Doing your bit to help the environment can be tricky, especially if you have a busy lifestyle or lots of commitments that take up your time. In these situations, it’s all too easy to just jump in the car instead of walking, or throw away that glass jar rather than wash it out and recycle it.
However, minimising your carbon footprint needn’t be tricky, and with a bit of effort can be incorporated into your daily lifestyle without too much upheaval; read on for our best tips and tricks for achieving that guilt-free green energy.
When you’re dashing around from place to place, walking or public transport isn’t always feasible; while we know endless car rides are a bad idea, sometimes it can be hard to kick the habit. However, there is a compromise. Why not invest in a low-emissions car? Such vehicles help you get around without damaging the environment too much, and can be much cheaper to run. A hybrid vehicle uses less petrol and is often exempt from road or car tax (or at the least, comes with a hefty discount), so ask your local car dealer for his advice on the best options.
Recycling can feel like a waste of time, especially if you don’t benefit from a local collection service and have to take it to a recycling bin yourself. However, with a little bit of organisation it can be easy, especially if you’re prepared to make a commitment. Find a box big enough to hold your weekly recycling, and hide it away in a cupboard or quiet place. Put everything that needs to be recycled in there and commit to going every Sunday to empty it. Sundays are usually quiet days anyway, and best of all, hiding the bin away means it won’t clutter up your home too much!
One of the best ways to become a little greener is to think about your hobbies, interests and passions, and see if there’s a way in which you can combine these with being environmentally friendly. Fashion fans, for example, should consider looking in vintage stores and charity shops for second-hand finds, or perhaps customising clothes they no longer wear to make them more exciting.
Sporty people should quit the gym for a week and get out into the open air, running or playing football instead of being stuck in a stuffy room. For food fans, how about buying organic or even growing your own? Allotments are becoming increasingly popular, and there’s something rewarding about having personally grown the food on your plate.
When you’re leading a busy life, being environmentally friendly is an easy thing to file under the ‘Think About Later’ list. However, with a little extra effort it’s easy to be green, especially if you structure it around your day to day life and try to make everything you do a little better for the environment. Small changes can make a big difference, so try our tips and see how easy it is to change things around you: the world will thank you for it.
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