8 simple acts of kindness for the planet
In this article, we share eight simple ideas for acts of kindness you can make for the planet.
1. Pick up litter
There are on average 41 pieces of litter for each kilometer of footpath across the UK.
Whether you join an organised litter pick, or simply put on some rubber gloves and spend an hour clearing up your local area – picking up litter is a great way to be kind to the planet.
Cleanups restore habitats, reduce the risk of animals swallowing or becoming stuck in items of litter, and raise awareness to others to be mindful to properly dispose of their rubbish.
Keep Britain Tidy have some great resources for organising your own litter pick, and tips for beginners too.
2. Walk to school or work
According to the Energy Saving Trust, swapping just one commute a week to one taken by bike or on foot saves around 29kg of CO2 a year.
If walking or cycling is an option for you, try to build this into your daily or weekly routine and opt to leave the car at home more often. Your mental and physical health will thank you too.
3. Donate or sell your unwanted items
Most of us have unwanted items lurking at the back of cupboards that would be longed for by someone else. Have a clear out and donate them to charity or second hand furniture shops – or try to sell them yourself. It’s far kinder to the planet to increase the lifespan of existing items than it is to buy new.
4. Make space for wildlife
If you have a garden, why not create a designated space for it to go a bit wild – scattering wildflower seeds and not using the lawnmower. Wild areas are great for biodiversity and can attract pollinators like bees and butterflies. The Wildlife Trust explain how to go about growing a wild patch or a mini meadow here.
5. Sign environmental petitions
Signing environmental petitions is an easy way to get your voice heard and vouch for causes you care about. We’ve shared seven eco friendly petitions from the likes of Friends of the Earth and Oxfam GB in a recent blog post.
6. Make use of all your leftovers
Over a third of all the food produced globally goes to waste – most of it going into landfill where it decomposes and contributes to global warming. A lot of our personal food waste can be avoided by only buying what we need, meal planning and making use of our leftovers. That could mean freezing portions, roasting vegetable stems that might otherwise get thrown away, or composting peelings and vegetable leftovers.
Listen to our founder, Juliet Davenport, speak with chef, Melissa Hemsley, about her top tips for avoiding food waste on the podcast Great Green Questions.
7. Learn about the planet
The more we understand our impact on the planet, the better we will take care of it. So why not pick up some green reads, watch a documentary or absorb yourself in Planet Earth iii to inspire action.
8. Switch to 100% renewable electricity
Switching to a genuinely renewable electricity tariff is one of the quickest and easiest ways to cut your carbon footprint. We buy our electricity directly from a community of over 2,000 independent renewable generators across Britain, and our work supports the growth of the UK renewables sector.
