Wednesday 5th June is World Environment Day. It’s becoming more important than ever to take care of our planet; here are some things you can do at home to help our wildlife and environment.
Create a wildlife garden
- Leave an area of grass to grow long and plant some flowers to provide food and shelter for insects
- Plant trees or put up bird and bat boxes to create a home for them
- Help birds in the winter by putting up bird feeders
- Build a hedgehog house
- Create a pond to provide a home for amphibians such as frogs and newts
- Build a compost heap, not only is the a useful way to recycle food waste it provides a shelter for wildlife and will save you money buying compost
- Use a water butt to collect water, this will cut down on tap water usage and save you money on your water bills
Reduce plastic use
Plastic causes significant damage to our environment, it never fully breaks down and leaves harmful microplastics in the soil. Larger pieces of plastics can harm and kill wildlife so it is important we all reduce our use of plastics. Some ideas for doing this include:
- Using reusable or recyclable containers
- Using paper or other recyclable materials
- Carry a reusable shopping bag
- Avoid excessive food packaging and consider bulk buying or visiting refill shops
- Use plastic free tea bags
- Ditch the cling film, either use reusable containers or silicon bowl toppers
- For parties use biodegradable glitter and use bunting instead of balloons
Recycle
Try to reduce waste by reusing and repurposing items you already have.
- Donate unwanted clothing and household items to a charity shop
- Repurpose or upcycle old furniture
- Use old clothing as rags for cleaning
- Old glass and plastic bottles can be used a rainwater catchers, planters or vases
- Compost food waste
Reduce water and energy consumption
Reducing water and energy use will not only help the environment but will also save you money on your bills so it’s a win-win!
- Take shorter showers, even 1-2 minutes less can save a lot of water over a year
- Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth
- Fix any leaks, over time even a small leak can waste a large amount of water
- Make sure you have a full load when doing laundry
- Switch to energy saving appliances
- Turn off unused lights and appliances
- Turn the temperature of your heating and hot water down