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?

The only thing that will make a massive difference to the climate and to your health - eat less red meat!!!
We could meet our climate targets purely if everyone stopped eating red meat - barely any other adjustments needed

Ps it’s the type of meat that matters - chicken etc not anything like as bad. Just red meat.

We've started using washable baby wipes , I use reusable sanitary pads , we really only holiday in the UK , none of us own cars. I buy second hand where possible too.

I'd like to do more though , as a family we're terrible at remembering to recycle our rubbish.

We are cutting down on meat.
No plastic bags
No cling film
Reusable water bottles.
Looking into mooncups and period pants

What is really bugging me is the amount of plastic wrapping on food. I hate putting it in the bin. Our council won't take plastic wrapping or bags in the recycling.

Redskyandrainbows - that is a really good point. Definitely something we are aiming for. DH has just found out he has high cholesterol, so we have that as an incentive.

I would quite happily be a pescetarian, with the odd roast chicken thrown in!

We’re eating less meat but that more for health reasons than environmental. I’m trying to remember my coffee mug each morning rather than buy disposables. Unfortunately European and international flights will continue as both our families live abroad (and we like to holiday outside the UK).

I have to drive short distances due to disability but my last car I got a hybrid.

I buy meat and veg locally, the local butcher and greengrocer give away bags but I take my own)

I get my supermarket shop delivered.One van delivering to 10-20 people must use less fuel than 10-20 people driving to the supermarket. The only time I shop in a supermarket is if it's on the way to or from somewhere.

I use the 4 hour deliver slot as I am in during the day so hoprfully that also reduces my foot print because I assume they shedule my shopping when they are in the area.

The big one, not for everyone and not origionally for enviromental reasons, I have no children.

When I die my body is going to be disected by Birmingham uni medical students, if that can't happen then I will have a woodland buriel in a bio degradable covering. Actually if it does happen the remains of my body will still be in a woodland buriel.

After all the wax wrap chat I might get www.boobalou.co.uk/wrappa-bees-vegan-food-wrap-3-pack.html vegan version of the beeswax wrap, palm oil free.

Right now I use plastic sandwich bags but re-use them as cat litter bags. Anyone got any thought on non- plastic cat litter bags? She won’t use the wood based litter you can flush down the toilet unfortunately.

@Redskyandrainbows67 absolutely but dairy and all meat products are still worse than plant foods so if we want to do the most we can, plant based is the way to go. I recognise cutting out red meat is a big start.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth

Something many don’t know is that organic, free range and grass fed don’t mean better for the environment (and sometimes in fact crueller intensive farming is actually marginally better for the environment).

www.ox.ac.uk/news/2017-10-03-grass-fed-beef-good-or-bad-climate

Thanks for all the great ideas. Especially the beeswax wraps. I will definitely be getting some of those for the kids lunchboxes.

I didn't know until recently but teabags are plastic so we are changing over to loose tea.

We have stopped buying plastic bottles of hand-wash and shower gel and use bars instead.

Instead of buying plastic bottles of sauces, buy the glass jars instead. Like ketchup and mayo ect.

I always walk to school and work anyway but we live in a village so have to use the car for everything else.

We are getting bamboo toothbrushes next time ours need replacing.

Does anyone have any toothpaste recommendations?

What I really hate is the amount of plastic we go through at work. It honestly breaks my heart. My boss couldn't care less though so not much I can do.

I have always
Only boiled the amount of water needed to make tea/coffee it is a waste to boil more than you need economically and environmentally.

Rarely buy clothes, they set off as good clothes then sitting around in clothes then working in clothes then rags, this process takes at least 10 years and up to 20 years

I've never bought new toys just second hand ones and these are donated back to charity some toys are at least 5th hand

Never bought kitchen/bathroom wipes any sprays I buy are refilled with a touch of bleach and topped up with water until they die

Have always washed and reused freezer bags

Reuse tin foil

Don't buy take away coffee

Walk

Holiday in UK

Reuse if possible then recycle

Heating set at 19 degrees and only on in evening not over night.

Switch lights of when not in room, No point in buying renewable energy if you are still wasting it as non renewable has to fill the shortfall caused by us wasting it

Grow some veg where possible.

Don't do dairy but that's because I don't like it.

Turn taps off while brushing teeth

Compost anythingwe can

All little things that don't take much effort but would add up to a lot if every one did it

@kikisparks

What’s the cat litter you can flush down the toilet? I didn’t think you could flush cat waste or litter, but would love to know if you can and cut down on the poo bags!

Main change we’ve made are going veggie (was a gradual process and I don’t miss it; feeling and looking much healthier!). Also using my bike more. I do fly a lot though. Hoping for a green innovation for aviation fuel tbh, as I do feel guilty.

I've bought a Cora ball to reduce the microplastics from my washing machine,it is not practical to dress only in organic cotton and older clothes shed more partials.
I'm also reducing my use if glass jars as recycling glass is not so great either si I'm aiming to just have wine bottles in my recycling bin.
Plastic wrappings the biggest issue as not recyclable and I don't live anywhere near a shop that sell loose stuff like pasta and rice.

I'm also reducing my use if glass jars as recycling glass is not so great either si I'm aiming to just have wine bottles in my recycling bin.

Please check freecycle, those of us who make chutney and pickles can usually use a few jars.

I've thought of another that I didn't realise is good for the plant, I use pyrex dishes with lids instead of cling film in the fridge.

Our 5 things are...

Switched to milk deliveries in glass bottles rather than buying plastic cartons at the shop.
Bought stainless steel water bottles for everyone.
As plastic food storage tubs come to the end of their shelf life I'm slowly replacing them with glass or stainless steel containers.
Planning to buy beeswax wrap.
Switched to bar soap for hand washing and shower.

We use method cleaning products, but I'm going to try and cut down on those by using an old spray bottle with a mix of vinegar and water for wiping down surfaces etc. And also, having watched Iceland's advert last night, I'm going to look at their own brand palm oil free products to see what we can can switch out to!

@Atleastthreedrinks It was a wood pellet type but apparently you shouldn’t flush it anyway www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/flushable-cat-litter

I've re-worked my laundry arrangement.

I use only soap nuts and make my own fabric softener with vinegar and essential oils (either vanilla or a Christmas one I found that's clove and orange).

It sounds grim, but I'm not a natural-born eco warrior and I would have never done it if my laundry smelled bad - it smells great.

I also have a milk man and am using an outfit called Farm Direct for quite a lot of my groceries.

Buying less stuff is really the most important.

Oh, I switched to compostable coffee pods as well.

Changed to a plant based diet

Worm farms throughout the garden eat almost all our organic waste .

Reduced our landfill bin to 1 bag per week (family of five). Wormfarm and sending all soft plastics (bags, packets etc) to a specialist recycler have resulted in a HUGE drop in our volume of rubbish.

Reusable sanpro.

Compostable plastic bags where there are absolutely needed.

Buy local, use hemp bags.

Use public transport (electrically powered).

Well done Golden that all sounds excellent - one bag a week to landfill! Which specialist recycler do you use? I’ve never heard of doing that so would be interested to find out.

Ah, thanks @kikisparks. I'm going to try compostable waste bags instead, I think. My cat used to go outside, but now she's elderly and prefers the luxury of a litter tray!

For those that use recyclable cups for takeaway coffee can you suggest a good make? I've tried really hard to do this, bought several cups but they've all leaked within a few washes (some even leaked immediately!). Not good when you have a uniform with a white shirt. I've ruined so many shirts it not funny! I ended up reluctantly going back to throw away cups.

Contigo travel mugs are excellent.

Changed to an energy supplier that is 100% renewable electricity.

We have cut right back on our meat and dairy consumption.

Use mooncup/washable pads

We have cut right back on what we buy, and what we do buy tends to be second hand (clothes, gifts, furniture etc)

Grow food on our allotment.

Some great ideas here thank you