Our Eco-Friendly Swaps to Date

My journey to be more eco-friendly has really ramped up this year. After discovering cloth nappies and wipes in 2018 I was more determined than ever to add to this over the coming years and I am pretty pleased with how much I have tried, I have achieved and I have persuaded my husband to go with too!! (Lord knows that was the hardest part of it all!) So, instead of rambling on in another post on how to do this and that I thought I would just give you a very quick list of our eco-friendly swaps to date.

Cloth nappies

Cloth wipes

Buying more second-hand (this has really helped with Christmas this year)

Homemade surface cleaner- Lavender and vinegar

Eco-egg

Compost bin

Growing own strawberries

Compostable washing up sponges/brushes etc

Soap

Natural deodrant

Shampoo bar

Conditioner bar

CSP and moon cup

Flannels for faces

Eco-friendly skincare from Beeutiful

Reusable water bottles

Reusable coffee/tea cups

Reusable sandwich bags

Beeswax wraps

Brown paper for wrapping presents

Reusable wipes for around the home

Bicarbonate soda for cleaning

Vinegar for cleaning

Citric acid for tackling limescale

Bamboo cotton buds

Bamboo toothbrushes

Reusable tea bags

Recycling far more

Reducing meat intake

Tote shopping bags

Reusable produce bags

Recycled toilet roll from who gives a crap

Eco washing machine

Being far more aware of what products contain and choosing more eco-friendly options

Choosing available compostable items

Being more aware of lights being left on

Upcycling old furniture rather than buying new

Fixing clothing rather than throwing it out

Hand me downs for the younger child

Paper straws

Smol dishwasher tablets

Reusing what we have and only buying what we really need

Switched to a milkman for milk and juices

And I think that is it, all of our eco-friendly swaps to date… unless I’ve missed any?

And yet there is still so much more I could be doing! Even though all of this comes with research and planning as well as a lot of experimenting to find out what works for us, it has actually been a project I have really enjoyed. With each change I make a feel positive that it’s a step in the right direction and for each person who messages asking where they can get something from proves that by just talking about it daily, I am spreading this eco message further. It doesn’t matter how small your eco-friendly steps are, the important thing is that they matter. By walking just once to school rather than driving, choosing a holiday in your home country rather than taking a plane, by turning off power to anything that isn’t in use, by reducing how much red meat you eat, by just simply talking to your children about the importance of it all. Every tiny swap will make a difference for their future.

And for next year?

I would love to be able to continue with all of these. I want to completely rid my home of the toxic chemicals for cleaning. I want to shop more secondhand and on pre-loved sites. I will reduce my plastic use even further. We won’t be flying abroad in 2020 and if I can muster the energy to walk more I will most definitely be leaving the car at home more often.

How about you? What have you done to be more eco-friendly to date? I’d love to hear from you.

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