The Environment: How to do Your Bit on a Budget!

Hi, Friends!

Today’s blog post is taking a slight swerve away from the usual topics of education and employment and focusing on something that is of equal importance to me: the environment.

That’s right, I have long been a self-confessed tree hugger and try my best on a daily basis to take small courses of action that have a positive impact on the environment. This being said, as an ordinary member of society and a newly-former student, I also know that it can be tough to live cheaply and easily while doing your bit for the planet. If you’re having a post-exam party, for example, it can be all-to-easy to nip to the shops and buy a mass of plastic cups, straws, plates and cutlery to cater for everyonre. If you’re local council has seemingly tedious rules and regulations with regards to what can and can’t be recycled, it can be easy to ignore them all and simply shove the offending item in the bin: sending a perfectly recyclable item straight to landfill.

Today, however, I am the bearer of good news! I’ve taken it upon myself to devise a list of cheap and easy ways that we can all do our bit for the environment: small changes we can make that won’t make any difference to our lives but will make a whole lot of difference to the planet. So, without further ado, get ready to make some changes; it’s all for the greater good!

Watch Your Water!

Living in a first world country, it’s so easy to take our abundance of clean water for granted. After all, all we need do is turn on the tap! However, this luxury is easy to abuse, and many of us are very guilty of using far more water than we need to. Simple acts like cutting your shower down a few minutes, not over-filling the bath and turning off the tap when you brush your teeth are all great ways of reducing the amount of water we waste, all contributing to a less careless way of life.

Recycle

This has been drummed into us all since the late 1900s but, amazingly, some people still haven’t caught up. Recycling is one of the easiest and cheapest ways that we can all do our bit for the environment. Tonnes of information is available from your local council on how they operate in your area and what they require from you. After that, it’s just a matter of putting things in different bins, and that’s hardly a hardship!

Go Public

With modern life the way it is, many of us are guilty of jumping in the car far too often, whether that be to get to work or to the shops five minutes down the road. Switching your car for walking, cycling or taking public transport has many benefits, not just for the environment but for your health and purse strings too! Say goodbye to traffic by getting the train, wave goodbye to staggering petrol costs by boarding the bus, or get a pre-and-post-work workout by walking or cycling: the possibilities – and the benefits – are endless!

Say “No!” to Single-Use Plastics!

Now, this is a biggie! Environmentalists have long been aware of the detrimental – nay, devastating – effects of single use plastics, but the issue was thrust into public attention last year with the broadcast of Blue Planet II. Until then, many of us were simply unaware – blindly naïve – of the impact our everyday use of plastics was having on our oceans and the environment as a whole. Now, I know as well as anyone that it isn’t as easy as simply giving up plastic: many of our everyday necessities rely heavily on plastic products to protect and preserve. But, where we can do our bit is by eliminating as many single-use plastic products as possible. So, instead of buying a new bottle of water every lunch time, invest in a reusable, refillable bottle. When having party or summer BBQ, buy recyclable paper cups and plates instead of plastic ones. Using a sealable sandwich bag every day? That needs to stop! Stock up on reusable Tupperware and you’re good to go! Make changes as small and simple as these and voila! You’re saving money and the environment!

What a Turn Off!

This one is super simple and still ignored by a worrying percent of the public. The rule of thumb is this: if you’re not using it, turn it off! “Standby” and “Off” are not actually the same thing – shocker, I know! – so when it comes to your laptop, computers, TVs and consoles, when you’re not using them turn them off - preferably at the wall. Otherwise, it will chunter away consuming energy until you next deign to use it. Which leads me to phone chargers… Far too many of us drain the energy out of our phones throughout the day before draining the Earth’s energy by charging them up throughout the night. Not only does this waste more electricity then necessary, it has also led to a spate of fires throughout the UK, so it’s not a good idea in anyone’s books. So, say it with me! “If you’re not using it, turn it off!”

I hope you’ll take these few tips on board and start doing your bit for the environment. As you can see, it doesn’t have to take a lot of time, money or effort, but it can make the world of difference to the world.

Let’s save the planet!

E x