How to be More Eco Friendly in Everyday Life with 13 Ideas

I know for a lot of people they often wonder how to be more eco friendly in everyday life. It’s really overwhelming when you want to make some sustainable choices in your daily life but you don’t really know where to start.

I remember several years ago that people that were living more of an eco friendly lifestyle were generally considered to be hippies (absolutely not meant as a diss because I would consider myself a hippy), however in recent years the interest in sustainability has definitely grown and more and more people are trying to make some changes to reduce their impact on our environment.

The habits that you create in your daily life can really make such a difference and the bonus with these sustainable habits is that they normally save you quite a bit of money too.

If you’re interesting in learning more about sustainable living, I’ve written a post ultimate list of sustainable books, to inspire you and help you learn more about our environment.

What Is An Eco Friendly Lifestyle

“Eco-friendly Adjective

not harmful to the environment, or trying to help the environment:”

Cambridge Dictionary

Eco friendly is actually a synonym for ‘environmentally friendly’ and an eco friendly lifestyle is the constant process of ensuring that your lifestyle causes the least amount of harm to the environment as is possible.

It really is a constant process as well, there are certain areas that you will find easier to change and other areas that are not possible for you – but that’s completely fine. It’s about concentrating on what you personally can do and not trying to do everything at once.

The difficulty with the term ‘eco-friendly’ is that it can be difficult to determine if a product you are buying really is environmentally friendly. This is because in terms of products, eco friendly is not regulated and companies can use this term on their packaging or to market the product – even if the processes and materials used are actually not environmentally friendly at all!

Be aware of this when you shop and it’s useful to know how to spot greenwashing yourself.

How To Be More Eco Friendly In Everyday Life

I’m in a few sustainable groups on Facebook and I love seeing all of the different things that people are doing to be more eco friendly in their daily life.

The important thing to remember is that you should choose one or two steps that you can take easily because what one person is able to do, you may not be able to do and that’s totally fine!

For example if you have a garden then growing your own vegetables are a possibility and collecting rainwater for watering the vegetables is a great way to save you money, however this is not always going to be possible. Therefore I think it’s far more important to think about what YOU can actually do to help!

That-being-said the below ideas should just help you to create your own plan and ideas that you can do to be more eco friendly in everyday life.

Change The Way You Shop

I think a great place to start is to change the way that you shop. Now this might not be something that you can change overnight but there are some habits that you can get into when you shop and be more of a conscious consumer in general.

Food

There are a lot of different factors to consider when you’re trying to be more eco friendly with how you buy food. As I’m vegan I’m already used to checking labels but even if you’re not it’s definitely a good practice to get into.

• When you shop for food try to avoid plastic packaging if possible and choose bigger packs if you can’t avoid the plastic altogether.
• Try to buy seasonal and local food when you can as that will reduce the emissions from transportation.
• Consider buying a fruit and vegetable box if you have this option in your area.
• If you have a garden and you’re physically able to – have a go at growing your own fruit and vegetables. Growing your own food is the best option because you can’t get any more local than growing your own food in your garden or an allotment.
• If you have a bulk store or a refill service make use of it, if you’re able to of course.
• If you don’t have a zero waste style store in your area try to buy what you can in bulk packets or containers.
• Switch some of your meals to wholefood plant based meals, not only is it much healthier it is also much better environmentally.
• Look for the Fairtrade or B Corporation symbols where possible as these certifications mean that the brand is putting people and planet before profit.
• Another certification to look out for is RSPO which is the certification for sustainable palm oil. I know some people avoid palm oil but unfortunately the alternatives to palm oil such as coconut oil require more land and could result in more deforestation long term.

Fashion

When it comes to fashion there’s a lot to consider, the same as with food.

• Avoid fast fashion, the best way to check if a brand is sustainable and ethical is to check the Good On You app, I always recommend this app because it’s so helpful and they do the work for you. However, as a general rule most of the High street brands are not sustainable or ethical.
• Check the materials used as well, avoid synthetic materials like Polyester and Nylon as these are essentially made from plastic.
• Look for brands that are a certified B Corporation or Fairtrade certified if you’re buying new.
• Natural materials are best like Linen, Hemp, Bamboo and Organic Cotton but be aware that conventional Cotton requires a lot of water and pesticides to grow. Organic Cotton is better because it doesn’t require the harmful pesticides but it is still a water intensive plant.
• Other sustainable materials to look out for are Tencel, Recycled Polyester, Econyl and Recycled Cotton.
• If you would prefer not to buy new sustainable clothing then thrifting is the best option, thrift stores have so much clothes already in circulation and you save them from ending up in landfill. Other places you can thrift include EBay, Depop, Vinted and Facebook Marketplace.
• If you already wear polyester clothing another thing you need to be aware of is that synthetic clothing sheds in the wash and those microplastics end up going through the washing machine and to the ocean – where they cause issues for marine life. If you can’t avoid washing these types of fabrics then you can either get a Cora ball or a laundry bag which collects the microplastics, allowing you to dispose of them.

If you’re interested in learning about fast furniture, you can read the full post about what to consider when buying sustainable furniture.

Switch To Renewable Energy

Switching to a renewable energy supplier for your home is a great way to make your day to day routine more eco friendly. There are a lot of energy companies in the UK that offer renewable electricity now and the one I use offsets the carbon from gas as well.

Have a look and see what you have available to you and if you are able to, you can switch to a green energy supplier.

Advanced ideas as well would include getting solar panels or installing a ground source heat pump/air source heat pump. However these options do require you to have the money available to pay for them to be installed.

Save Water And Reduce Water Waste

Quite a simple way you can reduce your impact on a daily basis is to save water or reduce your water waste. Some of my favourite options are collecting rainwater for watering your plants. You can also save the water in a bucket while you’re waiting for the shower to heat up and use this same water for filling up your toilet cistern or again for watering the plants.

A few ways you can avoid water waste is to make sure you switch the tap off when you’re brushing your teeth and take shorter showers. If you just cut your showers down to just the right amount of time that you need to wash everything, you’ll save so much water. You can try setting a timer if that helps but aim for less then 10 minutes but most people can shower in between 5-7 minutes as long as you’re not doing anything like shaving or washing long hair.

Lastly you can avoid flushing the toilet every time (this might not be a very popular option but everytime you flush the toilet it uses so much water). In my house we go by if it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down. 😁

Switch Off Plugs And Lights

Another really useful habit to get into is to switch off plugs when they’re not in use. Try to avoid leaving devices on standby as that does still use energy. You should find quite quickly that this becomes second nature and you can do it instinctively.

The same applies to switching off lights, I’ve really been testing myself lately to switch off lights at get my children to do the same. It’s such a simple thing but it can be really easy to forget to switch off a light when you leave a room or have lights on unnecessarily.

The bonus about both of these ideas are that you do save a bit of money when you ensure you do this regularly. Granted it’s probably not a huge amount but it is still worthwhile.

Reduce Your Meat And Dairy Consumption

I have already mentioned switching to plant based meals in the first section about when you choose food when you shop but it’s such an important one that I wanted to reiterate in this section the difference you can make from reducing your meat and dairy consumption.

There’s a lot of evidence that animal agriculture is the leading cause of global warming and deforestation. I would never say that the only answer to this is to go vegan because I do understand that everyone has different circumstances and this might not be possible for everyone.

However, just switching a few meals each week to plant based meals would make a huge difference! In some countries there are a lot of really good meat replacements that you can use and if you aren’t a fan on meat replacements you can always use beans or lentils instead.

Switch To A Green Bank

Another way you can be more eco friendly on a daily basis is to switch to a green bank, I know that this might not be attainable to everyone but if you’re in a position where you can switch your bank – it’s a great idea to do it.

The issue with the majority of the big banks in the US and the UK is that they are funding fossil fuel projects and sometimes even deforestation. There’s an easy way to check your bank on Switchit it has the main banks and energy companies on there. Alternatively this article talks about the biggest offenders in the UK and the US if you live in these Countries.

Wash Clothes Less

Such a simple one but how you do your laundry can make a big difference to your energy consumption and impact on the environment.

Start with washing your clothes a lot less. Unless you have a particularly physical or dirty job then washing your clothes after one wear is a bit unnecessary. It does of course depend on you personally though so it’s important to find what works well for you.

I do sweat but I’m not a massively sweaty person so I aim to wear a top for at least three days before washing and jeans I’ll wash weekly. Underwear daily obviously! I’m a hippy but I try not to be disgusting. 😁

Washing on shorter and cooler cycles is another great way to reduce your impact. In general washing machines are really efficient, even on a cooler cycle. Also air drying your washing instead of using a tumble dryer will reduce your energy use dramatically and it’s free. I love the smell of washing that has been drying outside!

Recycle Everything

It might sound very obvious to recycle everything, especially since in the UK we have a curbside collection service for hard plastic, tins, cardboard and food waste. In my area they have recently allowed batteries and faulty small appliances to be recycled too which is really good.

In Tesco and Coop in the UK you can also take your soft plastic back to be recycled, a portion of it at the moment is being reused for packaging which seems a great idea.

If you aren’t as lucky in your country with recycling then just do what you can, recycle what you can and reuse packaging when you can.

Reduce Food Waste

I’ve seen some crazy statistics recently about food waste:

• 990 billion dollars worth of food is wasted per year
• 1/3rd of the food produced globally is wasted
• Food waste is responsible for about 10% of global emissions of greenhouse gas
• Shockingly 810 million people worldwide are starving

People don’t always think about how much food they’re wasting, I get it.. sometimes we’re busy and we forget to use something before it goes off but we can avoid this by implementing some habits to avoid this waste.

You can have a shelf in your fridge with food or leftovers which you need to use quickly. If you don’t think you’ll get to it then consider freezing it, if it’s safe to do so.

For example, I’ve started freezing tomato puree and lemon juice in ice cube trays so that I have them to hand for cooking but I know they’ll be preserved and there’s no chance they’ll go mouldy before I get to use them. You can do the same with fresh herbs as well which is quite handy.

There are also some excellent apps that you can use which are great for preventing food waste. Such as Olio which is an app you can use to post your food as available for free to neighbours, or you can pick up food for free from your neighbours.

Another app with a focus on preventing food waste is Too Good To Go, which businesses can use to list bags of food available with a short date for a great price. In my area Budgens and Greggs use this app quite regularly.

A really cool app I discovered last year as well is an app called Plant Jammer, with this app you can find recipes to use up certain ingredients in your fridge. This is a great idea if you for example had to use up courgettes, but you didn’t know what to make.

Mend And Repair Things

In recent years we have lost the ability to fix things ourselves. It’s not just our fault though, it normally costs more to have something repaired than it does to just buy new and therefore there’s no incentive to get things repaired.

Think about the last time an appliance broke for you, did you find a way to repair it or did you buy new? Often it does cost more to fix a laptop than it does to buy a new laptop. However, if you can afford that bit extra to repair what you do have, it is a great eco friendly habit.

I actually have an insurance scheme set up for my secondhand appliances with Domestic & General ie washing machine, fridge and freezer. What this means is that I pay a small fee each month to have them insured and if they develop a fault I can get one of their engineers around to fix them. Included in this scheme is that if they are unable to fix your appliance they will replace it with a new appliance for you.

The same applies to clothes and other items in the home, try and see if you can fix them yourself and if not clothes can be cut up into cleaning rags if all else fails.

Buy Secondhand And Used Items

Along the same lines as the previous chapter, because new items take a lot of resources to make – buying used items as much as you can is the best option environmentally. When you buy a new item it also triggers production for replacement stock, whereas used items are already in circulation and normally have plenty of life left in them.

I’ve already mentioned thrifting clothes so I won’t talk about that much here but as long as you’re patient and you know where to look – you can pick up majority of your clothes used on Facebook Marketplace, EBay, Depop and Vinted.

It’s really surprising how much you can pick up secondhand in terms of appliances as well. I bought my washing machine about 7 years ago on Facebook Marketplace and it was refurbished by the seller. I’ve only had to have a section of the door replaced because of my toddler but overall the machine works great and will probably last me at least another few years.

Switch To An Electric Car Or Walk & Cycle More

Switching to an electric vehicle might not be possible for everyone, they really are quite expensive. However, if you have the money they’re such a great switch. The batteries on the newer electric cars are said to last much longer than earlier models as well, making them much more efficient if you use your vehicle a lot.

If this isn’t possible for you it might be worth considering a hybrid car as it should be cheaper to run and has the benefits of being better environmentally.

If you can do without a car and walk or cycle instead, definitely give that a try. A petrol car in particular is worse environmentally and cost wise when you use it for a lot of short journeys. Often people that drive these short journeys could have walked or cycled but we get so used to relying on our cars that it doesn’t always cross our minds.

Switch To Plastic Free Or Bulk Cleaning Products

I’ve written a guide to zero waste and DIY cleaning products if you want more information on non toxic and plastic free cleaning products. However, my favourites are making my own vinegar cleaner by soaking citrus peels in vinegar for a week and I also like to bulk buy washing up liquid and use that for all sorts of general cleaning in the home.

If you prefer to use premade cleaners there are a lot of brands that are coming out with refill cleaners and cleaning drops so be sure to check out my blog post for more suggestions. When you use cleaning products on a daily basis you can save so much plastic waste from choosing these alternatives.

For more ideas for living more eco-friendly, have a look at these 5 easy tips to make earth month every month.

Can You Be More Eco Friendly On A Budget

So of course some of the suggestions above might not be so easily doable if you’re on a budget. Usually it’s the bigger changes such as solar panels and an electric vehicle which will not be something that every household can do.

However, you certainly can be more eco friendly even on a budget and this is because majority of the lifestyle changes that you make will save you money. Whether it is long term or short term savings, these eco friendly habits such as buying used items and reducing your energy use will all save you money.

There may be some changes that you are unable to make because of your budget, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t change some areas of your lifestyle to be better environmentally. Just do what you can based on your circumstances and requirements and definitely don’t feel guilty if there are areas that you can’t do.

I hope this post has helped you consider how to be more eco friendly in everyday life, there really is a lot to consider when you are creating a more eco friendly lifestyle but everything you do makes a difference so don’t forget it!

If you want regular sustainable inspiration which is suitable for beginners, sign up to my monthly newsletter below.

You can follow me on Instagram where I’m the most active, or on my YouTube channel.