The Ultimate 20 Step Guide to Eco-friendly Living
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
– Tao Te Ching
Your guide to eco-friendly living
Wondering how to be more eco-friendly? Regardless of why you’ve decided to go green, every step you take towards environmentally friendly living is one that helps the world.
If you’re just starting out and want some sustainable living tips to reduce your carbon footprint then here are a couple to get you started:
Step 1: Turn it off
Energy conservation is one of the most important things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. Leaving your electricals on standby uses unnecessary energy – turn them off at the wall when you’ve finished using them, and you could see your bill going down.
Step 2: Invest in eco-friendly technology
Want to go further than simply turning it off? If you need to get new appliances, check their energy-efficiency rating to ensure they’re as efficient as possible. This way, you’re using much less energy for the time that the product is on and reducing your energy output.
And if you’re looking to make bigger changes at home to cut your carbon footprint – have you considered heating your home with an air source heat pump, or installing solar panels on your rooftop so that you can generate your own electricity?
Step 3: Switch to renewable energy
Choosing 100% renewable electricity is a great eco-friendly tip for any home – and is one of the biggest things you can do to help tackle the climate crisis. But it is important to choose a supplier that is genuinely supporting the growth of renewable energy in the UK.
At Good Energy, we buy our power directly from over 3,000 independent renewable generators across Britain.
Step 4: Adopt an eco-friendly diet
Being careful with what you’re consuming is at the heart of being more environmentally friendly, and cutting down on the amount of meat you eat can have a huge impact. Not having red meat and eating a more plant based diet – even if it’s just for two or three days a week – can have quite a significant impact on reducing your carbon footprint.
Step 5: Don’t waste food
Waste not, want not. Did you know that 9.5 million tonnes of food is wasted in the UK every year? This isn’t just a huge waste of food and money, it adds to the amount of CO2 and methane being created in landfills. So an easy way to be eco-friendly in the kitchen is to freeze leftover portions and eat food that is due to go out of date first.
Step 6: Compost
Compost food waste that’s past its ‘best by’ date instead of throwing it away. Composting creates eco-friendly fertiliser, keeps your garden healthy, and reduces landfill waste and methane emissions. No compost bin? Check local food waste collections or community compost schemes. Always stick to organic waste to avoid pests.
Step 7: Recycle everything
Chances are that if you’re pursuing a more eco-friendly lifestyle then you’ll already be recycling. But could you improve your recycling-ability (now a word)? You can recycle almost everything, from batteries to paper to crisp packets to cars. Before you throw it away, take a minute to find out if you could recycle it instead.
Step 8: Try to cut out plastic
Plastic is everywhere, but reducing it is easier than you think. Use a reusable canvas bag, buy loose fruit and veg, and skip bottled water. Many zero-waste shops now let you bring containers for pasta, oats, nuts, and more, plus refill soap, shampoo, and cleaning products.
Step 9: Use eco-friendly LED light bulbs
Not only do LED light bulbs last longer than conventional bulbs, they’re far more efficient too. This means that you’ll be using less power and having to replace your light bulbs less frequently – everyone’s a winner.
What’s more, they’re available in a range of brightness and designs so you can really tailor the lighting to your needs or to suit the room.
Step 10: Insulate your home
Homes that aren’t well insulated are much harder to keep warm when it’s cold, and keep cool when the weather is hot. It’s much more eco-friendly to keep heat energy in your home, and not have to use an air conditioner.
Find out more about insulating your home, including benefits, costs and savings you would see in your bills in our ultimate home insulation guide.
Step 11: Have your food shop delivered
Home delivery is like the public transport of groceries. Instead of having 20 odd cars make their way to the supermarket – one van drives around delivering to everyone in the area (and many supermarkets are upgrading to an electric fleet, too). Additionally, it means you’re less likely to impulse buy which can help to reduce any waste food.
Step 12: Fix it, don’t throw it
Repairing or fixing something is more environmentally friendly than simply throwing it away, although the latter may seem easier and cheaper sometimes. The internet gives you access to the tools and information you need to fix practically anything, and if you still can’t fix it then why not try and turn it into something else?
Step 13: Use eco-friendly cleaning products
A lot of cleaning products have a lot of harmful chemicals in them that aren’t environmentally friendly to create or dispose of. In fact, repeated exposure to these cleaning products can affect your health as well as the environment.
Green cleaning products use more natural and organic methods of cleaning which are far less harmful. Here are some great time-honoured tips from the National Trust.
Step 14: Use eco-friendly transport
If you can make the journey by foot, bike or public transport, then do it. Driving, unless you’re in an electric vehicle, isn’t very eco-friendly and can really add to your carbon footprint. When you do have to drive, make sure that you get the most out of your vehicle by keeping the speed down, ensuring tyres are properly inflated and that the engine is running smoothly.
Step 15: Use your microwave
You’d be surprised by how much more energy efficient microwaves are compared to conventional ovens. While you’re already surprised, you may as well continue to be shocked with some of the awesome things you can cook in a microwave (hint: it’s not just ready meals).
Or if you are regularly cooking small batches, you could join the air fryer hype.
Step 16: Buy local
From clothes to food, the closer to home these products are made and bought, the less carbon is created with their transportation. Not only that, but you’ll be supporting the local economy which means that in time you’ll likely have even more local items to choose from.
Step 17: Don’t fly
Flying is one of the most environmentally damaging things you can do – just flying from Bristol to Edinburgh produces 0.15 metric tons of carbon!* Why not stay a bit closer to home and explore some of Britain’s beautiful nature? Camping, hiking and cycling are all great things to do in the UK and are extremely low carbon.
*Calculated using this carbon calculator.
Step 18: Grow your own
Growing your own vegetables isn’t just a good way to save money, it’s also a great way to cut down your carbon footprint and be environmentally friendly. Don’t have any outside space? Windowsill boxes are a great way to brighten up your view, filter the air coming into your home and offer plenty of space for herbs and small vegetable patches.
Another thing you could do is plant more native trees to replace those that have been felled and to improve air quality. This could be done by donating to a tree planting scheme, such as to the Woodland Trust.
Step 19: Upgrade to an air source heat pump
Heating our homes currently accounts for a huge 13-14% of the UK’s total carbon emissions. By installing a heat pump, you can heat your home using renewable energy rather than burning fossil fuels. With a £7,500 grant scheme from the government to put towards the cost, it’s a good time to explore green heating.
Step 20: Choose your personal care wisely
For a truly eco-friendly lifestyle, avoid the most damaging personal hygiene products. Microbeads, which are small bits of solid plastic used as an exfoliant, aren’t biodegradable. Commonly found in body wash, toothpaste, and face scrubs, these tiny beads make their way into watercourses and ultimately into the food chain. In addition, avoiding harsh chemicals and opting for natural cleaning products – like those sold by Lush – is the best way to keep yourself and the environment clean.
Want more tips and guides on living an eco-friendly life? Why not check out our partner Friends of the Earth, or read some of our customers’ sustainable tips.
