Suggestions for my ‘sustainable living’ list

[Twoweekcruise]

Like everyone, I want my family to do our bit towards living more sustainably.
I am on a tight budget so my list will need to be ticked off over the next few years, bit by bit.
I want to cover everything from reusable make up removers, sanitary products etc through to things like reusable sandwich wrappers for lunch boxes to eventually more expensive products like changing my water filter jug for something more long term and replacing our log burner to something less damaging (we are hoping to replace that next year).
Any suggestions would be great to add to our families list, ideally items which are within ‘normal’ household budgets (unfortunately as much as I would love an electric car, atm it’s not something I can afford but am working towards it).

[loopylindi]

A vey small thing - but a bug bear of mine. Does anyone else cut the top off a toothpaste tube when it's 'all gone' You'd be surprised how much there is under the shoulders of the tube - collect them till you've got several, and save the stuff and you'll have enough for three/four more days..

[TYJ]

We find BowerCollective a really great service for delivering eco friendly sustainable household products to your door. They help you eliminate plastic waste from your home by reusing the plastic you use, you just refill your products and they take care of the rest in an ethical sustainable way. Check them out, they are a small UK based business trying to do their bit to help the plastic waste crisis Bower Collective

[Twoweekcruise]

@ParmigianoReggiano

My recent one is checking the food miles in the grocery shop. I was buying soap recently (bar soap obvs ) and one brand was made in China whereas the other was made in the UK.

I wouldn’t purchase any cosmetics or toiletries made in China as they are all tested on animals.

[ForeverbyJudyBlume]

I feed my dog Yora dog food, which is super sustainable as made from insects but has all the necessary protein. Again, it costs a bit more but I've decided I have to put my money where my mouth is and spend more on sustainable food and products and less on luxuries such as clothes and cosmetics I don't need

[FestiveFlavours]

@HappyWinter

I would focus on the bigger savings first, then lobbying/campaigning, then the smaller savings. I've found some of the smaller savings (like zero waste) take lots of time and headspace, without as much reward. Switching to a green bank, pension and investments is meant to be important. Avoid banks like Barclays who are notorious for fossil fuel investment. I'm working on less food waste, less meat and dairy, less driving, flying less and insulating the house to use less fuel.

Page 9 of this document shows what makes more or less difference:
www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2021-04/Environmental%20Perils%20of%20Perception%202021_0.pdf

Not having children, not flying or driving, using a renewable energy supplier were higher up the list.

*@stopblowingyournose* That's interesting, I have a washer dryer which creases all the clothes and doesn't dry them properly. I used to use the gentle dry setting occasionally and had to air them afterwards as still wet. I don't use it now, it's easier to air dry.

For anyone having issues with washing smelling like dogs, what temperature do you wash on? I used to wash on 30 for eco reasons and had the same issue, now I use 40 for clothes and 60 for bed linen and towels, I air dry and it never smells. I have two clothes horses to help space out the washing, it helps it dry. I'd rather wash on 30, I was having to wash items twice and that was probably worse.

Thanks for sharing that study, HappyWinter

Having fewer children has the biggest impact by far, but is the hardest for people to do, obviously. I read somewhere that having fewer pets can also have a big impact, as a pet in the UK has the same carbon footprint as an adult in some other countries.

[ParmigianoReggiano]

My recent one is checking the food miles in the grocery shop. I was buying soap recently (bar soap obvs ) and one brand was made in China whereas the other was made in the UK.

[Twoweekcruise]

HappyWinter -For anyone having issues with washing smelling like dogs, what temperature do you wash on? I used to wash on 30 for eco reasons and had the same issue, now I use 40 for clothes and 60 for bed linen and towels, I air dry and it never smells. I have two clothes horses to help space out the washing, it helps it dry. I'd rather wash on 30, I was having to wash items twice and that was probably worse
I wash on 30 for eco reasons too. Maybe that’s the issue?

[HappyWinter]

I would focus on the bigger savings first, then lobbying/campaigning, then the smaller savings. I've found some of the smaller savings (like zero waste) take lots of time and headspace, without as much reward. Switching to a green bank, pension and investments is meant to be important. Avoid banks like Barclays who are notorious for fossil fuel investment. I'm working on less food waste, less meat and dairy, less driving, flying less and insulating the house to use less fuel.

Page 9 of this document shows what makes more or less difference:
www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2021-04/Environmental%20Perils%20of%20Perception%202021_0.pdf

Not having children, not flying or driving, using a renewable energy supplier were higher up the list.


@stopblowingyournose That's interesting, I have a washer dryer which creases all the clothes and doesn't dry them properly. I used to use the gentle dry setting occasionally and had to air them afterwards as still wet. I don't use it now, it's easier to air dry.

For anyone having issues with washing smelling like dogs, what temperature do you wash on? I used to wash on 30 for eco reasons and had the same issue, now I use 40 for clothes and 60 for bed linen and towels, I air dry and it never smells. I have two clothes horses to help space out the washing, it helps it dry. I'd rather wash on 30, I was having to wash items twice and that was probably worse.

[pastypirate]

@PerkingFaintly

It can be very tempting to go out and buy shedloads of new and exciting "plastic free" or sustainable items eg new food containers, flasks etc. But use what you have first and then mindfully replace.

Yy. If you have a vented tumble-drier, wait till it gets to the end of it's life to replace it with a condenser one.

The energy embodied in manufacturing and getting a large appliance to you is so great it's almost always better to get as many years out of it as possible.

Yes exactly - keeping repurposing in mind is vital. For example we are a bit obsessed with Nutella jars in our house. They never go in the green bin we keep them as they have screw lids. From where I'm sitting I can see about 10 of them storing various dry food and there are about 20 in the craft cupboard storing goodly eyes or sequins - you get the idea.

[PerkingFaintly]

Oh, and if you ever set up a dehumidifier in the loo, do remember to put the loo seat down.

Otherwise you're spending all that electricity trying to dry the water out of the toilet...

[SomethingToldTheWildGeese]

Most importantly -

1. Make sure you're banking with a 'green' bank (like Triados)
2. Your pension is in a green scheme.

Secondly -
I like doing challenges as it helps me change my mindset in a manageable way...

1. One month plastic-free food shop
2. One month only eating UK grown foods
3. One month vegan

Etc.

[PerkingFaintly]

It can be very tempting to go out and buy shedloads of new and exciting "plastic free" or sustainable items eg new food containers, flasks etc. But use what you have first and then mindfully replace.

Yy. If you have a vented tumble-drier, wait till it gets to the end of it's life to replace it with a condenser one.

The energy embodied in manufacturing and getting a large appliance to you is so great it's almost always better to get as many years out of it as possible.

[PerkingFaintly]

I agree with the excellent advice of a PP about getting a dehumidifier, unless you already have a condenser tumble drier.

Both retain the heat inside the house (with the water going into a tank or down the drain) rather than venting hot damp air to the outside. As long as the drier or dehumidifier is in a room that you'd be heating anyway, this byproduct heat means you don't have to use so much other room-heating.

I find a dehumidifier drying a decent load of laundry heats a small bedroom to quite toasty.

[SnoopsCaliforniaRoll]

It can be very tempting to go out and buy shedloads of new and exciting "plastic free" or sustainable items eg new food containers, flasks etc. But use what you have first and then mindfully replace.

Definitely agree re: green investing (for savings and investment accounts) if you can.

Think about electronics - there are more eco-friendly options out there (eg for electric toothbrushes) and consider buying refurbished mobile phones etc rather than brand new.

[Twoweekcruise]

@crackofdoom

All these things are great, but have minimal impact compared to the changes that should be made at governmental/ national levels. So, email your MP regularly- about everything. Get involved in activism and campaigns. Yes- check what your pension fund invests in- and your bank, too.

I totally agree and am concerned that everything we do is just a teeny drop in the ocean but I suppose we have to do what we can, it seems wrong not to.

[Twoweekcruise]

@TiddleTaddleTat

Are you any good at sewing?
I saw some reuseable kitchen roll at an eco store the other day. Too pricey for me but I thought I could make some, it's just Terry towelling on one side and pretty fabric on the other, with a few poppers to link the pieces together. I'm sure I have some old towels somewhere I could repurpose .

Made some beeswax wraps at the weekend as I had some wax for sewing lying about. So easy if you have scraps of pretty fabric. Use pinking shears on the edges, grate up the wax (or buy beads) and heat in the oven for about 5 mins. Replaces foil and cling film.

I’ve inherited my mil’s sewing machine. I am useless at seeing but should start practicing and really should put it to good use and try making some reusable stuff.

[stopblowingyournose]

@BarbaraofSeville that's an issue with your dryer - the only one I had that did that was the washer dryer. All the freestanding ones I've had the clothes come out dry and flat!

[Sahgah]

Pre pandemic I tried to bring in lots of plastic free alternatives. But I just found it way too expensive to keep up and then as I had to order it online and get it delivered I didn’t know if the pollution from all the separate deliveries were worse than the large refill I bought from the supermarkets.
I still get milk delivered and they use electric delivery vans.
I thought ocean saver cleaning products were quite good as they are little pods you mix in with water to make a surface cleaner and they are packaged in cardboard but again they are soo pricey and need delivery.
I would use a refill shop if one was close by but there are none in my area.
I wish there were more plastic free alternatives in supermarkets. I did see one brand of toilet paper the other day wrapped in paper not plastic in the supermarket but its still so rare the government really needs to legislate so these products are available in supermarkets so we don’t have to get everything delivered separately.

[Rainbowqueeen]

Defrost items in the fridge Meg overnight - helps keep the fridge cool and uses less energy
Only wash clothes if they actually need it - many can be reworn
Can you keep chickens??
The main thing is to reduce reduce reduce. Really think about if you need something.

[BarbaraofSeville]

Oh, that's a good idea about the bathroom @ChampagneCommunist, I'm going to try that.

In our old house we had space on the landing to hang a king size duvet cover or sheet over the bannister and it would dry in a couple of hours or so.

Our new house has a different layout with a much smaller landing so we can't do that any more and I really miss this when it's too wet to hang out. I don't like using the dryer because it gets all screwed up in a ball and the outside is scorching and the inside is still wet.

I have no idea how people who mostly tumble dry manage because it seems like a complete pain in the arse way to turn everything into a tatty crumpled shrunken mess plus there's the cost and environmental impact too.

[MrsCardone]

Switch to Palm Oil-Free skincare.

[ChampagneCommunist]

Drying washing: I hang as much as I can in hangers, hang them over the shower curtain rail, then open the bathroom window & close the door (to keep the cold out of the rest of the house) when I can't hang outside.

Even if you can only do all the "big" stuff that way, then do a single load of socks, knickers etc in the tumble dryer, it's still a reduction

[TiddleTaddleTat]

Are you any good at sewing?
I saw some reuseable kitchen roll at an eco store the other day. Too pricey for me but I thought I could make some, it's just Terry towelling on one side and pretty fabric on the other, with a few poppers to link the pieces together. I'm sure I have some old towels somewhere I could repurpose .

Made some beeswax wraps at the weekend as I had some wax for sewing lying about. So easy if you have scraps of pretty fabric. Use pinking shears on the edges, grate up the wax (or buy beads) and heat in the oven for about 5 mins. Replaces foil and cling film.

[TiddleTaddleTat]

@stopblowingyournose I bought mine from a big Turkish supermarket chain here. But I've also bought smaller 1l glass bottles from home bargains in the past.

[OrangeSunset]

Main principles are ‘use less in the first place’ and buy better when you spend. Literally every pound spent makes an impact in terms of the company who benefits from that custom and their practices.

Move to 100% renewables (may not be so easy at the moment, but only two UK providers are fully renewable, the rest only achieve this through trading credits)
Move banking (even if ‘only’ a current account) to Triodos or co-op
Move pensions - this is huge

Little point in keeping a car for only occasional journeys - that then becomes a grossly under-used asset that ‘costs’ more per journey due to the embodied carbon involved in its production. Better off selling it so it is used and another one not bought instead. Hire when needed. OR put your car on Karshare (like Airbnb for cars) for others to use. So that the asset is used as much as possible.