How to save the planet from your sofa...
We get it, it’s cold, wet and grey and you’d rather be inside. Frankly you’d rather be watching telly. But before you do, can we suggest some ways you can save the planet without moving from your nest?
Get snuggly with an extra jumper, a warm pair of socks and your favourite throw (don’t crank up the heating) and read our list for inspiration:
Use an eco boosting search engine
So you’re going to be doing a bit of internet searching, how about you download Ecosia first? It plants a tree for roughly every 45 searches you do. Top tip: if it’s showing different search results and you want to see what Google would say type #g after your search term.
There are actually quite a few eco search engines, Ecosia is the best known but my 12 year old uses Ocean Hero, where they recover one ocean bound plastic bottle for every 5 searches.
Reduce your online footprint
Still seated? What about deleting your emails. Did you know that every old email is using up energy. Deleting that back catalogue is a low cost and easy way to reduce your energy consumption and your carbon footprint.
Get into activism
One way to fight climate change is to find out what your local MP is up to. Don’t know who your MP is? https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP, from here you can find out how they are voting in parliament and if you don’t like it you can let them know. They won’t change if you don’t tell them!
Sign a petition
You can also sign any petitions that are relevant to the cause, for example this one to save the endangered Fin Whale
Watch some great TV
Talking of whales, you might want to watch anything with David Attendburgh presenting and some of these documentaries: The True Cost about fast fashion, Kiss the Ground, 2040 and all the shows by Simon Reeve, such as Columbia, Cuba or Cornwall (with Simon Reeve) on BBC iplayer have interesting segments about climate change.
And while you’re at it, digital technology is estimated to contribute 1.4% to 5.9% of global emissions and you can reduce your output by watching in standard definition, and according to Roger Harribin’s article here. You never know you may not notice the difference.
Support a (sea) worthy cause
Sticking to the whales theme, follow, like, share, sign up to a newsletter and even donate to a planet saving charity of your choice: WWF, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, Sea Shepherd, Surfers against Sewage, whatever floats your boat…
Go green
One of the all time best things you can do is to switch energy provider and go renewable (ok so it would help if you could face dragging your lazy ass to the meters but you’re still at home right?). We at Terra Neutra all use Bulb (which makes us Bulberinos!) and I’m even going to shamelessly plug our affiliate link which you can find here: bulb.sjv.io/Q1v0A
You might also want to make sure you aren’t leaving electronic items on standby, or left charging, that don’t need to be connected.
Back good money
And did you know that most of the standard banks invest in fossil fuels? It’s a great move to move your finances, look at Monzo, Triodos, Starling or a local building society. And when it comes to pensions, according the to Guardian here https://www.theguardian.com/money/2019/nov/15/nest-pension-scheme-ethical-savers-climate those on NEST (the National Employment Savings Trust) who opted for the ethical fund made the best returns.
Feeling peckish
Are you ready for a snack? Me too. These chocolate brands are plastic free, palm oil free and they are made by people earning a living wage, Tony's Chocolonely, Divine and Doisy and Dam.
Or are crisps your thing? Order crisps from Two Farmers Crisps who do compostable packaging.
In terms of food, you can use your sofa time wisely. Write a menu plan, make an ‘eat me first’ section of the fridge, download and use the app Kitche to check your use by dates.
Source local
Make your food buying more ethical and sustainable; switch to Milk and More to get milk delivered in bottles to your door, order a veg box like Riverford, Able and Cole, Oddbox, AshDown Organics or one more local to you, look at crowd farming to buy direct or get a monthly order from Good Club.
Measure your Carbon Footprint
We use the WWF calculator but there are plenty out there. You could also register at Giki Zero which asks you about your lifestyle and suggests ways to reduce your impact, we’re geeky about Giki at Terra Neutra. Once you’ve done that you could offset your flights, your Christmas, your family or even your pet, any offsetting is a positive step for the planet.
Buy second hand
Shopping online? Are you looking for that special outfit?
Instead of searching through the usual suspects, why not try to buy second hand? For clothes you could look at ebay and depop, for designer items look at Vestiaire and Rokit for vintage items.
Or are you updating your interiors? A recent study commissioned by the International Antiques and Collectors Fairs (IACF) found that the carbon footprint of a modern chest of drawers is 16 times higher than that of its antique equivalent. Buying antiques can mean you are buying into a rich history but even second hand ikea has a much lower carbon footprint than new items. Some less well known sites to buy second hand items from include etsy, Tat London, By Alice, Maud Vaughan, Willow Wolf Interiors, Vinterior, The Old Cinema, Retrouvious, Salvoweb, The Saleroom,The Peanut Vendor , Pamono and English Salvage.
But if you’re happy with your home, that’s fantastic as it’s the least carbon intensive thing you can do! So why not settle back with a book. We recommend The Future We Choose by Tom Rivet Carnac and Christiana Figueres,The Sustainable(ish) Living Guide by Jen Gale, Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth and How Bad are Bananas?: The Carbon Footprint of Everything ..., by Mike Berners Lee. Enjoy!
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