Living a greener lifestyle isn’t as hard as you might think, you just need to ride the first baby wave and you’ll soon be surfing a tsunami! There are over 60 million people living in the UK and if everyone made a small change, it could do the world of good. So, here are our top tips for living sustainably…
Refill – there has been a sharp rise in zero-waste shops all over the UK – you can now take old jars and bottles to top up your herbs, shampoo, oil, cereal and much more! Find your nearest refill shop here.
Reuse – since the 5p plastic bag charge was introduced there has been a 55% drop in plastic bags found on UK beaches. Make sure you have a stash of reusable shopping bags in your car or handbag for any shopping trips.
Meat – cutting down your meat consumption could help reduce the greenhouse gases that livestock generate. Try adopting Meat Free Monday, an initiative started by Paul and Stella McCartney – you might be surprised at the tasty recipes!
Fish – take a look at the Good Fish Guide from our friends at the Marine Conservation Society. Available online and as a web app for smartphones, the Good Fish Guide helps consumers make the most sustainable choices of seafood.
Tumble dryer – dramatically reduce your household energy consumption by cutting your tumble dryer use, dry your clothes in the sunshine and get fresh smelling laundry like you wouldn’t believe or hang on a clothes dryer around the house.
Drinks – drinks containers are one of the most found items on our beaches; make sure you have a reusable water bottle and coffee cup to cut down on your single-use plastic consumption.
Bulk buy – purchasing items like eco-friendly toilet roll in bulk saves money and cuts down on transport costs.
Fashion – try to avoid the throwaway culture and buy quality items that last, there are also numerous fashion labels that are creating garments from sustainable materials.
Washing – there is a common misconception that lower temperatures will not properly wash your clothes, but many big label washing powder brands boast powerful cleaning action even in a cold wash. Reducing the temperature of your clothes wash reduces your household energy consumption. Find out more about washing and plastic microfibres on the Marine Conservation Society’s Stop Ocean Threads web page.
Cleaning – many eco-friendly cleaning products are made using natural ingredients which are healthier for the planet and more cost effective, and you might even prefer the smell. They are also often safer for you and can do just as good a job as processed chemicals.
Wet wipes – these can be a huge problem if accidentally flushed down the toilet as they can cause blockages and are often made up of microplastics. You can try reusable wipes which you can pop in the wash with your normal load. Or if you want the convenience of single use wipes check the packaging and look out for the ‘Fine to Flush’ logo – these are bio-degradable and much kinder to oceans.
Now you’ve made it through our top tips for living sustainably, the next thing to do is swap your standard toilet paper to Oceans plastic-free toilet paper.
