We live in scary times, and it looks like much of Europe and America will be under COVID-19 self isolation very soon, if they aren’t already (whether that’s a good or a bad idea). With so many people unable to leave the house, unable to work and therefore not earning a lot of money there are certain ‘green habits’ we can get into, some of which will save you money but which are all good for the planet. A lot of these will give you and your family some things to do during self isolation as well, there’s only so much Netflix you can watch!
Eco-Friendly Things To Do During Self Isolation
1. Learn How to Make Bread
If you normally buy bread in a plastic bag, this is a really good way of reducing the amount of plastic coming into your home, as well as saving you a bit of money (unless you bought the really cheap supermarket bread – which in my opinion is flavourless anyway). Taking your freshly baked bread out of the oven is so satisfying! It won’t be like the bread you buy from the shop, and if your first loaf is not so great don’t give up, they will get better. Another advantage to baking your own bread is that it may last you a bit longer than shop bought. I find that 2 slices of my home baked bread fills me up much more than 2 slices of shop bought. It means I don’t go back to have another couple of slices of toast 10 minutes after the first lot.
Top Tip – I use half and half white and wholemeal bread flour. Using just wholemeal flour tends to mean my loaf is quite dense.
Benefits
- No plastic bread bags
- You know what ingredients are in your bread (you only need bread flour, yeast, water and salt (and I add a little sugar too)
- It’s cheaper (most of the time)
- You normally eat less of it as your own bread will be more filling, so it should last longer
- No need to visit busy supermarkets where others have emptied the shelves!
- It’s incredibly satisfying to make your own bread
2. Spring Clean Your Wardrobe
It’s time to do a bit of Maria Kondo style clearing out. We all own clothes that we don’t wear very often, or in some cases, at all. You might also find an item you absolutely love but there’s a tear in it so you haven’t worn it for ages.
Start by creating 3 piles of clothes
- Clothes you definitely want to keep because you wear them often (and they spark joy…)
- Things you never wear and you’re not so keen on the material used
- Clothes which are damaged or need repairing or you love the material (but not the style)
Put the clothes in pile 1 back in your wardrobe. Put the clothes in pile 2 into a bag ready to take to a charity shop or homeless shelter. Now for clothes pile 3!
Some clothes might be beyond repair, don’t throw them out just yet! Other things might just need a little bit of stitching, now’s the time to get out that sewing kit you’ve had for years! For those items you think are beyond repair, can any of the material be used to patch other clothing? Could the item be repurposed in some way? For example, an old shirt with ripped or damaged sleeves could be made into a sleeveless dress for a child…
Don’t throw out any of the bits and pieces of material you have left over when you’re repurposing clothes. There are several uses for bits of materials, depending on the size and the fabric. Some bits you can keep for future arts and crafts projects. Or if the pieces are too small or you think they can’t be used for anything don’t throw them out as they’ll only end up in landfill. Instead you can recycle the fabric! Find out more here.
Benefits
- You’re making your clothes last longer
- You might end up with some new clothes…
- Sewing may be a new skill for you to learn
- Charity shops may benefit
- It saves you money
- Less waste to landfill
3. Get Crafty
You’re bound to have things around the house that you can use in arts and crafts projects. Instead of spending money on crap, cheap, plastic decorations make your own! Old sheets / curtains / clothes can be used to make fabric bunting which can be reused numerous times. Or why not make a picture for a family members upcoming birthday with bits and bobs you have around the house. A combination of old buttons, fabrics, paper, cardboard, or pretty much anything, could be used to create a unique present for someone you love. Almost everyone appreciates receiving something home made as it shows how much you care by spending time to make it.
Benefits
- Keeps you and your children occupied
- You might find a new favourite hobby
- It’s a way to recycle / repurpose things which might otherwise have been thrown out
- Making things for a future party / celebration means you’re well prepared (and have something to look forward to when isolation is over)
- It reduces plastic waste
- It saves money
4. Organise Your Emails
It’s one of those things we don’t really think about, but every email you keep is stored on a server. The more data a server has, the more energy is used. Something as simple as deleting emails you no longer need helps to save energy, meaning less CO2 emissions, less pollution and a healthier planet.
- Organise your emails into folders so you can quickly find anything important.
- Unsubscribe from any newsletters you receive but never read and delete the ones you’ve previously received.
- An easy way to start clearing your emails out is to use the search facility. For example in gmail I can search by email size. I always delete the largest emails first (normally with PDF or PNG or JPG attachments), as long as I no longer need them.
- Don’t forget your drafts folder (I currently have 119 draft emails, if I haven’t sent them yet, why am I keeping them?)
Benefits
- You know where everything is
- You’ll be more eco-friendly the fewer emails you have
- You’ll thank yourself when you get back to the office!
5. Create an Eco-Friendly Garden
This is one of my favourite tips for eco-friendly things to do during self isolation as it means a bit of fresh air alongside all the other benefits to the planet. If you have a garden and haven’t thought about creating an insect-friendly patch, now’s the time to do it. You could even think about growing some of your own vegetables. If you have children then they’ll probably love the opportunity to get a bit dirty in the garden and watch their plants grow. You could also get them to search for insect life and explain the importance of caterpillars etc.
There are several different ways you can create a wildlife and insect-friendly garden.
- Leave a messy patch
- Make a wildlife pond
- Create a hedgehog highway
- Plant wildflowers
- Grow a small veggie patch
Don’t use pesticides, herbicides or slug pellets if you want a wildlife friendly garden! There are numerous wildlife friendly alternatives to slug pellets. And did you know that nettles are great for an insect-friendly garden too?
Benefits
- Fresh air is always good for you
- The insects and bees will thank you
- You’re helping to slow down biodiversity loss
- Lots of wildlife, and you, will benefit
6. Go Litter Picking While Walking a Dog
Check on elderly neighbours who might have been told not to leave their homes and see if their dog needs walking. Take their dog with you while you litter pick, but even if you don’t have a dog you can walk, go litter picking anyway if you’re able to.
With fewer people out and about we might finally make some headway on the amount of rubbish littering our streets, waterways and beaches. If you are able / allowed to go for a walk take a rubbish bag with you, wear some protective gloves, carry a litter picker, if you have one, and start cleaning up the crap that others have left behind.
Benefits
- Less waste for animals to mistake for food
- Your community will be grateful
- It’s a good way to get out and get fresh air without having to be near others
- Your elderly neighbours, who might not be allowed out, will be grateful someone is walking their dog
7. Start making your own vegetable stock!
I use vegetable stock a lot. They form the base of most of my soups and I also use it in vegetable chilli, this tasty hearty bean pot or vegetable stew.
If you have onions, carrots and celery then you can add pretty much any other food scraps to make a stock / broth that can be used. It’s likely to be a bit fuller in flavour than shop bought and it’s a way to use food scraps which you might have thrown away otherwise. You might normally compost your food scraps but as you would know you can’t compost onions. You can however use onion skins in your home made vegetable stock! Read this for some great stock recipes.
Benefits
- Reduces food waste
- Saves you money
- Vegetable stock is a good base for a variety of meals
8. Make Some Healthy Soups / Cook in Bulk
With just a few healthy ingredients you can make nutritious, filling, tasty and cheap soups. Better still you can use some of the home made stock you’ve just learnt how to make!
If you’ve been stockpiling I hope you added things like lentils and beans to your trolley. Lentils are a fabulous ingredient that’s cheap, nutritious and filling. You can make yourself a very easy lentil soup with just a few ingredients. The simplest version is with onion, red lentils and stock. Add a potato, a carrot or herbs and spices to change things up a bit. I like to add a bit of cumin, ginger and turmeric, or smoked paprika and garlic. The onion doesn’t have to be red and you can play around with the spices but the base is always the same!
To reduce food waste (when you have fresh vegetables) cook in bulk and freeze some portions so that you don’t have to throw any veggies away when they’re past their best.
Benefits
- Save money by cooking simple yet healthy soups at home
- Avoid food waste by cooking in bulk when you have fresh vegetables
- You might find you love cooking if you’ve never made your own soup before!
Other Things To Do During Self Isolation
Please do not forget about the most vulnerable in our society during this crisis. Homeless shelters, food banks and animal shelters are all going to suffer more than ever. Give them a call and find out if there’s anything you can do to help. Whether that’s donating some food, fostering an animal or doing something else.
Also think about contacting your local care home to find out if you can do something for them. If some of their staff become ill they may need extra help looking after elderly or infirm patients. It might be something as simple as doing a bit of gardening for them or helping out with cleaning.
You could even contact your local supermarkets to find out if they need extra delivery drivers, as more people are likely to need home deliveries, especially the elderly.
Whatever happens, stay safe, listen to the advice from scientists and look after each other.
