With it being the last few days of Fairtrade fortnight, we thought we should offer some long term changes. Suggesting the best eco-friendly tips that can be integrated into any lifestyle. Allowing you to lead a greener life. Wanting to embrace sustainable living is great, but knowing how to is a different ball game. Which is why we have rounded up our 15 best sustainability tips for sustainable living.
Our Advice For Sustainable Living
Start by making smaller changes that fit into your current lifestyle. Once you start doing that then you will realise that it becomes easier to integrate bigger changes. This is because you will be ready to make these changes, or they have automatically started from the smaller changes.
10 Smaller Sustainable Living Changes
Make Your Own Cleaning Cloths
If you have some pure cotton clothes ready to hit the charity shop why not cut them down. Make squares of 40cm by 40cm and you have a great addition to your cleaning kit!
Vinegar Is Your Best Friend
Whether it be to descale you kettle the green way, or clean the limescale off your taps. Vinegar is a great addition to your cleaning kit when looking at sustainable living, it really is a great alternative for harsh chemical descalers. Tip – Never use vinegar on gold.
Switch Off Appliances
We’ve all heard this one but it really does make a difference. It will lower you electricity bill and help the environment, you’ve just got to make it a habit.
Make The Most Of Your Freezer
When we consider food waste, your freezer should be your power move. Keep an eye on food’s ‘use by’ dates and consider if you will get a chance to eat them before they spoil. If the answers no then it’s time to move it from the fridge to the freezer. Plus throw in some left overs and you have some end of the month dinners ready and bonus it almost feels free!
Look Out For ‘Home Compostable’
A lot of items will say they are biodegradable. But there isn’t much information to back this claim up. Just because it says it’s biodegradable isn’t to say how long, or what conditions it needs to degrade. Instead look for ‘home compostable’, where there are stricter criteria.
Use Bees Wraps
These are an alternatives for clingfilm (which can take hundreds of years to break down). Bees wraps comprise of cotton sheets dipped into warmed bees wax, some are scented with oils and some add bonds like tree resin. But just the cloth and bees wax will do it. You can then wash them and recover when you need a free one. If you don’t fancy making them they are readily available online.
Remember Your Reusable Bags
This one kills me! I have since moved them into my car and still find myself going back n too to the store because I’ve forgotten then. But, putting them in your car is a real game changer. What is now a 1 minute trip back to my car makes a world of difference. Plus some by the front door, no more out of sight out of mind.
Give Pre-loved gifts!
It’s important to note this doesn’t mean your own preloved items, but why not look for something second hand for your friends/family. This way they can end up with a unique piece that matches them! You don’t have to break the bank to make someone happy, and stay sustainable.
Grow Your Own
With the warmer weather coming then make the most of it and start your own vegetable patch. There are so many great reasons to do this, if you have a family it’s a lovely bonding exercise, fresh ALWAYS tastes best, and it adds a rainbow of colours to your garden. I could keep going on but they are my favourite points and I don’t want to bore you.
Shorter Showers
If there are four people in your household, and everyone takes one minute of their shower you can save £75 in electricity bills. As well as cut your carbon emission. Sometimes sustainable living can also be economical living.
5 Bigger Sustainable Living Changes
These take a bit more forethought and planning, but are still incredibly manageable and realistic changes.
Make Your Own Compost
This isn’t too big of a step, but learning how to do it properly takes time!
Switch To A Smart Thermostat
Not only is this a great way to keep on top of your own bills, especially with the changes in price. But it also allows you to be more in control of putting it on when you need it. Preventing excessive use. Some brands even track that your phone is out of the house and will turn the heating off so that it’s not heating without you present.
Insulate Your Hot Water Tank
The best part of some of these times for more sustainable living is that they can save you money. By insulating your hot water tank you will be saving yourself £20 a year on energy bills; plus reducing your carbon footprint! Win – win.
Have A Water Metre Fitted
If you get a water metre fitted you can save up to 30 litres of water per day that those without. Water suppliers should be able to provide this service and fit it free of charge if you request it, providing there are no additional plumbing charges or issues.
Cut Down On Meat & Dairy
This is not to say you need to turn vegetarian or vegan, it is just that by lower your consumption of meat, fish and/or dairy you will be helping in maintaining a more sustainable life. One way to skip meat and fish is look at having vegetarian lunches, consider pasta, or in the summer salads. Also it doesn’t have to be stop cold turkey and say no to all of them, if you are having a curry and you usually add meat to pad it out why not use additional veg?
Other Blogs To Look At For Sustainable Living
What Does Sustainability Mean To Preloved
