How We Can Save The Planet: 5 Step Guide To Green Living

Being environmentally friendly is more than just being a good guy, making the place clean and tidy for the next generation. This is important, but as we are constantly being reminded it is about much more than that these days. The issue of climate change is pressing and pretty much all respectable sources say we need to act within the next decade or so to avoid catastrophe.

Reduce Your Waste

Waste products are one way that we are contributing to the problem. The big issue of single-use plastics for packaging contributes to the problem by firstly the carbon cost of production of these materials and then the cost of taking them away and even recycling them has a cost associated with it. Try to buy products that are packaged in plastic-free packaging, plant-based packaging and use re-usable drinks containers such as water bottles and coffee cups.

Limit Unnecessary Car Journeys

The most fuel-inefficient car journeys are those that are less than a mile and most of us, barring any medical conditions, can walk a mile quite easily so it’s a good idea to stop short journeys. So we are being environmentally friendly, saving money and getting fit and healthy at the same time.

Use Alternative Fuels

If you do have to use the car then maybe try to think about alternative, more environmentally friendly fuels to use. The classic choice is to go electric and the choice and quality of electric cars are becoming more and more varied as the type becomes more mainstream. The purchase cost still is a bit higher than petrol or diesel, however, the saving in fuel costs really off-sets this and you can find a very good electric car lease these days.

Make Your Home Green

There are several modifications you can make to the home to allow it to be more environmentally friendly. Solar panels are a great way of getting free electricity and can even sell some of the excess electricity back to the grid if you do it on a large enough scale. Upgrading your insulation is another one and can make a great deal of difference, the UK is known for having one of the poorest levels of insulation in its housing stock so you can drastically improve most houses here. Modifications such as these can also add value to your home when it comes to potentially selling the property.

Pressure Your Representatives

We’ve talked all about what we can do as individuals to fight against climate change but really the solutions need to lie in big business and government policy so that change happens on a large scale. We need to de-carbonise industry on a huge scale, stop burning fossil fuels, work on strategies such as halting deforestation and even so-called negative technologies such as carbon capture which means taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it either underground or it can even be stored in building materials such as concrete.

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