April 22nd is this year’s Earth Day, an environmental movement that has been going since 1970, encouraging people across the world to take positive action for the planet. This year’s Earth Day theme is Invest In Our Planet, and there are lots of ways you can do so, whether you’re investing time, money, resources, or actions. Everyday changes and habits can lead to big results and no action is too small, so read on to find out how you can do your bit for the planet, reduce your carbon footprint, tackle climate change, and even save money with many of the tips below.
Compost food waste
A huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions is food waste. Food thrown in the bin doesn’t break down in landfill, meaning it only adds to methane emissions. You can easily avoid this by starting your own at-home composting to collect all your fruit and veg scraps, eggshells, tea and coffee, and organic waste (no meat or dairy products). Once your food scraps have turned into compost with the help of hungry bugs, you’ll be able to use it on your garden to help your plants grow – a great example of a green economy.
If you don’t have the space or capability to compost at home, check to see if your local area offers a compost collection. All you’ll need is a caddy for your kitchen with some compostable bags and you can reduce your waste, carbon footprint and the amount you’ll have to take the bin out.
Be a mindful consumer
It’s not always easy (or cheap) to find sustainable, eco-friendly products, especially with many companies employing greenwashing practices that make you think they’re good for the planet when they’re anything but.
But there are still ethical companies out there for shopping online, and our recently-launched Green Cashback feature helps you do this. Under the Green Cashback category, you can narrow down your online purchases to brands that are sustainable, ethical, and environmentally-conscious, all while earning cashback. We use Ethical Consumer’s database mixed with our own research and criteria to determine which brands we display within this category, so you can buy health & beauty, home & garden, and fashion products that don’t cost the earth – literally.
There are tons of budget-friendly ways to shop sustainably, too. Practising buying your fashion and gifts secondhand is a great way to invest in our planet and contribute to a circular economy. Check out popular sites like eBay, Vinted, Thrift+, Gumtree and charity shops like Oxfam Online to give a second life to an item instead of buying new.
Eat smart, seasonal & local
Do you know where your food comes from? Check your labels and you may be surprised to discover many of your fruit and veg items are flown in from other continents, so it’s already got a pretty huge carbon footprint by the time it’s in your fridge. Contribute to a green economy with easy actions like finding a nearby farmer’s market to buy locally-grown items, often pesticide-free, too. Even if you don’t have a local market, reading labels and sticking to more seasonal produce like root vegetables in the winter and berries in the summer reduces the amount of food that has to be sourced internationally.
There are lots of great apps and sites to reduce food waste, too. Get or give free food that can’t be used in your neighbourhood with food-sharing app Olio, pick up discounted leftovers from nearby restaurants with Too Good To Go and Karma, and hone your meal-planning skills with Kitche and No Waste. For busy households, meal delivery kits like HelloFresh and Gousto are ideal for minimal waste and easy meal prepping. Don’t care what your food looks like? Many supermarkets offer ‘wonky’ fruits and vegetables at a reduced cost and you can even sign up for an Oddbox delivery to rescue items often considered too ugly to sell.
If you’re not yet 100% plant-based in your diet, consider implementing one veggie or vegan day a week, or set yourself a challenge like Veganuary. Plant-based diets have significantly lower carbon footprints than ones that include meat and dairy, so even if you’re not ready to make a full commitment, reducing your consumption can go a long way.
Volunteer your time
You can take action on climate change without spending a penny. Volunteering your time to causes like litter-picking, tree-planting, writing letters to local MPs, or attending marches can be just as valuable as being mindful with your consumption.
Check out the Earth Day events on their website to take a look at activities near you. Past events have included The Great Global Cleanup to collect rubbish in local parks, beaches, and public spaces and the End Plastic Pollution campaign that empowered people to write to their local politicians.
You can also set up your own Earth Day activities within your community, whether it’s a clothing swap or a park cleanup. Earth Day celebrations often involve marches to raise awareness of the climate crisis, so you can join around one billion other people around the world taking part in demonstrations by joining your local protest branch or even setting up your own.
Have a taste of zero waste
The zero-waste movement aims to move to a completely circular economy where absolutely nothing is thrown away. Of course, it’s not achievable to be 100% zero waste for everybody, but you can still practise many of the principles of the movement to tackle plastic pollution, reduce, and reuse.
There are a variety of merchants on our site where you can find products like refillable and zero-waste cosmetics from Holland & Barrett, zero-waste groceries delivered using sustainable packaging from Good Club, and reusable shopping bags made from recycled plastic bottles from Kind Bag. You can also have an environmentally-friendly period with menstrual products from Lunette, Ruby Cup, and Modibodi which mean you’ll also save money in the long run.
But you don’t have to invest in fancy products to move towards a zero-waste lifestyle and, in fact, the most sustainable product is the one you already own. So if you have a cheap plastic bottle you can refill over and over, there’s no need to go out and buy one made of eco-friendly materials instead. Great products you can keep and use for free include glass jars (that you might get pasta sauce in), plastic takeaway containers, plastic carrier bags, and even ziplock bags that you can wash and use again.
If you want to invest in our planet and take some positive environmental action this Earth Day, there are lots of little habits and swaps you can take the time to do. No matter where you are on your journey towards a sustainable future, you can set small goals to begin with until it becomes a habit. Whether it’s Plastic-Free July and Veganuary challenges or simply finding new social media accounts for daily tips on ways to reduce your carbon footprint, there are lots of ways to save money and the planet this Earth Day, and for the foreseeable future.
