What do you do to protect the environment?

[Krisgoeco]

Hi guys
I'm just wondering how many people are out there who cares about the environment. I'm extremely concerned of the damage we do to our Earth and to ourselves by littering, pouring strong chemicals down our drain,buying 5p bags each time we go to shopping, food wasting, leaving the house in the morning with already 100 chemicals on our skin, etc. So what do you guys do to protect yourself and the Earth?

Vegan diet, recycling and walking instead of driving.

The Eden Project carbon footprint calculator is good:

www.edenproject.com/learn/for-everyone/whats-your-carbon-footprint#89gChSQPwTEFYtOj.97

Oh, and I don't use cleaning products - just vinegar and bicarb - though I do use bleach sometimes.
And I rarely use kitchen towels, use a cloth instead, and disinfect it in the microwave.

We don't own a car, we walk and cycle everywhere.
We mostly stay in the UK for holidays, last flight was 3 years ago.
I only put the heating and lights on if essential.
No tumble dryer, no dishwasher, few appliances.
I'm vegetarian, DD is mostly vegetarian.
I try not to buy stuff we don't need.
I try to buy things that will last a lifetime.
Most of our things are second-hand.
I recycle most things.

I'm sure there is more I could do.

I haven't given up hope that people will eventually see that the earth is worth protecting, and it won't be too late.

Recycle, walk as much as poss, showers no baths, refrigerate water so we don't have to run the tap for it to cool, eat plant based, buy second hand, use products not tested on animals, am also planning to use cloth nappies when baby arrives.
I hope these little things do make a bit of difference

I do more than I thought as I also have never had a dishwasher or tumbledryer and used cloth nappies.

We also have no dishwasher or dryer

We recycle and usually use public transport, although we are also members of a car-sharing programme for when public transport won't cut it.

We're going to try to avoid buying from any American companies in light of the likely withdrawal from the Paris Accord.

Are dishwashers these days quite efficient? I thought they were.

I used a mix of cloth and disposable nappies - I've never really understood why it's often considered an "all or nothing" thing. I simply couldn't face the washing, and our place was too small to have mounds of soaking nappies everywhere, so I had about 2 cloth nappy days a week then did the washing at the end of those days. Better than nothing imo - still saves about 500 nappies a year.

I feel the same way about sanitary protection. So many women don't use cups or washable pads because they are "too heavy on the first day". Just use disposables on the first day then and follow up with resuables when your flow is more manageable.

We also potty trained DC relatively early. When I see 3 or 4 year olds in nappies I wince for both the cost and the environmental impact.

I think we should all have our own solar panels as a way of starting to make us less dependant on other means and we would all individually benefit from that.

More recycling bins would be amazing I have two now because there are five people in the house but they are overflowing and only collected last week with another 2/3bin loads worth sat waiting to go out that I cannot store so will have to go in the black bin or on the incinerator as it's moastly carbored or paper from packaging.

I've started trying to grow some bits (potatoes/onions/broccoli/strawberrys/chilli/tomatoes/herbs/carrots/asparagus/peas/beans/various berrys)

Most of the clothes (apart from undies/swimwear/special bits and a few random oh that's nice/shoes) I try and buy in job lots of pre owned

We holiday in the U.K., I don't drive but dh does and needs to for work.

We try to buy all our meat and veggies/fruit from local butchers/farmers to avoid the travel of the items.

I have a vegetable plot. I no longer use the dryer. I haven't been able to use my dishwasher. I use those eco cloths. I do own a microwave because it is energy efficient. I eat in the main a vegetarian diet. I recycle everything that is possible and mend clothes too.

Loved the link to the carbon footprint. I'm not going to get a smart meter either. I pay gas by DD but have inherited a pay as you go electric meter and it really makes you think hard about the energy you use.

www.utwente.nl/en/news/!/2017/3/313543/electronic-energy-meters-false-readings-almost-six-times-higher-than-actual-energy-consumption

However, it's too little and too late. Especially now Trump is taking the USA out of the Paris Accord. Basically, now he has done this, we're all fooked.

MrsTerryPratchett I live in the Cayman Islands so just a short hop north about 500 miles or so!

For me it's as much about reducing the amount of "stuff" which goes to landfill. We don't buy plastic tat. We'd rather buy an old piece of furniture and paint or varnish it, change the handles, give it a makeover than buy new. We have no problem with secondhand. We recycle everything we can. We don't have a tumble dryer and the house is insulated to within an inch of its life.

On the flip side I have a diesel car and we're going to Florida on holiday so it's swings and roundabout.

I'm vegan, which I think helps because more people can be fed using fewer resources. Animal farming is exceptionally wasteful. though of course now I'll get accused of being preachy, but you did ask

I don't have children!

I don't run a car but I don't need one.

I do most of what others have listed

I'm vegetarian if that helps.

i live in a small flat with no outside space so I do run a tumble dryer, I didn't buy it but it's here and I'm told drying damp washing is just going to make my asthma worse.

that said, for me it's more about the discomfort of mountains of crap and far, far too many people. I just prefer not to contribute to it, but given that we have posters who get new sofas every 2 years I think the horse has bolted.

the overpopulation problem is the worst thing though. every time I hear a politician talk about a housing crisis I want to scream. Did they want the whole of England living in tiny high floor boxes like mine? It's not just London now, it's everywhere.

Hardly ever use the tumble dryer.
Have tried and failed to grow veg.
Can grow strawberries though, so next year I will try raspberries aswell.
Grow bee and insect friendly plants.
Try not to waste food.
Upcycle as much as I can.
Drive a diesel.
Try not to waste too much water.

Any farming is wasteful though, even market gardening - though not as much as red meat production. Best are meats we don't really eat or consume such as goat - excellent for milk and cheese, rabbit - just as good as chicken thighs, camel, llama. Chickens are a good source of protein, once in a while, but we eat too many of them hence all the viruses.

I'm about 90% vegetarian, recycle, have stopped buying anything plastic which is going to end up in landfill, try to really limit the amount of chemicals I use, mostly buy organic, have my name down for an allotment, we don't have a car and only fly once a year to see family in Ireland.
I agree that it all feels like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted but it makes me feel better.

Diesel cars are not environmentally friendly.

www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/06/diesel-cars-are-10-times-more-toxic-than-trucks-and-buses-data-shows

I'm vegetarian since I was 12 so I'm definitely not gonna accuse you with anything. 😉

Solar panels, water meter. Don't get carrier bags in shops. Don't get take-out drinks. Let the garden overgrow a bit to encourage wildlife. Transitioning to vegan. Walk rather than use the car, or take the bus.
Line-dry clothes. Compost waste. Use a water butt.

Buy clothes/books mostly from charity shop

Eat a fresh unprocessed mostly grain free diet, local meat and veg where possible. No palm oil or soya (apart from the odd splash of tamari)

Buy a lot of yellow sticker food that’s going to waste

Scoop out shower water (and save water drawn while waiting for the hot tap) for flushing the loo and watering plants

Have solar panels on the roof… try to put appliances on while the sun is shining to minimise grid electric consumption

Haven’t had kids

When I lived in another part of the UK, I tried to mainly use train/ferry rather than flying. Haven’t flown at all for two years. But hoping to go back to our favourite country which would require a flight, there is a surface route, but it’s more polluting than flying as it’s very circuitous.

I don’t drive (though DH does), I got pannier bags and rack for my bike to go shopping

Use the washing line rather than tumble drier

Recycle/compost

Get shampoo refilled at whole food shop

Use a bamboo toothbrush

Use bar soap rather than shower gel

Cut dishwasher tablets in half

Don’t have a smart phone

Things to do:

Get the vegetable garden underway

Get hens

Get bike trailer so we can go on cycle-camping breaks

Get water butt

OP Check out Rob Greenfield on youtube, he vlogs about eco subjects like tiny house living, growing veg, minimalism, cycling etc.

• No single-use plastic bags (including those available in supermarkets for fruit and veg...why people use a plastic bag for a bunch of bananas is beyond me!
• Buy local produce when available (although hard if I want to have a really varied diet!)
• Drink tap (or filtered) water at home instead of bottled water
• use a steel water container instead of buying bottled water when out
• No pesticides or or herbicides used in the garden
• Only "eco" products used in the toilet, and other products used sparingly in the house
• Compost everything that can be composted, including shredded paper.
• Recycle everything recyclable
• walk instead of drive where I can
• haven't had children
• don't use a hosepipe
• dry washing outside, or on airers indoors if the weather is bad
• use a mooncup instead of tampons or towels
• paperless billing/anything else that can be emailed instead of sending in the post
• minimal meat and dairy consumption
• buy second hand when possible
• take short showers
• have started using soapnut shampoo bars instead of standard shampoo in plastic bottles
• put a jumper on before turning the central heating up
• only buy stuff I don't need as a very occassional treat

I'd like to be more "eco friendly" but circumstances make it tricky right now. Idealy I'd love solar panels, a compost toilet, have a veg patch again, be off grid and self sufficient. I suppose I like the idea of being able to survive if there was ever a zombie apocalypse

I'd like To do better.

Currently we recycle and compost. I repurpose charity shop finds into clothes rather than buy new if i can. I donate old clothes. I use very old clothes for cleaning rags.

We're just about to by a new house and I am excited to be getting a water but for the garden. I grow herbs and strawberries at present and hope to expand. Also I will finally have room for a washing line!

I used to commute by public transport but job has moved (reason for house move) and now will need a car. Looking at greener options tho.

I would like to know more about green cleaning products. Does anyone have a link?

Oh and have a bpa free water bottle in bag and cloth carrier bag

Splodgeinc

www.wikaniko.com/shop/cleaning/domestic-cleaning.html