Going Green in 2019 Project – Steps to Becoming Eco-friendly

At the beginning of the year I started my ‘Going Green in 2019’ project. I’ve wanted to change the way we live for a while now, reducing our waste and protecting the environment in any way that we can. There is so much in the media regarding the environment at the moment and there is a pretty good reason why. Climate Change is moving us towards a future that doesn’t look very pretty.  I spent the last few months of 2018 doing a lot of research around ways to be more Eco-friendly, and I decided that I was going to bring you along on our journey.

The simplest way to define what being Eco friendly means is to say that it is the act of living with intent. The intent is being focused on not creating harm to environment. To prevent as much harm from happening to the environment through your interactions with it. Being eco-friendly goes far beyond just turning off lights when you leave the room or separating your rubbish for recycling – although these are good starting steps. It is all about changing your habits and the purpose of how you live.

Here are a few things we’ve done that could help you get started on your Eco-friendly journey:

Grow your own food 

You don’t need a large property to grow some of your own food, this is a real misconception. People  grow food on windowsill and in their landscaping as a regular habit.  Lots of towns now offer community gardens and allotments for people who may not have their own garden. Remember, all you need is some dirt, water and light. Just give it a go! We are currently picking out some bits to plant over the next few months. Most will probably be in pots and I want to get Molly as involved as possible!

Cook from scratch

 I didn’t really learn how to cook growing up.  I had Food Tech classes at school up until year 9. From then on I just taught myself through buying cookbooks, watching TV shows and good ol’trial and error ( So.Many.Errors. )  Processed foods may be more convenient and frustratingly cheaper, but they are so bad for you. They contain high levels of sugar, sodium, and fat which if consumed in high quantities can lead to serious health issues. These include obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer.  Did you know that processed foods are designed to make you overeat and become addicted them? They also contain lots of artificial ingredients. I’m trying to cook our meals from scratch. Yes it requires a little bit more planning and prep, but the health benefits are totally worth it.

Make use of all leftovers

Did you know that 1.9 million tonnes of food is wasted by the food industry every year in the UK alone.  Learning to manage and serve your leftovers will save you a ton of money on feeding your family. If you go out for a meal, take a container and ask to take your left overs home. You paid for it, so you’re entitled to! It’ll save you money and if you have kids, I guarantee they will become hungry again within an hour of you leaving the restaurant!

 Unplug

 We live in such an technical orientated world, ever think about that?  All the noise of TV’s and devices, refrigerators humming, cars going down the street. Sometimes I think that we’re immune to it.  Then when we are faced with a power cut, we just about lose our minds from the silence and boredom!  Take time to “unplug” voluntarily.  Sit outside and read a book, and leave your phone inside the house.  Go for a walk.  Unplug.  Let your brain recover and remember what it was like before all of the automation.  It can be very healing. I wrote a whole post about Forest Bathing and it’s benefits!

Shop used

I won’t lie. I hate paying full price for anything!  While there are some things in life that I want to purchase new (mattresses come to mind) but we have saved a decent amount of money over the last few months by not giving into retail.  I love a charity shop. I buy used clothes, shoes, toys etc.  The money you save can go directly to that holiday you’ve been wanting to go on, or like us, a mortgage for a house of your own.

Eat Less Meat

Shifting to a more plant-based diet is essential to combatting climate change, soil, air and water pollution, ocean dead zones, and myriad other problems caused by industrial livestock production. If we decide to eat fewer meals with meat or dairy each week, we can have a huge impact on our collective health and the health of the planet.

I hope these few things inspire you to start being more Eco-Friendly, or at least thinking about your own carbon footprint. I have quite a lot of sustainability related posts coming up over the course of the next few months that I am really excited to share!