Little things I can do to be more eco friendly...

[BiscuitsMcSnugglepuff]

Hello all!

So, it’s not a secret that humans in general are brilliant at making a bit of a mess of our planet... and I’m no exception! But after some worrying reports of late I decided I should get my arse in gear and do what I can to reduce my carbon footprint. So, I wondered what little things you do day to day which have reduced your waste or energy consumption?

So far I have done the following in an attempt to be that little bit greener:

1. Switched my toddler from disposables into reusable cloth nappies and accompanying reusable wipes (even better as we want a second little one so will be used again!)
2. Switched to reusable sanpro
3. Started ordering fruit and veg from a local no waste box company (so far very good! Yum!)
4. Getting meat from a local butchers - I never knew this but they do a brilliant deal for £25 which will do meat for me and DH for two weeks!
5. Reusable silicone freezer bags for putting that lovely meat in!
6. Getting jars to better preserve food stuffs
7. Reducing processed foods
8. Ditching plastic food bags in favour of paper ones
9. Getting recycled loo paper (not willing to go as far as reusable! 😅)

10. Getting recycled wood based litter for cats and biodegradable bags to clean litter into 11. Trying to limit use of tumble drier (eg. Trying to stop being lazy and actually hanging it up to dry 😂) 12. Got rechargeable batteries as we get through quite a few (thank the little one for that) 13. Vowed to get better quality clothes so they don’t fall apart within a week and have me wondering i bothered!

So, does anyone have any other switches they can recommend- preferably ones that don’t cost a tonne or require radical lifestyle changes (if I so much as suggested going vegetarian my husband would laugh in my face... also, I love me some bacon!) 😜

Shopping for second hand things - Charity shops or selling sites on social media. This applies to clothes but also furniture, toys, all sort of things. The World would need less 'stuff' if more people did it.

Spending time looking at labels when you shop (takes a long time at first but you would get used to brands and foodstuffs) and only buying - as far as you are able - locally sourced produce

Walking or cycling in stead of using a car.

Using public transport in stead of a car where feasible.
Car sharing where feasible.

You can get these 'magic' plastic reusable lids to use instead of cling film if you now tend to put cling film o things (?)

Not so much in the Winter, but if we get another hot Summer, use 'used water' to water your garden (or house plants)
If you want to take it up a notch, use bath water and a bucket to flush the toilet rather than 'clean' water each time

I presume, looking at your list you don't buy coffee out, in throw away cups, nor buy bottled water?

I'm trying not to buy anything and buy second hand if I can.
Soap instead of shower gel, shampoo and hand-wash.
Iv got splosh cleaning products including laundry liquid. They're meant to be very eco friendly and send you refills saving on plastic.
No Xmas gifts this year if family agree to it we're going to buy experiences instead.
Using fabric to wrap gifts if there are any. Reuse next Yr. No cards donation to hospice instead.

Great thread! We do most of the above and have also:

• Switched to an Eco-egg for washing, been using it a few months and it seems to clean just as well as traditional detergents.

• Bought beeswax food covers and used these instead of cling film.

• Switched to bars of soap rather than bottles of hand wash as I was getting through loads of plastic bottles - now dc can’t squirt masses of soap everywhere!

• I’ve tried shampoo bars too but not found one I like yet.

• My youngest is now 4, so no longer needed the pile of muslin clothes we had, now used for cleaning windows and mirrors with a mix of water, white vinegar and lavender oil in a reusable spray bottle.

Luckily our house is energy efficient and we can walk to school so that helps. Next on the list: bamboo toothbrushes; natural deodorant (not in can or plastic tub); further reducing food packaging (not sure how yet!)

I cut down things when they are worn or broken......
so towels first become hand towels and then dish cloths for example.
I'm just about to make an old duvet cover that frayed on one edge, into pillow case, and have use old pillow cases for tea towels.

It does depend a bit on what you already do. I sometime read money saving tips or similar and think 'I thought everyone did that anyway'

I wash clothes at 30 degrees, unless they're very dirty.
I've switched from laundry liquid back to powder, thus avoiding accumulating loads of plastic bottles.
I no longer use shower gel, liquid soap or tubes of face-wash but use soap bars instead.
I bought a metal water bottle and fill it from the tap to take with me, so I no longer buy single use bottles of water when out.
I use a wood-burner for heating, which is carbon neutral. Although it's not completely non polluting, it's one of the more efficient sort.

Some great ideas here... I’ve got some more shopping to do!

Reusable plastic lids are a must! I was trying to work out how best to cut out cling film! And bamboo toothbrushes sound good for when ours need replacing... splosh products, beeswax wraps... good ideas!

I very rarely have a coffee out and when I do it’s usually as a special treat as other half loves them - probably about once every few months though so hardly walking down the street with a cup daily! And I have a reusable bottle for water 😊

I have also said to my family I do not want much if anything for Xmas as it’s usually very stressful trying to think of something to suggest to them and end up with stuff just for the sake of it! Admittedly I did ask them to still get something for my little man... but he’s one and it’s christmas! 😂 for my mum, dad, sister etc I’m making homemade goodies like fudge and choccys in nice little glass jars that they will be able to reuse as they like... which also means I don’t have to spend hours trapesing around the net trying to find something for them which is likely overpriced 😂

Sadly the soap and shampoo ideas aren’t ideal for me as I have very sensitive skin and have to use special stuff to avoid nasty flare ups, but I have switched back to washing powder rather than liquid 😊

I don’t drive and do walk a lot but my DH has a car, sadly driving is unavoidable for him as he works a 20 min drive away and we live in a rented house which doesn’t have double glazing which upsets my karma a bit! But moving isn’t really an option and otherwise it’s a lovely place!

Keep the ideas coming! 😁

Update - splosh signed up to (yay!) and found a range that does washing powder and hand soap which is eco friendly and should suit my sensitive skin - bio d, looks like a winner! 😊

Rathe than use plastic containers or cling film, we out food in a bowl and cover with a plate.

Food that leaves the house is either in reusable containers or foil.

I am considering switching to an eco ball for laundry, but I've read reviews that they are just as effective as washing clothes wig just water.

I have seen the eco balls on a few websites, not entirely sure I would trust them with dirty cloth nappies though 😜 haha

I think you can recycle stretchy plastic in the carrier bag recycling points they have in supermarkets e.g. toilet roll wrapping, bread bags, wrapping round multiples of tins etc. At least i think so - saw this tip on fb and do wonder as some of that plastic says non recyclable. maybe pp know??

Hey. The world is only lent to us and we should aim to give it to our kids in at the same if not better state, so anything we can do to be more eco-friendly is important. When our first came along, we used reusable nappies and would highly recommend them - does take a bit more effort, but it's better than filling up our landfills! We struggled to find more eco-friendly products so we've started www.greenbubba.com to help other UK parents to work towards smaller footprints. For all our fellow Mumsnet members, here's a 10% discount code MUMSNET that you can use on all items, from reusable nappies, wooden toys to bamboo tableware and many other useful and fun items for babies and parents.

Please consider helping campaigns for society as a whole to tackle climate breakdown. You are invited to Friends of the Earth's campaign planning meeting with Chris Saltmarsh of the national student campaign People and Planet, this coming Wednesday

13 February 7.30 at
Friends Meeting House
77 Church Crescent
Muswell Hill N10 3NE

43 or 134 bus from Archway/Highgate, or from Friern Barnet

Chris co-wrote a good article about People and Planet’s climate campaign asking Barclays to switch its investments away from harmful fossil fuels: theecologist.org/2018/dec/17/banks-can-ditch-all-fossil-fuels-heres-how-writes-chrissaltmarsh

He has also recently written about the school climate strikes, inspired by the remarkable Swedish sixteen year-old Greta Thunberg:

We urgently need progress to reduce the severity of climate breakdown.
Among the other issues we will discuss on Wednesday are

a proposal for a campaign against single use coffee cups, and for cafes to refill water bottles (to be considered in the light of the plans of Plastic-free Haringey).

Tim Root
Co-ordinator, Muswell Hill & Hornsey Friends of the Earth
[email protected]