10 ways you can be more sustainable in 2021
Whether or not you are one to make new year’s resolutions you may like to consider adopting new habits for the good of our environment and planet. From using reusable shopping bags to planning ahead and investing in reusable period products, there’s so much that you can today, to create a better tomorrow.
1. Eat Locally
Online shopping with big supermarkets is convenient but not sustainable for the survival of small shops and local business. If you are able try to shop locally as often as you can. Shopping locally, means that the products have not travelled around the globe to get to you but, are sourced locally with a much smaller CO2 footprint and do not contain a huge amount of plastic compared to larger shops.
2. Leave disposables in the past
When shopping consider the live expectancy of the item in question. For example how many times can you usee the item before you throw it in the bin? It’s a great practice to start invest in reusable products for the items that you use often and end up throwing away. A couple of things that you could replace today are plastic cups, disposable period pads and tampons, plastic straws and food storage containers. It does not matter if you cannot make all the changes at one, start with one item and gradually convert your house into a re-usable zone.
3. Resell and donate
What you may consider to be trash, another person may find a use for. Before throwing away things that work and can be used again, try asking your friends and family if perhaps they can find a use for the item. Donate clothes to charity and place any other items such as TVs or even furniture on places like Facebook market. Give your old things a chance to find a new home.
4. Switch to reusable water bottles
Water is essential to life and whilst tap water is not everyone’s favourite, it may be worth investing in a water filter that can not only save you money but can also save thousands of plastic bottles from being used once and then disposed.
5. Air dry and spot-clean your clothes
Washing and drying your clothes in a washing machine/dryer uses a lot more energy than you realise. You can easily dry your clothes in the sun during spring or summer and dry your clothes on radiators instead in winter. Did you also know that you can hand wash your WUKA pants and then dry them inside out on a radiator?
6. Invest in re-usable period products
City to Sea estimates that every single day in the UK about 2.5 million tampons, 1.4 million pads, and 700,000 panty liners are flushed down the toilet. The great thing about your WUKA pants is that they will last you for around 2 years! All packaging is plastic free and de-compostable.
7. Use Eco-Friendly Toilet Paper
Fun fact: it takes about 17 trees and 90,921 litres of water to make a ton of paper rolls! On average how many do you think you use a year? About 100 rolls! We’re not saying to stop using toilet paper but consider switching to eco-friendly toilet paper made from bamboo. Bamboo grows 39 inches in 24 hours and so is a much more sustainable option than regular toilet paper.
8. Compost your food waste
Composting your leftovers takes much less effort than you think. You will need a container or box to freeze any unused food and a composting area outside ready for when your container is full. A composting area can be as simple as a hole in the ground that you fill up or even a worm bin if you don’t have a garden.
9. Use your body more and car less
Drive as little as you can and when walking is not an option, use public transport. From the moment you start your car, carbon dioxide starts to be released into the atmosphere which further contributes to the greenhouse effect and global warming. You can do your part for your own health and that of the planet by choosing to walk or cycle whenever possible.
10. Deny all plastic bags
With the abundance of fancy reusable shopping bags, there really is no reason to rely on plastic bags. Remember to put a few by the door so that you don’t forget when you go shopping.
It’s all those little things that add up and create a bigger picture, if you only try one of those tips, you are already making a step to a greener future.
