AIBU to ask you to change your life in 5 ways to help the environment

[Deadbudgie]

The world is messed up. We are killing our life support systems. What 5 ways, big or small, are you willing to change your life to help the environment? Mine are:

Walk anywhere less than 2 miles
Stop buying “stuff” where I could make do and mend with what I have and where I can’t I’ll think about it for at least a week if I really need it! Especially round Christmas/Easter etc
Buy British/local wherever possible
Buy stuff that will last made out of natural materials rather than cheap plastic covered crap.
Cut back to one foreign holiday every 2 years at most.

What’s yours?

Change to washable nappies and sanpro.
Change to bar handsoap and shampoos
Stop buying synthetic clothing where possible (I've stopped buying fleeces for eg and instead getting cotton or wool jumpers)
Holiday in the UK
Use the bikes more
Work from home where possible

I'm trying to use less plastic so using soaps instead of hand wash and facial cleanser. I'd love to try solid shampoo but not sure which to buy.

Changed kids little juice cartons for school into refillable plastic bottles.

Ditched cling film and run foil.

Using green compost bags for all rubbish but our council recycle most rubbish anyway.
Trying to get less packaged fruit but that's bit tough with click and collect.

Clothes instead kitchen roll.

Yep moved to mooncup but also need to get washable sanpro

I already do the things on your list .

Oh yes we also have washable wipes and washable kitchen roll.
Beeswax cloths instead of cling film
Stainless steel water bottles for the kids for school (ended up binning too many broken plastic ones)

Not doing Christmas cards anymore.
Using soap instead of handwash/shower gel. (Fine for bathrooms. Not in downstairs loo, too much sharing)
Cutting back a bit more on clothes buying.
Re-using as much as possible e.g used DD old duvet to re stuff one of the dog's bed's that had gone a bit flat.
Continue planting wildlife friendly plants and feeding the birds.

Reusable coffee cups and water bottles
Switching to wooden toys where possible and trying to only buy long life.plastic toys (I.e playmobil and lego)
Reusable sanpro
Trying to limit synthetic clothing (damn you school uniform!!)

I'm thinking of getting some cheap cotton material to use instead of wrapping paper and see if it catches on around here.

buying uk grown food is often worse for the environment as lots of fruit / veg is grown in heated polytunnels. Just saying

@ABitCrapper sorry to put a dampener on that but did you not watch that recent documentary on cheap cotton? 'It's bad.

No I didn't. But it can be used and reused for years whilst wrapping paper generally can't be recycled. I don't know, nothing is perfect - it's a balance isn't it?

I think I'm naturally eco friendly just because I can't believe how much unnecessary stuff people buy. And stuff like buying individual cartons of juice for kids; I'd have never done that anyway as it works out so expensive.
re using an old quilt for the dog bed. Surely that's what any sane person would do anyway. What's the alternative? buying a new dog bed?

@ABitCrapper and @sittingonacornflake - rather than buying new fabric, what about buying second hand charity shop scarves and shawl type things, and using that as wrapping?

I already the stuff in the OP mostly. Plus I've used a mooncup for maybe 15 years, and stopped buying any magazines maybe 20 years ago. I recycle everything I can, cut down on the meat I eat, and haven't had any children.

I'm going to try reusable sanpro this month
Try to only buy sustainable cotton clothing
Cut down on plastic tat for dc
Use my bike more and car less
Further cut down on sending cards

I already do:

Washable wipes instead of kitchen roll
No bin bag in kitchen bin - it's mostly dry packaging and I just wipe the bin monthly
Refillable cleaning products with www.splosh.com
Educate the dc about waste and the impact on the planet

Great ideas, I guess we all can’t do the same things and some people are more ahead than me but I really believe we all need to start changing the way we live

Vegan (I was anyway but it’s the single biggest thing an individual can do), reusable pads, 2nd hand clothes, soap nuts, reusable coffee cup and water bottle.

I don't send Christmas cards (except to my DParents) but that's more laziness than ethics.

I've been vegetarian for 38 years , not quite got to vegan but I eat minimal dairy

I use non tested toiletries and detergents

Walk if I can , don;t drive short journeys

Recycle the heck out of everything

Buy 2nd hand guinea-pigs !

Reducing how much meat we eat, like halving all mince and replacing with lentils (and sometimes using 100% lentils).

A few others from the list but this is the only one (I think) not listed yet.

This is a really good thread! As you say, everyone’s at different stages and able to make different changes but it’s great to share ideas and encouragement. I don’t drive and have been veggie for a long time but there are definitely other areas I could improve. The 5 I’m going to try first are:

Cutting down on plastic toys for the kids - am getting them a magazine subscription each for Xmas to cut out the ones that come with loads of plastic tat.
Cutting down dairy
Meal planning to reduce food waste
Reusable coffee cup
Charity shop shopping for clothes

I am

stopping doing foreign trips with work
just got some reusable sanpro
have removed all but one meat meal per two weeks
I am refusing all non-edible christmas presents for family as a whole
going to damn well remember to plug in the hybrid car more frequently so I use less petrol.

Also, me and my friends used to do regular clothes swaps pre kids but have got out of the habit. Will try to get them going again.

Swapping supermarket milk for the milk vending machine from the farmer, with glad bottles.
Using coffee mugs and water bottles
Using a greengrocer instead of plastic wrapped veg
Butcher instead of plastic wrapped meat
Buy and use bikes more.

Many fleeces are made from recycling plastic bottles!

I walk everywhere local.
Reusable water bottles.
I balanced use of reusable nappies as much as possible. And they were mostly 3rd hand and I passed them on when finished.
Pass on clothes to either friends or charity shops.

I need to buy a reusable coffee cup.
Am considering a mooncup but worry about leaks.

Yes but fleeces apparently are also the worst for microplastic shedding.
Plastic bottles can also be reused into picnic benches and road surfaces etc which don't shed microplastic into the ocean so readily, so?

Sometimes I think you need a degree in what eco products are really eco once you balance in manufacturing, shipping, water usage etc!

I also use bamboo straws, or no straw if I forget. It’s minor compared to the other things I mentioned (47% of plastic in the sea is abandoned fishing equipment so not eating fish is probably making more of an impact) but it’s still a bit less waste.

Good thread, I’m interested to see what else I should be doing. Also recycle and re-use shopping bags of course.

Could walk more, if I’m going anywhere with DH he tends to drive. Also trying to get away from plastic wrapped veg where I can.