(From a young person’s perspective)
1.
1. Buy a reusable coffee cup.
If you work Monday-Friday with no holidays, and on the way to work every day you get a Starbucks, you will be using 231 coffee cups a year. That’s approximately 2 bath tubs full of a mix of plastic and cardboard which takes years to biodegrade. So on your next trip to Starbucks or costa, buy a reusable cup for £4-£6 and save 25p every time you purchase a drink.
2. Walk more.
As a young person, it is unrealistic to expect everyone to buy a bike and ride it everywhere because bikes can be costly and sometimes just extra work (bikes breaking, having to lock up bikes, having to travel on roads etc.), but it is not unrealistic to ask you to walk a little bit more. Maybe try walking to school instead of taking the bus, or putting your coat on when it rains instead of driving a car. Walking is free and has lots of health benefits, while driving pollutes the air and only benefits you by getting you places quicker.
3, Shop consciously.
Online you could buy a shirt for £3, it sounds like a fair deal but that shirt was made in a very environmentally harmful way and will probably brake after a month of two, leading you to throw it in the bin… or you could buy a shirt for £30 that is good quality and will last you a year or two. This will lead you to use clothes for a longer amount of time therefor throw less clothes out, wasting less.
4. Shop ‘second hand’.
Previously, you had to go to a charity shop to buy second hand clothing (which is still a much better option than buying brand new because you are saving clothes that would otherwise be wasted for a cheaper price and the money you pay goes to charity) but now you can go on apps like EBay, or vinted to buy second hand things for good prices and they get delivered straight to your door. Alternatively, you can also sell things online or donate things to charity shops, you then are not throwing perfectly good clothes away just because they don’t fit anymore, or it you changed your styles. Then somebody else can buy it and use it and then sell it on, creating an environmentally friendly cycle of reducing, reusing, and recycling.
5. Don’t use unnecessary appliances.
This one is simple. If you’re a little bit cold, put a jumper on instead of turning on your central heating. If you’re having a shower, time yourself so you don’t use so much water, or have a bath instead which surprisingly uses far less water than a 10 minute shower. Turn the TV off when you leave the room. Turn lights off when you’re not in the room. Don’t leave things plugged in when you’re not using them.
6.Buy a reusable water bottle.
Most schools in Wales sell non-reusable plastic water bottles for 85p, whereas local supermarkets sell reusable plastic water bottles for £2. If you buy a water bottle everyday that’s approximately just over £4 a week, where as a reusable water bottle lasts for months and you don’t have to pay to use it.
7.Reduce your plastic consumption.
This is quite a simple change. Instead of buying a plastic honey bottle, buy a glass jar and then you could reuse the jar for other things. Instead of buying shampoo bottles every month or two you could buy a shampoo bar which has no plastic wrapping and it lasts up to 6 months. Even the smallest things like buying a bamboo toothbrush instead of a plastic one will gradually make a great difference!
8. Use local recourses.
For example, a city could either have a million houses with printers in them, printing things every day, or encourage people to use the printers at local libraries. This would help to reduce the use of paper and ink.
9. Reduce your fuel use.
If you put £50 worth or fuel into your car you are more likely to take unnecessary journeys and use the whole £50. If you only purchased £20 worth of fuel, you are more likely to be more cautious and aware of you fuel consumption.
10. Talk about it!
Making other people aware of ways that they can make small changes that won’t be an inconvenience is so important! SPREAD THE WORD.
Witten by Young Creator Ffion
Tags: Environment, Young Creators, climate change