The past 12 months of becoming more Eco-friendly and Sustainable

Living in Central London it can be hard in some ways to have an eco-friendly life, but I thought I’d share a few things I’ve done in the past 12 months to try and live more sustainably. I really care about the climate emergency and so am keen to do my bit to help and minimise my human footprint on the planet. I've got a long way to go, but this is what I've achieved on my journey so far:

Home Energy: Gas, Electricity & Water

I’ve had digital meters installed for both Gas and Electricity. The power companies EDF and British Gas installed them for free and I have seen a reduction in my bills- my electricity bill may also have gone down as I changed all the light bulbs in the house to LED. This digital system helps the energy companies run more efficiently reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.

I’ve amended my heating thermostat to try and maintain a constant 20.5°C – It doesn’t always work well as the thermostat is in one room, meaning other rooms are often colder- the perils of a draughty house which I hope to fix this year.

I only run machines like the dishwasher and clothes washing machine when they have full loads and I try to run them at night.

I have stopped letting the tap run when I’m brushing my teeth- I still haven’t got my head around not flushing the loo every time I go, but I will work on that, albeit privately!

Travel

I now have 2 bikes- one road bike and one mtb and I limit the use of my car to picking up the kids from my ex, carrying the weekly shop and anything I can’t carry in a backpack on my bike.

For all other journeys I use the Tube and am lucky to live and work near both Hammersmith stations.

As for flying - well I’m guilty as charged, although I haven’t done much of that recently other than 2 flights at the beginning of 2020 to the Alps which now feels like a life-time ago! - when I do fly long-haul, I fly direct in economy* and with minimal baggage which reduces my carbon footprint.

(*being under 6ft and having a good BMI, means that sitting in an economy seat watching movies, with glass of wine, when someone else is piloting, is not exactly a hardship!)

Food

I‘ve been buying Oat Milk for everything except coffee – I use organic cow milk, oat milk and free range, organic eggs- I opt for organic as it seems only fair that the cows and chickens are raised in free range and organic conditions and that the farmers should get a fair price.

I have definitely upped my vegetable intake and try to buy produce from the UK and only when it’s in season. I’ve pretty much cut out all red meat and replaced it with free range and organic chicken, sustainably caught fish and wild game when in season.

I’ve also become a dab hand at making my own humous and smoked mackerel paté – which I used to buy in plastic tubs- so that’s less packaging waste right there!

Clothes

I can only think of 3 items of clothing I’ve bought in the last year – Veja trainers (vegan), Patagonia vest (recycled materials) and Ted Baker socks (organic cotton)

Covid restrictions means I haven’t had much call to overly worry about what I’m wearing recently, but I always search for sustainable products where I can..

…After all, that’s my job at Ateliers Verts!

#MinimiseOurHumanFootprint

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