The aim of this blogger tag that has been created by Emma Reed is to get as many people involved as possible by answering the questions below, tagging your favourite bloggers (who you think will love to join in!) and sharing some fantastic tips on how to reduce waste, reduce household plastic and how to be more sustainable in your everyday life. And it doesn’t have to be anything big. The smaller changes are often the easiest for everybody to do and if more and more people did these they would have a bigger impact. So, onto the questions…
Have you already been making sustainable changes to your lifestyle?
Yes. For the last year, we have made changes to the way we live and do things. We made the switch to cloth nappies and wipes, we started to be more conscious re our food and waste. We started to buy second hand a lot more, avoiding fast fashion and more. We have also recently got an allotment so we can start growing our own food and produce. We live with Liam parents, so are limited in a way, to what we can and can’t do. Once we get our own place, I feel the sustainable and minimal living will take a huge leap forward, which makes me happy!
What swaps have worked for you?
There are a lot of swaps that have worked for us as a family. Reusable drinks bottles, making our own snacks, cloth nappies and wipes, reusable straws, shopping second hand, soaps, shampoo bars, making my own cleaning products and more.
What swaps have been the easiest?
I think there are two. Swapping to soap bars had to be the most easiest swap that anyone could make. There are so many different ones for all skin types. It also works out cheaper as I find they last a lot longer than shower gels and liquid soaps. Cloth nappies and wipes were also another relatively easy swap to make. Granted, we made the switch when Molly was 1. Maybe with a newborn it would be different..I’m due with baby 2 in April so I will keep you posted!
What swaps have been the hardest?
I would say, the menstrual cup. Now, Don’t get me wrong, making the actual switch wasn’t the hard part. Getting it in the right position, that was comfortable and meant you wouldn’t leak was a little tricky at first due to the fact I have a tilted cervix. With a little practice I found a way that worked for me.
What is your favourite eco-friendly swap so far and why?
100% Cloth nappies. They have saved us SO much money, as well as saved so many disposables from landfill. Plus, they don’t contain any nasty chemicals and come in super cute patterns!
What are your sustainability aims for 2020?
This year we have an allotment. I want to try and grow our own produce and successfully compost. Hopefully this will not only reduce our plastic consumption, but also our food waste. It should hopefully save us some money as well!
Another aim for 2020 is to complete #1000hoursoutside. Last year we completed and smashed #100hoursoutside so when we came across #1000hoursoutside, we were very excited and up for the challenge. We have been planning some outings and even a holiday for when baby arrives. I can’t wait to be able to go out as a family of 4! So far this year we have managed 35 hours outside, which for the first month, I think that’s pretty good going!
Have you set up a plan in order to make these happen/achievable?
We need to pick up the keys to the allotment, but we have a layout/plan all set up of how many beds we want, where they will go, what we will try growing. So all we need to do is physically start. The weather has been extremely wet recently, so we haven’t been able to do anything yet.
For our #1000hoursoutside challenge, we have a chart that we fill in when we have been outside. It’s fun to keep an eye on how many hours we are at, and Molly loves to help colour in the sections too! Obviously when the baby comes, I won’t be able to go out straight away, but we have the support of family who have said they will continue to take Molly out and about for me.
What are your top tips for anybody who is just starting to make eco-friendly changes?
Start out small, slow and steady. There is no point throwing everything you already have out in one go. Use up what you already have, and then replace with a more sustainable and Eco friendly option. If you want to, make a list of changes you would like to make, maybe separate them room by room to help you see the changes a little easier. It;s not a race, it’s not a competition.
“We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly” -Anne-Marie Bonneau
I hope that some of my swaps and ideas for 2020 have inspired you to make a few too. I’d love for you all to share yours with me by joining in with this blogger tag.
I am tagging my wonderful blogger friends:
Gee – geegardner.co.uk
Amy – amyjaneandbaby.com
Caitylis – caitylis.co.uk
Rachael – fromrachaelclaire.com
RULES (add these to the end of your post for others to refer to)
Answer the sustainability-related questions in your own blog post and tag (link to their website) your nominated bloggers at the end of the post (I would say 5-10 nominations would be about right). When you are nominated by a blogger please tag that person at the start of your post to say thank you and to also give them a link back. You can also state why you want to join in with the tag, what you hope to get out of it and that you are looking forward to reading all the others and so on (I will leave this opener up to you). Feel free to add links to relevant blog posts you may have on your site and add photos too. There’s no strict timescale as to when you need to get your posts out but within 2 weeks would be nice in order to keep the ball rolling. Oh, and if you haven’t had a tag but would like to join in, please do so! The more the merrier. If you’d like me to see them all please do also tag me on Twitter @EmReed01.
Have you already been making sustainable changes to your lifestyle?
What swaps have worked for you?
What swaps have been the easiest?
What swaps have been the hardest?
What is your favourite eco-friendly swap so far and why?
What are your sustainability aims for 2020?
Have you set up a plan in order to make these happen/achievable?
What are your top tips for anybody who is just starting to make eco-friendly changes?
