Sometimes it can be challenging to save the world. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot more I could be doing to save it right now but its just unachievable to keep up with. A quote by Shelbizleee https://www.shelbizleee.com/blog always resonates with me:
“You cannot do all the good that The World needs but The World needs all the good that you can do”
So here are a handful of things you can do without putting in a lot of effort in:
1.) Switch your default search engine to one that ‘does good’.
Come on, this one is too easy. There are so many fantastic search engines to choose from which invest some of their advert revenue on eco-conscious projects.
I personally use Ecosia as my default browser, which “plants trees with every search”. So far, my searches have lead to 816 trees being planted. This particular search engine spends 80% of its profit on planting trees to help combat the effects of carbon dioxide emissions. Since its launch in 2009, Ecosia users have planted over 100,000,000 trees, just by typing into a different search bar. That’s insane!
To set Ecosia as your default search engine, follow the link:
2.) Cut your water usage in the bathroom.
There are so many ways you can reduce your water consumption in the bathroom:
- Have a 3 – 5 minute shower instead of a bath. I tend to have my shower in two songs… yep, that’s right, I time my life by songs. I also switch the shower off when I shampoo, condition and lather up.
- Put a water displacement object in your water cistern so that it reduces the amount of water used when you flush. There are lots on the market or you could just fill up a plastic bottle with stones and stick it in there!
- Switch off the tap while you brush your teeth. Old news but worth a mention as leaving it running while you brush your teeth could waste up to 12l of water every day, according to Thames water.
- If its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down. Basically, you don’t have to flush the loo every time. Obviously, flush it regularly and if guests are coming but you can easily cut your flushes by 75% by doing this.
3.) Unsubscribe from hyper-consumer emails, which make you want to buy things you don’t need.
Before I did this, I used to get about 15 emails a day from fast fashion companies, Amazon, camping shops, Bike shops all trying to entice me into buying things I didn’t require with their adverts and deals. Leave me alone! Any steps to reduce the risk of you becoming a hyper-consumer are steps in the right direction if you want to save the planet.
It honestly takes about half an hour of your life and you can do it from your smart phone. Just scroll to the bottom of the email and click “unsubscribe”. Do it for your own sanity too…
4.) Switch to Paperless for your bank accounts, loyalty cards, insurance and anything else that sends you post.
Most companies have an option on their website where you can switch your preferences to “contact me via email”. It save paper, ink and the fuel to deliver it to your door. A complete no-brainer if you ask me!
5.) Stop mindlessly streaming films and TV programs if you’re not going to enjoy them.
I honestly never realised how bad streaming films and TV shows was for the environment. It had never even crossed my mind. The data centres used to stream films etc, are very fossil fuel intensive as they require a great amount of power to keep running and they also have large cooling systems and air conditioning units to prevent the data centres from overheating. Some reports suggest that the internet contributes to more CO2 emissions than plane travel.
Gittemary Johansen has a fantastic video explaining the environmental impacts of streaming:
I know there are a lot of people out there who just watch Netflix when they are bored and will watch a whole series without really being ‘into it’.
Some alternatives to streaming are:
- Borrowing DVDs from friends, family or the library.
- Inviting friends round and having a film night where you are all just streaming one film / documentary onto one device. (this isn’t an alternative but reduces consumption.)
- Reading a book.
6.) Only wash your clothes when they actually need washing.
Most items of clothing can be worn more than once before washing. I will hold my hands up and say that I wear outfits twice (sometimes three times) before sticking them in the washing machine. Obviously, change your pants, socks and smelly clothes everyday but jeans, trousers, t-shirts, bras, dresses etc. can all be worn again before being washed.
Not only is washing your clothes water, detergent and electricity intensive but it also shortens your clothes’ life and wears them down. Clothes get faded, bobbly, less elasticated after being tumbled around in a washing machine and a tumble dryer for hours.
There are plenty of others I can think of but I wanted to keep this post short and sweet! I hope you enjoy some of these simple things you can do to save the planet! A lot of them will help you to save money too.
Floss
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Floss and The Flowers Blog 
Great advice. I also had no idea that/how watching tv effects the environment. Important post.
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Yes, its more the internet, which brings the negative effects on the environment. I highly recommend you watch the video link! Gittemary does a much better job at explaining it than I do!
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…affects the environment.
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