Low carbon living in lockdown 5 | Pawprint- Your Eco Companion

6 new lockdown tips to lower your carbon footprint

1. Use old fruit that you would normally throw out to make ice lollies, and save around 4 kg CO2e this year, the same as driving 7.5 miles in terms of emissions.

Delicious, nutritious and… altruitious? If you don’t have ice lolly trays, ask a neighbour. You can save up to 60 Kg CO2e per year by sharing items. Hopefully, your lollies will work better than our rhyme!

2. Give up buying ‘new things’ for a year and save up to 900 kg CO2e, the same as driving 1700 miles in terms of emissions.

This is a big one, but it’s also a rewarding one. By committing to only buying essential items for one year, you’ll open your eyes to what you really need, to what you could probably borrow (do you really need to buy a frozen margarita machine?) and to what you can do without. Plus, you’ll save money and carbon!

If doing this alone seems a little daunting, so why not get others-friends or your family-involved?

3. Cycle to the supermarket instead of driving and save around 400 kg CO2e per year; almost a return flight to Europe!

Save carbon where you can (like when you’re popping to the shops for a few bits) and you could neutralise the carbon of your next flight. Wouldn’t that feel good?

4. Try meat-free Mondays (or Tuesdays, or Wednesdays…. they are all the same now anyway) and save up to 80 kg CO2e per year; the same as driving 150 miles in terms of emissions.

If you have one extra meat-free meal per week it makes a big difference to your carbon footprint, especially if you are swapping out beef. Check out our blog for the veg that’s currently in season.

5. Reduce unneeded lighting in your house by one hour per day and save 8 kg CO2e per year; the same as driving 15 miles in terms of emissions.

We all know that leaving lights on is wasteful and we could probably all do a little bit better.

6. Only pre-heat your oven if the cooking instructions demand it and save 16 kg CO2e per year; the same as driving 30 miles in terms of emissions.

It’s also useful to know how long your oven takes to pre-heat — you might be overly generous with the time you’ve been allowing.

Originally published at https://www.pawprint.eco on April 22, 2020.