25 Ways to Save the Environment (& Money)

While I love saving money I also think that it’s super important to save our environment – there is no planet b after all! With the awful reality that up to one half of all plants and animals species (on dry land) could face extinction by the year 2050 due to global warming we really do need to do better!

Sustainability is defined as meeting our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. We either need to make the transition toward sustainability on our own terms or be forced to make a rapid transition when all of the other options run out.

25 Ways to Save the Environment

Here are some ideas to help you reduce your impact on the environment and live your best sustainable life.

We are all responsible for preserving the environment.

More Sustainable Food & Drink

Invest in a reusable water bottle and coffee cup – reduce the amount of money and plastic you use on drinks by investing in an eco-friendly water bottle and coffee cup.

Prepare lunch in advance – you’ll spend less on lunch, reduce the amount of packaging you consume and know exactly what it is that you’re eating!

Reduce your meat consumption – not only is meat quite expensive, but avoiding meat and dairy has been named as the “single biggest way” to reduce your impact on Earth. Give veganism a go (you’d be surprised how cheap vegan food can be!).

Keep your own chickens – If going vegan isn’t for you, why not try keeping your own chickens. This way you know your eggs haven’t traveled miles, and have been raised using organic feed.

Grow your own fruit and veg – growing your own fruit and veg will mean regular fresh food delivered straight from your back garden!

Go foraging – foraging is the acquisition of food by hunting, fishing, or the gathering of plant matter. This way you can easily collect berries, nuts and greens. If you feel like becoming a foraging pro try this beginners guide to foraging.

Save The Planet at Home

Switch to a renewable energy provider – I recently switched to the energy provider Octopus – they use 100% renewable energy to power their electricity.

Heat & cool wisely – turn the heating down in winter buy getting cosy with blankets and hoodies (you’ll shave 1% off your heating bill for every 1 degree lower); use fans rather than nonstop A/C in the summer; insulate around doors and windows with wide blinds to protect from drafts; and always put heating and cooling systems on a timer so that you only use them when needed.

Substitute light bulbs – old light bulbs are another source of wasted energy. They use most of their power to produce heat rather than light. Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs – they are 75% more efficient, can massively reduce the average home’s annual lighting bill and last up to 6x longer, so it will be a while before you’ll have to replace them!

Unplug & turnoff – your appliances still use power when you are not using them if you keep them plugged in all the time. So unplug your appliances until you really need them and you will save energy and your dollar! Invest in a power strip – not only do these prevent phantom power usage, but if you flip the switch on a power strip, power will be cut off to all devices that are plugged in.

Have a sustainable period – Tampons are not recyclable, and people who menstruate will have, on average, 450 periods over their lifetime. There are several sustainable period products that you could switch to.

Plant trees – trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to combat climate change. Plant them in your garden, park or sign up for a Ecologi subscription to grow your own digital garden.

Eco-friendly Shopping

Switch to an ethical bank and shop at ethical retailers – Consider switching to a bank that only invests your money in good (sustainable) causes. Some retailers have also started to do their bit for the environment, support these retailers!

Reuse shopping bags – supermarkets now charge 5p per bag, that’s 5p that you can avoid spending by bringing your own reusable bags. cut your plastic use by keeping a reusable bag in your bag or in the trunk of your car.

Buy second-hand – you can often find clothes that are in decent condition on peer to peer sales sites such as ebay, gumtree or vinted.

Visit Freecycle.org – One person’s trash is another’s treasure. Find a local group on the site and search for furniture, technology & more that other people want to give away. The site is also perfect for recycling your own rubbish. Freecycle is free to join, and it’s a win for both you and the environment.

Earn money for Gwent Beekeepers’ Association through Topcashback – Bee’s are the world’s most important pollinator of food crops & Gwent Beekeepers’ Association work to represent beekeeping both nationally and internationally and actively promote bees and beekeeping to. You can donate money to GBA just by shopping through TopCashback!

Shop local – Choosing to shop locally and support small businesses has tons of benefits. Local companies are usually within walking distance meaning you don’t NEED to take a car. Reducing the distance you travel when shopping helps to reduce fossil fuel usage, reduce air pollution and cut back on greenhouse gas emissions.

Bees are perfectly adapted to pollinate, helping plants grow, breed and produce food.

Help the Environment by Recycling

Which bin? Depending on where you live you will have been provided with 1 or more different coloured bins. To make sure that you put the right waste/recyclables in one right you’re best checking with your local council.

Upcycle – Instead of throwing outdated or worn clothes them away and contributing to landfill waste, upcycle them into different things. Look online for ideas and sewing tutorials. You will keep your closet fresh without spending money and you reduce your contribution to landfills.

Sell things you no longer use – if you have clothes or gadgets that are in decent condition that you want to get rid of then you should consider selling them. There are a few free options for selling such as Gumtree and local forums, but if you want to sell them quick you might want to consider paying a small fee for using sites such as ebay or Depop.

Recycle plastic bottles – Iceland has become the first UK supermarket chain to install a ‘reverse vending machine’ in its Fulham (London) store that will give customers 10p per plastic bottle that they return. This deposit return scheme will also be featured at Latitude, Reading and Leeds Festival.

Sustainable Travel

Walk/Cycle instead of driving – You’ll get some exercise, save some cash and help the environment. Even better, it will make you happier; research suggests that people who walk or cycle to work are generally more satisfied with life. Here are some apps that pay you to walk.

Electric vehicle – Electric cars emit less greenhouse gases and air pollutants than a petrol or diesel car. Switch to an electric car if you can, and if you run a business, look into contracting an electric car charger point installer to have some charging points installed on your business premises.

Lift share – find drivers and passengers to share with, save money by sharing travel costs & cut congestion and pollution. You can either organise this yourself or use a website like liftshare to help you find travel buddies.

Holiday in the UK – Jetting off on just one summer holiday is so bad for global warming that it can wipe out the benefits of 20 years of recycling! Book a holiday at a home away from home to save the environment with airbnb.