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A Guide toSustainable Living
It can’t have escaped your attention that our planet is in a spot of bother. Warnings about climate change are constantly in the headlines and, with record-breaking dry summers combined with incredibly wet winters resulting in flooding, it’s starting to have a real impact on all our lives.
We all need to start doing our bit and follow the lead of our own monarch. After all, King Charles III has spent most of his life trying to protect our environment. Some of his work has included becoming a key figurehead of COP26 and establishing the Sustainable Markets Initiative that enables companies to accelerate the transition to a sustainable future. He has even created a sustainable garden at Highgrove which re-uses rainwater and everything is grown organically.
In the year we see the Coronation of King Charles III, why don’t we all do our bit to live a bit more sustainably? If you’re looking to reduce your carbon footprint but don’t know where to start, you’re in luck. Not every change has to be on a grand scale. We look at some of the incredibly simple things you can do that will make a big impact on our planet.
Meaning Of Sustainability
There are so many conversations happening about sustainability, that it’s easy to get confused about what the heck it is. To be honest, it’s a pretty broad term that can cover many different things. We think the United Nations Environment Programme probably sums it up nicely, where they define sustainable living as ‘understanding how our lifestyle choices impact the world around us and finding ways for everyone to live better and lighter.’
That means we need to find ways of living that don’t negatively impact the environment. For example, avoiding using up the earth’s natural resources such as water, energy, trees and fossil fuels. At the same time, we should also create less waste and use more renewable resources. Equally, any decision should help to maintain a strong economy and society so that future generations can live happy and healthy lives.
But we don’t need to make drastic changes all at once. If we all try and live more sustainably by making one or two simple changes, it will contribute to a positive change overall.
Sustainable Living Ideas
Living sustainably is undoubtedly more crucial than ever. But, at times it can seem a little bit daunting. I mean, what are the best changes to make to really help our planet?
A good place to start is thinking about what and how much you buy. A good example is fast fashion, where changing your wardrobe every season is incredibly damaging to the environment. Could you hire the outfit for that one wedding? Or maybe buy your dress from a charity shop, which not only helps the environment but you would donate to a good cause. The next example is considering if you can change products that you’d normally bin for a reusable option? Some ideas include metal water bottles, refillable deodorants or cloth shopping bags, but there are plenty of other things you could swap out.
Check the sustainability credential of the company you’re buying from. Are they using environmentally friendly materials and manufacturing processes? How do they package their product? Fortunately, a lot of companies are onboard with the concept and changing how they present their products and opting to use paper, cardboard and recyclable plastic. Help them out by recycling as much as you can.
How can you reuse items you’ve bought to avoid throwing them away? Think about upcycling, for example you could always turn unwanted clothes into a cushion or a dress into a skirt. When buying flowers, why not dry the blooms and use them for decorative potpourri or a wreath you hang on the wall.
Think about what you’re eating and perhaps try going meat-free once a week. It’s estimated that if the whole of the UK turned veggie just once a week, in one year it could save 50 million tonnes of carbon. That’s the same as removing 16 million cars from the road! In case you needed any more convincing – it’s also good for you and can improve the health of your heart.
How To Be More Sustainable At Home
There are plenty of small changes you can make in the home that are not only good for the environment but also for your pocket. We’re not going to disagree with saving a few pennies!
Reduce the amount of energy you use by turning your thermostat down by one degree, it could reduce your energy bill by around 10%. If everyone in the UK did the same, it would save a whopping 3.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
Use energy-saving lightbulbs and turn off the lights when you’re not using them. It will even make your houseplants happy! You see, plants don’t want light on them 24 hours a day. Turning off your lights lets them know the difference between day and night which triggers new growth of buds. Let their blooms brighten up your home instead of your lightbulbs!
Enhance the effectiveness of your heating system by installing high-quality insulation and reducing gaps around your windows and doors. Of course, keeping the windows shut uses less energy but it may result in lower air quality. Improve this by introducing plenty of plants throughout your home, such as a snake plant or fresh fern. Not only do they purify the air, but with no effort they can help you to concentrate and work better.
Plan your meals and batch cook to reduce the amount of food you waste. Invest in a compost bin, its perfect for getting rid of vegetable and fruit peelings. Not only does it reduce the number of travel miles used taking it to landfill but it’s also really good for your garden and containers.
Get growing. It’s great fun, incredibly satisfying and reduces the carbon travel miles from bought food. Don’t worry if you don’t have much space. You can grow herbs, edible flowers or even veg in small containers that easily fit onto your front doorstep.
Help Save The Bees
We’re not going to shy away from the fact, bees are essential to people and the planet! To be honest we think our stripy friends are unsung heroes.
Here are some facts. At least 30% of the world’s crops and 90% of all plants require cross-pollination to survive, insects are essential for this task. Without the bees we’d need to rely on machines and high-energy farming methods to pollinate our food.
Unfortunately, our friendly, buzzing bees are really struggling and they need our help! We can do this very easily by providing them with flowers, water and somewhere snuggly to nest.
Give back to the environment by putting wildflower plants into your outdoor space – they need the pollen and nectar from the flowers to give them energy. You can create a bee haven in even the smallest of spaces whether that’s a garden, balcony or even a container on your doorstep. Not only is it good for the bees but all that greenery is essential for the atmosphere. Without even trying, the clever things absorb the carbon dioxide and turn it into lovely fresh oxygen!
Remember to mix up the blooms so they appear from early spring right through to the winter. Choose single flowers (the bees get lost if the blooms have too many petals) such as crocus in spring, campanula and echinacea for early and late summer, and aster in autumn. Make sure you get plenty of purple flowers in the mix – the bees love particularly love this colour!
Don’t forget to create safe places for bees by building them by building a bee hotel and providing water. It’s thirsty work collecting all that pollen.
What Flying Flowers Are Doing To Be More Sustainable
We know that being more sustainable is essential to the planet which is why we’re determined to do our bit too. Where possible, we aim to source local flowers. That means buying from British producers of blooms to reduce our carbon footprint.
It doesn’t stop there; we’ve put a lot of thought into the materials we use to make sure your plants and flowers arrive in tip top condition. That means the box your blooms arrive in is made from recycled materials. Even better because they are cardboard you can recycle them too! We also use recyclable paper wrap around the flowers and biodegradable flower food sachets.
We’re always keeping an eye on how we can improve our eco-credentials to create a brighter future for all.
