“5 Simple Steps to Becoming Greener at Home”
I often get asked when is a good time to start becoming greener, and seriously the time is now.
Whilst we are sat waiting for other people to do it for us, or for other people to take the lead for us, we continue to ruin our planet.
It is down to us to step up to the green challenge together, and take some action today to become greener and more conscious about our own planetary impact.
When I say ‘take action’ to become greener I don’t mean you have to make immediate, huge, and unsustainable ‘green gestures’. What I do mean is that we all need to start taking a serious look at our own lives and how we are currently living, and start taking steps towards making lots of small sustainable green changes, swaps and gestures.
By stopping to take a breath and really looking at what we currently do and how we can change it, we can start to lessen the eco overwhelm and really take some conscious action towards becoming greener.
So to help you through the potential minefield of environmentally friendly problems and solutions, and to start you off on your ‘green journey’, this blog provides you with 5 simple steps to help you become greener at home, benefiting both the planet and your conscience.
Step 1 – Don’t spend another penny on anything…
Until you have stopped and taken a moment to look at what you already have. This needs to be applied across the whole of your home life from the food you buy, to the car you drive, to the clothes you buy, to your DIY and home improvements. Try to remember before you buy anything at all that the most sustainable item is something you already own. Stopping to assess what we have before we buy helps use up what we have, saves us money, stops us duplicating items and reduces waste.
Step 2– Start planning and get organized…
Following on nicely from step 1, getting our shit together and getting organized really helps us to start thinking about become greener. It reduces our daily life stress levels, helps to cut costs, reduces waste and saves time. So many of us find ourselves stressfully bouncing from one thing to another on a constant treadmill of ‘doing’, never stopping to look at how efficiently we are using our time, energy, or money, and always looking for the ‘convenient’ option.
Take a moment to take a step back, breathe, and look at ways you can change and plan things. You’ll be surprised how much time you can get back, and money you can save, and it means you’ll have more brain capacity to start thinking about the ‘greener’ ways to do things.
Step 3 – Commit to taking some green action…
No one can be expected to ‘go green’ overnight, it isn’t achievable or sustainable, and ‘going green’ isn’t a quick fix. We can however all start thinking about how to be a bit greener and where to start making some green changes, and we can commit today to make 1 simple green swap in our lives each month for at least 12 months.
Just by committing this month to not buy any more water in single use plastic bottles and instead swap to a refillable bottle you will save so much plastic from ending up in landfill, in the sea, or being burnt, and you’ll also save yourself some money.
Step 4 – Start now…
There is no time like the present, and once you’ve taken the time to step back and look at what you are doing, look at where you can make some green changes, and committed to making these changes, the only thing left to do is start. Make that first green swap today. Try replacing clingfilm with tin foil or reusable food wraps, swap from single use plastic water bottles to refillable bottles, swap from bottles of hand soap to plastic free bars of soap. Just three examples of very easy swaps you can make today. What are you waiting for?
Step 5 – Spread the word…
The ripple effect is a powerful thing. Committing to taking green action and then doing it is what will save the day. Talking to friends, family and colleagues about your swaps and celebrating your achievements is the best way to start the ripple and spread the positive message that change is achievable. Many of us don’t really know where to start when trying to be greener, so hearing from someone we know and trust about what they are doing and how easy it is, means we are more likely to give it a go ourselves, and then tell others about what we are doing, and so the ripple continues.
Voila, that’s it! If you can start taking action on these steps you will have already become greener and started to reduce your planetary impact. Yes, it is that simple to start!
For more green tips and inspiration from us pop over to Instagram or LinkedIn and check out @achievinggreenness where we provide you with the motivation, evidence, and tools you may need to become greener.
If you are a business and want help to become greener and have been looking for someone to help you start then get in touch, we offer Mini Green Audits all the way up to green accreditations and ISO certifications, and provide bespoke Green packages for your requirements.
