GOING GREEN- ADOPTING A MORE
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY LIFESTYLE

Where to start

While this is an old saying, the meaning certainly still rings true in today’s  environmentally-conscious world. Simply by being aware of what you purchase, and consequently what you waste, you can make a significant contribution to the planet’s wellbeing:

• Purchase everyday items in bulk to help cut down on packaging and waste, switching from disposable items to reusable ones; razors for example.

• Consider cancelling your newspaper subscriptions and catch up with the news online. As well as reducing your paper waste, you’ll save yourself a few pounds in the process.

Reuse and recycle

• Reuse plastic shopping bags, cardboard boxes, sandwich bags, freezer bags and elastic bands, etc. Simply ask yourself before throwing items away, ‘Can I reuse this?’

• Consider donating unwanted and good quality clothes, shoes and household items to charity shops. There are also a growing number of recycling networks set up to reduce waste items going to landfill – Freecycle, Freegle, Gumtree, etc. These networks provide a way of connecting people who wish to give away items they no longer have use for, with people who need that exact item; from chairs and tables to glassware, bikes and children’s toys.

• Donate or recycle your electrical items responsibly. Electronic waste contains mercury and other toxins and is becoming a growing environmental problem.

Conserve energy

Becoming more energy efficient in the home is perhaps the easiest way of doing your bit for the environment; helping to reduce energy consumption and reducing your carbon dioxide
emissions:

• Switch off lights when you leave a room.
• Unplug appliances when they are not in use.
• Allow clothes to dry naturally.
• Fit energy-saving light bulbs.
• Turn the temperature dial down on your thermostat.
• Boil only as much water as you need when you are making a cup of tea or coffee.

By making small changes, you can really help to make a big difference and contribute to the preservation of the Earth’s precious resources.

Call NFU Mutual in Kettering on 01536 384013

Going Green