What changes have you made to help the environment?

[babymother9238]

I am ashamed to admit that I have come a bit late to the urgent need to help the environment. We have always recycled as much as pos and walked shortish distances. But my DS and I have decided to need to do MUCH more. The problem is that my DH and other DS are not as bothered so we need to find easy ways to help the environment that they won't fight too much. I have done some googling and come up with these ways but I would love to hear about your ideas (and recommendations for eco friendly products):

1. Resolve to mend not buy new when something breaks/tears.
2. Use the new laundry sheets (e.g. Earth breeze) instead of large laundry liquid bottles.
3. Buy a Sodastream so I can make sparkling water (I am menopausal and am currently addicted to to sparkling water) so I don't have to buy plastic bottles.

4, Only use the drier when I genuinely need to i.e. it is raining or need something urgently. We have become way too dependent on just chucking all washing in the drier.

1. Only putting hot water on for a few hours in the morning.
2. Turning down the thermostat and not putting heating on until it is seriously cold.
3. Refusing to put heating on unless everyone is already properly warmly dressed.

8, Reducing the red meat we eat from about 4 times a week to twice.

WHAT ARE YOUR IDEAS PLEASE?

Obviously truely off grid homes with no mains electricity supply would keep their log burners, but these properties are so rare as to be largely irrelevant to environmental policy making.

It’s that irrelevance that bothers me. So few people will be seriously affected by a ban that their needs may be ignored for the “greater good”.

We were burning wood for heat long before wood burning stoves became a fashion accessory. I have to admit I am a bit bitter about the backlash as a result of a fad.

If it’s yellow let it mellow

This is a great thread, thank you for starting it.

Even if, as PP have said, these tiny actions don't make much difference to our total emissions, they have an effect in other ways. Mumsnet people will read this thread and may feel inspired themselves to do more. At home, kids, friends and relatives will see what you're doing and note it. Businesses (such as airlines and non-green electricity suppliers) will notice as our choices hit their bottom line.

Mending things more often (though can be hard to find people who do it)
Washable pads for face cleansing
Soaps wrapped in paper, not handwash/shower gel in bottles
Using a 'bring your own container' shop down the road sometimes
Buy wine, fruit and veg only from Northern hemisphere
Not buying fast fashion
Charity shops
Giving stuff away on freecycle, selling or giving to charity once done with it

Great ideas above, and I agree that everyone should make changes wherever they can.

I am trying to be more frugal in general, cutting down on meat, repurposing and making do.

I have a cupboard for general storage and was toying with the idea of getting sets of pretty and coordinated boxes for the shelves. In the end, I used what I had, a mismatched collection of boxes and baskets. Everything is now organised, tidy and has a home, and when the door is shut, who cares. I was a bit over-invested in the aesthetics, instead of the waste of £££ and the environmental impact.

@jtlw I think this is a really good point. It’s really tempting to approach minimalism like a project to buy things for (thinking about Stacey Solomon and matching jars and stickers) but it’s a really good challenge to try not to buy anything new and work with what you already have.

Buy second hand unless unavoidable
Cloth sanitary pads
Vegan
Buy in bulk
Soap nuts for washing
Bar soap instead of liquid in bottles
Cordial instead of bottles of flavoured water and reuse the bottles to drink out of
Try to buy less plastic generally
Reusable freezer bags
Grow herbs and salad leaves (mine are growing still even in this weather)!
Charity shops for lots of things (all my glassware, some of it very pretty, came from the local charity shops).
I'm sure I do other things, may come back to the thread.

Just remembered too
Water butt in garden
Bee houses
Hedgehog hole
Pond
Bird feeder
Plant lots of flowers

I have been trying to be 'green' for many years. It's such a shame that there's so much publicity NOW about it when it's almost too late.

It is the giant manufacturers who must change. We need to put our pensions into places that only back green industry. If enough of us do it they will all have to change.

How bizarre that there are people who think they won't be affected by climate change.