic tape reduces waste to landfill, as they are not recyclable. Helps reduce waste and carbon emissions generated through the production of unwanted gifts.
Save trees being cut down If all the wrapping paper we used at Christmas were laid out flat, it would reach the moon!
Remember the power is in your hands, I hope you're feeling inspired before your next purchase!
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