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22nd April 2020 marks the 50th year that we celebrate Earth Day! Back in 1970, roughly 10% of the whole population of the USA (20 million people) rallied for a sustainable environment plan. All these years later, we are still fighting the same battle, but on a much larger scale.
It is predicted that over one billion people across the globe now take part in Earth Day in some way! Whether this is by reading a book instead of using a device, cycling instead of walking, or planting a tree: it all makes a difference.
There are easy things that you can do from the comfort of your own home to help Mother Nature. They will save you money (or even make you money) and will help save the planet at the same time!
According to Uswitch, the UK wastes £227 million leaving appliances on stand-by, with £28.9 million of this coming from mobile phone chargers. That is roughly £80 a year per household that could be saved by turning off devices not in use at the plug.
Anytime a plug is left on, energy still surges through the wires, even if there isn’t a device plugged in to charge. So, run around the house and see how many plugs you can switch off. If you have a smart meter, you’ll be able to track the results daily… or switch that off too!
You can also save a few pennies making a simple switch to greener products, energy provider and lightbulbs too.
One third of all food produced for human consumption is wasted across the world. This means water for crops and livestock, fuel for transportation, energy for manufacturing and materials for packaging are also wasted too. The average household in the UK throws away £470 worth of food each year! That’s enough for a city break, or two tickets to a UK festival, or 128 beers at your local.
If you are savvy with your food, you can save a lot of money. Here are some ideas on how to do this:
Use veg scraps for stocks: Collect all of your peelings, stalks, roots and nobly offcuts and turn it into a delicious vegetable stock. You can keep the scraps in the freezer until your bag is full and then simmer them with some water and salt. Just avoid starchy peels like potato and turnips. You can also use fruit waste such as orange peel for marmalade!
Ignore best before dates: The ‘sell-by’ date is the date given to supermarkets for when they should no longer have that product on the shelves. This is simply to make sure their company doesn’t face any lawsuits. It’s a safety net. Even the ‘use-by’ or ‘best before’ date is to indicate the final day the product will be at optimum freshness and texture. These dates don’t tell you that the food is off, so the best way to tell is a sensory check. If it smells and looks the way it should… then eat it! Final tip: Honey can never go off, so don’t throw it away!
Use the freezer: Whether you cook in bulk to freeze portions or chop veg ready to use in meals, you can save a lot of time, money and wastage. Some things like chillies can be frozen whole and grated into food, for example. Freeze fresh herbs in oil to add flavour in your cooking, and soft fruit is perfect frozen to go in smoothies. Also, a freezer runs more efficiently when it’s full, so get loading! The options for freezing are only limited by the space available in your freezer.
You can influence how companies make their products and services greener, and get paid to do so. By sharing your opinions on websites, apps, products, services and more, you are making the services more user-friendly as well as better for the planet.
If you take part in research, you contribute your ideas and can let companies know how important the environment is to you. This will in turn change their business practices and you will have helped to grow a greener company.
People for Research have recently found participants to take part in research about electric cars, green energy and public transport to name a few. Make £1 a minute for your opinions and help to make the businesses you use look after the environment too!
Check out our current opportunities.
There is a misconception that greener practices have to be more expensive. Overtime they usually save money and definitely help the planet by cutting down chemicals and non-recyclable elements of the product. Green options are abundant, and cost the same, or less, than most standard brands.
Toilet roll: How topical! We chop down a lot of trees to make toilet paper, but the company Who Gives A Crap are making an impact for the better. Their loo roll is 100% recycled or made from bamboo. 50% of all their profits go to helping build toilets for the 40% of people in the world who do not have access to one.
Cleaning products: The chemicals in cleaning products get washed down the drain and pollute our water supply. This is not only the strong chemicals found in your house cleaning supplies, but also the artificial colours and smells in body washes and soaps. If you want to make your own products for cleaning, here is a great blog about how to make your own. Or if you want to buy greener cleaning products, websites like Big Green Smile have got you covered.
Veg boxes: Organic veg boxes are the one of 2020 biggest trends… and for good reason! You will be helping local farmers and getting fresh veg delivered to your door. Doing this removes all plastic packaging from your vegetables and means you will be eating seasonal and the tastiest produce available. It is also more environmentally friendly for one delivery driver to do multiple drops than it is for everyone to drive to the shops. So, you are helping the planet by staying at home too! Find one near you thanks to the Soil Association.
We hope you like these easy ways to look after the planet.
Happy Earth Day!
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Unsplash Photo Credits in order: Li An Lim, Diego PH, Sven Brandsma, Daisy Ellaby Kadir Celep