• Consider how much energy went into creating the clothes you are wearing. Choose brands that are eco-friendly such as Bird Textiles (see p10).
• Not all materials are as friendly as others. Leather is seriously damaging to our environment. Consider that turning skin into leather requires huge amounts of energy and chemicals including formaldehyde, mineral salts, coal-tar derivatives, oils, dyes and finishes. Tanning the leather, that is preventing it from rotting off your body, produces effluent containing, salt, acids, lime sludge and sulphides.
• Avoid buying cheap ‘landfill’ clothing. Think about where your clothes were made and who made them. Don’t support slave labour. Instead invest in good quality, natural fibre pieces that will last a long time and keep the planet and ultimately your wallet happy.
• Other materials to consider are hemp, bamboo, organic cotton. Opt for organic.
• Buy recycled fashion. That way you aren’t contributing to the amount of waste our planet is accumulating.
HOMEWARE
There are so many simple things you can do around the home to reduce your environmental footprint. Start with these:
• You’ve heard it a hundred times but seriously replace all your old fashioned light bulbs with LED lights. LED lights create less heat than ordinary lights, using less energy; they last longer and help you save up to 90% on your lighting bills.
• When you are not using them, turn lights off.
• Fan heaters, bar heaters and so on use vast amounts of electricity, and cost you a hell of a lot more, so buy slow-heating eco-friendly heaters. Or check out the Ecosmart Fire, an Australian innovation that’s fuelled by a renewable modern energy: Denatured Ethanol (www.ecosmartfire.com).
• Draught-proof your home. Save on heating or cooling bills by installing door and window seals to keep the heat in or out.
• Use eco-friendly materials for flooring; for example plantation-grown bamboo from companies such as Style Plantation, which saves our ancient forests and creates a breathtaking alternative to hardwoods. Bamboo flooring is also stronger and more resilient than many native and rare woods but with the same look and feel and a warmth that you can’t help but notice.
• Change to green energy, it doesn’t cost that much extra but is greatly beneficial for the planet.
• Use eco-friendly laundry detergent and dishwashing liquid, that way you can reuse the water for your garden and toilet.
• Change your old shower heads to water saving shower heads. Limit your showers to 4 minutes or better still, shower with a friend!
• Don’t use clothes dryers, they are a waste of energy.
TRANSPORT
• Save money, the planet and get fit all at the same time by walking or riding your bicycle.
• Get an electric scooter, they are noiseless, cheaper and a whole lot cleaner than cars. Alternatively scooters that use fuel are still a better option than cars, they are more fuel efficient, meaning more money for you, better for the environment and they look fabulous!
• Car pool! If everyone started this, there would be less pollution, fewer cars on the road and therefore less traffic jams.
• Get the bus or train.
• Check out hybrid cars, you will use less fuel than driving a standard car and cause less pollution.
• If you fly a lot you can buy carbon offsets, that way you can offset the carbon emissions you are creating by putting money towards emission reductions elsewhere.
• Finally, if you have to drive, you can offset your car emissions too. Go online and check out all the different companies that do this.
Hot tips for embracing a sustainable lifestyle:
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