Fight climate change & save money

The climate crisis is a huge issue, and it sometimes seems as though reducing your carbon footprint takes huge, expensive changes too. For example, covering the roof of your house in solar panels might help you get less energy from fossil fuels and more from renewable energy sources. But the upfront costs put this out of reach for many people.

But there are lots of things we can all do to:

• increase our energy efficiency
• reduce our carbon emissions
• and save money while we’re at it!

In this blog we’ve put together a list of changes you can make for the good of both the environment and your budget.

Cut down food waste

As a Greater Manchester business, we turned to Recycle for Greater Manchester for their tips on saving money while going green. Right now they’re highlighting the importance of throwing away less food.

This is an important issue when it comes to climate change. This is partly because of the energy and water that goes into producing food – and is therefore wasted if that food is thrown away. But waste food itself can also contribute to climate change if it goes into landfill. That’s because, when it decomposes, it produces methane – one of the harmful ‘greenhouse gases’.

Wasting less food also means buying less food. Great news for your wallet as well as for the environment! So how do we do it? Simple: Buy, Keep, Eat, Repeat!

Buy

• ‘Shop your kitchen’ first: check what you have in the fridge and cupboards to make sure you’re making the most of what you have.
• Plan ahead. Simply plan your meals – including snacks! – in advance for a week or a fortnight, and make a list of everything you’ll need before you head to the shop. Or try our 14-day food plan!
• Stick to your list once you get to the shops! Don’t be tempted by multi-buy deals. Unless you genuinely buy that item regularly, it’s not a bargain – it’s a waste of money, and probably a waste of food too. Doing your big shop online is an even better way to make sure you’re not tempted by unnecessary extras.

Keep

• Do you know the best way to store each type of food to make it last the longest? Check out Love Food Hate Waste’s Food Storage A-Z.
• If you have enough space, you can also freeze more kinds of food than you might think: Hubbub is a great resource with a list of 15 (often surprisingly) freezable foods.

Eat

This is our favourite bit…

• Cooking in bulk and freezing leftovers is a great way to cut down on both food waste and your energy bills. Again, a meal plan is your secret weapon here.
• You can find great recipes online for using leftovers: take another look at Hubbub.
• When it comes to using up whatever’s left in your salad drawer or fruit bowl, think the 3 S’s: stir-fries, smoothies or soup.

Repeat

If you’ve got a garden, save on the cost of buying compost by using food scraps to make  your own!

Found a tin in the cupboard? Know you won’t use it before it goes out of date? Why not pay it forward by donating it to a local food bank.

Save energy

Many of us are finding our energy bills hard to manage at the moment. Don’t forget that you may be able to save money by becoming more energy efficient. You’ll find plenty of tips on the Energy Saving Trust website.

Save water

Consider installing a water meter. If you don’t have a meter, you will normally be charged a fixed or flat amount each year – known as ‘unmetered’ charges.

The amount you are charged is not based on usage. Instead, it is usually based on where you live and the rateable value of your property. Having a meter installed means you’ll be charged for the amount you actually use. So you could save money by saving water.

Drive less if you can

Driving contributes to climate change and to local air pollution, because of the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions most vehicles produce. Could you walk, cycle or use public transport instead? You’ll take a massive chunk out of both your carbon footprint and your annual budget.

Get money for your old stuff

Everyone’s talking about ‘fast fashion’: the low-quality clothing that causes a huge amount of global waste. With more and more people trying to do their bit by buying secondhand, it’s the perfect time to make money by having a clear-out. Here’s the lowdown on the best apps and online marketplaces for selling stuff you no longer want or need.

 

We hope this blog gave you some ideas for saving money while going green. Is there anything we missed? Why not drop us a line over on Facebook or Instagram!