The Lazy Girl's Guide To Living An Eco-Friendly Life

The whole world, quite rightly, seems to have switched on to all things eco all of a sudden. But there's no denying it can feel a bit overwhelming. Taking your reusable bag to the shops with you seems like a drop in the ocean (pun intended) when faced with the statistics. But the fact is, if we all makes these seemingly insignificant changes to our everyday lives, the impact will be massive.

"We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly."

- Anne Marie Bonneau 

These changes will have very little impact on your daily lives, but multiply the effect by millions and the benefits reaped by the world will be enormous.

Whatever change(s) you plan to make, some good rules of thumb are:

Buy nice, don't buy twice - choose your purchases carefully, opt for sustainable materials and value quality over cost where you can.

Quality over quantity - Expanding on the point above, consider your purchase from an economical point of view. It's not cheaper if you have to replace it twice as often! And the environmental cost is twice as high.

Support your local economy - Shopping locally reduces your carbon footprint and helps boost your local economy. Products purchased from independent, local shops are more likely to be locally sourced. Opt for fair trade products where you can too.

Here are some quick and easy changes you can make today to start living a more eco-friendly life:

Take your own bags
Keep them by the front door, in the car, in your handbag, wherever you're likely to see them when you head to the shops! Yes, it might not seem like much, but by just using 14 fewer plastic bags, you'll save the equivalent of the gas required to drive a mile! Check out our range of locally produced reusable bags here!

Switch to solids
Soap over shower gel, shampoo bars over bottles, solid balms over bottled lotions. Not only does it reduce, or even eliminate plastic packaging but they also last longer and are often made with more natural ingredients. Win-win-win!

Choose your packaging carefully
Where you can't avoid liquids and creams, opt for companies that use eco friendly packaging, such as glass jars, aluminium tins and plastic alternatives such as sugar cane biopolymer bottles. Many of these companies also offer refill services that can save you money too.

Swap your coffee cup
You can pick up a reusable bamboo cup for a few pounds and most coffee shops now offer savings for customers who bring their own cups, so that bad boy will pay for itself in no time! You can even get dishwasher proof ones.

Swap the serviettes
Ditch the kitchen roll and paper napkins in favour of washable cloths. You can get some really pretty ones, and many even come on a roll like kitchen roll - but will look much nicer on your kitchen counter!

Turn your garden into a wildlife haven
If, like mine, your lawn seems to grow at a rate of knots and you just cannot master the carefully cultivated flower bed, scatter some wildflower seeds, abandon the grass to grow wild and bask in the knowledge that you're helping pollinating insects, like our friends the bees, to thrive.