10 Easy Ways to be an Eco-Warrior
I know, I know. Adding in eco-warrior to all the other things you already do seems so hard!
We know we need to do good things for the planet but actually implementing them and living green can be so overwhelming! A bit like healthy eating.
Well, I would give you the same advice as I do about healthy eating……..baby steps.
Just start doing one or two things here and there when you can. Today, I’m not going to tell you to buy chickens, compost and start a vege garden (even though those things are amazing). I have some really easy ideas for you that don’t require that much effort, just a little bit of thought.
I also like to think that by implementing these small things into our daily lives, our kids will learn by example and go on to be eco-warriors themselves. Of course, being eco-friendly usually means you also save money. It’s a win/win really!
Here are 10 easy ways to be an eco-warrior.
♥ Stop buying books, newspapers and magazines.
Okay, the one exception I make is for good cookbooks, non-fiction books or kids’ books that you will use over and over again and lend to friends. Even the, I try to source from the op shop!
However, one-off fiction, magazines or newspapers are things you don’t have to buy. You can either go digital, invest in an e-book reader or you can hire them for free from your local library.
♥ Turn off stand-by appliances.
Go around the house at night and turn off at the wall all those appliances that use stand-by power. Things like microwaves, tvs, dvd players, aircons, computers, modems and phone chargers. You would be surprised at how much energy these appliances use and cost you over a year!
♥ Buy more local stuff.
Next time you shop, challenge yourself to buy as locally as you can. Swap overseas brands to Australian ones. All those food miles cost our environment.
♥ Make the op shop your first stop.
If you need something, check to see if the op-shop has it first. You would be surprised at some of the good things you can find at an op-shop. There is usually a huge array of homewares, toys, furniture and clothes to choose from.
Why buy new drinking glasses when you can pick up nice ones from the op shop for 20c?! Further to this idea, you could swap things amongst your friends or check out garage sales. If you are new to op shopping, check out my top op shop tips.
♥ Full loads.
Whether it’s the dishwasher, the washing machine or the dryer, make sure you have a full load before you turn it on.
♥ Carpool.
Heading out to meet friends or taking the kids to sport? See if you can organize lifts and get as many people in the car as you can!
♥ Use an eco-bag for gifts.
As well as looking funky, giving gifts in reusable eco-bags encourages more people to use them. Of course there is no waste either. I love the LOQI ones – super cool and so lightweight.
♥ Buy in bulk.
Buying in bulk reduces the need for lots of packaging. Join a co-op or buy online and fill up your recycled glass jars! We have recently bought laundry and dishwashing liquid in bulk and I would recommend this to everyone. Check out the 20 litre tubs of Abode cleaning products.
♥ Switch shower heads.
Get yourself a water-saving shower head – they aren’t expensive or hard to install. They can be easily found at your local hardware store. You will not notice the difference but you will notice the savings!
♥ Make notebooks.
Cut up all the used paper from your home office or kids’ school work into squares. Staple it in one corner. You have just made your own notebook for shopping lists and phone messages.
So there you go. Easy huh? Can you give any of these a try? Do you already do some of these?
What other small steps can you add to this list?
You might also like to read:
How to store fruit and vegetables without plastic
Smart Swaps for Single Use Plastics
11: Grow your own vegies and herbs.
Thanks Linda – and if you can’t there are some great co-ops around too!
Taking the notebook idea a step further, we keep all incoming envelopes which are plain on the back and use a peg to hold them together so whenever we need a scrap of paper they are ready! Also speaking of mail, change which ever statements from insurance, banks etc to online statements and save the post and paper.
Great tips thanks Bek! Love the idea of putting a peg up for them. I tried to stop my bank statements coming and they said it was illegal to not send me a paper one! What the???
Use the ‘duplex’ or double-sided print option when you have to print stuff out so you use both sides of the paper. Most printers should have it these days.
Love it! Yes, a lot of people waste so much paper – I always set small margins too!
I make notebooks from recycled paper just like this!
If people do shop in supermarkets, I tend to even though I try not to, don’t use plastic bags for Fruit & vegetables. The other day I was buying apples and a lady next to me handed me a bag, when I told her I didn’t need it she looked at me like I was crazy. I also refuse plastic bags for meat and just put them in my recycled bags and tell the cashier to fill them right up, I swear they always try to slip in a plastic bag or two!
Great tips Cara. I know I hate it when they wrap my meat in a plastic bag and then put it in my recycled bag!! What the!! 😀
These are great tips to become and eco-warrior. These ideas may sound simple but it can create a huge difference when all of us apply these ideas in our daily life. Thanks for the inspirations.
Use a reusable coffee cup for your takeaways. I love my Joco cup, it is way nicer than drinking out of a disposable cup.
Yes!! I have a few different ones but I usually fill mine up with tea before I leave the house!