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?

We need to be aware that personal actions will only get us so far. Governments and corporations need to take action for any if this to make a difference.

First thing, look at where your pension is invested. Is it in fossil fuels or palm oil? Then either change it yourself or get together with colleagues to campaign for a green pension fund.

Write to your supermarket, point out examples of unacceptable packaging. Stop buying things that the packaging cannot be recycled - crisps are a big culprit. Companies should not be allowed to put anything in packaging that cannot be recycled. Composite packaging, like foil backed plastic cannot be recycled.

Closer to home, My local Facebook selling pages have been a hugggge boon in tackling waste (never got on with e bay). Anything we are considering buying we look on there first. Has saved a fortune.

We have gone vegetarian in the week, stopped eating beef all together, buy pork from the local piggery and use the local butcher and green grocers as much as possible.

We are far from perfect. The amount of plastic tat for the kids we have accumulated is gross, but we are much better than we were.

Blimey SimonJT that's a lot!

Can I ask if you have short hair? DD has tried shampoo and conditioner bars but it left her hair 'heavy' and dull. Important for a teenager. All our body products are cruelty free at least. Now looking more at packaging.

DD has washable pads and a mooncup. She also has washable make up pads. We have bamboo toothbrushes.

DH and I now car share to work. I've been veggie forever and bit by bit the DC have joined me. We're now mainly vegan (occasional cheese!) as a family. Currently use tinned pulses but looking at a pressure cooker so we can get dried.

We use hessian bags for shopping and now have mesh bags for loose fruit and veg. Like a PP I buy cans or jars instead of plastic or pouches. I've been using Ecover for years but have just noticed that it doesn't have the leaping bunny so am switching to Bio D.

DD has been getting second hand clothes from a website which has been a success so far.

Big but..... After years of UK camping and driving to PIL in Spain we have started having an annual short city break with Ryanair or Easyjet so that probably wipes everything else out!

Fairly short hair, erm, thick wavy hair, short sides longer on the top.

Angie169

We’ve used the splosh washing up liquid, kitchen cleaner and bathroom cleaner and have found them to be really good. Maybe slightly more expensive but not by much.

Loving this thread. Off to look for washable pads for makeup removal.

BadLad

Sorry it’s a shaving cream so it’s cruelty free and natural but also Lush will take back the tubs and recycle. The one he uses is called prince and it smells really nice and says his skin feels better too.

Some brilliant tips here and some I hadn’t even considered, I’m very happy to see lots we’re already doing aswell

A few questions -
Is it ok to take my own mesh bag to a supermarket for loose fruit/veg? How do I then pay for it, can they weigh it at the till?
Does anyone have any recipes for making your own cleaning products?
And to the people who use reusable baby wipes - can you tell me more? Do you just use flannels? And how does that work with cleaning them, if you’ve cleaned poo they’ll need to go straight in the wash I’m assuming, but then what if you can’t straight away? What about when you’re out? And do you wash them in their own or put them in with other washing? - I’m very intrigued by this one, we use lots of wipes

We just weigh loose veg. Eg weigh 2 leeks and put the sticker across the 2 leeks.
Or if they weigh at the till just place the loose leeks in the trolley then on the conveyer.
Might not work with loose mushrooms.

I did use my own mesh bags for a while. At some places if you have an empty one as well they can zero the scale.

With wipes, I had a drawstring bag with waterproof lining that I kept them in when out and about.

Reusable bottles for water, reusable tubs for packed lunches, stainless steel straws, cloth nappies and wipes, solid soap, home cooking, less meat, local(ish) produce- well British at least.

I also forgot to say we switched to Tonic for our energy as they are renewable. And green cane paper for toilet roll, better than who gives a crap as not individually wrapped, we also just brought some wild flower seeds for the bees 🐝

Can I ask the people who use reuseable sanitary products....do they really work?

I have cheeky wipes which are reusable.

They go in my nappy bucket and get washed separately with the nappies. They’re GREAT. Even the biggest poonami only needs 2 wipes max. I’d never go back to disposable.
I have a little waterproof zip bag for my handbag when out and about.

Mooncups work for me. They do leak a tiny bit at times so I also use cloth sanitary towels I made out of an old flannel sheet with nice printed cotton on the back.

I'm glad as whenever I've had to use single use STs in an emergency they've been scented and have been a bit odd and given me a rash.

My house is well insulated and I have solar panels, I switch off lights and keep the heating turned down - but for ages I lived opposite a house that have seventy billion Christmas lights so everytime I turned off a light I thought about thier usage!

we reduced to one car and try to use electric bikes for journeys under 3 miles in all weathers and under 10 miles in dry weather

We have changed our holiday plans to include travel by train and bike

Clothing and furniture we reuse, and buy second hand - I am a crafter and I love upcycling

I have stopped buying cling and freezer bags but greaseproof is limiting for the freezer so I am always looking for alternatives

Toiletries worry me because of allergies but I buy the largest size and do the same for cleaning (& before anyone says natural products are better for the skin I am allergic to coconut, soya & almond)

I want to do more but it's tricky fitting it in with our lifestyle

@Blackandwhitehorse

Would you mind asking him how long one lasts?

Excellent thread! So important we all do our bit! We are in a state of climate emergency after all!! I eat only plant based now. Trying to buy less of everything (for environment and also to save money). Second hand for clothes and toys. Going to start trying to grow some veg. Deffo won't be going abroad any time soon! Need to work on water waste though I'm not so good at that & also how to use my car as little as possible (mostly just improve on organisation!)

Our changes are:
Soap, solid shampoo and conditioner
Refil washing up liquid,use same bottle
Eat less meat
Soda stream for fizzy drinks
No cling film, plastic straws
Reuse as much as possible,eg bread bags for sandwiches,
No tumble drier
Dont buy bottled water
Washing powder in cardboard box rather than plastic pods in plastic boxes
Wildlife garden for bee and insect friendly plants
No squeezy bottles of ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise,honey etc. Buy and recycle the glass ones
Wet razor and shaving soap for teen ds

I use an eco egg instead of washing powder for laundry which im quite happy with. Walk where possible, I never buy pre-bagged veg etc. I want bars of soap instead of bottles and glass milk bottles instead of plastic but DH hates bars of soap and the milkman is just too expensive

Bumping for some more ideas

Turn down the thermostat on your heating (and put a jumper on if necessary).
Use up old plastic bags for loose veg (at least then it's not single use).
Metal drinking straws.
Don't use peat based compost in the garden.

Here are some changes I've made:
No more beef and lamb
Green grocers for fruit and veg as it's plastic-free
Bar of soap instead of shower gel, face wash and hand wash
Shampoo bar
No more fabric softener (it's honestly made no difference to our clothes)
I walk the 45 min walk to baby group now instead of driving
Beeswax wraps (£10 from amazon) instead of cling film
Buy glass jars whenever possible e.g mayonnaise

Changes I'm going to do:
Splosh cleaning products
More lush toiletries
Reusable wipes

Good luck

Forgot to add - milk and more! No more plastic milk bottles and I've stopped buying drinks that come in plastic bottles.

I hope you're not feeling too overwhelmed op! Maybe just start with 1-2 changes then build on that gradually if you wish.

I’m vegan which I feel is a big one.
Don’t use fabric softeners
Try to be very conservative with energy use.
Recycle obsessively
No wipes so no antibacterial wipes/face wipes etc.
Avoid buying bottles of water/pop when out and about.
Don’t buy fast fashion.

We have solar panels on the house
Composting food waste helps reduce our rubbish pile
Buying fewer toys for the children
Second hand clothes (in lovely condition)
Reusing packaging, parcel wrap etc
Flannels instead of baby wipes
Batch cooking instead of buying ready meals wrapped in plastic
Using the car less
Sharing bath water
Not using the tumble dryer unless totally necessary