Posted on 3rd January 2017
A big hello and happy new year from all the team here at the Rediscovery Centre. We’ve had a crazy few weeks with the move to our HQ. As we settle into the New Year we’re full of chat about how we can all be that little bit greener for 2017 and would love to share our thoughts with you. We’ve complied a calendar challenge with green tips for each month during 2017. So go on take the 12 month challenge and keep us posted on your progress on facebook .
January – Bye Bye January Sales
Ditch the January sales and fall back in love with those clothes lying at the back of the wardrobe. Fast fashion is the leading contributor to textile waste and its associated environmental issues. Simple alterations can easily transform a garment and bring it bang on trend.
Further information about fashion and the environment can be found http://www.ecouterre.com/ or check out http://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/ where our own Rediscover Fashion is a prominent member.
February – Shop local and Seasonal
Eating seasonally reduces the demand for out of season produce, improves the local economy and supports farming in your area and which reduces your carbon footprint as eating local food results in less transportation, less refrigeration, less hot houses, and less irradiation of produce. Find your local fruit and veg market with many offering great value weekly boxes you can collect or even better why not start to grown your own. Check out our friends at GIY for fantastic tips, tutorials and in-season recipes.
March – Conscious Recycling
According to our pals over at Repak, each year 100,000 tonnes of contaminated recyclable material is sent to landfill. This has potential to effect considerable damage to the environment and represents a huge loss of valuable resources from the planet. . In 2015, approximately 28,000 tonnes of paper and cardboard packaging, 13,000 tonnes of plastic and 29,000 tonnes of glass was sent to landfill because of contamination, that’s the equivalent of 550 Boeing 737 jets at maximum take-off capacity.
Did you know that if you contaminate your recycling bin you can ruin all your recycling efforts and your recycling ends up going to landfill?
So check with your waste collector about what can be recycled in your bins and also check your local recycling centre where electrical and other household waste can be recycled.
April – Coffee Cup Challenge
Is “Coffee To Go” part of your daily routine? If so we challenge you to go one month without using any disposable coffee cups (saving 115g of CO2 each week). This does not mean you need to reduce your coffee consumption just simply carry your own travel mug with you.
Challenge your friends and colleagues and see who manages to save more paper cups!
May – On Yer Bike
With the weather hopefully getting milder why not look at taking public transport to work or better still getting back on the bike. By ditching the car for even one or two days you can greatly reduce your carbon footprint. If you’re rusty please check out the Road Safety Authority for safer cycling and take a Rediscover Cycling bike maintenance course to learn how to care for your bike.
June – Meat free Mondays
As summer kicks off proper and the results of your spring planting begin to bear fruit why not commit to a little to meat-free living. The animal agriculture industry contributes to 24% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Meat free Monday is an international campaign to encourage people to go meatless for just one day a week as it can make a real difference.
July – Chemical Free Home
Conventional cleaners easily enter our water system, and for many water treatment plants it’s difficult to fully treat and eliminate a large volume of these chemicals. Built up over time this affects wildlife and other natural resources. Swapping to eco cleaning products or making your own natural cleaning products will have your home gleaming without any nasty chemical lurking.
August – Water Reduction at Home
What would we do without one of nature’s greatest resources? Water gives life to the food we eat, provides us with energy to heat our homes and power our appliances and so much more. Conserving water ensures that we will avoid shortages in the future, preventing us from having the basic needs that allow us to survive on this planet.
Simple changes make a huge difference in preserving this precious and often times, undervalued, resource of ours.
September – Switch to eBilling
Even though paper is recyclable, the less you use, the better the impact on the planet. Today, paper production accounts for about 35% of felled trees. Recycling one tonne of newsprint saves about 1 tonne of wood while recycling 1 tonne of printing or copier paper saves slightly more than two tonnes of wood. Paper production uses a huge amount of chemicals, water and electricity. Rather than getting piles of mail you just trash or never look at, choose paperless and ebilling for all of your statements, newsletters and bills.
October – Disposable Vs Reusable
What are you throwing in the bin? Are there items being disposed of that you could replace with reusable? For example reusable razors, food containers, nappies, batteries, ink cartridges. A little bit of clever research into reuse products will not only reduce your waste but save your pocket.
November – Cosmetics
In the world of cosmetics, there is so much choice for consumers. One thing that you should look for is a brand that is conscious of the environment and does not test their products on animals.
For cruelty free cosmetics brands check with http://www.peta.org/action/bunny-free-app/
December – Green Christmas
With Christmas being the time of peak consumption it can also be the time that offers the biggest potential to reduce our carbon footprint in so many ways. We love what our friends at the Eastern Midlands Waste Region compiled for Christmas 2016 and think it’s a fab way to approach Christmas 2017.
