In order to help fight the climate crisis, here are some important changes that you, your friends and family can make:
– Replace garden lawns with wildflower meadows. You could take part in Plantlife’s No Mow May movement, letting your grass grow wild during the month of May.
– Switch to LED lightbulbs, and remember to turn off lights whenever you leave a room.
– Ask your family if you could take a train on holiday instead of flying – or pay for carbon offsetting for any flights you are required to take.
– When you start a bank account, make sure it’s with an environmentally friendly bank that doesn’t invest your money into fossil fuel companies.
– Drink oat milk or other dairy alternatives instead of milk from cows.
– If your family eats meat, could you have a meat-free day once a week?
– Try to buy seasonal and local food.
– Reduce waste by freezing fresh produce where you can, and composting the peelings.
– Ask your family about switching to a renewable energy utility supplier, if available.
– If your family are looking to buy a new car, suggest they consider an electric or hybrid one.
– Air-dry clothing instead of tumble-drying.
– Avoid disposable, cheap fashion made from synthetic fabrics, as these create microplastics when washed. Invest in long-term, quality pieces that can be worn for many years.
– Aim to rent, borrow or buy things secondhand as much as possible, especially tools that you might only use occasionally. For phones and other technological items, try to get refurbished ones rather than buying new.
– And, of course, plant trees wherever you can. They truly are the lungs of our planet. Depleted forests, savannahs, peatlands, mangroves and wetlands have the ability to grow back quickly, but we need to give them the opportunity to do that.