Environmental helps

Ways to help the environment                                                 

written in 2017

BY LESS …..

Food – Eat less, waste less

Food production causing CO2 emissions – Eat less animal products, eat less exotic / imported foods.

Electricity – use less, less lights left on, less leaving TV / PC on all the time, less streaming (uses lots of power)

Heating – wear more clothes, keep heating costs down

Washing.- Use short/ eco washes, use less washing liquid/powder, wear outer clothes for 2 days before washing

Detergents – use much less, buy eco balls or use vinegar and essential oils for a freshen up wash. Use shampoo soap or non sodium lauryl sulphate products with no detergents. Wash up with out detergents using very hot water. (When using minimal animal products or fried foods, this is hygienic). Always rinse detergents off clean washing up as it’s poisonous.

Insecticides – use less. Spot on for domestic animals kills all insects including bees. Use traditional flea powder with pyrethrum base.

Herbicides – do not use on paths and in garden. Employ a gardener or your neighbour to pull the weeds up. Leave some weeds for bees and insects.

Journeys – Personal journey’s – Is it nessacery? Do I need to fly? Do I need a car? can we lift share?

Food journeys – less food that’s travelled round the world, less food that’s not local.

Product’s journey’s – do i need to buy it online or can it be combined with another journey to save the delivery costs ( to the environment).

Plastic goods from China – Do I need it? Can I get a better quality version that’s made in europe? Can I do without it? Will a charity shop have one? or social media. Can a charity shop resell my wrongly bought product?

Less recycling plastic/ paper/ glass. We are now becoming aware that these products are being dumped in poorer countries who are paid to dump our waste where there is less regulation. Try to reuse plastic waste as much as possible ie wash bags and containers for personal re use. I compost paper or burn it as i think most recycled paper is burnt for making electricity. (Still creating CO2 emissions).

Glass is an issue as it can the recycled but it’s still not cost effective as cheaper to buy new than sterilise what’s there. Use milk delivery that re uses glass bottles.

Less clothes-

Reduce new clothes bought.

Campaign for plastic free biodegradable sanitary wear.

MORE

Food

– Basic vegan, local, no refined sugar, chemicals, low on wheat too with some local animal products (in my case my own eggs and honey and sheeps cheese) and sometimes exotic additions such as rice, bananas, avocados, coconut.

Electricity

– buy from 100% renewable provider. Install alternatives if possible. ie showers than run with no power use above water heating. Campaign for research in to power from tidal stream, waves and ways to store energy. Use power efficient appliances.

Heating – take up insulation offers, double glazing, draft proofing. I use a wood fire that runs radiators and heats the water.

Washing

clothes– Use vinegar and essential oils and or wash balls. refill washing liquid bottles use less powder/ liquid; use melted soap flakes?

Hair – vinegar is also good. use 1 lot of shampoo instead of 2. Conditioner – I often use almond oil. Coconut oil is also recommended.

toothpaste – I used bicarb for years when fluoride free was hard to get (toothbrush dipped in bicarbonate of soda).

Washing up – very hot water and little little detergent. Buy biodegradable washing up liquid. Use sparingly. Glasses first, then mugs, then plates and bowls then cutlery then greasy pans last minimises need for detergent. Rinse off with clean water.

Find Chemical Free alternatives if possible. Organic food where possible. No bleach. Germs help our immune system develop so minor illnesses can leave us stronger. Strong chemicals, kill good bacteria. Good bacterias / probiotics are essential to good health. Chemicals in our food can kill the good bacteria.

Journeys – personal travel – my shortfall at the moment. Try to walk or bicycle if there’s time. Do not leave car ticking over. Accelerate slowly, drive with best fuel efficiency.

Food travel – support local producers and eat food in season. Support family run international shops rather than multi national company shops. Grow your own. Bean sprouts and salad leaves can be grown in a window box or on the window sill or anywhere really. Make your own. I have my own green leaves / sunderland kale in fact, from the garden. It grows very easily.

Plastic goods – try to buy well made products and re use them.

Re use things as much as possible. My sister washing plastic/ freezer bags and reuses them. Find people who can use your waste. or take it to a recycle centre. Campaign for no plastic packaging.

Remember plastics in our recycling bins may well end up; for instance; dumped in the sea in indonesia.

Clothes – Buy from charity shops. i’m 52. I buy new under ware and sometimes shoes but all my adult life clothes are given to me by friends or clothes swop or bought at charity shops.

Sanitary ware – Try Moon cups and Health shops sell organic, plastic free sanitary ware. One day hospitals will use plastic free protection.

MORE REGULATION AND SUPPORT to our INDUSTRIES so they make products with less negative foot print to the environment.