In honour of Future Girl Acts week, we've made a list of the top 10 ways to be more eco-friendly. This is a continuation of our Top 10: ways to reduce your plastic waste blog previously published on The Hive, so be sure to check that out too!
1. Reduce single-use plastic
Think of all the times that you've been out and bought a plastic water bottle, used it and then thrown it away. Then consider that many people do this almost every day. That’s a lot of waste! Our first switch is a simple one and it is to purchase a quality, reusable water bottle that you can refill every morning rather than buy a new one each time.
2. Turn off energy
We all use a lot of energy every day and it's very easy to leave your television on while you go out or forget to turn a light off, but it can make a real difference. Did you know that 500kg of carbon dioxide is used to power a 100W (incandescent) light bulb for a year? That is an astonishingly high figure - and it's easy to switch off a light.
3. Eat less meat
Cutting down on your meat intake can rapidly reduce your carbon footprint. Even if you cut out red meat for one day a week, it’s a great first step to making a change. Struggling to think of meat-free alternatives? Check out our vegan recipes!
4. Less food waste and compost
Whenever we cook, we tend to have a lot of waste left over, and the majority of us probably just throw it in the bin. However, many common ingredients that we don’t use in our day-to-day cooking can be re-used to make other delicious meals - just check out this blog to see how!
5. Recycle whenever you can
We’ve all heard the phrase “Reduce, Re-use and Recycle", but how many of us actually do it? Separating your plastics, glass and paper so that it can be recycled is incredibly important and it is actually not too difficult to do once you get into the habit.
6. Fix, don’t throw!
You buy a lovely new t-shirt and wear it all the time until one day, you rip it. You're faced with two options: either toss it and buy a new one or grab your needle and thread and stitch it up (hint: go with option 2!). Not only is this a great way to save money but you can develop useful repair skills and help the environment at the same time.
7. Use eco cleaning products
Cleaning products can be very harmful to the environment. But don't worry, there are alternatives that you can use! The video below gives some great tips for a greener clean.