Are you ready to reduce your carbon footprint to the next level? Have you taken some first steps to reduce the ecological footprint of your household and now you’re looking for some next steps to take? Here I list some next-level things to do. Don’t forget to go back and check off the list in my 20 Eco Steps to Take Right Away post too.
Consume Consciously
1. Reassess your buying habits using the REFUSE – REDUCE – REUSE principles.
2. Wear more secondhand and hand-me-down clothes.
3. Look for items second hand first, after considering if they are really needed.
Avoid Single Use
4. Pack your own “nude” lunch.
5. Use old towels, tea towels etc as rags and ‘unpaper’ towels.
6. Shop from bulk food stores.
7. Recycle soft plastics that can’t be avoided.
Make a Sustainable Switch
8. Use Earth-friendly products for body, hair, clothes and dishwashing (anything that will go down the drain).
9. Make your own household cleaners with natural ingredients (try my favourite spray cleaner recipe here).
10. Buy products, such as clothes washing powder, in cardboard, glass or aluminium rather than a plastic container.
11. Use beeswax wraps and other reusables instead of plastic wrap.
12. Buy Who Gives a Crap (or similar) 100% recycled toilet paper.
13. Set your thermostat higher in Summer (try 26°C) and lower in Winter (try 20°C), only using heating and cooling when you really need it.
Repair & Reuse
14. Learn and make clothing (and other) repairs.
15. Make and use reusable produce & bread collection bags.
16. Use a silicone baking mat rather than baking parchment paper.
17. Use hankies instead of tissues.
18. Don’t update your gadgets as soon as the newest is released. Repair them if possible, and recycle at end of their life.
Divert from Landfill
19. Menu plan consistently to avoid waste.
20. Put food scraps into a worm farm. Aim for zero organics in landfill bin.
21. Recycling according to the rules set by your local government. Avoid ‘wishcycling’.
Eat Greener
22. Cut the amount of beef and dairy in your diet.
23. Buy local produce at your farmer’s market.
24. Cook more of your meals and snacks yourself.
25. Cook in bulk for the freezer, to eat instead of take-away.
I hope you find this list of another 25 things to do to reduce your carbon footprint helpful. They are definitely more challenging, and might require more time and thought, than the twenty first steps I published earlier. If you’ve worked through that list though, you are totally ready for the next steps!
I’d love to hear your experiences, your tips and ideas. Come over and start a conversation on the Family Footprint Project Instagram or Facebook. I can’t wait to hear how you are getting on.
