To celebrate Earth Day, our Director of Sustainable Business, Mike Hanson shares twenty tips to help protect our planet and five of his favourite sustainable living apps:
- Reduce your food waste and recycle it.
- If you can, eat less and better meat.
- Eat UK seasonal produce, avoiding air freighted foods.
- Try to always buy assured food, such as Red Tractor meat or MSC Fish.
- If you’re able, why not grow your own fruit and veg?
- Plant trees, shrubs, and plants they absorb carbon dioxide and ‘breath’ out oxygen and reduce air pollution.
- Look after the bees. Did you know 40% of our food relies on pollination by bees?
- Reduce your general waste and recycle.
- If the council can’t collect your recycling, your local recycling centre can take it, including old tech, garden waste and broken furniture.
- Save water.
- Go paperless.
- Donate unwanted clothes, children’s bikes etc. It’s always good to have a sort out!
- Be more energy efficient – switch to LEDs, turn off or turn down the heating by 1 degree.
- Buy renewable energy – it’s cheaper than you think!
- Drive more efficiently. Even better, electric (EV) or plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) if you can.
- Fly less, if possible.
- Use reusables, not disposables.
- Clean up after yourself – take your rubbish home.
- Use environmentally friendly cleaning products.
- Buy clothing and materials that last – avoid ‘disposable’ fast fashion.
Sustainable living apps:
- Giki Badges – the perfect app to help you find sustainable and healthy products in the UK supermarket. Just scan the barcode, see which badges the product wins and check out the alternatives for new ideas. We can all make a difference, one step at a time.
- Refill – connects you to places to eat, drink and shop with less waste.
- Eat Seasonal – find out when fruit and vegetables are in season in the UK and Ireland.
- Good Fish Guide – the definitive guide to sustainable seafood from the Marine Conservation Society.
- My Footprint – Your answer to the question, ‘how can I help the environment?’
- Olio – Here you’ll find millions of people giving away food and other household items to their neighbours, all for free.
