Following on from my ideas for some eco-friendly New Years Resolutions, I thought I would write a list of 250 ways to be more sustainable. By the end of the list, you, your family and your home will all be more environmentally friendly. Print out the list and tick them off. Start at number one and go through them in order. Or make changes by category. It’s entirely up to you!
How To Be More Sustainable
In the Home
Saving Water
- Check your pipes and taps for leaks
- Install water saving taps
- Put a bucket in the shower with you to reuse the water later
- Take shorter showers
- Use a low flow shower head
- Take fewer baths
- Don’t use as much water in the bath
- Stop running the tap when brushing your teeth
- Stop running the tap when washing your hands or face
- Add a dual flush to your loo
- Put a filled water bottle in the cistern
- Only flush the loo after a number 2
- Fill the washing machine, never wash a half load
- Use a shorter wash cycle
- Fill the dishwasher, never wash a half load
- Use a washing up bowl to reduce the amount of water used in your sink
- Never use a hose to wash the car, use a sponge and a bucket
- Use watering cans to water the garden, not a hose
- Water plants in the morning
- Reuse your cooking water – vegetable and pasta water is great for the garden
- Wash your fruit and vegetables in a bowl not under a running tap
- Collect rainwater to water the garden; in a bucket, a water butt or anything
Learn more about saving water at home and for further details about the tips mentioned above
Saving Energy
- Switch the lights off when you leave a room
- Don’t leave electrical items on standby
- Got tile or wood floors? Sweep and mop rather than vacuum
- Line dry, don’t use tumble dryers
- Use clothes airers or hang your clothes inside if you don’t have a washing line (just open the windows)
- Don’t iron your clothes (choose clothes wisely for this one, especially if you have to look good at work)
- Only fill the kettle with as much water as you need
- Use timers (for radiators, outside lights)
- Change to LED lightbulbs
- Turn the heating down 1 degree
- Put the heating on half an hour later than usual
- Turn the heating off half an hour earlier than usual
- Buy good slippers, a good jumper and a blanket to reduce heating bills
- Only wash at 30º or less, no higher
- Buy energy efficient appliances (like these eco-friendly ovens)
- Change energy supplier to the most eco-friendly and ethical one available
- Install solar panels
Learn more about conserving energy
Bathroom
- Buy a bamboo toothbrush
- Use toothpowder instead of toothpaste
- Use mouthwash tablets for a plastic free mouthwash
- Try plastic free interdental brushes
- Use eco-friendly dental floss
- Convert to shampoo and conditioner bars
- Use soap bars instead of shower gels and liquid hand soaps
- Have plastic free periods
- Buy eco-friendly toilet paper, or an alternative to toilet paper
- Use a safety razor instead of a disposable one
- Use lip balm in tins
- Buy eco-friendly and plastic free skincare
- Find plastic free make-up
- Use reusable cotton rounds instead of single use cotton balls or pads
- Buy bamboo cotton buds or reusable ear picks
- Stop using face wipes and use a flannel or muslin instead
- Buy bamboo plasters
- Find plastic free hair accessories
- Use vegan, cruelty free hair dye
- Buy wooden hairbrushes and combs
- Replace an old shower curtain with an eco-friendly one
- Buy organic cotton, hemp or bamboo towels
- Clean your bathroom the eco-friendly way
Learn more about eco-friendly dental care, eco-friendly hair care and how to have an eco-friendly bathroom
Kitchen
- Make or buy wax wraps to use instead of cling film
- When you need a new saucepan, buy an eco-friendly one
- If you bulk buy pasta, rice, nuts etc, store them in glass food containers
- Buy wooden cooking utensils (spatulas, spoons etc)
- Choose metal cutlery, not cutlery with plastic handles
- Buy secondhand crockery
- Only buy kitchen equipment you’ll use (do you really need a rice cooker?)
- Make a homemade hob cleaner
- Clean your whole kitchen the eco-friendly way
Bedroom
- Buy an eco-friendly mattress
- Choose a metal or FSC wood bed frame
- Buy organic cotton or bamboo bedsheets and pillowcases
- Use eco-friendly mattress toppers / protectors
- Find eco-friendly pillows
Learn more about how to have an eco-friendly bedroom
Clothes
- Only buy the clothes that you need
- Clear out your wardrobe and sell or give away clothes you don’t wear
- Repurpose clothing if you really like the material but won’t wear it as it is
- For clothes that aren’t good enough to give to charity, use the material as rags for cleaning
- Visit charity shops to find good quality clothes at a fraction of the price, or check out some online secondhand clothes shops
- When buying new, buy from ethical clothing suppliers
- Only buy new clothes made from recycled or natural materials, organic ideally
- Buy eco-friendly footwear
- Invest in good quality eco-friendly underwear (an item I personally wouldn’t buy secondhand!)
- Rent clothes for one-off posh occasions
Miscellaneous
- Clear out your email inbox (for more information on this have a read of “How Bad For The Environment is Your Digital Footprint?“
- Stop all paper bills
- Check the house for draughts and fix them
- Buy some plants to detoxify the air in your home
- Regularly open the windows to let fresh air in
- Buy some baking soda and white vinegar for lots of different cleaning jobs
- Recycle everything that you can
- Find out your nearest Terracycle drop-off points for items your local council won’t recycle
- Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposables
- Create an eco-friendly first aid kit
- Have soy wax candles in case of power cuts
- Prepare for emergencies with an eco-friendly emergency preparedness kit
- Only buy FSC certified wood for furniture, toys etc
Work / Stationary
- Work from home whenever possible
- Have skype meetings instead of flying somewhere
- Ask the boss to provide water coolers to reduce the purchase of bottled water
- Speak to the boss about giving staff branded reusable coffee cups, water bottles and cloth bags – a win for the planet and free marketing for the company
- Ask that takeaway coffee cups are banned from the office
- Make sure coffee and tea making facilities are provided
- Make sure mugs and glasses are available for use, not plastic cups
- Recycle everything possible
- Use the stairs instead of a lift
- Ask for sensor lights to be installed in bathrooms and hallways
- Encourage opening windows rather than using Air Conditioning
- Add plants for their known benefits to mental health and wellbeing
- Get yourself an endlessly reusable notebook or recycled paper notebooks
- Use refillable pens
- Use paper tape rather than sellotape
- Speak to the cleaning team about using non-toxic cleaning materials
Learn more about how to have an eco-friendly workplace
Out & About / Shopping
- Drive at the speed limit
- Check your tire pressure
- Regularly service your car
- Make a shopping list
- Plan your route to take the shortest route possible to reduce your carbon footprint
- Car share
- Buy local produce
- Find your local refill shop
- Only use cloth shopping bags, never buy plastic ones
- Buy loose fruit and vegetables
- Commit to never buying disposable takeaway coffee cups again – carry a reusable coffee cup or slow down and enjoy a coffee in a mug
- Carry a reusable food container to put freshly bought sandwiches / hot food in
- Take a packed lunch with you, to work, school or just on a day out
- Get yourself a reusable water bottle
- Carry reusable bamboo cutlery
- Use reusable straws if you really can’t live without them
- Only use reusable face masks (PPE)
- Choose the most ethical supermarket near you
Food & Drink
- Buy organic fruit and vegetables whenever possible
- Buy seasonal fruit and vegetables
- Look for British grown / produced food to reduce your foods carbon footprint
- Buy in bulk to reduce packaging
- Cook in bulk and freeze meals for later
- Blanche your fresh vegetables and freeze them to reduce food waste
- Roast potatoes, parsnips, sweet potatoes etc and freeze them
- Download a food waste app to keep track of what you have
- Use the RSPO app to make sure you’re buying products with sustainable palm oil
- Learn to bake bread
- Convert to plant milk
- Eat less meat & dairy or consider going vegan
- Only buy sustainable fish
- Buy eco-friendly nuts (organic and fair trade and avoid almonds and cashews!)
- Download the Olio app (food app) – you can give away excess food rather than waste it (cooked or uncooked)
- Choose takeaways that use eco-packaging and not styrofoam
- Take your own containers for takeaway food
- Learn how to store food properly to reduce food waste
Learn more about eco-friendly apps
Garden
- Plant native wildflowers
- Stop weeding
- Put up a sign explaining that your ‘weeds’ are wildflowers that are feeding the bees (this might encourage others to do the same)
- Only mow the lawn twice a year
- Don’t clear up all the leaves in your garden (they’re great for bugs)
- Never use a leaf blower
- Practice ungardening
- Don’t use weedkillers
- Make a bug hotel
- Add a bird nesting box to the outside wall of your house
- Build a bat box
- Never use pesticides
- Use wildlife friendly alternatives to slug pellets
- Build a hedgehog highway
- Put a wildlife pond in your garden
- Remove all netting from your garden
- Create a log pile
- Let the nettles grow
- Start composting
- Give the birds a bird bath
- Buy peat-free compost
- Grow your own herbs and vegetables
- Look into getting an allotment
Learn more about having an insect friendly garden
Pets
- Support local rescues, don’t buy from breeders
- Buy eco-friendly pet bowls
- Find eco-friendly cat litter
- Source dog leads that are vegan and made of natural materials
- Use eco-friendly dog shampoo
- Make pet toys (especially for cats)
- Give your cat a cardboard box (they’ll probably love it more than the expensive cat bed or cat toy you bought them!)
- Buy plastic free pet food
- Buy plastic free bedding
- Carry biodegradable dog poo bags
Learn more about having an eco-friendly cat or an eco-friendly dog
Children
- Buy reusable or biodegradable nappies
- Use reusable baby wipes not disposable ones
- Breastfeed if possible
- Buy wooden toys not plastic ones
- Find secondhand clothes rather than new
- Make food from scratch, or buy baby food in glass jars
- Check facebook marketplace or visit charity shops to buy games, puzzles and toys
- Make packed lunches for your children to take to school
- Encourage being outside and learning about nature instead of playing computer games all day
- Walk to school with your kids, or share a car with other kids in the neighbourhood
- Buy your children second hand bikes
- If you believe your children need a smart phone, buy secondhand ones
- Buy a pencil case made from natural material
- Find a school bag made from natural materials or recycled materials
- Encourage arts and crafts using eco-friendly craft materials
- Buy books that educate your children about the planet they live on and the plants, animals and people they share it with
Learn more about having an eco-friendly baby and eco-friendly school supplies
Celebrations
- Make your own eco-friendly decorations
- Make or buy plastic free alternatives to balloons
- Tell friends and family you no longer want gifts or specify plastic free gifts from now on
- Don’t send shop bought greetings cards
- Make gifts, don’t buy them
- Spend money on experiences not things
- Buy gifts that are useful rather than decorative
- Don’t allow glitter at any children’s party!
- Make your own fancy dress outfits for theme parties
- Use material to wrap presents
- Have twine on hand to secure any gift wrapping
- Have an eco-friendly baby shower
- Check out some eco-friendly Valentines Day ideas
- Have an eco-friendly Halloween
- Make sure any bonfire night you organise is wildlife friendly and as eco-friendly as possible
- Rent a Christmas tree
- Don’t use fake snow
- Make your own Christmas crackers
- Never release sky lanterns or balloons (it’s just aerial litter)
- Talk to your family about having an eco-friendly funeral
Learn more about eco-friendly celebrations
Holidays
- Have a staycation instead of travelling abroad
- Choose the most eco-friendly transport to get to your destination
- Offset the carbon footprint of your journey
- Slow travel instead of fast travel – take your time to explore and travel by train never take domestic flights
- Want to stay overnight somewhere? Check out some eco-friendly UK hotels
- Stay at independently owned hotels or B & B’s not chains
- Go on a volunteering holiday
- Have an eco-friendly camping holiday
- Take your rubbish home with you
- Don’t stray off the path if you are asked not to
- Avoid ‘wildlife encounters’
- Never visit an aquarium that houses whales or dolphins
- Visit a sanctuary rather than a zoo
- Never stand on or touch coral reefs
- Don’t take selfies with wild animals
- Never feed wild animals
- Don’t take shells off the beach
- Don’t build cairns
- Always buy souvenirs from local craftspeople not commercialised gift shops
- Eat at local restaurants and cafes and experience local food and culture (don’t eat at McDonalds when you’re in Thailand!)
Learn more about Eco-Friendly Travel
Take Action
- Plant some trees
- Ask the council not to mow verges
- Buy a litter picker or good quality gloves and go litter picking in your neighbourhood
- Join an organised beach clean up
- Change your bank to the most ethical bank in the UK
- Sign petitions about things you care about
- Become a campaigner
- Write to your MP and demand better
- Lead by example
- Take time out every now and then to reset and recharge
Learn more about taking action
It would be great to say that I’ve achieved all of the above, but I haven’t yet. Some things don’t apply to me and other things I do sometimes but not all of the time. The reason I mention this is that the most important thing is to do something rather than trying to be perfect. We can’t beat ourselves up for not getting things right all of the time. Every little change you make does make a difference. So even if you only achieve 20 ways to be more sustainable, you are doing your part and you can gradually work towards making other changes in the future.
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