Easy tips to help the environment

[MidnightCereal]

I’ve recently been doing a bit of research on climate change and the damage we are doing and really want to make some changes

It all feels overwhelming atm though as there’s just so much!
I’ve found myself walking round looking at all the things in my house thinking “plastic, plastic, non bio-degradable, more plastic...”

We have a very busy household with lots of children in it so I don’t have lots of time to dedicate to the cause - what are some easy ways to start? What were the first changes you made?

The easiest thing for me was in the shopping basket. I have stopped buying, bleach, pesticides for the garden and look really carefully at plastics and aerosols. I actually saved money too. I have started giving the grandchildren book vouchers rather than plastic toys. I used to buy lots of wipes for house cleaning, but now use rags.

At the moment I have probably only stopped my own habits of making things worse rather than actually making things better. With brilliant posts like yours, hopefully I can make an active contribution

We also aim to buy as little plastic as possible, over the first few months my wife and I were together we phased out all single use plastic like sandwich bags and cling film, we recycled all our old mismatched food tubs and bought a couple of matching sets that can be reused and bonus, all the lids fit all the tubs so no hunting around. We switched to bar soaps and shampoos, cellulose washing up sponges etc. Anything we buy now we try and find the least worst option, like a fully wooden sweeping brush we recently bought, but most dish brushes have at least some plastic, but it's better than a fully plastic one. I also switched to cloth sanitary towels and bought a meluna cup, although I don't get on with internal sanitary protection I like having the option for emergencies. I think our next focus is going to be reducing food waste and takeaways, my wife is already vegan and I'm planning on going vegetarian which will reduce our plastic use again as meat is one of the few things we still buy in plastic. We are also trying to make a point of not replacing things just because they are a bit worn or need repair, we fix if we can, repurpose something else or as a last resort, buy a long term option. For example, we currently have mismatched book cases in our living room which came from different rooms in our old house. We talked about getting rid of them (as we don't have much space elsewhere in the current house) and buying matching, but decided that as we are hoping to buy our own home in the next two years, we would wait, buy matching for our new house when we would be able to see what fit better, and we could then reuse the old ones elsewhere in bedrooms as shelving.

Buy second hand.
If it ain't broke, don't replace it.
Use old t-shirts to make dusters and cleaning rags.
Don't go into Flying Tiger

Reusable Nappies and wipes. Wipes are a great place to start and then can add in Nappies as time goes on.
Reusable straws, you can get coloured ones so everyone knows which is whose.
Reusable shopping bags and waxed sandwich wraps.
Glass jars for leftovers instead of cling film.

If you have a garden, mow less often on a higher setting. Better for bio-diversity, and less work
Sow some wild flower seeds for pollinators.
Get the kids involved in the cause!

Can you get milk delivered in plastic bottles?
Replace shower gel with soap. Beware, most (all?) high street soap uses palm oil. I now get Friendly Soap soap and shampoo bars. No palm oil, no shrink wrap,cardboard boxes.
Take a reusable bottle of water with you when you go out.
Check out Bio-D for UK made low impact detergents - replace plastic wrapped laundry tablets with their big box powder.

Not eating meat feels like a big thing in terms of reducing our impact.

I walk where possible instead of us driving.

I try and buy as little as possible rather than buying 'eco' products but if I have to spend money I will try and buy something that will last.

Not eating / limiting meat.

Cloth nappies and wipes.

Breastfeeding instead of formula.

Buying less things overall and buying second hand if we do.

Walking and PT instead of driving.

Having DC made me think a lot more about what I was putting into the world, and I am massively reduced our waste and pollutants while on maternity leave. My goals were environmental ones, but we have also saved a huge amount of money in the process which is helping us pay down our mortgage early.

One of the easiest changes is to swap from bottles detergent or pods for the washing machine use powder it's cheaper and there is no plastic.
Though I have just started using a company called Splosh for my cleaning products but it's expensive by comparison I need to see how good it is before I shout about it from the rooftops.
Buy jute or cotton carrier bags
Use a shopping trolley for heavy stuff ( lakeland do 2 good ones )
If you buy coffee on the go buy a reusable cup.
Don't use straws

Donate to and buy from charity shops.
There will be loads more easy ideas but I can't think of them right now

Don't fly

Ive started buying large 5L containers of Flash all purpose liquid to dilute, refill and use in existing sprays to clean counters/floors/bathrooms etc instead of buying new 500-750ml sprays for specific areas all the time. Still plastic but much less and a 5L container of concentrate lasts ages because I avoid cleaning where possible.

Re not flying...
I've totally rethought holidays recently.
Over the past few years I've usually had a break not too far from home - within a 90 minute drive.
There's so much to see fairly locally that's really lovely.

Same with weekend activities.
We go on walks not that far from home.

I used to be very restless and enjoyed the process of travelling quite far.

It's just as pretty to go to a beach 20 minutes drive away as it is to go to one far away.

Love this topic @MidnightCereal am in the middle of watching David Attenborough new show and I'm ashamed of the damage we have done as a family.

Have started to make small changes but have lots to do

Water in a chilly bottle
Toddler also uses a stainless steel bottle for drinks
Donate to charity
Use soap in shower
Just bought shampoo and conditioner from Green People who don't test on animals or have toxic chemicals in their products - really nice to use
Use all cleaning products from the brand Bio d
Try and buy wooden toys and encourage family members to do the same when buying presents for our children
Use an amazing company called White & Green for bedding, towels, blankets who use organic cotton farmers in their Fairtrade factory in India whiteandgreenhome.com/pages/about
Try and buy as much GOTS clothing for the children

Still have lots more to do and plan on reducing the amount of meat we eat which is a lot

Buy less stuff!

Also use handwash by Faith in Nature instead of the horrible Cien ones that are full of chemicals

Also use all skincare by Phyts which are 100% natural and organic and not tested on animals

Soap bars (no palm oil etc) instead of liquid hand soap and shower gel. Making sure we eat 2 or 3 vegetarian main meals (healthier too). No buying water in bottles. Local organic veg box delivery in a reusable box and no plastic. Stopped my beauty box subscription (all that packaging ).
I’ve given up on shampoo bars but I’ve found somewhere locally where I can refill my bottle each time, so will try this instead.
Small steps but trying to introduce more and more...

I use reusable nappies and wipes
I breastfeed
I get milk delivered in glass bottles
I don’t use sandwich bags etc but bought glass Tupperware
I try and buy loose veg as far as I can but my local shops aren’t great
I use reusable shopping bags
I try and walk rather than take the car if possible

Buy less stuff generally
Reduce meat/animal products
Reduce food waste (big co2 contributer)
Soap bar instead of shower gel
Rags instead of kitchen roll
Reusable coffee cup and water bottle
Reusable cotton pads
Natural deodorant in glass jar
Safety razor
Lush shaving foam for partner
Washing powder in cardboard box
Make own lunches
Veg from grocer (no packaging)
Splosh cleaning products

All these changes were easy and most saved us money. I need to look into shampoo bars and period pants next!

Blackandwhitehorse
Have you been using Splosh for long ? I have just started but have only tried the laundry detergent and kitchen cleaner ok so far but not sure if they are cost effective ( though I do not know what the alternative would be )

Lush shaving foam for partner

Why is this? Does it last for a long time, or is it because of what it's made of?

I was going to suggest that if people have DHs / DPs who wet shave, make sure they use shaving soaps, not gel / foam. A shaving soap costs £2 from wilko, and lasts for about five months. A gel / foam costs much more and lasts less than two months.

Don't fly, stop or reduce eating meat.

Buy things second hand instead of new wherever possible - most things can be got second hand off ebay.

Buy less stuff, repair things, donate instead of throwing away.

Food waste- I got a bokashi bin last year. I'm finding it great.
I live fairly rural so there is no green waste collection. On the upside, I have a larger than average garden so it suits me in my position.
I already had a compost bin, and that is great.
But the bokashi deals with the stuff an ordinary garden composter can't.
In our house it is mostly plate scrapings, and leftovers from the children's lunchboxes. It can take cooked meat, bones, dairy, bread crusts.
It's a plastic bucket with a tap at the bottom. You tip in your waste once a day, cover it with a special bran, and it anaerobically decompses the waste.
You draw off this black juice from the tap every day or two, and dilute it for plant feed. When the bin is full you leave it for a couple of weeks and then tip it into your compost bin or a hole in the garden to finish off.
It's not foolproof. I find the tap tricky, if it's not attached right you can't draw off the liquid properly which causes it to rot instead of ferment in the bucket. That has happened to me maybe 1 in 4 times, which means I have to dig a deeper hole and hold my nose when tipping it out.
But even on a bad batch, it's not smelly, doesn t attract flies or rats, and it enriches the garden and promotes biodiversity in the soil rather than releasing methane in land fill.
It's fair to say I am a fan.

Don't fly.
Eat less meat.
Eat seasonally.
Try to avoid palm oil (it's hidden in so much).
If you must buy something in a plastic bottle (Eg conditioner) buy a massive bottle, then recycle it.
Use hard soap for hands and shampoo.
Cycle and walk more if it's possible.
Buy second hand.

Great thread.

So far

I’m in the process of switching to cloth sanitary pads (so comfy and no thrush!),

Reusing my washable breast pads (no longer BF) as a cotton wool replacement when washing / cleaning face

Using cheeky wipes as wet wipes and hankies for my son

Using washing powder instead of liquids in plastic

Visiting a less-plastic shop to refill my own container for washing up liquid

Trying not to buy new clothes, and especially not those made of man made fabrics (polyester is still plastic)

Actually trying to reuse carrier bags (I’m awful at this but feel pleased I’m managing some of the time)

Going for food options packaged in cardboard or glass instead of plastic - or loose.

And to reduce plastic waste I do a mini litter pick while the dog’s having a poo, then pick her poo in the same (biodegradable) bag. I also litter pick at the beach (and get confused looks from other people which is sad).

Every little helps, not just with reducing climate change but also with reducing the amount of crap that washes up on our beaches.

Keep it up x

These are a few things we do.

The only animal product we eat is local eggs.
We mainly eat in season fruit/veg grown in the UK.
Soap bar (suma for us) instead of handwash or shower gel.
Shampoo bar instead of liquid shampoo.
A small bit of coconut oil applied to damp hair to replace conditioner.
I used second hand cloth nappies for my son.
Virtually all of my sons clothes are second hand.
Virtually all of my sons toys are second hand.
I only use fully biodegradable laundry and cleaning products that do not contain palm oil.
I use a fairly local shop where I can refill my cleaning product bottles etc instead of getting a new one each time.
I walk/use public transport.
I rarely drive so I have sold my car, I will hire one when needed.
I’m not hugely into tech, so my phone etc lasts years (and I buy second hand) rather than replacing every two years.
I wash our laundry at 15 and do not tumble.
I live in a flat, this reduces bills and reduces land needed to provide homes.
I buy loose fruit/veg where possible, I put it in the trolley loose rather than using those little bags.
I buy better quality clothes/shoes for me so they last longer.
I avoid man made fibres where possible.
I don’t use freezer bags etc.
I carry my rubbish to the communal bin in a box and tip it in, rather than using bin bags.
My son and I have water bottles we take out with us so we don’t end up buying bottled water.
I buy beer in cans as they’re both easier and cheaper to recycle compared to class bottles.