Replace one stay at a hotel with a holiday home or camping trip
Air conditioning, lighting, but especially services such as laundry and catering can make stays at hotels environmentally unfriendly.
Whether it’s swapping, sharing, repairing, reusing or upcycling there are plenty of alternatives to buying new, and doing so can have a big impact on the environment. Globally 30% of greenhouse gas emissions arising from the things we buy.
Air conditioning, lighting, but especially services such as laundry and catering can make stays at hotels environmentally unfriendly.
Your tech is likely to be some of the most resource intensive items you own. Electronic equipment requires huge amounts of energy, water, chemicals and precious resources like gold, copper and aluminium to make. Buying items second hand has huge environmental benefits.
By getting stuff repaired we reduce carbon emissions and support local businesses. You can try repairing your broken items yourself, take them to a Repair Cafe or local repair business.
Decluttering is a great way to free yourself of unneeded possessions. Consider what you really need and make sure to pass unwanted items on to those who could use them.
You can find tutorials and courses on how to make and endless number of things, from your own bread, clothes, furniture to soaps and cosmetics. Once you’ve learnt something, why not share your new found talents with friends?
Find your next item of furniture or decorative item second-hand and bring it back to life by refreshing the finish, re-purposing or re-upholstering it.
Instead of investing in a new or second hand car, why not give one of the many local ride-share, car club or rental schemes a go.
Refilling household products not only reduces packaging and thus your environmental impact, but if bought in the right quantities, can be cheaper too.
Rejecting fast fashion and finding clothes that are new to you can add a really social element to shopping. Swapping a shop for a clothes swap party (swish), a kilo sale or joining a local clothes rental scheme can be great fun. Then there’s also options to rummage in the city’s 30+ charity and vintage shops.
Not buying anything new for a month can help you save money, shine a light on what you really need and unearth some of the psychological reasons why so many of us are addicted to shopping.
Alana Sinclair, Cambridge Carbon Footprint Manager People want to connect with others, do the right thing for the environment, and save money and Repair Cafes
From Tom Bragg, Open Eco Homes Manager and Cambridge Carbon Footprint Trustee UK Homes are some of the worst insulated in Europe and not just
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