To celebrate Earth Day, our Director of Sustainable Business, Mike Hanson shares twenty one tips to help protect our planet and twelve 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.
- Move your pension investments to an ethical fund such as Aviva’s Stewardship Fund.
Sustainable living apps:
- Samsung Global Goals – created in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme to increase awareness of the 17 Global Goals.
- Scrapp – discover recycling made simple.
- Sustained – get the information you need to help you choose more environmentally friendly foods as you shop online or in store.
- Impact Score Shopping – a ‘scan and search’ app to help you find sustainable and healthy products in supermarkets.
- Giki Zero – step-by-step guide to a lighter footprint on the planet.
- 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.
- Too Good To Go – rescue magic bags of surplus, unsold food from your favourite shops and restaurants.
- Pawprint – the eco companion to nudge you towards climate-friendly choices.
