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Sustainable Living ideas

Sustainable Living – Are We Going Back to Basics?

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Something I’ve noticed since I started making eco-friendly swaps was how we seemed to be going backwards in terms of sustainable living – not in a bad way.

There are certain things we did decades ago that seems to have quietly disappeared and are starting to make a bit of a comeback.

Loose Leaf Tea

When I was little, I always remember my Mum making tea with loose tea leaves. According to tea.co.uk, Tetley brought tea bags to the UK in the 1950s. Despite their popularity in the US due to the convenience, by the 1960s, they only made up less than 3% of the British market but has been growing steadily since then.

As an adult, I always made sure I had tea bags until I found out some bags were made from plastic and couldn’t be composted. Sustainable living, this is not!

Silver Round Accessory With Storage with loose tea leaves
Photo by koko rahmadie: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silver-round-accessory-with-storage-227908/

Some people I know have moved back to loose tea leaves, myself included, but the cost of loose tea leaves needs to be a lot lower than tea bags to make any kind of impact on companies to encourage them to offer loose tea leaves at a more affordable price.

Buying in bulk can help !

Safety Razors for sustainable living

This is another one. This product has been around for well over 100 years. I always remember an episode of Downton Abbey where someone asked for some safety razor blades.

In the last 30-40 years, disposable razors have come a really long way. They include flexible heads, multipacks, lubricating strips, rubber handle grips and available in various colours.

Once the blade is blunt, you have the option of either replacing the whole razor with a brand new one or just replace the head, both options are wasteful and no friend to the environment.

Disposable razors are made up of different materials which can be difficult to separate: Rubber for the grips/handle, metal for the blades, the remaining parts are made of plastic. Sadly, the only place they can go is landfill. In 2019, about 5.5 million people used disposable razors. That’s one massive razor landfill.

Safety razors are great sustainable living alternative because you only replace the blade which is, I think, affordable. I’ve seen a pack of 10 double edged refill blades for £2 in Boots. Also, if you look after the rest of the razor, it can last a very long time.

Mending Clothes for eco-friendly living

I was never taught how to sew a button or repair a hole in my clothes. It appears that ‘make do and mend’ is slowly making a coming back.

Clothes in certain shops are so cheap that they don’t tend to last that long. This has led us to become a throw away society.

Learning how to mend your clothes should be a life skill for both girls and boys. I know people who have thrown a shirt away because they can’t sew the button back on.

Green Yellow Red Needle Pin and Safety Pins for sustainable living
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/green-yellow-red-needle-pin-and-safety-pins-37631/

There are countless posts and videos on social media showing you how to mend your clothes and even how to make your own clothes. There are some really creative ways to mend clothes. I’ve been trying to learn how to darn my socks! I’m not that great but I’m getting there – really slowly.

Milk Deliveries

When I was younger, I remember my Dad jokingly saying that he never met the milkman. Milk would be delivered to the doorstep and he would put a cheque in the empty bottles for payment. Milk deliveries have made a comeback.

Before lockdown, we had someone knock on the door telling us about a new milk delivery service coming to the area. I was a little skeptical at first but he was so incredibly passionate about this service we gave it a go.

It was brilliant I even wrote a blog about it.

We’ve moved to a new area so this is on my list to find a new delivery service.

What other things are making a comeback?

If you’re looking for ways to reduce your household waste, check out my free download.

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These are some ideas that work for me but may not work for everyone. Here are my terms & conditions for further reading

Self-care, Sustainable Living ideas

How to Overcome Barriers to Sustainable Living

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As we are learning more and more about the effects humans are having on climate change, the number of individuals opting to live sustainably is steadily growing. Making conscious changes to your lifestyle is key. However, in a world where we are reliant on the things that are bad for the environment and sustainable alternatives aren’t always readily available, it’s not as easy as it should be. These barriers can be difficult to overcome.

I think back about when I started sustainable living and tried making so many changes in one go. I ended up becoming overwhelmed and I did everything badly – it starts with changing habits. After failing miserably, I starting again but this time I tackled one habit at a time.

Old Habits

This was the biggest barrier for me to overcome. It starts with habits. Have you ever tried to give up something you’ve been doing for a long time? Smoking? Drinking? It’s like that. You will do things automatically because that’s how you’ve done it and that’s how your brain and learnt that habit. The great thing is habits can be broken and new ones learnt.

Apparently, it takes between 20 – 30 days to break a habit and starting with one thing is key (don’t make my mistake!). Start with something small like switching your plastic razor to a safety razor. I’ve written blogs about using safety razors and they’re my favourite place to start. Once you get used to the safety razor, make another change.

Once you decide to want to start doing something different and you worry that you may forget. A handy tip is to write it down somewhere just to remind yourself, before you know it, you won’t need the reminder.

Row of barriers on empty track - overcome barriers
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/row-of-barriers-on-empty-track-3763878/

Cost

I’m not going to pretend this isn’t an issue for many people – it’s a genuine barrier. This is one of the biggest challenges I found to sustainable living and can really take a chunk out of your budget.

My advice is to speak to friends and family and see what they do. Have a look at social media for sustainable living ideas. There are little brands as well as the big brands who can offer great products. Second-hand shops are a great habit to create as these clothing items have already been made and you can find some real gems.

A few more examples are swapping from menstrual pads and tampons to menstrual cup/period pants or swapping to a safety razor. Just these eco swaps can help you save money in the long run.

Availability

This is another barrier that really gets to me and it’s hard to overcome. Not all shops offer a decent range of sustainable products. Some don’t offer any at all, so it’s understandable that people will buy from the options available to them. This is where shops need to do better.

Plastic is low cost and therefore, cheaper and they’re convenient but single-use plastic is the problem. Once you’re done with your roll-on deodorant, you’ll throw the who thing away (or recycle it, if you can) and get another one.

Do what you can – if you regularly get a takeaway coffee, use a reusable cup. keep a plastic bag folded in your bag so you don’t need to buy another one, walk (if you can) rather than taking your car.

It’s OK to be different

If anything, I embrace being different but I appreciate that isn’t the case for everyone else. When you’re with a group of friends, it’s OK to refuse a straw, if you’re at someone’s house and you need to throw something away, it’s OK to ask where the recycling bin is. It takes time to overcome this barrier.

I posted this on my Instagram page a while back and it made me chuckle

I wear odd socks because when there’s a hole in one sock, sadly, both pairs tend to be thrown away and I feel that’s a real waste, It’s a great conversation starter too!

Where to start

This was where I fell down at the start. I would highly suggest trying to make one change at a time and start with something small.

What got me started was lemons! I wanted to buy a single lemon but the only option available to me to me was a plastic net bag of about 4/5 lemons, which was way more than I needed. So I starting looking at what fruit and veg I could buy loose.

People are starting to think about sustainable living so some of your friends may have already started – swap ideas!

Something I created so people don’t make the same mistake I did was the 30-Day Eco Swap Challenge – I created this challenge for anyone who wants to adopt sustainable living practices for their home and families without stress, overwhelm or judgement.

Over 30 days, there are 30 different ways to become eco-friendly and live more sustainably. There will be some things you may not have even thought about and one that is a bit of a wildcard!


The path to sustainable living isn’t smooth but it is rewarding and there’s no such thing is a ‘perfect environmentalist’. It’s a myth. Sustainable living looks different for everyone.

Something I always say in my social media is – Start small, Do what you can, build from there!

These are some ideas that work for me but may not work for everyone. Here are my terms & conditions for further reading

Sustainable Living ideas

8 Twitter Accounts for Environmentalists

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Calling all environmentalists. Like all social media, there is good and bad. Since becoming familiar with navigating Twitter, now called X owned by Elon Musk, I have found it’s a fabulous place for creating a network with like-minded individuals who care about the things you care about and there is a lot to learn.

The thing I like about social media platforms is that it’s easy to find the latest news and a twitter account from people who care about the environment the way I do; climate scientists, environmental activist, those who understand climate science, and those seeking environmental justice. 

In recent years, the need for clean energy has become a louder issue with the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. This is a growing interest in young people looking towards environmental activism in order to take direct action. 

Photo by Markus Spiske: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-in-blue-jacket-holding-white-and-black-i-am-happy-to-be-happy-print-paper-2559749/

Here are just a few environmentalist profiles I follow in no particular order

Treehugger.com

@Treehugger – ‘Sustainability for All’ as their tagline, Treehugger is based in New York, USA and was established in 2004. A good place for information about the environment which is jam packed with a plethora of articles, latest information, news and advice about climate justice, climate politics, journal trends, and sustainability news.

Surfers Against Sewage

@sascampaigns Account perfect for environmentalists – Set up in 1990 in a little village hall in Porthtowan, Cornwall. Protecting the oceans, beaches and wildlife is their mission. It started out when the surfing community found they were surfing in raw sewage and sanitary products. It’s not just surfers to care and campaign, it’s dog walkers, swimmers, children playing and sunbathers. Thanks to the hard work of Surfers Against Sewage, their donors and volunteers, we in the UK enjoy some of the cleanest beaches.

Ecosia

@ecosia – I heard about Ecosia about a year ago when I was helping out with a local litter picking. One of the other volunteers mentioned a site that plants trees when you use it’s search engine. As you can imagine, I got my phone out to have a look. It’s very easy to use, instead of searching on Google, search on Ecosia instead. They’re environmentalists who plant trees based on the number of searches.

Dr Elaine Cox

@ElaineCox11 – I’ve been following Elaine for a while and she is a passionate advocate for the environment. She is a senior lecturer, an environmentalist and an author and tweets about a range of environmental issues; impact of climate change, HS2 and the expansion of Heathrow Airport. Her passion oozes through and I would highly recommend following her.

Orangutan Land Trust

@orangulandtrust – I came across their account when I posted a blog about Palm Oil. Based in Derbyshire, England, they work tirelessly to protect and preserve the Orangutan’s natural environment. Ensuring their habitats are safe with the goal of long-term survival of the orangutan in the wild. Perfect for any environmentalists out there.

Break Free From Plastic Movement

@brkfreeplastic – Plastic is such a bugbear for me so I am in good company when I see @brkfreeplastic on my twitter feed. They started in 2016 and are working towards a future free from plastic pollution. Their brand audit reports names and shames top corporate companies. Who produce the most plastic and work tirelessly towards corporate responsibility, changing policy and shifting the narrative. They’ve got a lot to say and will open your eyes too.

Licypriya Kangujam

@LicypriyaK – This is one of the young activists who is incredibly passionate about fighting for environmental conservation and climate change mitigation. Inspired by Greta Thunberg, Licypriya regularly protests outside Parliament House in India for the leaders to pass a climate change law and curb their carbon emissions. In October 2020, she protested to find a permanent solution to Delhi’s air pollution crisis. Soon afterwards, she was briefly detained and then released. 13 days later, the President on India enacted a new law to fight air pollution in Delhi.

Greta Thunberg

@GretaThunberg – I can’t put together a list without adding Greta. Greta is a climate change activist and has encouraged children to face this issue by schools climate strikes on Fridays, a growing environmental movement. I am a massive fan of Greta and completely understand why she’s passionate and angry. Politicians are politicians, not scientists – listen to the science. She gets a lot of grief, maybe adults don’t like children telling them what to do. Greta isn’t shy about commenting and voicing her environmental concerns and despite the trolling she gets on social media, and some of it is absolutely vile, it hasn’t and won’t stop her. I absolutely love her!

Photo by Paddy O Sullivan: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-wearing-blue-long-sleeved-shirt-while-raising-hands-2369217/

Extreme weather events caused by the climate crisis and global warming is an issue that affects all of us, not just a few. Renewable energy is the key and environmental policy should be heavily focussed on this, especially when it comes to the fossil fuel industry

If there are any Twitter accounts that post regular tweets you think are worth following, let us know 💚

These are some ideas that work for me but may not work for everyone. Here are my terms & conditions for further reading

Environmental Awareness Days

Environmental Awareness Days 2023

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Over the last two years, I posted a list of environmental awareness days and I received quite a few messages from people who said they found it really helpful and referred back to it throughout the year.

As someone who likes to help, I’m going to the same for 2023 too!

Please note, this isn’t a comprehensive list list.

January

  • Veganuary 1st January to 31st January – In 2023, they supported and inspired over 620,000 people to try vegan food with participants from 228 countries and territories. You can even download their free cookbook
  • Big Garden Birdwatch – January 6, 2023 – February 20, 2023 – Organised by the RSPB, it encourages everyone, young and old, to spend some time and go outside to monitor and record all the birds you seen. Once you have the information, upload the information to their website – The last day for sending us your results is 20 February
  • Houseplant Week UK – January 9, 2023 – January 15, 2023 – I like to call this indoor gardening. Having a houseplant (or ten) offers some great health benefits including purifying the air. A good place to start is a blog I wrote last year about the plants I have.

March

  • Compost Week – March 13, 2023 – March 19, 2023 – Learning about the benefits of compost is crucial to growing plants and food. Composting your household food waste allows you to create nutrient-rich food for your garden
  • Global Recycling Day – March 18, 2023 – Now in its 5th year, this day is dedicated to recognising and promoting recycling. Recycling plays a crucial role in the future of our planet.
  • World Water Day – March 22, 2023 – Celebrating water, this day also highlights that there are about 2.2 billion people around the world who do to not have access to cleaning drinking water.
  • The Great British Spring Clean – March 25, 2023 – April 10, 2023 – This campaign encourages you to pledge whatever time you have to join a little picking group. Get outside, meet new people, what’s not to like?

April

  • Walk to Work Day – April 7, 2023 – As the name suggests, this day promotes changing your routine and walking to work. The added benefit is a healthy walk to the office.
  • Community Garden Week – April 3, 2023 – April 9, 2023 – This week takes the opportunity to celebrate community gardens and schools gardens in the UK. Working together as. a community and inspiring each other, what’s not to love?
  • Earth Day – 22nd April – First started in 1970, the aim is to educate and encourage individuals to learn about our planet to work to protect it. If you would like to get the kids involved in Earth Day, check out my website for some great digital downloads to keep them busy
  • Stop Food Waste Day – April 26, 2023 – So much of our food is wasted unnecessarily and you’ll be able to find creative and impactful ways to change our behaviour.

May

  • No Mow May – 1st May to 31st May – I came across this campaign a few years ago and I really do like this one. All you have to do is to not cut your grass for the month of May. This will allow flowers to bloom creating a vital source of nectar for bees as well as other insects. #NoMowMay
  • Sun Awareness Week – May 1, 2023 – May 7, 2023 – Led by The British Association of Dermatologists (BAD), this campaign is to educate and highlight the dangers of UV radiation from the sun. Check out their website as it has some great tips about staying safe in the sun.
  • Water Saving Week – May 22, 2023 – May 26, 2023 – Water is a vital source for all life on earth and this week is dedicated to promoting ways in which we can save it.
  • National Children’s Gardening Week – May 27, 2023 – June 4, 2023 – This is a great way to encourage and celebrate the enjoyment gardening hold for our little ones. They love getting their hands dirty and it’s a great way to teach the next generation about gardening.

June

  • World Environment Day – 5th June – On the same day every year, this day is dedicated to our environment. There is only one Earth, let’s look after it for future generations. Here’s some great ways to help the kids learn about the environment.
  • The Great Big Green Week – June 10, 2023 – June 18, 2023 – This is a huge celebration to tackle climate change and protect nature. What can you do to get involved?
  • Bike Week – June 8, 2023 – June 15, 2023 – This annual campaign in partnership with Cycle Uk, promotes and celebrates the may benefits cycling offers and the added bonus is that it helps reduce your carbon footprint.
  • World Oceans Day – 8th June – The aim of this day is to promote and protect our oceans as they play a vital role to life on earth. Sign up and get involved.
  • National Clean Air Day – 15th June – Their website states ‘Every year, air pollution causes up to 36,000 deaths in the UK.’ Everyone has the right to access clean air. Personally, every day should be National Clean Air day.
  • World Refill Day – June 16, 2023 – Highlighting and encouraging us to ditch our single-use plastic bottles and refill our drinks when we are out and about. There’s even an app that tells you where your local refilling station is.
  • World Rainforest Day – June 22 – This day raises awareness about our planet’s rainforest and the biodiversity found in them. Rainforests are disappearing at an alarming rate, get involved to see how you can protect them for future generations.

July

  • Plastic Free July – 1st July to 31st July – This global campaign has grown year on year encouraging use to adapt our habits to reduce our plastic consumption. Small changes do a massive difference and I would encourage everyone to make a change. I’m always posting about this on my Instagram, check out my profile and follow me.
  • Plastic Bag Free Day – 3rd July – The aim of this global campaign is to eliminate the use of single-use plastics. I genuinely can’t remember the last time I bought a plastic bag!
  • Don’t Step on a Bee Day – 10th July – Bees play a vital role in our planet’s ecosystem. Check out my blog about bees.
  • The Big Butterfly Count – July 14, 2023 – August 6, 2023 – Someone got in touch with me last year about this one and I’m really glad I can include this in the list. A UK-wide survey which allows everyone to get involved to monitor and record the health of our butterfly population. Check out the website to see how you can get involved.
  • Love Parks Week – July 28, 2023 – August 4, 2023 – This campaign is launched by Keep Britain Tidy and promotes visiting and enjoying your local parks.

August

  • National Allotments Week – August 7, 2023 – August 13, 2023 – This week is dedicated to the importance and benefits of allotments. I’ve always felt growing your own food should be a life skill. Some UK councils have a waiting list for an allotment due to the rise in popularity. See if you can get one through your local council.
  • National Bog Day – August 26, 2023 – Bogs are often overlooked but play an important part in our environment. Check out the website and see how you can help.

September <– (link updated)

  • Secondhand September – 1 September to 30 September – This has been going since 2019 and encourages us to buy things we need secondhand. I’m a huge fan of this and have saved a lot of money buying something secondhand.
  • Organic September – 1 September to 30 September – The month of September is dedicated to bringing awareness to growing and eating organic foods and highlighting farming practices that doesn’t include harmful chemicals.
  • Recycle Week – September 18, 2023 – September 24, 2023 – A whole week dedicated to promote and encourage recycling. This is Recycle Now’s flagship event celebrating and encouraging recycling up and down the country. Check out this great recycling game to help teach your kids about recycling.
  • The Great British Beach Clean – September 16, 2023 – September 25, 2023 – This is a great initiative where thousands of people give involved in cleaning up our beaches allowing people to enjoy our beaches without having to avoid rubbish.

October <– (link updated)

  • Unblocktober – 1st October to 31st October – This brilliant campaign promotes awareness for our drains, waterways and sewers encouraging us to adapt our habits at home. Many items flushed down our toilets cause blockages – wet wipes are a massive problem. Check out the website about how to get involved.
  • No Disposable Cup day – 4th October – Encouraging us to refuse a disposable cup and instead use a reusable cup. Disposable cups really are unnecessary.
  • Big Energy Saving Week – October 17, 2023 – October 23, 2023 – This week is organised by Energy Saving Trust and Citizens Advice Bureau and dedicated to how save money on your energy bill. As the cost of energy in the UK is putting a strain on many households, this week is key to helping many people up and down the country.

December <– (link updated)

  • World Soil Day – December 5th, 2023 – On the same day every years, this day encourages us to learn about the soil and how its maintenance is vital for food security. Sadly, a lot of chemicals are used in food production which reduces the fertility of our soils turning vasts lands into barren spaces.

Here’s a more in-depth blog for September to December 2023

If there are any other events that you feel should be mentioned, please do let me know 💚

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Sustainable Living ideas

Alternatives to Gifting ‘Stuff’ for Christmas

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We’ve entered December so the festive season is upon us.

We will need to start thinking about Christmas presents for friends and family, if we haven’t already.

But, for some, the idea of buying gifts for someone else can be difficult because you may not know what they actually want or need and may just buy something for the sake of buying something. They’ll receive something they don’t want or need and may probably end up sitting in a wardrobe gathering dust. Or worse, destined for landfill.

I wrote a blog last year after I shockingly discovered that £42 million of unwanted Christmas presents are thrown out in landfill each year. Not only is this bad for the environment, but it’s such a waste of money, especially as many of us are in a cost of living crisis.

The idea we need to buy ‘something’ has got to end and start thinking about what we gift instead.

After putting my thinking cap on, here are a few suggestions.

Time

What if you gave your time instead? Maybe they need some help with something?

  • Car Maintenance – Do they need their tyre pressure or oil checked? Maybe it could need a quick clean inside or outside
  • Baby/child sitting – Do they have children and need an evening out? Maybe you could look after the little ones while they are out. They’ll also be leaving their child/children with someone they trust.
  • Paperwork organisation – do they have a massive pile of paperwork that needs to be sorted and organised? or even shredded?
  • DIY jobs – If you’re an electrician or a dab hand with a hammer, maybe they need a picture putting up or a bit of tiling done. Or their windows cleaned.

Experiences

This is a great way to get them out of the house, maybe they could do with an evening out?

  • Cinema tickets – There’s probably a film they would like to see but haven’t gotten around to it. If you buy them tickets or vouchers, they have no excuse. Plus, if they have kids, you could babysit while they’re out.
  • Restaurant vouchers – Is there somewhere they haven’t been for a while? Maybe you could get them some vouchers for a meal out, they don’t. haveto worry about the washing up either.
  • Bowling night – This is a great way for one or more families to enjoy a night out. It’s also great fun with kids and who doesn’t like a bit of competition?
  • Afternoon tea – There’s nothing better than getting together with friends and having a bit of tea, cake and sandwiches.

Food and Drink

This is a great one for a friend or family who is struggling with their food bill.

  • Hamper – These go down really well because they’re affordable for various budgets and the variety in hampers mean there’s something for everyone.
  • Bake a cake – if you’re a good baker, maybe you could bake a cake and this could be your gift?
  • Supermarket gift card – Many of us are struggling with the increase in the cost of food and drink, a supermarket gift card would come in really handy.
  • Fruit basket – what’s healthier than a fruit basket?

Courses

There are some one-off courses that are held at local collages or community centres and can be a great gift. One year, I bought myself and DSLR camera and my partner bought me a short course on how to use it.

  • Calligraphy – Has your friend ever mentioned about learning calligraphy?
  • Microsoft Packages – Do they need a little refresher course on how to use Microsoft packages?
  • Art / Watercolour – Is your friend arty and would like to learn the basics?

If you put your thinking cap on, I bet you’ll come up with loads of ideas. Also, if something is a little pricey, maybe would you and another friend could team up and buy the gift together. Or you could look at a DIY project?

I created a Household Waste Analysis to help identify what we throw away and what we could change. Feel free to check it out – it’s FREE!

These are some ideas that work for me but may not work for everyone. Here are my terms & conditions for further reading

Sustainable Living ideas

Explaining Climate Change to Children

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As a parent, I want my child to have a care-free childhood but also teach her about the dangers that can be found in the world without scaring her.

She’s 7 and she learnt about Stranger Danger quite early on in her school life; she knows what to look out for and we talked out it quite a bit. Thankfully, it didn’t appear to scare her and she seemed to be happy being armed with this information.

But there are other dangers, one of which is climate change.

Let’s be honest, having children doesn’t come with a manual. I, for one, try to learn from other parents and think about what I say and how I act because they are sponges when they are young. We’re all just trying our best and hope we don’t screw them up!

As an eco-blogger (and an imperfect environmentalist), I’m well aware of how the planet is changing and studying towards a degree in Environmental Science has given me an insight into the science of climate change and it’s contributing factors; looking at articles, questioning sources and the ability to determine whether the author of the article has an agenda. Some of it is a little scary, even for me.

So how do I explain climate change to my child? After all, her generation are going to inherit the planet from us.

Climate change refers to the changes in temperatures and weather patterns around our planet and one of the main causes of this is human activity and this what we talk about; human activity.

I talk to her about the smaller stuff like litter-picking and reducing plastic. We go litter-picking and she knows about turning the lights off when they aren’t needed. She enjoys watching Blue Peter who talk about climate activism in a really thoughtful and sensitive way. She’s even got a green Blue Peter badge (something I told everyone who would listen!).

A while back, she heard someone said that they hated the rain – it wasn’t even heavy rain. She later said to me “the rain helps the environment, it’s just nature doing its thing”. I have to say, that really made me smile because that’s exactly what it’s doing.

The rain helps the environment, it’s just nature doing it’s thing

When I talk to her about what’s happening to the environment, I tell her bits of what’s going on but I offer solutions too.

We’ve taught her about recycling and she knows which bin to use for an item and why recycling is important, turning off the tap when she’s not using the water and the issues of wasting it, she has no problem wearing second-hand clothing, and we go litter-picking too.

Recently, the final episode of Frozen Planet II aired on the BBC and I noticed quite a few posts on Twitter where people thought it was terrifying and questioned whether it’s something young children should be watching. Some said kids should know about it and others thought it’s best to shield them from it. I haven’t let my daughter watch it, as a parent, we should do what we think is best for our own children.

I recently wrote a post about coping with eco-anxiety and I do adopt some of these practices when talking to her about the environment.

I think the key is helping them to find solutions and being able to action them. Even as adults we can sometimes feel quite powerless but, in my opinion, doing something is always better than not doing anything at all.

Ultimately, I want to be able to look her in the eye and tell her that I tried my best with what I had.

These are some ideas that work for me but may not work for everyone. Here are my terms & conditions for further reading

Sustainable Living ideas

Ways to be eco-friendly if you’re short on cash

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One of the reasons I keep coming across that prevents people from living greener is the myth that it’s expensive to do. As the cost of living is really biting some of us, being green (and staying green) can be challenging.

When you make price comparisons with your usual purchase vs ethical purchase, usually, the ethical one has a higher price tag. The main reason for the cheaper price tag is probably because corners have been cut during the manufacturing process. There are some unscrupulous companies who put a higher price tag on eco-friendly products just because they can – but that’s a whole different post.

There are still some ways to go green if you’re short on cash.

Unplug, unplug, unplug – The amount of electronics we have to charge is incredible; mobile phones, ear buds, tablets, laptops. All of which, I’m guessing, we still leave plugged even when the device is no longer attached (I’ve been guilty of this in the past too). Switching these plugs off at the wall may not make a massive difference but something is always better than nothing.

Use Ecosia – Ecosia is a search engine similar to Google. Ecosia will plant trees based on the number of searches you have made. At the time of writing this blog, I am up to 1,263 trees. Not too shabby when all I’ve done is swap my search engine from Google to Ecosia. Give it a whirl.

Unsubscribe to unwanted newsletters – emails carry a digital carbon footprint. By unsubscribing to unwanted newsletters, you will be reducing your digital carbon footprint.

Refill your drinks for free – Water UK launched a campaign called Refill. All you have to do is download the app and it shows you where you can refill you water bottle when you’re out and about. Don’t forget to take your water bottle with you!

Join a library – authors still get royalty when you borrow their books from the library and as someone who used to work in publishing, I’m all for supporting authors. I appreciate recently quite a few libraries have shut so if you have one in your area, grab yourself a library card. This is a great tip if you have little ones who are starting to read.

Charge your device on the train – this is a really cheeky one. If you are travelling on the train and you’re allowed to charge your device during your journey, go for it. I used to be a commuter on HS1 and I saw regular commuters to this all the time.

Charge on airplane mode – when charging your phone, put it on airplane mode. It will charge faster because your phone won’t be using any battery power updating any background apps like Facebook or emails. Plus, the faster it charges, the less electricity you will need to use. Make sure you turn your Wifi/Bluetooth off too, I’ve noticed I can still use the wifi/bluetooth when it’s still in airplane mode so I actively turn these off too.

I created a Household Waste Analysis to help identify what we throw away and what we could change. Feel free to check it out – it’s FREE!

These are some ideas that work for me but may not work for everyone. Here are my terms & conditions for further reading

Self-care

How to cope with eco-anxiety?

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If you worry about climate change and the impact humans are having on the environment to the point where you may not be able to stop thinking about it, there’s probably a chance you suffer from a level of eco-anxiety.

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Eco-anxiety affects people in different ways; some people can be a little anxious whereas others may feel more anxious. There is no right or wrong. Given the environmental challenges we are facing putting our long-term security at risk, it’s no surprise that eco-anxiety is on the rise and I’m glad people are more open to talking about it.

Even as an environmentalist, I have to keep my eco-anxiety in check – I’m not ashamed to say I find it overwhelming at times too. However, I have found some ways that helps me keep my eco-anxiety in check.

My tips to cope with eco-anxiety

1. Actions matter

It’s easy to sometimes feel powerless, there’s only so much an individual can control. Something I always say is ‘start small, do what you can, build from there‘. Our actions do matter and make a difference, regardless of how big or small. Never forget that!

2. Find like-minded individuals

It’s important to find other people who share the same passion for the environment and who want to do better. One thing I realised quite early on is that you can learn so much from each other and sharing this knowledge can only be a good thing. Plus, you will be part of a team that may want to set up litter-picks or a local eco group.

3. Happy Eco News

This is something that I started early on. There is so much negative news about climate change so any positive news is largely ignored. There are good things happening in the world when it comes to the environment which is why I send out a fortnightly newsletter filled with happy eco news. I also sent it on Mondays – start the week on a good note! If you would like to receive happy eco news – sign up here and grab a freebie download too.

4. Don’t argue with deniers

This took me a while to get to grips with but I’m much better at it than I was previously. You will always come across deniers. It’s inevitable. But I’m not referring to people who are aware of climate change and would prefer not to talk about it (out of sight, out of mind), I’m referring to people who will argue with you about how climate change is a hoax and want to argue their ‘reasons’ as to why it’s a hoax or not as bad as it’s being reported. DO NOT ENGAGE. After having a number of heated discussions with climate change deniers, I found that I was left frustrated and exhausted from the encounter and the only person affected from this is me. Nothing you can say will make a difference, so don’t bother.

For the little ones

If you have little ones, I’ve come across this gratitude journal for children. It’s so important for children to notice the good about their day rather than just the bad. My little one has a gratitude journal and now I don’t have to even remind her to fill it in, she enjoys doing it on her own.

Above all, it’s about protecting your mental health and only you can do that. It’s OK to protect your mental health.

These are some ideas that work for me but may not work for everyone. Here are my terms & conditions for further reading

Sustainable Living ideas

What I’ve Learned So Far – Block 3 – The Nile basin

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When I tell people that I’m studying for a degree, they are interested in what I’ve been learning. I’ve done two years so far (another four to go) and my favourite was the first year. I absolutely loved it.

Here’s what I learned in my first year studying toward BSc (Hons) Environmental Science.

This block was about the Nile and was also the first block where majority of the reading material was online. I had just gotten used to textbooks and then we went online. I’m not going to lie, that was a bit of a adjustment, but luckily, it was only this block.

This block discussed The Nile basin. The Nile runs through many countries and one of the questions the text asked us was to explore ‘Whose water is it?’ I had never thought about who the water belonged to or if it can ever belong to anyone. I just assumed it was in nature so it belonged to everyone…nope! I found out many countries rely on this water source but it opened up the issue of who it belonged to; those at the start of the river would be able to use as much water as the needed and along the way, if each country built infrastructure that affects the water flow or pollutes the water, these actions will affect countries further downstream who rely on it just as much and, as you can imagine, this is exactly how conflicts start. In 1999, the Nile Bain Initiative was born where nine out of ten countries were members in order to ensure its resources are enjoyed by all nations but as Egypt were one of the last nations to have access to the Nile, they objected to any projects which reduced water downstream.

The block also looked at water in general; how we access it, how we use it and how much of it we use. The block discussed how families who live in rural parts of Africa access water for drinking, cooking, washing. They don’t have taps in their water and have to travel, in some cases, miles to access water and it’s not always clean. This also raised the issue regarding sanitation and waterborne diseases. We have taps into our homes and are able to access clean water anytime we need. One of the activities required in this block was to record our water usage for a period of seven consecutive days. I have to say, I was mortified how much water I used; washing machine, dishwasher, watering plants, cooking. Compared to a family in Africa, it was shocking.  

The final section was about dams. Building dams bring many benefits but they can also be a highly contentious issue in areas where countries that rely on waterways that passes through multiple countries i.e. The Nile.

The main TMA question was to write a report on my water usage. Earlier in the block we had to record our water usage for a period of seven days and the report was based on our findings.

I really enjoyed this section, it gave me such a great understanding of how many people rely on water and how vulnerable it can be when a nation (or two) tries to control it.

Uncategorised

Is Plastic Recycling Greenwashing?

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We all have household bins in our homes and local councils encourage us to recycle to a point where we are shamed for not recycling, especially when it comes to plastic.

As consumers, we are told and expect our plastics to be taken away and recycled into new packaging and this is a big reason many of us recycle where we can. We all want to do our best for the environment and we trust what we are being told.

But I do wonder whether plastic recycling is a form of greenwashing.

According to Greenpeace, “Thousands of tonnes of our household plastic packaging put out for recycling, as well as other kinds of plastic waste ends up in waste incinerators in the UK” and there is a lot that is sent overseas which ends up being someone else’s problem.

Something that has bothered me for a while is the marketing from big corporations, businesses and supermarkets on recycling…the responsibility has been placed solely on the consumer.

And they’ve been very clever with it.

If we, as consumers, don’t recycle, how can the big company actually recycle the single-use plastic? The responsibility has fallen on us but bears no mention of fixing the issue at the source.

Companies such as TerraCycle are trying to do what they can but even they have admitted in the past that it’s not really a solution to our plastic issue.

Over the last few years, more and more zero waste shops have been popping up in town centres and following a refill station trial at a store in Leeds, Asda have decided to roll it out to another four stores.

Source: Asda

I genuinely don’t know why it’s taking so long for supermarkets to catch up. It seems like they’re really reluctant to move with the times. It’s so obvious that giving consumers options like this will dramatically reduce single-use packaging.

I do think householders still should recycle but the key is legislation. The UK government introduced a 5p charge on plastic carrier bags, before the charge was introduced in October 2015, the number of plastic bags used was 7.6 billion bags, in 2019-2020 it was reduced to 564 million.

This is proof that government intervention really does make a difference but the UK government seem really slow to make a meaningful change to push the responsibility back to manufacturers and corporations.

There are certain foods like rice and pasta which are packaged in plastic. I really don’t know why and I can’t seem to find an answer. It shouldn’t be cheaper to buy a plastic bag of fruit or vegetables than buying loose fruit or veg – that’s insane but I still see it. Maybe teaching school children the basics on growing some of their own food would be a good idea, but I guess that’s not how businesses make money.

If you would like to get started with sustainable living, check out my 30-day eco challenge.

These are some ideas that work for me but may not work for everyone. Here are my terms & conditions for further reading