Some changes you can make for the environment

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Given the buzz around the recent global climate strikes, I thought it was timely to write a post on some things you can do towards saving our environment.

Some of these are smaller and some are larger, some will depend on whether you own your own home or are renting, and some you will have heard of before - but there may be a few things in here that you hadn't considered yet.

And even if you can only manage one or two things for now, every bit helps!


Stop buying standard toilet paper

I know it's easy to just keep doing what you've always done and throw things like standard toilet paper, tissues and kitchen paper into your cart at the supermarket - but these things contribute to huge amounts of deforestation so it's time to stop now.

I personally recommend Who Gives a Crap (au.whogivesacrap.org), where you can buy 48 rolls for $48 AUD and get free shipping for orders over $30 - plus you can usually find a $10 discount code if you do a quick Google. The paper is soft and it does the job, plus it's recycled and 50 percent of profits are used to help build toilets for those in need.

I'm sure plenty of other similar brands exist, but this is the one we've been using. So ditch the standard toilet paper and change your buying habits. Now.


Bring your own containers when you go out

I've been doing this for ages because it helps with supply and demand. Over the years we've wound up with heaps of plastic containers after ordering takeaway (which admittedly we don't do very often), so I've kept those and I not only use them for my husband's work lunches and my daughter's kinder meals, but I also take some with me in my handbag if we go out for dinner.

What this means is that when we have leftovers from a meal, rather than asking the staff to pop the remains into yet another takeaway container, I just use the ones I have and then keep reusing them. It also saves that 'too little to takeaway' problem. You know, when there's not much left on the plates and you're embarrassed to ask the waiter to scrape the meagre dregs into a container - well, now you don't need to ask them. Problem solved! Saving every scrap also prevents food waste. 

I also keep the small round containers that house sauces (the kinds you receive if you order something like Vietnamese), and these have been great for freezing things like sauce in individual portions, or to use for my daughter's snacks at kinder. These were also great when I used to purée batches of food for babies and needed to have small amounts available in the freezer - especially because they don't take up much precious freezer space, nor do they hijack your ice-cube trays.

Plus reusing these containers means we don't have reams of Tupperware (which can be hard to store because these items come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and don't always stack well, while our takeaway containers stack nicely on top of each other and save the Tupperware cupboard nightmare), so it helps keep the Tupperware shelf in order too. Winning.


Stop buying wrapping paper

Sure, if you're buying paper that's been recycled, that's great - but how about not buying it at all? When it comes to wrapping gifts, I use the pictures my kids draw daily or bring home from kinder/childcare (the ones we don't want to keep, that is) - and if you don't have kids, just use the sheets from an old magazine or brochure/junk mail that's shown up in your letterbox. 

You can also use the tissue paper or paper stuffing that's used to pad out online orders or items you've bought in-store - so don't throw that away when your goodies arrive, keep it so you can re-purpose it.

Sure, it's nice to be given something that's beautifully wrapped with all the bells and whistles, but it's not necessary - and of course, it's what's on the inside that counts ; )


Need gift ideas? Buy sustainable items

I've been doing this for the past year or so, and these things are incredibly well-received - especially because it's not always easy to buy gifts for the person who has everything, who doesn't need much, or who prefers to buy the things they want for themselves because they're picky (my husband is like this).

So this year people have received sustainable items from me, including fruit and vegetable storage that increases the longevity of these items (which helps reduce food waste), replacements for glad wrap, reusable coffee cups and thermoses, sustainable everyday goods like replacements for washing powder, reusable bread bags and even seedlings so they can grow their own stuff. 

Boring presents? Maybe. Except that everyone uses them and people almost seem relieved that they don't have to think about/research these items for themselves. Definitely something to think about. It can also take the headache out of gift-buying, and I would prefer to support sustainable companies rather than those who produce consumables we just don't need.

If you want a good website that offers heaps of these kinds of environmentally friendly alternatives, I recommend Nourished Life.


Plant trees and other greenery

Whether you live in a house or an apartment, you can still make sure that your garden, balcony or even your living space is filled with as many trees, plants and pot-plants as possible. Planting trees is the cheapest, easiest thing we can all do to help delay the disastrous impacts of climate change while society gets its act together and implements much-needed solutions to a global problem.

Planting greenery is also a wonderful thing to do with kids, and you can give them the responsibility of watering said greenery so they learn how to be responsible for a living thing and can enjoy watching it flourish. It's also a great way to show your child that you trust them to look after it, which can help build their confidence.

Of course, growing your own fruit, herbs and vegetables is a great thing to do too. We're lucky enough to have heaps of fruit trees in our garden, and there's something wonderful about being able to walk into your own backyard and pick a mandarin from your tree, and sit there eating it in the sunshine. Heaven.


Install solar panels 

I know, I know - these things ain't cheap. But neither's the annual holiday you take each year. We haven't travelled for the last two years for a few reasons (one of which is that travelling with kids ain't easy!), but another reason is that we preferred to put that money towards installing solar panels - and given the rebates available in Australia, installing panels was a damn sight cheaper than a family trip to Europe or Asia. It wasn't much more expensive than a family trip to Queensland either.

Plus if you skip getting on a plane, you'll be avoiding spewing more carbon into the atmosphere - while making your household greener for decades to come. So forgo the plane flights for a year or two and instead travel by land or sea somewhere local if you need a holiday. 

Worth noting is that, while we had to draw-down on our mortgage to fund our solar panels, our household bills have dropped already and that means the draw-down won't have an impact for long because we're now able to put more onto the mortgage each month. Holidays don't pay themselves back, that's for sure ; )

If you're renting or live in an apartment, petition the landlord or owners corporation to install panels. It will increase the value/attractiveness of the property afterall (because tenants/prospective buyers will have lower electricity bills, and any prospective buyer won't have to do it themselves), so you may be able to convince them - especially if they've been thinking about doing it anyway.

I think it's also worth mentioning that installing panels encourages other people to do the same. I know three families already who have gone on to install their own panels after they heard we'd done ours. Sure, they were thinking about it already - but hearing that others have done it can give people the impetus to bite the bullet themselves. And when they do it, their friends start doing it... And so the tree grows.


In sum

Ok, I think that's enough for one post. Really, I could go on forever (eat less meat, install a rainwater tank etc etc) - but I might do a second post with more ideas or you may start going cross-eyed ; )

Do let me know in the comments whether you have anything to add to the above: I'd love to hear.

Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x


* All images courtesy of unsplash.com


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