8 Ecofriendly Things You Can Do Now

We need to discuss climate change and work together to solve it.

As we reach the middle of Blogtober there is no better time to draw attention to climate change. The Climate Summit is about to begin in Glasgow and I want to see lots of blogs encourage readers to think long and hard about this important matter. With these ecofriendly things that you can do now, I hope to inspire more chatter about this.

I wanted to suggest some simple changes that you can make to your everyday life. Increasingly I try hard to make changes myself. Some are small and others big. It takes effort and we all have so much to do if we really stand any chance of undoing the climate damage already done.

8 Changes You Can Make Right Now

I wonder how many of these changes you might be willing to make.

1) Have a shorter shower. Instead of spending fifteen minutes in the shower, try to do it in five. Saving water and using it appropriately is one small way to show an ecofriendly attitude to your life.

2) Walk to your local shops twice a week instead of driving to out of town retail centres. By buying local you are supporting small businesses as well as reducing your vehicle usage. You are also getting some exercise and fresh air.

3) Encourage your children to walk or cycle to school instead of driving them there. Having studied this particular aspect of transport I could write a whole article just about this.

More people walking to school and work would make the streets feel safer and reduce the pollution and road traffic accidents which relate to local vehicle use at peak time.

4) Add more plants to your garden. We are losing our wildlife rapidly, as highlighted on today’s national news. By planting a small tree, some shrubs and a few extra plants, you can help to green up your locality. Even better, perhaps have a go at creating a vegetable patch.

5) Change your holiday plans. Swap one of your aeroplane getaways for one that you get to by rail or sea. I started doing this in 2014 and haven’t looked back. Also take the opportunity to explore your own wonderful country. I still have so many places I want to visit in Scotland and Wales.

6) Ignore fast fashion trends. Consider wearing clothes until they are worn out or repairing them as they fray. The fashion industry uses a lot of energy and creates a lot of waste.

The industry works on seasons and introduces new selections regularly. We need to resist buying clothes just for the sake of it or for the sake of being ‘on trend’. Being sensible and repairing clothes should be the new ‘trendy’.

7) Get your home insulated and turn down your heating by 2 degrees. Make sure you are wrapped up instead. A sweater on and plenty of throws around the house should enable you to lower your heating output. This is especially relevant during our current energy shortage in the UK.

8) Find out more about climate change because knowledge is power. Discuss the issues with your families and make it an ongoing conversation. The more we talk about global warming, the more likely it is that we will find ways to solve it.

Thank you for reading my eight ecofriendly things that could change your life for the better. I hope that you have enjoyed this post and, if you did, then please consider following my blog. For a similar article, click here.

Summer Looks Different – A Poem

Is it really summer?

Is this all we get?

Yes, so make the most of it,

Don’t live full of regret,.

Why is summer different?

It’s never quite the same.

Well it’s called global warming,

And we are all to blame.

If you want your summer,

To return to how it was,

Then start to act on climate change,

Stop ignoring what it does.

More storms, drought and flooding

Will fill our summers soon,

So wake up and smell the coffee,

Before our planet’s as barren as a moon.

I do hope this poem makes you dwell a little on global warming. It is getting more attention in the news and thankfully people are starting to take it more seriously. There are so many visible knock-on effects right now that we really do need to start pressing our governments to do something about how we deal with pollution.