What can you do for World Environment Day?

The website states: “In recent decades, scientific advances as well as growing environmental problems such as global warming are helping us to understand the countless ways in which natural systems support our own prosperity and well-being.”

UN Environment’s Erik Solheim encourages us to connect with nature and “make the planet great again”

So in today’s blog post we want to talk about ways you can be environmentally friendly in your home without breaking the bank.

Not that we wouldn’t love everyone to live green all the time in all the ways they can, but let’s face it, for some of us the thought of installing solar panels and upping the specification of your house’s energy efficiency can be a big task. Rather than covering this we will focus on changes that are quick and easy.

1. Use rechargeable batteries!
2. Make use of your brown and green bins and recycle all the items that your council collects
3. In the office and at home – ensure you turn off any computer/laptop monitors at the end each day
4. Get some exercise and walk or cycle your local trips to the bank/post office/shops and walk up stairs instead of using a lift or escalators (good for our bodies too)
5. Use Green businesses when possible – this extends to buying non-toxic household cleaners like ecover or Method and use eco friendly beauty products.
6. Take your packed lunch in an insulated bag rather than plastic containers or bags and keep a water bottle and re-use instead of buying bottles continuously (this is another great money saver)
7. Get a smart meter installed and see how you can save electric and money too by not having unnecessary lights etc. on
8. Buy seasonal British produce which is cheaper than unseasonal imported produce and better for you!
9. When doing your weekly shop remember to use re-usable bags and not disposable ones
10. Try growing your own veggies and/or herbs – a window box is great for growing your own herbs
11. Avoid food waste by cooking batches of food and freezing some portions – this is a double dose of goodness as keeping your freezer full makes it more economic to run
12. Use a roasting dish in the oven and not disposable ones and use a metal platter rather than disposables on your BBQ

Not only will these small changes help the planet but a lot of the above will also save you money. Win-win! At eco cuisine we use a fully electric van to deliver our clients event catering. In the kitchen we use Norwex cloths to clean and shine our worktops and use ecover products to clean/wash-up. We carefully monitor our water usage and ordering is done by each event so as to avoid food waste. We recycle all cardboard packaging and tins we use. We don’t over-cater to avoid food waste -that’s not to say we are mean with portions by any means but at the same time don’t give huge portions that are not needed and inevitably thrown away. Bills are paid online and invoices sent by email. Business cards and flyers are printed on recycled card. We use British producers to avoid food miles and seasonal produce for taste, cost, and food miles considerations.

We hope these quick and easy tips provide some food for thought. Until next time…