9 easy changes to live sustainably

With Earth day being in April I have decided to dedicate this month to being Eco friendly and living more sustainably. In this post I am going to give you 9 easy changes you can make, that will make your life more sustainable. You never know you may also save yourself some money.
I will just mention that I am not living a 100% sustainable lifestyle, but I am making the changes to make sure I am as sustainable as I can be.

Why do I need to be sustainable?

Gobal warming is getting worse and the ice caps are melting. The sea is being filled with plastic and deforestation is happening so greatly, that animals are becoming extinct from not having habitats to live in!

1. Make your travel greener!

This is something that has been drilled into me, since I was at school. This looks at different ways that you can travel, instead of relying on your car. There are the obvious options such as walking, cycling and public transport. However, not everyone has the option to walk or cycle and public transport can be expensive if you travel long distances daily.
Should you be reliant on a car for travel then, maybe you can car share with others. For example, if 4 of you live in the same area and travel to the same work place then car share. This way you all get to work but you more then half your carbon foot prints. Why don't you throw on some music and make it as car pool karaoke session!?!

2. Stop junk mail!

Junk mail is something that as a household we get every week, and they normally go straight into the recycling bin. It was estimated that in 2009, 379,900 tonnes of Junk mail was sent out, throughout the UK (that around 69 lb per household, per year!). This works out at around 42 million trees!
This can be changed by doing 3 things;

1. Contact the DMA. The Digital Marketing Association have a 'Your Choice scheme'. Here you can contact them and ask them to remove you from any mailing lists they have you on.
2. Contact the Royal mail. You can tell the Royal mail to stop delivering Junk mail to your home.
3. Make a sign and stick it to your door, stating that you don't want ANY Junk mail put through your door.

For more information and contact details please click here

3. Use essential oils to make cleaning products!

Using essential oils, helps reduce the chemicals that are put out into the air and also helps reduce the plastic made. You can buy essential oils on line for as little as £1.99 per bottle. In the long run you would be saving money as you would only need a few drops for each bottle you made to clean with.
Its also important to note that you should use up any products that you already have, or give the products you already have to someone you known will use them. Throwing away products is just as harmful as using them.

4. Give up bottled water!

This is something that I have mentioned before. Using a reusable drinks bottle is better then single use plastic bottles. Again I understand that not everyone has the ability to use or buy a reusable drinks bottle. If this is the case then keep the bottle you have from a previous drink and fill that up again.

5. Reduce your waste!

There are two big ways you can reduce your waste. Composting and recycling.
Composting reduces the food waste that gets sent to landfill. When food is sent to landfill it doesn't break down in the same way it would if you put it into compost. Because of the way it is buried in landfill, it creates a harmful gas that gets released into the atmosphere. Also the compost that is created can then be put back into the your garden. This means that you essentially are giving the food back to the earth.
Recycling isn't just putting your can into the right bin. Its buying things second hand. This can be anything from clothes to furniture. By taking in second hand clothing and second hand furniture you are reducing, the amount of materials farmed to produce these products.

6. Conserve energy

This is also something else that has been drilled into me since I was at school. Conserving energy is something that is so easily done, and saves you money!

• Turn off lights and electrical items when they aren't being used.
• Close the fridge - This means the fridge doesn't need to work twice as hard to keep it cold.
• Get a smart meter - This will tell you exactly how much energy you use and how much it is costing you!.
• Wash full loads of washing - This means that your washing machine is going to be using less energy.
• Wash on cold - Washing your clothes at 30 degrees , works just as well as washing your clothes on 60 degrees.
• Line dry when you can - Tumble dryers use A LOT of energy! Using the washing line means your not going to be using as much energy.

My smart meter

7. Grow your own fruit & veg!

Growing your own fruit and veg means not only do you know where it is from, but you can also source this produce easily without using plastic! You know that there are no pesticides used on your food and that it is 100% healthy for you!

My home grown potatoes

8. Reduce your plastic!

This is something that I have written a post about before. To read this click here
Single use plastics are becoming more and more of an issue as our oceans get polluted. Animals are getting stuck in our plastic waste, ingesting it and also have injuries. The most famous footage is the sea turtle with the straw stuck up its nose. it had to be pulled out fishermen.
Saying no to single use plastics drastically reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in our oceans and ends up in landfill.

9. Continue to educate yourselves and others!

Don't think that because you have watched the videos, read the posts and made some changes there is nothing else to do, Others need educating and teaching about the consequences of not being sustainable!