5 Easy Swaps for Greener Living
Many of us are making a conscious effort to be kinder to the planet, and greener in general. However, it’s all too easy to be overwhelmed with all the information available!
The key to greener living is to start by making small, sustainable swaps, so here are 5 easy switches you could start with!
1. Reusable bottles, cups, and flasks
I think this is probably where most people start when trying to cut down on single use plastic. Keep cups, flasks and reusable bottles are readily accessible almost everywhere, in pretty much every style and variation you can imagine. The trick here, is actually remembering to use them, and not leaving them at home in a cupboard when you’re out and about. If you live in a town or a city in the UK, there are some free apps available to direct you to the nearest water refill station. If you use a keep cup in most big chain coffee shops (and an increasing number of indies too) then you’ll get your drink at a discounted rate!
I have a couple of Klean Kanteens for various different occasions – they are well insulated so keep cold drinks cold, hot drinks hot, and fizzy drinks fizzy! They’re not to everyone’s taste, and not in everyone’s price range, but I can confirm they do the trick!
2. Reusable straws
I much prefer drinking through straws, even at home. I always have a couple of steel straws in my bag for when I’m out and about too – I use Klean Kanteen straws, which are steel and have a silicone tip, but there are loads of different types out there!
3. Environmentally friendly period products
If you’re someone that has periods then this is one that is well worth looking into. No matter what kind of period product you prefer, there will be an eco-friendly alternative! A particular favourite in the green parenting community are reusable period cups and cloth sanitary towels, affectionately nicknamed ‘muff fluff’! Babipur has a whole section on their website for eco-friendly period products, and regularly talk about the products on their social channels too if you want to find out more!
4. Eco / plastic free shampoo
Eco shampoo bars were one of the first eco swaps I made, many years ago, but the original high street bars I was using didn’t actually agree with my hair! Fast forward to now, and I have discovered the Ecoliving shampoo bars which work perfectly for me, and I’ve seen people with lots of different hair types using them too. They are super simple to use, and definitely one of the easiest swaps I’ve made!
5. Wooden toys
This one is becoming easier and easier, and most major toy stockists now stock wooden toys along side the usual plastic tat. Wooden toys will stand the test of time and when they are finally at the end of their life, they won’t take hundreds of years to degrade! Some wonderful wooden toy brands are Grimm’s, Holztiger, and Lanke Kade. These can be quite pricey if you get them brand new, but there are always lots of second hand ones available at great prices through various selling sites!
I could carry on with this list, but will stop at 5 for now. I found that once I had made a couple of swaps to green products, it was easy to carry on. I’m now in the mindset whereby when I finish something, or it wears out, I’ll look for a green alternative. The latest example of this is washing up liquid – I finished off a plastic bottle and found a green replacement that I’m very happy with!
Have you made green swaps? Please comment and tell me about them if so!