Growing up in a household with a mother who has dedicated her life to sustainability – from saving forests to forcing us to have 2 minute showers (via egg timer, yes really) – a view of the planet as a finite resource was drilled into me early on.
Fast forward a few years and although she’s now in a different timezone from me – and I didn’t quite go into her line of work (my brother bowed to pressure and is a natural resource economist trading sustainability indexes) – her voice continues to be on repeat in my head. She would be thrilled to know that! You can imagine therefore, that I was very happy to learn that Nespresso has set up a new recycling program which allows you to post your used capsules back to them for specialty recycling when you’re done, making it easier to feel good about your morning espresso. On the back of such a welcome initiative, I wanted to share with you a few easy ways that I try to reduce my footprint, designed for those of you that have very little time – just like me. Here, 5 environmentally-friendly practices to incorporate into your life ASAP.
A moment to reflect on a Monday… and the gorgeous new 2017 calendar from Jasmine Dowling.
Ways To Help You Reduce Your Footprint
Before & After Your Wardrobe
It’s no surprise I have my mother to thank for encouraging me from an early age to experiment with clothes that I didn’t wear or things I found in a thrift store (and thus, essentially sewing the seeds of this blog). It’s pretty much become an addiction and has encouraged me to get creative with the things that I wear and make. So next time you think about throwing something away (or buying something new), consider how you can breath new life into it yourself. This, this and this could inspire you.
Opt for Plants
Yes yes I absolutely love flowers, but when it comes to reducing your footprint it’s better to opt for plants in your home rather than cut flowers – most of them travel a long way to get to you and obviously they don’t last that long either. Save flowers for special occasions, or give someone a succulent instead! A little bonus, plants will clean your air whilst also being calming to look at. Read our guide here to see which ones you should choose.
Offset Your Travel
Wanderlust may be one of the best feelings in the world, but those air miles are pretty bad for the environment. Where you can, offset your miles using either an airline function or a website like Tripzero. A lot of airlines also offer this when you’re buying you flights. In case you’re wondering, offsetting essentially allows companies to invest in environmental projects (or plant trees – although this is becoming less common) around the world in order to balance out their (or your) carbon footprints. You’ll find that it’s surprisingly inexpensive to do so!
Go Greens
This one is obvious, but I’m going to say it anyway – eating more plants and less meat is a clear way to reduce your personal footprint. As a lover of meat of all kinds, it can be kind of daunting to start eating meals with no meat in them whatsoever, but that’s where it’s fun to start experimenting with flavours more. Meat free doesn’t have to be boring!
Change Your Mindset
One thing I have noticed is that getting into the mindset of reduce, reuse and recycle really helps change your behavior. The challenge of reusing is something I have come to find challenging and fun. I like to imagine that everything I own has more than one life – an old ladder can become a shelf, rope becomes a rug, and an old chair becomes a statement piece. Its all about looking at things creatively!
In case you’re wondering there are four ways to recycle your capsules (and you definitely should!): Post your used capsules back to Nespresso using a special Australia Post satchel, Return your used aluminium capsules to a Nespresso Boutique, Drop them off at a participating florist collection point or Join one of their bulk recycling collection initiatives where workplaces or community locations can become a recycling collection point.
This post is in collaboration with Nespresso.
Do you know use any other methods for reducing your footprint?
