Nowadays, a lot of us are becoming more invested in ways that we can help our planet and live a more sustainable life. To be eco-friendly means to be ‘not environmentally harmful’. This means finding different ways that we can live that won’t have a negative impact on the environment. There are many ways that we can adapt our way of living towards sustainability, whether that’s cycling to work rather than taking the car, recycling, or reducing our consumption of single-use plastic. Any small change that we make might seem inconsequential, but every little change can make a difference. We’ll have a closer look at what it means to be eco-friendly and how you can adapt to a more sustainable lifestyle below.

Eco-friendly packaging 

Many companies are beginning to use more environmentally friendly packaging, whether that’s food packaging like cardboard takeaway boxes or takeaway salad boxes, or biodegradable and recyclable packaging for parcels. Takeaway food product packaging is most likely to be discarded irresponsibly because products are being eaten on the go, so businesses making the switch to using materials that can bio-degrade back into the earth is a step towards becoming more eco-friendly and doing their bit to help the planet. Packaging for parcels and delivery of goods is often made of single-use plastic that is discarded by the customer as soon as it has been received. Switching to recyclable packaging is a way that companies can cut back on plastic use.

Becoming eco-friendly at work

Workplaces are becoming more aware of how they can help the planet and taking steps to minimise their impact on the planet and the environmental damage that they may be causing. A few things that we’re seeing from workplaces are encouraging the use of public transport, cycling or car sharing for employees to minimise pollution, being mindful of the documents they are printing, how much paper they are using, and if they really need to print the information, or if it could be sent in an email. Offices are also trying to get workers to become more aware of the energy they are using – turning off any plugs when they’re not being used could mean a reduction in energy consumption.

Becoming eco-friendly in the home

There are many ways that homes across the country can help to make a difference when it comes to sustainability and changing our planet for the better. A few things that homes could try when becoming more eco-friendly is to be aware of where and how frequently they are buying clothes. A lot of us buy new clothes and only wear them once – this contributes to fast fashion and the damaging effects that this has on the environment is significant. A big change that households could make would be to cut down on meat consumption. Meat and dairy are responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions and reducing your meat intake is a good way to help reduce this. If you’re looking to make a significant change, choosing a hybrid or electric car instead of petrol or diesel can reduce overall emissions of CO2.

Becoming eco-friendly at school

If your family is serious about becoming eco-friendly, there are a few little changes you could make when it comes to ensuring your sustainability extends not only to workbut to school too. One of the most important things that you can do is use reusable lunch bags or boxes for food, instead of plastic sandwich bags or cling film as this can have a negative impact on the environment. Another change that you could also make to reduce your carbon footprint is to walk to school rather than take the car oryou could use public transport. If you have a bike, even better! This is a great way to reduce emissions and can make a great impact in the long run as well as getting a bit of exercise at the same time.