Eco-Friendly Living – Actionable Tips

**In Collaboration** 

When it comes to living a more eco-friendly life, it is lots of little steps that add up to one big one. The best thing is that usually being more green and eco-minded means you are likely to save some money too. But it can be challenging to know where to start, so here are some tips to help you along the way.

Food Waste

There is an astonishing amount of food waste every year, in fact, there is twice as much food per person produced – so it stands to reason there would be much more waste than is ideal. In the UK alone there are 7.3 million tonnes of food left to waste. This isn’t just about food waste though, there is a lot of CO2 being created in landfills. So the best tip that can save money, time and food is – make meal plans. When you purchase only what you need, you will use it, and there will be less waste. 

Compost

Sometimes plans get in the way, and we don’t cook what we had intended, and there is a little bit of waste. So, rather than putting it in the bin, start composting instead. It will be a fantastic natural fertilizer for your garden and will reduce the amount of waste that will hit the landfills. It breaks down differently, and there will not be a methane gas build-up. 

Solar 

Make hay while the sun shines – or make electricity. You can get some solar panels fitted, which will have a decent yearly impact on your electricity usage. Initially, there is some cost involved, but if you are using less grid electricity and creating more of your own, that is something to feel good about. Work with a great solar company to work out what will be best for your home and usage. 

Trees

There are a lot of initiatives that when you make a purchase with the company, they plant a tree or multiple trees when you make a purchase with them. If you have room in your garden than permission to do so, then you should plant some native trees. 

Buy Local

There will be a lot of farmers markets close by, which you can take advantage of. The fresh produce will be fantastic quality and more often than not free of pesticides. It is worth noting that there will be less of an impact by the carbon emissions during long-distance transportation. Putting money into the local economy will mean that the whole area will benefit. 

Turn It Off

Of course, have all been told for years that putting things into standby mode is fine. But really, you should be turning it off. Standby is still using energy, and needlessly too. Of course for things like fridges, freezers can’t be turned off. However, TVs, computers and other things can all be turned off. You’ll see a significant improvement in your energy bills too. 

Eco-Tech

If you have some spare cash, then you might want to go further than simply making changes in your home. You should consider investing in eco-friendly technology. The more support that smaller companies get when creating new products that will improve how much energy the average home uses, the more likely we will see a rise in the number of homes going eco. Accessibility and price make a difference. 

Meat

Not eating meat won’t change the world, and many people just aren’t ready to give up bacon. So instead of cutting it out completely, you might consider just cutting back a little bit. Cutting back a few servings of red meat is going to positively impact your overall carbon footprint. The less red meat, particularly beef that people are eating, the better. The super-popular cut of meat costs 28 more times the land that pigs or chickens. And that results in 5 times more climate-warming emissions. 

Of course, you might just choose to cut back rather than cut out – every little help though. 

Recycle

The first thing you think of when you think about going eco, the first thing that pops into your head will be recycling. Which is great! Even if you are already recycling, there is probably more you could be doing. Many people now opt to add multiple lidded boxes to drawers or cupboards in the kitchen and use them as the first stop for recycling. It is wise to add a label to the top and if you have children get them involved too. Remembering to clean out your tins, glass, and plastics that have had meat in might seem like a pain, but it is more helpful to the process. Ensuring that you only purchase things that can be recycled will make your job much easier too. 

Grow Yours 

If you are already making compost, then it makes sense for you to start growing your own fruits and vegetables. It is a great way to cut your carbon footprint even further down and cut the cost of your shopping. While you might not be able to grow hundreds of tomatoes and peppers, you might be able to grow enough to use some of your gardens produce every other week. If you don’t have a lot of room, you will be fine to try growing herbs and smaller veggies that require less room in your kitchen or in a window box. 

Bulbs

Switching out all of your bulbs for LED ones, they last longers than standard bulbs and are more efficient with how they use energy too. You won’t need to buy bulbs as often, and they come in a whole host of brightnesses, so there are a lot of choices. 

Becoming more eco-friendly is one of the best things you can do for your wallet and the environment. In fact, once you get started, people around you will often begin to make changes too. Which means you’ll be having a much more significant impact than you might think.