4 ways to be more eco-friendly in 2021

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ways more eco-friendly

With the climate crisis firmly on the agenda, plenty of us are looking to incorporate sustainable habits into our lives. According to a 2019 survey by Southern Cross University, 93% of people in Australia and the US were concerned with the state of the environment, and 77% wanted to learn about sustainable lifestyles. If you’re one of these people, here are four top tips on how you can be more eco-friendly in 2021.

Grow your own veg

Air miles, plastic packaging, food waste: our mass food systems have a long way to go before they can be comfortably seen as sustainable. If you want to reduce your impact, consider growing your own vegetables at home. 

Starting out simple, set up a polytunnel, create some beds using compost, and plant whichever vegetables take your fancy. Once your crops start being ready to harvest, you can pick and prepare only the food you will likely eat, transporting it mere metres from the spot it was grown, with zero plastic required.

Switch your utilities suppliers

Choosing a climate-friendly electricity, water, and gas supplier is a relatively simple task nowadays, thanks to the spread of green energy specialist utilities and easy-to-use online comparison services. 

If you’ve been with your current supplier for a while, chances are you’ll be able to save money alongside aligning your utilities to your ethics and given most zero-carbon suppliers are new to the market, many offer features like app-based usage tracking and account management.

Travel sustainably

Sustainable travel is all about reducing the carbon footprint of your travel plans. Avoiding using a car and flying are the two main ways you can cut down on CO2, so try using less-intensive forms of transportation such as rail or bus travel for longer journeys. When travelling locally, cut out the use of fossil fuels completely by cycling and walking. 

Eat less meat

Meat and dairy account for 14.5% of global greenhouse emissions, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation – you can see the specific footprints of different foods via CarbonBrief. All this production takes up a huge amount of space, threatening ecosystems and destroying habitats. 

The best way we can collectively reduce these impacts is by eating less meat or cutting it out of our diets entirely. If that sounds too much of a change to your current lifestyle, start by spending one day a week eating vegetarian or vegan foods. You’ll likely be surprised how easy you find the transition, and you’ll learn how to make a whole host of new meals, as well as cutting down on your food costs.

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