Today, sustainable living is becoming an increasingly important issue around the globe.
With resources diminishing, landfill sites becoming scarce and pollution becoming a widespread concern, businesses and homeowners alike are encouraged to make changes to their lifestyle to protect the environment and prepare for a greener future.
If you are looking to pursue a more sustainable lifestyle and ‘go green’, this useful guide should help.
Repair and recycle
Photo by Adam Lerner @ Flickr
Every year, the UK sends approximately 57 million tonnes of waste to landfill sites.
A huge amount of this waste could be avoided if we think more carefully before throwing used items away.
And it’s not just individuals that need to incorporate environmentally-friendly practices into their lifestyle – businesses also need to boost their green credentials if we are to make a real difference.
Companies such as Hometech-UK home repair are dedicated to promoting sustainable living by preventing the unnecessary waste of household items.
Recycling and repairing used goods not only reduces the amount of waste that ends up in landfill, it also decreases the amount of resources used to produce new products.
Reduce energy consumption
Photo by SamsungTomorrow @ Flickr
Another way to practise sustainable living is to reduce your daily energy use.
There are plenty of simple and effective ways to make your home more energy-efficient, such as draught-proofing, using LED lighting, turning down the thermostat, improving loft and wall insulation and installing appliances with high energy ratings.
If you are serious about committing to lifelong sustainability, you may want to consider using alternative energy sources in your home, such as biomass, solar or geothermal methods.
Having shorter showers, turning electrical appliances off at the walls and switching lights and radiators off when they are not in use can also help to bolster your efforts.
Not only are these small lifestyle changes good news for the environment, they can also make you significant savings on household bills.
Think about how you travel
Photo by University of Exeter @ Flickr
Most of us are guilty of using personal cars as our main mode of transport.
While this may not always be avoidable, it’s important to take into consideration the effect it is having on the environment.
The reality is that using personal transport contributes approximately 18 percent to the UK’s total Co2 emissions.
To reduce your carbon footprint, try to practice sustainable transport methods, such as sharing lifts, using public transport and walking or cycling whenever you can.
Change your diet
Photo by Steven Depolo @ Flickr
Making small changes to the way we go about eating and buying food can also have environmental benefits.
A worrying amount of food ends up in the bin every single day, so it’s important to try and plan your food shop and meals carefully to avoid waste.
Cooking from scratch and buying food that is local and seasonal can also help to conserve energy.
To ensure what you are eating is sustainably sourced, you can check the food labels for certified products, such as Fairtrade, MSC and Rainforest Alliance.
