ADVICE: How Can I Reduce My Environmental Impact?

Are you watching Blue Planet 2? If yes, perhaps you also felt shocked and upset by the episode which featured the devastating impact of plastic on a family of pilot whales.

If you missed the award-winning BBC series, then what you have recently missed is a pilot whale carrying her dead newborn baby, reticent to let go, after the young whale died of suspected pollution from plastic chemicals.

This instance is just one of many shocking examples of the havoc wreaked on marine life as a result of human pollution and plastic use. Turtles caught in carrier bags, fish swallowing sweet wrappers and plastics found in stomachs of sea creatures living in the deepest place on earth. The examples are endless.

But what can we do? The responsibility and the scale of the challenge can feel overwhelming and the prospect of living a life entirely plastic-free can feel unachievable. 

However, there are a number of easy, small things we can all do to help make a big difference in reducing our environmental impact.

Easy Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Impact:

• Avoid take-away coffee cups. Treat yourself to a reusable coffee mug or pop it on your wish list this Christmas. Coffee tastes better guilt free!
• Carry a reusable bottle of water on you and refill rather than purchasing new plastic bottles regularly. Cheaper and means you'll stay more hydrated! Win win.
• Reuse your plastic carrier bags for grocery shopping. Stick a tote bag in your handbag or a handful of carrier bags by the front door so that you remember to grab them every time you nip to the shops.
• Better still - do your weekly shop online. Most supermarkets offer a "carrier bag free" delivery and a van delivering to multiple homes also contributes less pollution than lots of individuals driving to the same supermarket.
• Avoid using single use, disposable plastics, such as disposable razors, plastic cutlery, plastic straws. That includes reminding your take-away provider to not include plastic cutlery in their delivery.
• Get to know beauty and fashion brands that prioritise being sustainable and planet-friendly. Then treat yourself to their products, knowing you can do so guilt-free.

Want to know more about how you can make a difference?

We recommend the following sites for more reading about how you can make a difference:

• #2minutebeachclean
• Not Whale Food
• Surfers Against Sewage