What are your tips for being more environmentally friendly? Tell Unilever for a chance to win a £300 voucher!NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

Unilever have asked us to find out what Mumsnetters' tips are to make sure that your family is more environmentally friendly.

Here's what Unilever say, "At Unilever, we believe there has never been a better time to create a better future for our children; a world where everyone has enough food to eat and no child goes to bed hungry; where everybody can enjoy life today while protecting the planet for future generations.

"If we all work together to take small actions every day that make a real difference, we can build a world where everyone lives well and lives sustainably.

"We're committed to taking positive action on climate change within our business, but we also want to inspire our consumers to make those small changes that can make all the difference."

So, what positive habits have you got in to which help you be more environmentally friendly which you can pass on to other Mumsnetters? Maybe it's as simple as getting yourself and your DCs into the habit of switching off the lights as you leave the room? Are you a champion for only buying sustainably sourced products or managing down the food miles in your weekly shop? Perhaps you're now using reusable instead of disposable products, everything from batteries to razors to ink cartridges? Or maybe you've ditched the car in favour of cycling? Whatever your tips are, we'd love to hear them!

Everyone who posts their tips on the thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £300 Love2Shop voucher!

Thanks and good luck,
MNHQ

I can't quite handle the idea of cloth nappies but we have switched to washable wipes. They are actually much better at cleaning bums than disposable wipes - you only need one instead of 3 or 4 wipes. Cynical family members have all had to agree.

Recycle all our paper, tins and bottles. Remember to take carrier bags with us when we go shopping. Use a cold water wash in the washing machine. Donate our unloved clothes to charity shops.

So many tips ... main one to stop plastic is to reuse bottles and plastic bags .. plastic is such bad to the environment and easy to reuse, it would be better not to buy plastic at all but it needs companies to stop using it!

Don't flush after a wee, but clothes from charity shops and follow a vegan diet.

Recycle, reuse, donate. Consider them all before putting in the grey bin

Quite basic things like: recycling carrier bags, limited use of CFCs, walking short distances instead of using transport.

We've started recycling everything we can, and luckily our Council is fairly good with what they can take.

We do car boot sales and donate to charity shops, and buy some clothing from them too.

As a couple, we don't do birthday/xmas cards either. Or Valentines.

Wash everything at 30. We use an electric heated airer instead of tumble drying. Dry stuff outside in the summer.

Reuse bags for life for our weekly shop.

We both have long commutes to work, so try and keep weekends fairly local to cut down on fuel consumption (also saving ££!)

We try to buy as little as possible, and I never buy toiletries or cosmetics that have been tested on animals. We also buy FairTrade where we can (although I realise this points are probably more 'ethical' than 'environmental').

Use environmentally-friendly cleaning products in the bathroom, although not in the kitchen (I'm a sucker for 'antibacterial' marketing).

This year, we're also planning to grow a lot of our own fruit and veg and cut down further on the stuff we buy. Lots of handmade gifts and we'll be making our own Xmas cards for family and friends from recycled blank cards.

Have the bins ready... I found if I had one bin I would just throw everything in. Have a cardboard box for recycling, strong bag for glass and your normal bin and you automatically do it.

We recycle everything that we can, amazing how much plastic we go through! Always turn off lights and make sure appliances aren't left on standby. Take showers instead of baths!

Use a roll on deodorant instead of a spray and reuse carrier bags

We collect up all the cold water that is wasted whilst waiting for it to be heated up...this is then used to water plants

I turn off switches when things aren't in use and I try to walk everywhere I can.

I hate wasting anything, it is a challenge in the Gaga household to re-use, recycle and basically getting value for money and saving energy.

We grow veg and have a great composting system so we don't have to buy compost or peat products, and put all our cardboard in there!

We have an energy monitor which I have set an alarm on for quite low, whenever it goes off DS runs round finding ways to bring the usage down, has turned into quite a game

I use vinegar to clean just about everything, not only cheap, better for the environment but also the most effective.

recycle as much as we can plus cloth nappies, wipes, csp, and reusable sandwich wraps

Buy used, not new.

recycle as much as you can

We ordered a bunch of water saving devices from Severn Trent Water which have been really useful. The family as a whole are really good with recycling - we have a separate bin inside the house for all recyclables & this makes it really effortless to do. All lights are turned off when rooms aren't in use, similarly with applicances - switched off at the plug. We have meters fitted to help us monitor energy consumption & we switched our supplied to Ovo which encourages users to supply their own monthly readings which has helped us loads in watching how much energy we are using so there's no unexpected bills from estimated readings.

I think its the small things that can add up that really make a difference. For example, we send our old ink catridges for the printer off to be refilled instead of buying new ones, if there is a piece of clothing that is slightly too small or has a hole in it instead of throwing it away it will become clothes to wear during painting or whilst playing outside. All charges are unplugged from the mains sockets when not in use, nothing is left on standby, using your common sense when driving anywhere e.g try not to drive to the supermarket when you only need one item, wait until there are multiple things needed.

I shop at my local market, not only to support local businesses, but because all the fruit and veg isn't pre-packed, it tastes so much nicer too.

My DC are under the impression that it is illegal to drive for journeys less than a mile.

Plan meals one week at a time and write a shopping list. Shop only for items on the list to avoid waste! However, any leftover food goes towards making another meal.

I'm veggie, which helps the environment. We also try to do all the basic stuff, such as sorting recycling properly, turning things off (although getting the kids to do the same is a constant challenge!. We also donate to charity shops love checking them out for bargains, which also helps the environment by re-using products.

We recycle what we can reuse any plastic pots with lids for storing things in. Try and air dry clothes rather than tumble. I avoid heating going on til at least November or later. I try and make clothes last I cut down jeans to make shorts when they are outgrown and repair what I can. We recycle pallets for the garden to make boxes and raised beds. Any metal we keep to sell to scrap yard. Compost veg and fruit scraps. Outgrown school items go to pta as they help children with less money.

We just try to do little things like trying to not turn the lights on until its really necessary & to always turn them off when we go out. Same with plugs & things on standby.

I separate all of our food waste too which keeps the black bin from overflowing!

we are having solar panels fitted but generally I'm a stickler for everyone turning lights off when they leave a room!