1. Use less water
Simple choices in your daily routine can help save a lot of water - more than you think you know!
Some bathroom water-saving tips include:
💧 Taking shorter showers - the average showerhead uses 9 liters (2.4 gallons) of water per minute. Simply cutting your usual ten-minute shower in half can save over 45 liters (12 gallons) of water!
💧 Turning off the tap when you brush your teeth
💧 Switching to a low-flow shower head
💧 Testing your toilet for leaks, at least once a year
2. Start recycling and upcycling
Start small by separating your trash by paper, plastic, metal! If you’re ready to take it to the next level, find ways to reuse and revamp old items instead of purchasing new ones. You can shop at thrift stores for example, and find perfectly usable items at a fraction of the cost. Save money 💰 , save our planet. 🌍
3. Go plastic-free
Every year, 300 million tonnes of plastic are produced. Over 8 million tonnes enter our oceans. We even end up ingesting approximately 5 grams of microplastics a week - that’s the weight of a credit card! Ditch single-use plastic bottles, bags, straws, and cutlery and instead switch to reusable bottles, tuperware, utensils, and cloth bags!
4. If you own a car, take public transport more often
Taking public transport as opposed to using a private vehicle will help lessen carbon emissions by reducing the number of vehicles on the road.
5. Eat a wider variety of foods
75% of the world’s food supply comes from just 12 plants and five animal species. The lack of variety in agriculture is both bad for nature and a threat to food security. Eating a wider variety of foods will not only help you get all the micronutrients you need - it’ll also help reduce the environmental impact of our food system. Not sure where to start? Check out this list!
6. Try going meat-free for a week or more
Farming animals for meat and dairy requires space and large amounts of water and feed. The livestock industry alone generates nearly 15% of all man made greenhouse gas emissions. If you are able to, try a meat-free diet for a period of time - who knows, you may just find that it works well for you!
7. Waste less food
We already produce more than enough food to feed everybody on Earth – but around a third of it goes to waste and never gets eaten. At the same time, nearly a billion people go hungry.
If food loss and waste was a country, it would also be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
A few simple tips can help you waste less food:
✅ Make a shopping list and meal plan before you do groceries (and don’t go on an empty stomach!)
✅ Take home any of your leftovers from a restaurant
✅ Freeze and label any leftovers – and make sure you eat them!
✅ Only take what you need from a buffet (you can always go back for more)
8. Start exercising outdoors
Going to the gym is great. But it can also be not-so-great - crowds, bad music, and sometimes, strange smells. It can also get boring. If you can, switch things up once in a while and get a dose of fresh air and vitamin D by exercising outdoors. You can run, hike, swim, bike, do yoga at a park - the options are endless. One thing we can guarantee is that the view be better than that on a treadmill! (Need more convincing? Check out this article)
If possible, and if the weather permits, walking or riding your bike to work is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. It’s also a great way to stay fit! If you’re biking, just don’t forget your helmet!
10. Rediscover your city and country
If you’re planning your holidays for the year ahead, consider exploring a local destination and hidden gem that you can get to by train, by bus, or even by foot! Destinations further away or out of the country often require travel by plane, which results in much greater carbon emissions than travel by train or bus.
👉 BONUS:
Something you can do right now that will take less than a minute is to sign our Voice for the Planet petition. This petition will be presented to world leaders in key global conferences this year, urging them to take immediate action to protect nature and our planet.
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