By Asitha Jayawardena

In the UK, the third coronavirus lockdown is underway and the government’s advice is work from home if you can. Go out when it is necessary.

The day will come that we are free to go out of the home. How do we make journeys outside the home eco-friendlier? There are 12 ways:

• Walk or cycle
• Travel by public transport
• Use an electric vehicle (if you must)
• Support recycling
• Swish clothes
• Shop locally
• Eat locally
• Buy Fairtrade
• Buy less meat (or avoid it)
• Avoid plastic (as much as possible)
• Avoid flying (if possible)
• Live with nature

Walk or cycle: If you want to move locally, walk or cycle. The energy comes from the muscles and after some time you feel fresh. It’s an exercise!

Travel by public transport: If the distance is too much, or you have to go into the town (suppose you are in the suburb), public transport is the best way. You can select bus, tram or train.

Use an electric vehicle (if you must): If you have to travel to other cities and you want to be on your own, a car is a possibility. It should be a hybrid or electric so that it avoids the use of petrol or diesel.

Support recycling: At home, collect cardboard, paper, cans, plastic and glass bottles, food waste and so on in the correct way and handover to the recycling gang on the appropriate day. If you search online, there are many recycling centres. Moreover, take books that you have finished to the recycling bookshop so that the others can buy them at a reduced price. There, you can buy books too. Or you can post unwanted books and obtain cash in return and http://www.webuybooks.co.uk/book-recycling/.

Swish clothes: If you have clothes that are worn but not worn out, take them to a ‘swishing clothes’ centre and exchange for the clothes that are likely new. Visit http://www.getswishing.com for swishing clothes and http://www.nlwa.gov.uk/events for events in the future.

Shop locally: Where ever you live, shop locally. Have an Items List stuck on the refrigerator and when an item comes into your mind, note it down. At the weekend, go shopping locally with Item List of the week.

Eat locally: If you eat outside, eat locally. Time and fuel are saved while doing this. You will support the local economy while creating friends.

Buy Fairtrade: Whenever you want to buy bananas to beauty products, go for Fairtrade. While ensuring local sustainability, it is better prices, decent working conditions and fair terms for farmers and workers in the global South. The badge of Fairtrade identifies them. You can find it at http://www.fairtrade.org.uk.

Buy less meat (or avoid it): If you are eating meat, try to reduce it. For instance, cows contributing to the methane in the atmosphere is a growing problem.

Avoid plastic (as much as possible): Whenever possible, go for less plastic as plastic should be recycled when dumped as waste. You have seen the oceans full of plastic, such as http://www.citytosea.org.uk.

Avoid flying (if possible): When the Covid-19 pandemic is over and we fall into normal lives, fly less or avoid flying altogether. Flying contributes to carbon emissions so, by avoiding it, you can free yourself from it.

Live with nature: Your home as well as the local environment it contains define your area. Cycle in the neighbourhood or walk to the park with a book for reading. With local shopping and eating, you contribute to the local economy. You would not fly. All these will create that you belong to the environment or Mother Nature.

More…

Inside your home: 12 ways to make life more sustainable https://sustain-blog.com/2020/12/30/inside-your-home-12-ways-to-make-life-more-sustainable/