Our favourite lifestyle eco tips

Here are some more of our favourite eco-tips with our responses, this time to do with an eco friendly lifestyle! We have many things here from picking fruit, not taking the car,  re-using shredded paper and encouraging children to recycle. So have a look and once again a BIG thank you to everyone who submitted these tips to our quoits competition. Simply click the link below to view them! Next and finally on friday we’ll post up our best gardening eco tips. For the meantime, click the link below and  enjoy!

“Meal plan -much less food goes to waste”
We think this is great. Don’t cook or prepare loads and then throw it away- it costs you more money and is a waste of good food too! Always plan your meals.

“If popping out try and walk instead of taking the car. Not only is it good for the enviroment but it will save money on petrol but its a little excercise and a perfect way of enjoying the summer sun.”
“Walk instead of driving for short distances – not only will you produce less C02, you’ll aloso be fitter and save money on fuel!”
“walk where you can instead of using the car”
“NEVER USE MY CAP FOR A JOURNEY THAT IS LESS THAN A 30 MINUTE WALK (SAVES ON PETROL TOO)”
“Don;t use the car for journeys under 2 miles – walk or cycle instead”
There are few excuses for taking the car for 10 minutes to somewhere you can walk in 20! You’ll get fresh air, exercise (surely everyone wants to be fitter!), more money saved and best of all much lower CO2 emissions. Don’t be lazy- walk to help yourself and the environment. This is one of our favourite tips!

“whenever we are on holiday we take a small water bottle, individually labelled per person. We refill these from the taps, water fountains etc and use them instead of cans or buying water when out walking, touring or visiting sites.”
“don’t buy bottled water – it’s bad fpr your purse and the world”
A great example of reusing. Try not to buy bottles and cans and end up throwing them away. Cans can be recycled of course, bottles can only in some areas. If you do bring your own refill bottles then you can save your money and help reduce waste too.

“Put your bag for life carriers back in your car after every grocery shop and then they are there for next time!”
Hands up if you are one to forget your ‘bags for life’ every time you go to the supermarket! You buy them, leave them at home and then end up buying more which is not what they’re meant to be for! Leave them in your car, or by the front door if you walk (which we prefer!).

“Play a game when out walking with the children to see how many cans and plastic bottles you can find, then take them to the nearest recycling bank. Children love “spotting” the litter and you are teaching them a valuable lesson about not littering and recycling waste.”
We really like this idea and your children can learn a valuable lesson by recycling. Some supermarkets even offer money-off rewards to return cans and bottles to recycling centres so look out for these. Remember to wash hands thoroughly after you play the game.

“I always get off the bus a stop early and walk the rest of the way wherever I am going.”
Unless you live in the countryside and there are no footpaths, then why not? A sunny day gives you a lovely chance to get a bit of exercise and fresh air.

“buy your fruit and veg from your local market. I just picked up 2 heads of lettuce, just picked this morning from the local farm for fifty pence each!”
“support local growers and suppliers”
“buy local to reduce the energy needed to transport the food”
We love the idea of BUYING LOCAL! This can be beneficial in so many ways. Not only do you support local farmers near where you live, but you reduce carbon dioxide caused by transporting fruit and vegetables around the world by plane. We also recommend buying in-season products- they taste much better and are grown locally too!

“shop at the supermarket between 8pm and 9pm when food is reduced. you stop them wasting food by throwing it away and you save your family money on groceries.”
This is a sneaky tip and not well known to many people. Sometimes food is reduced in price earlier too, all depending on when the supermarket or local shop closes, when the food’s sell by date is and if it passes this date, it has to be thrown away by the shop. It does save money, you get to try new things and the food won’t get wasted!

“buy your produce from your farmers market or green grocer and bring your own bags. No unnecessarily plastic needed.”
Two tips in one, both very helpful and saves you money while helping the environment too!

“Holiday in Britain, don’t fly”
Flying is the worst way of travelling so we recommend to do this as little as possible too. Don’t believe the stereotypes- British weather can be very nice and there is a lot of stunning scenery to be found!

“Set a regular date each week or month to declutter your car. My other half always leaves heavy work tools in the boot, so once a week I make sure I empty everything out and put it back in the shed (where it belongs!) to help save on petrol.”
This is true- a heavier car forces the engine to work harder and you will end up using more petrol! Spend a little time to make a happier car and use less petrol, being more eco-conscious and saving you money.

“cycle into town instead of taking the car, l have a basket fitted for my shopping”
“give up the car, get a pushbike.”
Many cities have cycle paths around, and if yours does too then we recommend you give cycling a go to get shopping, travel or just to get some exercise. Remember to keep your bike safe and locked when not in use.

“In the summer turn your telly or tellies off and get out in the garden with your family and play french cricket, badminton etc..”
Why not go out and enjoy the sunshine? Go for a walk, play some sports, gardening, or simply enjoy the fresh air. Remember to put on the sun cream!

“Think Clean, Think Green. Common sense is all it takes”
Exactly right- the smallest step helps!

“for parents- get together with friends for kids clothes swaps every season. Saves money, time and the environment!”
This can be a fun and social day that prevents throwing out clothes that have got too small. Thanks!

“freecycling – give and take days in the City, you bring some unwanted items and you can take something in exchange and all for free and very eco friendly”
“start recycling and freecycling (giving away things you don’t need to someone who wants/needs them).”
This is a great way to give and take things that you would like or no longer need, rather than throwing them away! Check out http://www.freecycle.co.uk for more info.

“Save any junk mail you get and shred it then you can use it as padding when posting parcels.”
This is a great tip. It saves plastic bubble wrap, bubble envelopes, or any other plastic wrapping such as polystyrene that usually gets ditched.

“Dont drive…in fact dont own a car!! Not only will you help to save the environment but you will also keep fit!!”
I have to admit I don’t own a car, if bus prices are reasonable and you have a train station close by, go for it!

“do not use something useless you have to, be aware of the usage of you utilities”
The worst thing we’ve seen is having the radiators on and windows open at the same time. What a waste! Always watch out for what you use and if you really need it.

“keep chickens for eggs and you can feed them veggie scraps too”
“Get some guinea pigs – they will eat all your fruit and vegetable peelings – and be good company too.”
Animals can be very nice company which can also eat your scraps without throwing them away! Always remember of the responsibilities of keeping animals and make sure they have the correct diet.

“Always hang washing outside whenever possible; even if it doesn’t dry completely, it will require less to finish it off in the tumble dryer”
If it’s a sunny day you can dry most of your washing outside. Some things like sheets should dry very quickly. Enjoy air-dried washing and save money on a tumble dryer!

“saving lids, containers, boxes, bottles etc and taking to local schools for craft projects.”
Look out for schools and nurseries that may want these items for craft. You will help out the local community and help reuse seemingly useless materials.

“Simplify your life as much as possible. Only keep belongings that you use/enjoy on a regular basis. By making the effort to reduce what you own, you will naturally purchase less/create less waste in the future.”
“If you don’t really need it then don’t buy it. All those bargens mighn’t seem good at the time, but it’s a waste of money when you don’t use them.”
While there is nothing wrong with collecting things, be careful of what you buy especially if they are cut price so you don’t throw it away later on. Always think twice if you will use it again in the future.

“Pal up with a neighbour or friend and swap BOGOF (buy one get one free) items to save money and reduce wastage.”
If you fancy half price items and lower the chance of possibly throwing away items you don’t want, we think this is a wonderful idea!

“combine harvesting wild food , eg blackberries, with a walk for health”
Spending a Sunday afternoon picking wild blackberries is something people have done for years. They are abundant throughout the country at the moment and instead of buying pre-packaged foods, you can go and find them free everywhere! Add them to apples to make a lovely dessert, stew into a crumble or eat them with ice cream / custard.

“Please, please, please send the kids to school on foot if you live within a mile of the school – I’m sure mums doing school-runs account for quite a lot of emissions, not to mention absolute chaos in urban areas! I used to have to cycle 6 or 7 miles to school when I was a kid, so to walk a mile or so to school I’m sure the kids will manage!”
Exactly right. School rush traffic jams can so easily be avoided in many places with just a 20 minute or less walk! To help combat child obesity, become fitter and healthier and save money too we encourage all parents to follow this tip.

“re use padded envelopes, this saves on waste and also saves you a few pennies!”
This is a great idea. If you open them carefully, then they can be resealed and used again several times. Stick paper over the old address.

“Always use reusable things, not disposable – that applies to so many things:washable nappies, washable wipes handkerchiefs instead of tissues, lunch boxes instead of bags and foil, reusable barbecues rather than throw-away ones etc. You’ll really vut down on your waste and you’ll save money too!”
A little effort, eg cleaning after you use items goes a long way. You will save money and reduce waste significantly!

“USING RE-CYCLABLE BAGS FOR SHOPING…..ALSO HELPS TO SAVE MONEY IN SOME SHOPS”
Always remember to take them with you!

“I use frozen vegetables.If i am cooking something in the oven, i put the veg in an ovenproof dish with hot water, and cook them in the oven.”
If you can’t get local fresh produce then this is the next best option. We like the idea of cooking veg in the oven, too!

“cut a plastic milk bottle in half (4 litre works best). Then cut the half of the handle part off of the top half, to create a scoop like shape. Hey presto, your very own eco-friendly bucket and spade for the coming summer holidays!!”
This is a fun tip to make an easy bucket and spade! Thanks!

“Turn recycling into a game for your children, i.e. see who can save the most waste paper etc. they will get into the habit and it won’t be a chore.”
Teaching your children to be eco-friendly for the future is always a great idea. Especially turning it into a game that they will enjoy. Thanks for this tip!

“FREEZING MY FRUIT AND MAKING IT INTO JAM”
A quick and nice tip! Don’t throw away fruit if you have too much. Freeze it! Then you can make jam or desserts whenever you need it again. Frozen fruit can normally be kept for over a year.