Small change is also change: 7 easy steps to help the environment

The world is getting more aware of the importance of nature and the environment (some don’t, but let’s not talk about that), but changing our ways is not always easy. Looking at Youtube video’s and on blogs, you can find great tips, but a lot of tips are just a big step to make. Therefore, I decided to make this article about all the small steps you can make to help the environment, without having to go waste-free overnight. I think that if we would all took these steps, we would be a lot closer to the solution anyways. On top of those benefits, a lot of these solutions also will save you huge amounts of money and/or have additional benefits to either your health or just your mood at the time of you using it.

1. Expensive gym membership? Walk or cycle!

Of course you are going to have times where it is not realistic to think that you’ll always have time to walk or bike everywhere you go, but more often than not, you’ll realize you can. Instead of spending 3/4 hours at the gym each week, walking to work, school or to the supermarket can help with getting some extra exercise throughout the week and it saves a lot of gas. Especially in smaller or busy cities, biking can be just as quick or even quicker than taking the car! So why not:

1. Save the gas money

2. Save the membership money

3. Buy a nice pair of cool sneakers or boots from all the money you’ve just saved

4. And save the planet whilst doing it?

2. Drink tapwater, tea and coffee

Instead of buying expensive bottles of soda, you can just drink tapwater (maybe with a little bit of lime juice, cucumbers or fruits?), tea or coffee. Beside it being way cheaper, it is also way healthier and you don’t go out and buy plastic bottles that you are not going to use again anyways (because let’s be honest; no one keeps that amount of bottles ‘for next time’). Just buy yourself a nice, glass decanter which makes you look more fancy anyways, a reusable water bottle or even infuser for on the go and cute mugs for the cozy stay-at-home days. They all can make moments just that little more special (especially the decanter), or add that feeling of coziness with the perfect big mug of hot, steaming goodness. Your body, your guests and the environment will thank you.

3. You don’t need to do the dishes after every meal or wash your clothes the minute you undress

Saving up dishes until you actually can fully use up the water is an easy way to save a lot of water and washing a washing machine that is actually filled up can help a lot. I am sure you have an extra plate and another shirt to use and this way you only need to do those annoying tasks 3 times a week instead of every day (when you live alone at least). Now of course this won’t work for every dish and every piece of clothing, but it will work more often than you think and it is actually a huge timesaver to do everything at once.

4. What feels better than a warm blanket and a hot cup of tea?

I am a great fan of creating a cosy atmosphere: cozying up with a blanket, bed socks, a cup of tea, candles on the table and a dumb movie to watch. This is a perfect time to turn off the heat and enjoy the nice natural warmth of everything you have around you. Sleeping without the heat turned on is also likely to improve your sleep, breathing and when you have a partner, you have the perfect excuse to cozy up to them as well. These few hours can also really make a difference, just like turning of the heat when you’re not even at home. I have now gotten to a point I don’t use it at all, unless the pipes will freeze if I don’t and I can honestly say I am never cold inside my apartment.

5. Prepare fresh dishes yourself and freeze them for times you need them and buy in bulk!

I am not at all a fan of everything microwavable, so maybe this is easy for me to say, but stop buying preprepared food! I cannot imagine going waste free just yet, but I personally took a huge step by just buying whole vegetables and fruits and just chop them myself. It takes only a few minutes to do, it is a lot healthier and cheaper than pre chopped veggies and fruits and they don’t have the unnecessary plastic bags around them. By buying my pasta’s and such in bulk as well, I also save a ton of plastic, I always have it ready to make some dinner with and it’s also a lot cheaper. And as for the instant meals: just taste the difference and you can’t tell me that is not worth the extra 10 minutes.

If you have a really busy schedule, you can also make those kinds of dishes (pasta’s, rice dishes, curry’s, etc.) in bulk and freeze them in portions. This way it won’t take longer than the microwavable dishes, it does taste better, it often contains more veggies and you’ve just gotten around using an extra plastic container or 2, depending on how much you’ve prepped.

6. Buy products from companies that are environmental friendly

A lot of companies now start to understand the importance of the environment as well and they are doing research in using recyclable materials for their packagings, like recycled carton or plastic. Of course, this tip does take a while to research what’s easy to buy for you, but once you’ve found a product you like you can stay with it for a long while. For me these are the products from The Body Shop, buying bamboo toothbrushes and dishwashing brushes and in the products that I clean the house with. Since I am a poor student, I can’t replace everything with biodegradable products just yet, because of some of the prices, but a lot products have been switcht, like my dishwashing liquid and all-purpose cleaner.

7. Find your answers and plant trees at the same time!

Do you know the search engine Ecosia? This is a search engine that plants trees with every 45 searches you do! This costs you literally nothing, you still get the answers you were looking for and you help the environment! Easy, right?I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this and please let me know what you do to help the environment and which of these would be suitable for your lifestyle! For more information, you can also look here!

Lots of love,

Lisa