Ten Things You Could Do Today To Make A Greener Planet

Ideas Off the Top of my Head to Save the Planet

To help make for a greener planet there are a few things we could all start doing today. Small changes that not only could also save us time and money but could also make a real difference to the environment. I have listed ten things off the top of my head, but if you think about it, you may even come up with more. The ideas listed are quite obvious really, things that maybe we always mean to do but never quite get round to doing. They may incur an initial outlay of money, but could save you money in the long run. Even if you do just one thing, it’s one step nearer to making the planet greener.

#1 Meal Plan, Batch Cook and Freeze

Having a big family with so many tastes and diets it was hard to please everybody. When my six children were young, along with me, a couple of them were vegetarian, the rest meat-eaters, and it made mealtimes difficult. Deciding what to cook with ingredients and groceries I had in the kitchen cupboards became a real chore. Then I thought one day, why don’t I draw up a meal plan/menu? So, I thought about what everybody’s favourite meals were, and how I could cook so I could prepare a couple of meals at once. For example: when I prepared pie and mash, I just cooked extra mashed potato and saved some to make a cheese pie for us veggies. Another example, I cooked a double lot of minced beef, used one half to make spaghetti Bolognese and used the other half to make lasagne for another night.

Just to note: this wasn’t for ol’ vegan me but for my meat-eating family – URGH!)

Preparing meals together can save on electricity or gas (depending on what you use) as you would only have to reheat meals rather than cook them from scratch. Cook double. Most dishes are freezer safe. It saves a lot of time and money, as well as using less energy, your own and the planets.  With meal planning, you tend to have less waste as you only buy what you’re going to need, which brings me on to my next tip…

#2 Shop Once a Week

Do you ever get into that cycle of forever popping to the shops? It’s easily done. You do a big grocery shop, only to come home and find you’ve forgotten something, or you have nothing to cook for tonight’s tea! So, you end up hopping in your car, back to the shops on another trip, wasting not only time but also petrol/diesel getting there. Obviously that’s not good for the planet. It appears to be quite common unless you’re one of those super-organised people who writes a list.

As I mentioned in the previous tip, meal planning help. You only buy what you need (maybe with a few fun snacks for the weekend!) And it’s so easy to become tempted by a sale bargain. If you’re like me you’ll convince yourself you need it, buy it and forget to use it, then it goes out of date.

You can always write a list on your phone. For your usual staples, you could even take a photo of the inside of your fridge and cupboards to visually show what foods you are low on.

#3 Walk, Walk, WALK!

No need to explain how this helps make for a greener planet – it can help you too!

If you can, walk whenever possible. It has never really been practical for me to walk to the shops as I live a few miles away from the nearest supermarket. The fact I was shopping for a family of eight didn’t help. But if you only live around the corner, haven’t got that much to buy, and it’s a sunny day, walk. If the thought of carrying bags of heavy shopping fills you with dread, invest in a shopping trolley. Some of them even fold and have seats on them.

For any other short trips, work, visiting friends, etc. ditch the car where possible. It’s so good for you in many ways. It’s great exercise, it’s also good for your mental health. I absolutely love walking, and walk every day for fun, whatever the weather. It gives me time to think and plan my day – it’s my meditation.

#4 Line Dry Washing

Yes, to some of you, this is an obvious one, but I’ve known people who have put their washing in the tumble dryer on a sunny hot day. Yes, it’s more convenient, with the added bonus of not needing to iron, but it’s not helping the planet or your pocket, is it?

We’re getting sunnier, warmer days in Britain lately, why wouldn’t you take advantage of the free drying?

“But what if it’s raining?”

I hear you cry, “I need my clothes dry!”

My answer: invest in a clothes airer.

“But that can make the house damp and cause mould. That’s not good for your health.”

You’re absolutely right. Instead of using a tumble dryer, invest in a dehumidifier with a clothes-drying option. A higher-end, energy-efficient model will cost less to run, and will be cheaper overall than a tumble dryer. Putting the airer in a room with the dehumidifier with the door shut helps the clothes dry quicker. The dehumidifier only has to draw water in from that room, so it works more efficiently.

Another idea, if you’re lucky to have a garden pergola, cover the roof with some sort of roof covering. Make it transparent so you can still use it to enjoy the sunshine. You can get coverings with UV protection.  Then, run a washing line, held up with hooks, underneath. It’s perfect for hanging up washing on a rainy day as the roof will keep off the rain but the wind will be able to still blow through. People have been known to do a similar thing with a greenhouse or an old shed. I first saw this idea when I lived in Ireland, where it tends to rain A LOT!

My husband (who is a very talented carpenter) constructed this one for me. As you see, on a sunny day it’s a garden room, on a wet day it’s a laundry drying area. I’m very lucky.

I would say that if the wind can circulate, this idea works very well. It doesn’t always dry the washing completely, but if you bring it indoors and hang it on an airer, it usually dries overnight.

#5 Recycle Your Old Clothes

There was a time when you had to trek along to your local charity shop. These days you can drop your bundle of cast-offs at your leisure, at the clothing banks dotted around your area. Some companies even arrange collections from your home. Got to be better than going to a landfill.

Personally, myself, I tend to keep my clothes, even if I’ve stopped wearing them. I put them away and get them out at a later date. You forget what you own. It’s almost like you’ve bought something new.

#6 Repair Your Clothes

I’ve always been the sort of person who likes to upcycle, and that means clothes too, especially if they are in need of repair. Use motifs to cover up holes and tears on worn-out garments. You don’t even need to know how to sew as some motifs are iron-on. If your favourite pair of jeans has holes in the knee, cut the legs to make denim shorts, the frayed look is very on-trend.

If you really enjoy upcycling your clothes and want to extend your sewing skills, there are many free sewing tutorials on YouTube or plenty of inexpensive sewing courses on sites such as Udemy.

You could make yourself some very interesting one-off pieces with a little time and effort. It can be fun and rewarding, especially when somebody compliments your creation. Stitch instead of ditch, your imagination is all that’s holding you back!

#7 Buy and Sell from Second-Hand Shops or Online Market Places

In every town and city, there is an abundance of charity shops supporting different causes such as Cancer Research, Dogs Trust or Oxfam, to name but a few. Many of them can be like Aladin’s caves not only for clothes but for other household items too.

There are also online marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace, Vinted or eBay, that are worth a look if you are buying or selling. I bought a ‘like new’ rocking chair for £15 from eBay. I also bought this Barbie bundle for £40.

My granddaughters were delighted. It feels good to give a new life to someone’s unwanted goods. You know what they say about one man’s junk being another man’s treasure…

#8 Rewild Your Garden

Green garden, green planet! If you are lucky enough to have a garden, even a small one, there are many things you can do to encourage wildlife. You don’t have to be Alan Titchmarsh to do so. With the UK’s declining insect population, bugs need a helping hand.

Leave your lawn to grow, even if it’s only part of your lawn, for a few weeks. Did you know that dandelions provide food and shelter for bees, butterflies and birds? Read about it here

For a splash of more colour, and to encourage more wildlife, throw in some wildflower seeds. If a patio or balcony is all you have, plants such as Dahlias, Dwarf Sunflowers, and Lavender will not only brighten up a small area but will encourage various insects. Garden centres and also some discount shops will have a good selection of seeds.

Bird feeders are a great addition to any garden space, and you can even get ones that stick to a window. But the days have gone when you put out scraps of bread and food waste. Bread has no nutritional value to birds and in some cases can be harmful. Instead, top-up your feeder with purpose bird food. You can buy this from garden centres, but many discount shops sell bird seed as well. The different seeds encourage different birds.

Also, if you decide to turn your garden space into a wildlife haven, be sure to put out a dish/vessel of water, especially during spells of hot weather. We all need a drink, even the bugs and birds!

#8 Buy Refurbished Tech Goods

Next time you need to buy a smartphone, laptop, iPad/tablet, or computer, consider buying refurbished. My husband bought his recent iPhone from the online site BackMarket, with a 30-day change-your-mind policy, plus one year guarantee. The phone was like brand new, at a fraction of the price of a new one. BackMarket also boasts of selling other electrical goods such as baby monitors and curling tongs. There are a few sites like this springing up online, such as Music Magpie and 4Gadgets. It’s worth checking them out.

The bigger retailers such as Currys, Dell, and Amazon have also started selling refurbished tech goods. You can really pick up some good deals with the bonus of warranties attached, saving you pounds and the planet too!

#9 Use Reusable Scourers and Cloths for Cleaning

Having a big family and running a home for a good number of years, I’ve done a lot of cleaning. It wears me out just thinking about it. What I have learned (all by myself, bless me) is that buying disposable cloths such as J cloths just isn’t planet friendly. Just think of all those cloths I would have put into landfill over the years!

Ok, they are apparently made from cotton, which is a natural substance, so, in theory, should biodegrade eventually. But why not wash them instead? I do, and I have been known to wash them repeatedly. They do fall apart after a while, but at least they had a good many uses. Better still, buy microfiber cloths, they are much more hard-wearing. When it comes to production, microfiber is considered much more environmentally friendly than cotton cloths because it takes less water and energy to produce them. Use reusable scourers or brushes instead of single use plastic scourers. The money saved is a bonus.

#10 Eat More Plant-Based

Now if David Attenborough says it, we should do it (well, that’s what I believe anyway!)

Just because I’m vegan, I’ve not just slipped this in to support my cause. Yes, I’m vegan because I love animals. I hate the thought of what they go through to end up on dinner plates. For the sake of saving the planet, along with many other scientists, David (whom I might add is not strictly vegan himself but eats minimal amounts of meat) claims that animal agriculture is a big contributor to greenhouse gases. All is explained beautifully by David himself here.

Now, if you just aspire to cut down on meat, that’s better than nothing. I hate to say it, but veganism isn’t for everyone – I suppose, sadly ☹

It’s not so hard cooking vegan or vegetarian. There’s an abundance of books, websites with recipes, and even YouTube tutorials on how to cook vegan dishes. You’ll be spoilt for choice. Vegans tend to flavour food more too – that’s what me and my vegan mates think anyway.

I sometimes cook a vegan Chili con Carne, with black beans instead of mince. My meat-eating husband and daughter think it’s delicious (I’m not bragging, I only followed the recipe.) They say it’s not that much different from beef Chili. They will often eat my vegan curry too. As well as being good for the planet it’s a healthier way of eating too.

Incorporate Greener Habits Into Your Life!

When you start to really think about it, there are many ways in which you can be greener. If you want to try some of my ideas, or try your own, make them a habit. After all, climate change and environmental issues aren’t a fad or a phase. The only way we’re going to combat these issues is by taking action, and any step is a step closer, big or small.