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Eat an eco-friendly diet

Plate with fork and spoon representing an eco-friendly diet

Eat an eco-friendly diet is one of the twelve EcoTracker Top Actions, and so typically one most impactful things you can do to reduce your environmental impact in terms of CO₂ emissions and ecological footprint and thus help address the Climate and ecological emergency and promote Climate justice. Click or tap here for a page overview and general tips.

See below the Eat an eco-friendly diet Sub-Actions. Click or tap the sections further below to reveal a summary of the benefits of eating an eco-friendly diet, future-gazing to help visualise how this would work for you, a thought-provoking video, a step-by-step guide outlining how to achieve this Top Action, expert tips, and useful links and references.

It is recommended that you pick one or two of the Sub-Actions to progress at a time rather than try and complete them all at once. Visit our Approach page for other tips on how to set yourself up to minimise your environmental impact and get to net zero carbon.

Have you completed this Top Action already? You would need to complete:

all the Halfway (0.5) Sub-Actions to complete half of the Top Action.
all the Halfway (0.5) and Full (1.0) Sub-Actions to fully complete the Top Action.

Eat an eco-friendly diet Halfway (0.5) Sub-Actions:

Learn to cook three vegetarian dishes
Eat vegetarian one day per week
Try a vegetarian or vegan dish in a highly-rated restaurant

Eat an eco-friendly diet Full (1.0) Sub-Actions:

Learn to cook three vegan dishes
Eat a diet consistent with mitigating climate change and biodiversity loss

Top Tips:

Focus on a small number of actions at a time.
Allocate time for actions in your schedule
Share your “personal eco-progress-story” to help yourself and others
Track your progress to build motivation

Benefits of eating an eco-friendly diet

Enormous resources go into producing food, which consequently has a large environmental impact; it requires much land, much water, fertilisers and also the energy required to harvest the food, pack it, transport it and store it. The land used to produce our food was once a natural landscape teeming with a diversity of plants and wildlife, however, our large scale mono-culture food production destroys this. Deforestation of long established valuable habitats for farming releases stored CO₂and continues to increase the intense pressure on our natural ecosystems. The Guardian reports that the average westerner’s eating habits are responsible for the felling of four trees every year, many of which are in wildlife-rich tropical forests.

Choosing to eat a diet with low environmental impact will involve reducing our meat, fish and dairy intake, but we do not need to cut out meat, fish and dairy entirely unless we want to. If our meat and dairy consumption reduces, a large proportion of the land that was used to produce it could instead be converted to eco-friendly uses such as rewilding and wildlife conservation or the generation of renewable energy.

Reducing our meat, fish and dairy consumption has health benefits as well as huge environmental benefits. The health benefits, as outlined in the BBC Good Food Guide include reduced blood pressure and lower risk of obesity, heart disease and cancer.

Meat, fish and dairy are often some of the most expensive items in the shopping basket. No upfront monetary cost is required to complete this EcoTracker Top Action but there is a big opportunity to save money.

By learning to cook a wider variety of dishes including vegetarian and vegan, we can develop a new skill. This can be fun to learn, fulfilling to master and even better to eat! It will also get us ready to impress when a vegetarian or vegan friend visits.

We may even discover we prefer the taste of many of the new vegetarian or vegan meals and enjoy the variety of new ingredients.

So, why the focus on reducing meat, fish and dairy?

Meat is densely packed with nutrients but meat production is an incredibly inefficient use of land in which most of the nutrients are lost along the way. Livestock eat a lot of crops, they belch methane, and their waste can pollute waterways. To get an equivalent amount of food calories from meat than from plants, many times more land is needed, and the same principle applies to protein and various other vital nutrients. Mike Berners-Lee explains this vividly in his book There’s No Planet B. By farming livestock and eating meat, we are actually much reducing the amount of food and nutrients that can be produced per area of land. Dairy also originates from livestock and similarly has a large environmental impact. Carbon Brief cover many diet related topics, including the astounding fact that the total mass of animals raised for slaughter now outweighs all wildlife on earth by a factor of 15 to 1!

Less resources go into fishing than farming as we are typically catching wild fish in their natural environment. However, our fishing industries cause much damage as outlined by Friends of the Earth, for instance, they devastate various fish populations whilst bringing in a lot of unintended ‘by-catch’ organisms. The use of untargeted industrial scale trawlers can destroy large areas of ocean floor habitats and release CO₂into the water. Farming fish may help reduce overfishing but creates other environmental issues as outlined by Encyclopeadia Britannica.

Of course, many people also choose to avoid eating meat, fish and dairy due to moral or animal welfare concerns, thus reducing the possibility of their diet causing anxiety and suffering in animals raised or caught for food.

Reducing our meat fish and dairy intake is a critical part of adopting a low impact diet, however, when our food comes from regenerative nature-friendly farming methods it may be a true eco-friendly choice. Such methods can produce food with no or limited artificial fertilisers, improve soil health and improve the farmland environment for wildlife, creating habitats. RSPB Hope Farm is an example of a farm adopting such an approach.

Future-gazing – imagine how your life will improve

Try and imagine how your life will be and how you will feel when you complete this EcoTracker Top Action. This may feel like a big change or a small change, but really focus on how the benefits of the change could impact and improve your life and the lives of others.

For instance try and imagine how you will feel about:

your reduced environmental impact which will help avoid the worst effects of climate change and ecological breakdown within your lifetime, helping to ensure you and others can live a long and full life.
improved long term prospects for your children and future generations, who will have a much greater opportunity to avoid climate change and ecological breakdown during their lives. They will be much safer than in the alternative future of extreme climate change and ecological breakdown and many lives will be saved. Will you be able to look your child in the eye in years to come and say that you have done everything you can to protect their future?
improved opportunities and social justice (climate justice) for those around the world who are currently struggling with the early impacts of climate change and ecological breakdown, with many lives and livelihoods saved.
becoming healthier, with lower risk of many health conditions including high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease and cancer.
saving money.
learning to cook delicious new dishes.
confidently being able to cater for a wide range of dietary requirements when you are cooking for others.
reducing the amount of anxiety and suffering endured by animals raised or caught for food.
some of the above may be really life-changing for you and your overall standard of living.

An effective way of developing a commitment and ongoing motivation to progressing this EcoTracker Top Action is to work out which of the themes above generate the most powerful emotional responses for you personally. Then try to capture this in some way and store it for when you might need motivation later.

You might be able to create a strong image in your memory, or a link to existing memories. You might want to write down how you feel say on a post-it note or in a diary as a reminder; perhaps somewhere that you will regularly see the message or somewhere you can come back to when you want to. You might even want to share this on your ‘progress thread’ on social media. If you are feeling creative, perhaps even draw an image to represent your future. Also, consider whether you might already have an object which could trigger your motivation e.g. a picture of your children.

Watch this video from BBC which illustrates the global impacts of eating large amounts of meat and dairy and the benefits of a plant-based diet.

A step-by-step guide to completing EcoTracker Top Actions, with indicative time listed against each step

These steps are generic because this is your unique personal journey and you will need to explore the details for yourself, using this process and the Expert Tips below as a guide and support.

The time required to complete steps may vary quite a lot depending on your resources or skill level, or whether or not you do the work yourself or pay a professional to do it. It is recommended that you pick one or two of the Sub-Actions to progress at a time rather than try and do them all at once, and so you may go through steps multiple times for the different Sub-Actions before you have completed the Top Action.

Build motivation from within to complete this EcoTracker Top Action, assisted by reading the Benefits and Future-gazing to imagine how your life will improve (10 minutes)
Make a personal commitment and share this to social media (5 minutes)
Book a time in your diary for progressing your EcoTracker actions – you may wish to set up a regular slot for taking actions (5 minutes)
Research – read the guidance on this EcoTracker Top Action page such as the Expert Tips and you may wish to visit your community for support (30 minutes +)
Discuss with others in your household and agree broadly what you will do (15-30 minutes)
Get the resources lined up e.g. find what you need online, locate or borrow/rent/buy the materials and tools (2-3 hours)
Make a final decision on exactly what you will do and book in a date (15 minutes)
Complete all Sub-Actions to enable you to complete the Full Top Action (5 + hours)
Visit our Tracker page, and share your progress to social media (5 minutes). You may want to share your progress as you go through the steps for each Sub-Action.
Once you’ve mastered this Top Action, why not also help others in the community complete their’s, with tips and support (1 minute, periodically)

Expert Tips – Introduction

Don’t blame yourself for your past habits, but choose to focus on what you can improve. Similarly, choose not to blame others in your household or elsewhere for their current or past habits, but to point out to them the damaging impacts of diets high in meat, fish and dairy and the benefits of eating an eco-friendly diet. Encourage and support others to make changes (e.g. by using EcoTracker). You may need to focus on and persist with some of these changes for weeks or months before they become new habits that you don’t need to think about. See the Approach page for further suggestions on developing habits.

You do not need to be perfect and updating your diet does not have to be all or nothing. Some people may want to cut out meat, fish and dairy entirely and become vegan. Although there would be undoubted environmental benefits from everyone becoming vegan, this is not for everyone, and the most important thing is to take steps to reduce the environmental impact of your food in the way that suits you. This might be through small and gradual changes over a long period of time, or maybe through a focused effort at forming a new habit to cut out meat and dairy.

If you have food allergies or dietary requirements that make it more challenging or impossible to complete this Top Action, it is recommended that you do the best that you can and try to avoid feeling guilty about what you can’t do. Your health comes first.

Vegetarians typically don’t eat any meat or fish, but some may eat dairy and or eggs. Vegans typically do not eat any animal-related food products at all. People have a wide variety of reasons for making such dietary choices. Flexitarians typically eat mostly vegetarian meals but will sometimes eat meat or fish, while pescetarians don’t eat meat but do eat fish and carnivores of course love meat! In evolutionary terms, humans are omnivores who can function well on a variety of different types of diets depending on what food is available, whether entirely plant-based or largely animal-based.

It is good to be aware of these categories, however, psychologically it may be best to avoid regularly labelling people or meals in this way. Many people are very attached to their food habits. By psychologically detaching yourself from a particular group, you may feel more free to experiment and less like you are breaking a long-term group allegiance. Try to think of non-meat meals as just another meal that is part of your routine rather than something different. Some people have a strong aversion particularly to veganism, and may feel that their world-view is threatened by it, which reinforces their own meat-eating habits. If this is you, introducing some non-meat meals into your routine will not suddenly turn you into a vegan! Why not give them a try and you might even find some delicious new dishes to add to your routine.

Expert Tips – Reducing meat, fish and dairy consumption and completing this Top Action

Reducing your meat, fish and dairy consumption are certainly the most significant things that most people can do to reduce their dietary environmental impact.

In order to do this effectively, you could either choose to eat more vegetarian dishes or cut down your meat, fish and dairy portion sizes and add in more of other foods. Starting with cutting down portion sizes gradually helps to make big changes without them being too noticeable.

When starting to introduce vegetarian or vegan meals into your routine make sure you research some beginners tips for aspiring vegetarians, for instance, at Easy Cheesy Vegetarian. If you have any barriers to reducing your meat, fish and dairy consumption (such as your family not liking vegetarian food), take the opportunities you have available; for instance you may be able to have a vegetarian lunch during your working hours. Try different meals or diets for 1 or 2 days a week or even less frequently initially and then increase this further if and when you feel ready. In order to do so, you may need to learn how to cook some new vegetarian or vegan meals.

Cooking new vegetarian or vegan meals will require some planning. Ideally you need to have a good idea of which new vegetarian or vegan dishes you want to cook before going to the shops as you may need some different and possibly unfamiliar ingredients.

For instance, as well as stocking up on a wider variety of vegetables, also consider protein. There are many excellent alternative sources of protein to meat, fish and dairy, such as lentils, beans, pulses, grains, nuts and seeds, or eggs for those that eat them, as outlined in the BBC Good Food Guide. You may also want to consider getting meat substitutes so you can give some of your old recipes a refresh. Ensure that you have a good stock of long-life vegetarian options in your store cupboard, such a tins of beans.

Use Happy Cow, BBC Good Food Guide, or simply search the internet for vegetarian and vegan recipes and cooking tips, and any good cookbook should have plenty of ideas. For many traditional UK meat-based dishes, the flavouring comes from the meat, so you may need to add more seasoning and greater variety of vegetables and other ingredients to compensate for this. Also consider whether you can adapt any of your favourite meat dishes with a veggie twist.

You could also try a food recipe box service which provides you with delicious recipes and delivers the ideal amount of ingredients, taking some of the decision making out of your hands which might be good for those who lead busy lives; in the UK examples include Mindful Chef, Hello Fresh and Gousto, who all claim that their approach also reduces food waste (see the Reduce food waste EcoTracker Top Action).

To complete the full Eat an eco-friendly diet EcoTracker Top Action you need to “eat a diet consistent with mitigating climate change and biodiversity loss”. We have deliberately left this open to some interpretation as the scientific understanding and opportunities may change over time and vary between locations, but we outline some considerations here. A typical vegetarian or vegan diet would certainly meet the definition. The EAT-Lancet Commission Planetary Health Diet would also just about meet the definition and does allow a modest amount of meat, fish and dairy to be consumed; however, consider the average meat, fish and dairy allowances as your absolute limits that would count towards achieving this Top Action. It is strongly recommended that you choose to reduce meat, fish and dairy consumption well below the Planetary Health Diet allowances if you are able to for the following reasons:

The allowances were derived by developing a global food budget that just about allows us to stay within planetary environmental limits in 2050 and assumes that everyone will adopt this diet.
It is very unlikely that everyone globally will adopt the Planetary Health Diet in the near future.
Estimated planetary environmental limits have a range of uncertainty and we should avoid testing the limits.
As we know very well great urgency is needed to address the Climate and ecological emergency by 2030.

If you are serious about going vegetarian or vegan, do make sure you research (e.g. at BBC Good Food Guide or Vegetarian Society) on how to eat a well-balanced diet as there may be specific foods that you may need to eat enough of, or possibly you may need to take a couple of supplements.

If you are struggling to enjoy vegetarian or vegan meals, try a highly rated local restaurant that ideally focuses on vegetarian or vegan food (or a highly-rated restaurant generally that has a few appetizing and relevant options). This will probably offer a much more attractive meal than what you could come up with on your first vegetarian or vegan cooking attempts, and may inspire you with ideas!

Use Happy Cow to identify good local vegetarian or vegan restaurants.

Expert Tips – Other tips to reduce the environmental impact of food and make eco-friendly choices, including pet food

Reducing your meat, fish and dairy consumption and eating more vegetarian meals are typically the most significant things you can do to reduce the environmental impact of your diet, however, you can also try to reduce your impact further by making other changes.

Use the guide from Mike Berners-Lee on BBC Food to compare the CO₂emissions of a variety of foods. When selecting between meats, beef is typically the worst choice, followed by lamb, while poultry has relatively less environmental impact although still a much higher environmental impact than most non-meat, fish and dairy foods. Your food choices also have further environmental impacts. It is recommended that you undertake a palm oil audit and detox as the palm oil embedded in many food products is linked to deforestation, whilst the packaging of the foods you choose will play a big role in reducing your plastic consumption – see the Use eco-friendly products and services (and reduce waste) EcoTracker Top Action).

Eat seasonal and locally-sourced food when possible as part of your efforts to reduce your dietary environmental impact, although the transport related emissions of food are usually relatively small (see Carbon Brief for more on this). Use a seasonal food calendar such as this one produced by Love British Food for the UK. Visit your local farm shop or farmers market, which are likely to offer locally-sourced, seasonal foods. Avoid foods that you know have travelled by air e.g. more perishable foods from half way around the world. Also, beware of out of season locally-grown food which may have been grown in a heated area, therefore requiring a lot of energy.

If you can trace food back to regenerative nature-friendly farming methods this may be a true eco-friendly choice. However, it may take up more land than than intensively farmed alternatives, which is an important consideration; more research is needed on the pros and cons of different farming methods, given limited land availability. Some extensively grazed herbivores may be used to manage wildlife habitats so we don’t have to, however, due to the very low densities of herbivores (to avoid overgrazing and habitat destruction), little meat with such credentials is available. There is currently insufficient food produced by regenerative nature-friendly farming methods, hence it is currently not realistic to suggest that everyone buys such food. This will be monitored and in future the Sub-Actions may be updated to include for this.

When you do eat meat, consider opting for meat such as venison that originates from controlling excessive and damaging wildlife populations. This may be the most eco-friendly meat you can get. Needless to say, it is critical to avoid eating game meat if the species is endangered. Do bear in mind that a key reason that the populations of herbivores such as deer grow excessively in the first place is the absence of their natural predators, which humans have driven out of large areas or even made extinct. Rewilding and species reintroductions can help restore the natural balance (see the Rewilding EcoTracker Top Action).

If you eat fish, use the Marine Conservation Society Good Fish Guide to pick a sustainable option, and when buying fish, also pick options with the Marine Stewardship Council label. Also bear in mind that the names of some commercially fished species sometimes get rebranded to increase sales, so beware of fish names that you don’t know and choose to avoid eating types if you’re not clear on the conservation status of the fish.

Choose unprocessed fresh foods where possible. Processed food will often be less eco-friendly than unprocessed alternatives, due to the additional resources that go into the processing, and they will often be less healthy too! There is increasing awareness of potential negative health impacts from diets high in ultra-processed foods.

Some vegetarian favourite foods get a mixed review from some sources, such as soya beans, which are so flexible and popular that they are grown very widely and are sometimes associated with the deforestation. The problem is not humans eating soya beans, but the amount of beans being used (much less efficiently) for animal feed for meat and dairy farming.

Any home growing you can do can contribute to reducing the environmental impact of your food, but do ensure you avoid using peat based compost, pesticides and herbicides (see the Rewilding EcoTracker Top Action). Your local garden centre should have peat free compost options for you to choose, or you can make it yourself using a composter and your garden and food waste – follow the composting tips on the Reduce food waste EcoTracker Top Action page. The food you grow yourself may taste even better and be more satisfying than the food you buy!

Also, consider and minimise the environmental impact of food for pets, which can be very significant as reported by the Independent. The same general rules above for sourcing pet food apply to human food although the dietary options for pets may be more limited e.g. some pets need to eat meat. Avoid feeding pets more meat-based foods than they need and buy meats with lower environmental impact. This may have other benefits: research suggests that vegan diets may be healthier and safer for dogs than conventional meat-based diets, as reported by the Guardian. For pets that need to eat meat, pet foods such as Percuro and Lovebug are now available which use insect meat rather than meat from livestock, as outlined by the Independent; such foods have a much lower environmental impact and are highly recommended.

Links and References

EAT-Lancet Commission Planetary Health Diet: https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/the-planetary-health-diet-and-you/

Carbon Brief (meat and dairy impact): https://interactive.carbonbrief.org/what-is-the-climate-impact-of-eating-meat-and-dairy/

The Guardian (food and deforestation): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/29/average-westerners-eating-habits-lead-to-loss-of-four-trees-every-year

Friends of the Earth (fishing): https://friendsoftheearth.uk/sustainable-living/fishing-and-environment

Marine Conservation Society Good Fish Guide: https://www.mcsuk.org/goodfishguide/

BBC Good Food Guide (vegetarian diet tips): https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/vegetarian-diet-health-benefits-tips

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/best-sources-protein-vegetarians

BBC Food (CO₂ emissions of foods): https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/carbon

Vegetarian Society (vegetarian diet tips): https://vegsoc.org/resources/

Easy Cheesy Vegetarian (beginner’s tips): https://www.easycheesyvegetarian.com/11-tips-for-new-vegetarians/

Happy Cow (recipes and restaurants): https://www.happycow.net/recipes

Love British Food (seasonal calendar – UK): https://www.lovebritishfood.co.uk/whats-in-season-when

There is No Planet B, Mike Berners-Lee (recommended book): https://theresnoplanetb.net/

RSPB Hope Farm (example of nature-friendly farming: https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/conservation/conservation-and-sustainability/farming/hope-farm/

Recipe boxes:

Mindful Chef: https://www.mindfulchef.com/

Hello Fresh: https://www.hellofresh.co.uk/about/sustainability

Gousto: https://www.gousto.co.uk/

Pets:

The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/opinion/pets-uk-ownership-cats-dogs-carbon-environmental-impact-b1249610.html and https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/business/lovebug-percuro-pet-food-cat-dog-b1907181.html

Percuro: https://percuro.earth/pages/why-percuro

Lovebug: https://www.lovebugpetfood.com/

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Reduce food waste

Reduce food waste is one of the twelve EcoTracker Top Actions, and so typically one most impactful things you can do to reduce your environmental impact in terms of CO₂ emissions and ecological footprint and thus help address the Climate and ecological emergency and promote Climate justice. Click or tap here for a page overview and general tips.

See below the Reduce food waste Sub-Actions. Click or tap the sections further below to reveal a summary of the benefits of reducing food waste, future-gazing to help visualise how this would work for you, a thought-provoking video, a step-by-step guide outlining how to achieve this Top Action, expert tips, and useful links and references.

Have you completed this Top Action already? You would need to complete:

all the Halfway (0.5) Sub-Actions to complete half of the Top Action.
all the Halfway (0.5) and Full (1.0) Sub-Actions to fully complete the Top Action.

Reduce food waste Halfway (0.5) Sub-Actions:

Find out your recommended daily food intake and adjust your portions to achieve this
Learn about food waste

Reduce food waste Full (1.0) Sub-Actions:

I very rarely waste food
My small amount of remaining food waste goes to composting

Top Tips:

Focus on a small number of actions at a time.
Allocate time for actions in your schedule
Share your “personal eco-progress-story” to help yourself and others
Track your progress to build motivation

Benefits of reducing food waste

A huge amount of resources go into producing food, which consequently has a large environmental impact; it requires much land, much water, fertilisers and also the energy required to harvest the food, pack it, transport it and store it. The land used to produce our food was once a natural landscape teeming with a diversity of plants and wildlife, however, our large scale mono-culture food production destroys this. Deforestation of long established valuable habitats for farming releases stored CO₂and continues to increase the intense pressure on our natural ecosystems. The Guardian reports that the average westerner’s eating habits are responsible for the felling of four trees every year, many of which are in wildlife-rich tropical forests.

However, despite all of this, much food that is produced is ultimately wasted. WRAP suggest that 25-30% of the total food produced globally is lost or wasted and this contributes to about 8-10% of our global manmade CO₂emissions. If we stopped wasting so much food, less needs to be produced and the environmental impact of our food is much reduced.

One step to reducing our food waste is eating no more than we need, which will improve our health and wellbeing as well as reducing our environmental impact. The extra food we eat beyond what we need is hindering rather than helping us, and eating it is simply a tragedy for ourselves, our wallets, wider society and the environment.

Typically food waste is thought of as the food that we buy but don’t eat and end up throwing away. We can reduce such food waste without spending any money, but we can certainly save a lot of money and we can do so with minimal lifestyle change.

There are opportunities for learning and developing new skills when exploring this Top Action. Home composting can be interesting and fulfilling and is an excellent example of the circular economy in action. We can use the compost generated from our waste as fertiliser or mulch which will both help to fertilise any plants we are growing, but also help the soil retain moisture during droughts. Plus there is no need to buy compost. Local authorities will often collect food waste to send to municipal composting or biodigestion facilities, which are just as good, but if we can do this at home it minimises transport related emissions.

Future-gazing – imagine how your life will improve

Try and imagine how your life will be and how you will feel when you complete this EcoTracker Top Action. This may feel like a big change or a small change, but really focus on how the benefits of the change could impact and improve your life and the lives of others.

For instance try and imagine how you will feel about:

your reduced environmental impact which will help avoid the worst effects of climate change and ecological breakdown within your lifetime, helping to ensure you and others can live a long and full life.
improved long term prospects for your children and future generations, who will have a much greater opportunity to avoid climate change and ecological breakdown during their lives. They will be much safer than in the alternative future of extreme climate change and ecological breakdown and many lives will be saved. Will you be able to look your child in the eye in years to come and say that you have done everything you can to protect their future?
improved opportunities and social justice (climate justice) for those around the world who are currently struggling with the early impacts of climate change and ecological breakdown, with many lives and livelihoods saved.
becoming healthier, with lower risk of many health conditions including obesity, and having improved body image and self confidence.
making better uses of the food that you have, with minimal lifestyle change.
saving money.
learning new skills such as composting.
some of the above may be really life-changing for you and your overall standard of living.

Watch this video from Sustainably Vegan which provides 100 ways to reduce food waste.

A step-by-step guide to completing EcoTracker Top Actions, with indicative time listed against each step

These steps are generic because this is your unique personal journey and you will need to explore the details for yourself, using this process and the Expert Tips below as a guide and support.

Build motivation from within to complete this EcoTracker Top Action, assisted by reading the Benefits and Future-gazing to imagine how your life will improve (10 minutes)
Make a personal commitment and share this to social media (5 minutes)
Book a time in your diary for progressing your EcoTracker actions – you may wish to set up a regular slot for taking actions (5 minutes)
Research – read the guidance on this EcoTracker Top Action page such as the Expert Tips and you may wish to visit your community for support (30 minutes +)
Discuss with others in your household and agree broadly what you will do (15-30 minutes)
Get the resources lined up e.g. find what you need online, locate or borrow/rent/buy the materials and tools (2-3 hours)
Make a final decision on exactly what you will do and book in a date (15 minutes)
Complete all Sub-Actions to enable you to complete the Full Top Action (5 + hours)
Visit our Tracker page, and share your progress to social media (5 minutes). You may want to share your progress as you go through the steps for each Sub-Action.
Once you’ve mastered this Top Action, why not also help others in the community complete their’s, with tips and support (1 minute, periodically)

Expert Tips

Don’t blame yourself for your past habits, but choose to focus on what you can improve. Similarly, choose not to blame others in your household or elsewhere for their current or past habits, but to point out to them the damaging impacts of wasting food and the benefits of reducing food waste. Encourage and support others to make changes (e.g. by using EcoTracker). You may need to focus on and persist with some of these changes for weeks or months before they become new habits that you don’t need to think about. See the Approach page for further suggestions on developing habits.

Dieting, for instance to lose weight, is a challenge that many of us go through at some point or even regularly during our lives. Start off by doing your research. The NHS generally recommends a daily calorie intake of 2,000 calories a day for women and 2,500 for men. These are general guidelines, although the specific requirements for individuals will vary, for instance you might need to eat more if you are taller or more active than average. Get a personalised recommended daily calorie intake, a 12 week weight loss plan, a calorie checker and further tips from the NHS. There are many available alternative dieting resources. Choose to adjust your food portion sizes and meals accordingly. You may choose to schedule exercise onto your dieting plan to promote weight loss and do consider that exercise such as walking can contribute to the Walk, cycle, use public transport and reduce driving and Rewilding EcoTracker Top Actions. If you are struggling for motivation, the environmental impact of the additional food you eat and the weight you carry could give you that bit of extra motivation; this is not just impacting upon you but also on the planet and the long term prospects for current and future generations..

When you start a new diet choose to adjust your food buying to match your new diet otherwise you may simply throw away the food you would have previously eaten.

Avoiding overbuying food is critical whether you are on a diet or not; when you do buy food, make sure someone eats it before it goes off. If you notice you don’t get through a certain type of food and end up throwing it away, buy less of it.

Get tips on how to achieve this and reduce your food waste from WRAP, such as:

Plan ahead so you know what food you need to buy.
Buy and regularly use some frozen foods.
Set your fridge at 5°C or less to keep your food fresh for longer.
Rearrange your fridge / cupboard when you buy more food so the oldest food is at the front and used first.
Store your food correctly. Freeze items like bread and chicken where necessary.
Serve the right portion sizes.
Pick up some “leftover recipes”.
If you have a store of long life foods, do check and use them periodically before they go off.

Get re-usable food storage containers (e.g. Tupperware) to store food leftovers for later, whether they are cooked or un-used raw ingredients.

Know the difference between “Use by” and “Best before” food labels. It is important to follow the instruction for a “Use by” date and not eat food after this, as this is based on estimates of when microbes that could give you food poisoning are expected to start affecting food. “Best before” dates are simply a guide and you can likely eat many foods for some time after the date, although the food may not taste quite so fresh. Use your common sense and your nose!

The worse the environmental impact of the food you are eating, the worse the impact your food waste will have. If you buy beef, it is therefore critically important that someone eats it rather than waste it, making sure that some benefit comes out of that lengthy and environmentally damaging farming process. See the Eat an eco-friendly diet EcoTracker Top Action for more about the environmental impact of different foods. If you notice a food in your fridge is approaching the “Use by” date or soon to go off but you won’t be able to eat it, choose to freeze it so you can eat it later. Bear in mind that if you want to do this for vegetables you would need to cook them first. Also, consider how you can use foods that are past their best and whether there are any delicious “leftover recipes” that you could try. Get ideas from this BBC article and the BBC Good Food Leftovers recipes.

You could also try a food recipe box service which provides you with delicious recipes and delivers the ideal amount of ingredients; in the UK examples include Mindful Chef, Hello Fresh and Gousto, who all claim that their approach also reduces food waste. Oddbox “rescues” fruit and vegetables that don’t meet supermarket specifications (e.g. for size) and would otherwise be wasted. Also, look out for local community initiatives.

If you want to go even further to reduce your food waste, Zero Waste Memoirs lists ideas for using some of the food scraps that are normally thrown away, such as using vegetable scraps to make vegetable stock or broth.

To help reduce food waste, use a food waste app which connects uneaten food with people who will eat it and are outlined in the Guardian. Options include Olio, Too Good to Go, and Karma. Also, check whether there are any local community food waste initiatives that you could support.

When you do throw food away, make sure it is composted where possible rather than thrown into the general waste. Put your food waste bin in an accessible place in the kitchen that will encourage you to use it. If helpful, consider having multiple bins for different purposes – e.g. one for the scraps for use later and one for composting.

You can either use your local authority collection scheme (if available) or compost your food at home.

Certain foods can be readily composted while others cannot – typically vegetables and carbohydrates are fine to compost at home, while meat, fish and dairy should not be composted at home but could go into the local authority collection. Tea bags often have plastic coatings, so unless you know otherwise it is safest to tip the contents of the bag into the compost, but not the bag itself.

For home composting you will need either a home composter and / or a suitable outdoor space. If the materials for composting are contained, they will retain heat and break down into compost quicker. Make sure you turn over the compost regularly to keep it aerated, otherwise you risk generating methane. Compost Magazine provides tips on how to compost at home.

You can use the compost generated from your waste as fertiliser or mulch which will both help to fertilise any plants you are growing, but also help the soil retain moisture during droughts.

Your local authority will often collect food waste to send to municipal composting or biodigestion facilities, which are just as good, but if you can do this at home it minimises transport related emissions.

Links and References

WRAP: https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/ and https://wrap.org.uk/taking-action/food-drink/actions/action-on-food-waste and https://wrap.org.uk/taking-action/citizen-behaviour-change/love-food-hate-waste

NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/what-should-my-daily-intake-of-calories-be/ and https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/start-the-nhs-weight-loss-plan/ and https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/calorie-checker/

The Guardian (food and deforestation): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/29/average-westerners-eating-habits-lead-to-loss-of-four-trees-every-year

BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/food_waste_recipes and https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/love-your-leftovers-how-use-surplus-ingredients

Zero Waste Memoirs: https://zerowastememoirs.com/baby-step-17-food-scraps/

There is No Planet B, Mike Berners-Lee (recommended book): https://theresnoplanetb.net/

Food box services:

Mindful Chef: https://www.mindfulchef.com/

Hello Fresh: https://www.hellofresh.co.uk/about/sustainability

Gousto: https://www.gousto.co.uk/

Oddbox: https://www.oddbox.co.uk/

Food waste apps:

The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/21/millions-sign-up-to-anti-food-waste-apps-to-share-their-unused-produce

Olio: https://olioex.com/

Too Good To Go: https://toogoodtogo.co.uk/en-gb

Karma: https://karma.life/

Composting:

Compost Magazine: https://www.compostmagazine.com/home-composting/

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Low impact travel (reduce / avoid flying)

Low impact travel (reduce / avoid flying) is one of the twelve EcoTracker Top Actions, and so typically one most impactful things you can do to reduce your environmental impact in terms of CO₂ emissions and ecological footprint and thus help address the Climate and ecological emergency and promote Climate justice. Click or tap here for a page overview and general tips.

See below the Low impact travel (reduce / avoid flying) Sub-Actions. Click or tap the sections further below to reveal a summary of the benefits of low impact travel, future-gazing to help visualise how this would work for you, a thought-provoking video, a step-by-step guide outlining how to achieve this Top Action, expert tips, and useful links and references.

Have you completed this Top Action already? You would need to complete:

all the Halfway (0.5) Sub-Actions to complete half of the Top Action.
all the Halfway (0.5) and Full (1.0) Sub-Actions to fully complete the Top Action.

Low impact travel (reduce / avoid flying) Halfway (0.5) Sub-Actions:

Fly less than 2,000 miles (3,200 km) per year on average (e.g. approximately one return flight across your continent, such as from London to Rome)
Use the same towels and bedding throughout a holiday

Low impact travel (reduce / avoid flying) Full (1.0) Sub-Actions:

Pick eco-friendly holiday locations and accommodation
No flying (until low carbon flight has developed)

Top Tips:

Focus on a small number of actions at a time.
Allocate time for actions in your schedule
Share your “personal eco-progress-story” to help yourself and others
Track your progress to build motivation

Benefits of low impact travel

An increase in flying has helped connect the world in past decades for those that can afford it, but this has come at a high environmental cost. A conventional plane converts fossil fuel to motion, but also generates CO₂and other greenhouse gases as well as air pollutants such as NOx, carbon monoxide, particulate matter and ozone. The climate impact of emitting some of these gases at high altitude is much higher than the impact of the CO₂ emissions alone, as outlined by Carbon Brief. The extraction of fuel also has an environmental impact, whilst the use of fossil fuels can also, in some cases, help to fund wars and social injustices. Furthermore, our flying creates noise pollution which negatively impacts wildlife and also ourselves. Unfortunately, unlike with driving where electric cars are a low emissions alternative, no options for low emissions flying are currently available as we do not have the technology. This leaves our options as reducing flying and avoiding it where possible, which will reduce our environmental impact across all of these categories. Carbon offsetting is recommended if we fly or create other CO₂ emissions, but is not capable of fully addressing our emissions because there is insufficient land in the world to maintain our current approach to living and also to simply offset this by creating more habitats.

Remember during the Covid-19 pandemic when our travel was restricted? One silver lining was that air pollution and noise pollution were much reduced, allowing us to enjoy a relatively pollution free local environment in which we could hear the sounds of wildlife, which flourished.

By reducing our flying and using travel options with lower emissions, we reduce the health impacts on the community, including our self and others, and we reduce our impact on wildlife, allowing it to flourish. By using public transport, we support its development as a low carbon transport option; the more people that use public transport, the more the authorities should invest in improving the service.

Reducing our flying has no upfront cost and will save a lot of money for those simply staying closer to home as well as avoiding those long security queues. Avoiding flying can give us a prompt to explore amazing new areas closer to home that we may not have known existed, and it can also help to boost the local economy. During the Covid-19 pandemic, many people were restricted to holidays in their home country, and discovered places they would not otherwise have visited.

For many short haul flight destinations there are excellent alternatives to flying. By contrast to flying, train travel can be more relaxing and allows us to be close to the scenery as it rolls by. It also allows us greater flexibility, such as the ease of making intermediate stops at interesting places, the ability to keep all of our possessions with us, and increased opportunities for entertaining ourselves.

In Sweden, the flygskam (flight shame) movement, which encourages people to avoid flying, has developed in recent years, as outlined by the Independent.

This not to say we should never fly ever again, but that we should reduce and preferably avoid flying until low emissions flight options are readily available. Travelling to visit foreign cultures can be enriching in many ways, both for ourselves and for the local inhabitants. Many people will need to fly from time to time, for instance, if they are living outside of their homeland and need to visit family.

Wherever we travel to, choosing a low impact or eco-friendly hotel or destination can have massive benefits, both in reducing the environmental impact of our holidays or trips, but also potentially supporting local sustainable economies and wildlife conservation.

Ecotourism is critical to the conservation of some pristine environments e.g. the Galapagos Islands or various rainforests, but also many wilder areas closer to home. Tourism gives local people a sustainable income and a reason to conserve their local environment. Without this, many may turn to farming which would require natural areas to be destroyed: the worst possible outcome for critical natural areas.

By staying in locations that undertake nature conservation, we can connect with nature in some stunning natural environments whilst supporting nature conservation efforts. Connecting with nature improves our health and wellbeing.

Whatever type of accommodation we stay in, it is simple to reduce our impact on local water and energy usage (which may be stressed in holiday destinations), by keeping the same towels and bedding throughout a holiday.

Future-gazing – imagine how your life will improve

For instance try and imagine how you will feel about:

your reduced environmental impact which will help avoid the worst effects of climate change and ecological breakdown within your lifetime, helping to ensure you and others can live a long and full life.
improved long term prospects for your children and future generations, who will have a much greater opportunity to avoid climate change and ecological breakdown during their lives. They will be much safer than in the alternative future of extreme climate change and ecological breakdown and many lives will be saved. Will you be able to look your child in the eye in years to come and say that you have done everything you can to protect their future?
improved opportunities and social justice (climate justice) for those around the world who are currently struggling with the early impacts of climate change and ecological breakdown, with many lives and livelihoods saved.
discovering exciting new places closer to home.
saving a lot of money.
supporting conservation efforts.
supporting the local economy.
having less noise pollution from planes.
avoiding long airport queues and the associated stress.
going on that rare flight abroad, which will be all the more special.
helping to promote public transport, encouraging public authorities to invest in infrastructure and improving these options for all including those who have no other choice.
some of the above may be really life-changing for you.

Watch this video from The Associated Press which follows a family who are avoiding air travel because of its large climate impact.

A step-by-step guide to completing EcoTracker Top Actions, with indicative time listed against each step

These steps are generic because this is your unique personal journey and you will need to explore the details for yourself, using this process and the Expert Tips below as a guide and support.

Build motivation from within to complete this EcoTracker Top Action, assisted by reading the Benefits and Future-gazing to imagine how your life will improve (10 minutes)
Make a personal commitment and share this to social media (5 minutes)
Book a time in your diary for progressing your EcoTracker actions – you may wish to set up a regular slot for taking actions (5 minutes)
Research – read the guidance on this EcoTracker Top Action page such as the Expert Tips and you may wish to visit your community for support (30 minutes +)
Discuss with others in your household and agree broadly what you will do (15-30 minutes)
Get the resources lined up e.g. find what you need online, locate or borrow/rent/buy the materials and tools (2-3 hours)
Make a final decision on exactly what you will do and book in a date (15 minutes)
Complete all Sub-Actions to enable you to complete the Full Top Action (5 + hours)
Visit our Tracker page, and share your progress to social media (5 minutes). You may want to share your progress as you go through the steps for each Sub-Action.
Once you’ve mastered this Top Action, why not also help others in the community complete their’s, with tips and support (1 minute, periodically)

Expert Tips

It is excellent to have a global mindset, to visit new places, cultures and natural environments. However, it is possible to do too much of a good thing and regular flyers will quickly accumulate huge CO₂emissions. Use CarbonFootprint.com to see just how large your flying emissions actually are. Taking a round trip in economy class from London, UK to Melbourne, Australia would generate around 5 tonnes of CO₂per person, around 50% of the average UK resident’s CO₂emissions!

Consider rationing your travel, without rationing your fun! If you are keen for long distance travel, try and take fewer trips but stay for longer and combine conveniently located destinations to reduce the miles flown.

Explore closer to home, ideally somewhere that is accessible by train. There are likely to be many great holiday locations that you can get to on the train in a similar time to flying, if not quicker. See the Walk, cycle, use public transport and reduce driving EcoTracker Top Action.

Are you that person who is always travelling on holiday, but you get back and find yourself stressed and exhausted? Consider not travelling so much. Reduce your distance travelled or time away, and you may find that your stress levels reduce as you have more time to relax at home (and perhaps even more time to focus on completing other EcoTracker Top Actions!). When you do have that holiday it will seem like more of a treat. Try a home holiday and allocate some days to visit local attractions, new walking routes, new restaurants etc – really treat it like a holiday and it will feel like one.

If you are missing your international travel, but live in a multi-cultural country, consider exploring the multi-cultural areas of your local city.

Do monitor the progress with low impact flight (which doesn’t exist for commercial passengers at present). At some point in the future there may be truly low impact electric or biofuel or hydrogen options.

As a minimum, if you are desperate to fly or have to fly, travel in economy class as this takes up less space in the plane and so the emissions from the flight can be shared out between more people, giving you a lower contribution. Avoid taking excessive luggage, as additional weight in the plane increases CO₂ emissions.

Also, choose to pay a bit extra to carbon offset your flight. Carbon offsetting is recommended if we fly or create other CO₂ emissions, but is not capable of fully addressing our emissions because there is insufficient land in the world to maintain our current approach to living and also to simply offset this by creating more habitats. See the Offset page for further details. Flights powered by renewable biofuels are possible, but typically this would utilise land that could be otherwise used to grow food (or create habitats for offsetting), and so currently biofuels tend to put more pressure on the land and therefore the ecosystem, and so may not be truly low impact.

Flying in general should not be overly demonised as there will be many people with highly justified reasons for flying.

If you will be flying a long distance, make the flight count by going to locations that provide local culture and / or wildlife conservation for a unique experience. Ecotourism is critical to the conservation of some pristine environments e.g. the Galapagos Islands or various rainforests or others closer to home, giving local people a sustainable income and a reason to conserve their local environment, without which, many may turn to farming which would degrade and destroy the ecosystems. Arguably, an occasional flight to such places for such purposes may be a worthwhile compromise.

By contrast, if you’re simply looking for a beach holiday, these are generally quite similar around the world, so why not stay more local to home in your country or continent, save money and reduce your environmental impact?

For ecotourism holidays, get inspired and read about what to look out for at Responsible Travel, Curiosity Save Travel, or Green Global Travel.

When booking accommodation or tours pick options that are owned and run by the local community rather than by foreign investors. Also, where possible pick accommodation with sustainable tourism certificates or badges (which are likely to vary between countries), and look into whether they are powered by fossil fuels or have any renewable energy generation on-site. Consider whether they support conservation efforts and how they manage their environmental impacts. If this information is not readily available, ask about it.

If you are looking for a cheap and low impact local holiday option, consider camping.

Take your eco-principles on holiday too. Do your bit to reduce local water and energy usage (which may be stressed in holiday destinations), by keeping the same towels and bedding throughout a holiday. You manage to go through a week like this at home, so why not on holiday as well? Make sure you take your key re-usable items on holiday e.g. cups, bags etc, so that you don’t create more waste than when you’re at home.

Not everyone flies simply for a holiday. If you have chosen to live abroad from family consider whether this is the best choice for you given the distance you’ll need to travel, although you may have little choice about this, for instance, if you have family spread across distant places. Seeing your family may be essential for your wellbeing, so perhaps you could prioritise flying to see family but reduce flights for holidays (or all go on holiday together to a third country). If you are not able to complete this EcoTracker Top Action, it is suggested that you focus more on making as much progress as you can with other EcoTracker Top Actions.

If you fly for business consider whether you could avoid travelling (video conference) or whether you could take a sustainable travel option rather than flying.

Links and References

Carbon Footprint (for calculating detailed flight emissions): https://www.carbonfootprint.com/

Carbon Brief (full climate impact of flying): https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-challenge-tackling-aviations-non-co2-emissions

The Independent (flight shame): https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/flygskam-anti-flying-flight-shaming-sweden-greta-thornberg-environment-air-travel-train-brag-tagskryt-a8945196.html

Eco-tourism:

Responsible Travel: https://www.responsibletravel.com/holidays/responsible-tourism/travel-guide/ecotourism

Curiosity Saves Travel: https://curiositysavestravel.com/benefits-sustainable-ecotourism/

Green Global Travel: https://greenglobaltravel.com/what-is-ecotourism-10-simple-steps-to-more-sustainable-travel/

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Walk, cycle, use public transport and reduce driving

Person walking, to represent walking, cycling, using public transport and reducing driving

Walk, cycle, use public transport and reduce driving is one of the twelve EcoTracker Top Actions, and so typically one most impactful things you can do to reduce your environmental impact in terms of CO₂ emissions and ecological footprint and thus help address the Climate and ecological emergency and promote Climate justice. Click or tap here for a page overview and general tips.

See below the Walk, cycle, use public transport and reduce driving Sub-Actions. Click or tap the sections further below to reveal a summary of the benefits of walking, cycling, using public transport and reducing driving, future-gazing to help visualise how this would work for you, a thought-provoking video, a step-by-step guide outlining how to achieve this Top Action, expert tips, and useful links and references.

Have you completed this Top Action already? You would need to complete:

all the Halfway (0.5) Sub-Actions to complete half of the Top Action.
all the Halfway (0.5) and Full (1.0) Sub-Actions to fully complete the Top Action.

Walk, cycle, use public transport and reduce driving Halfway (0.5) Sub-Actions:

Typically walk if your journey is 1 mile (~1.6 km) or less

Walk, cycle, use public transport and reduce driving Full (1.0) Sub-Actions:

Drive or ride in a car for less than 1,000 miles (~1,600 km) per person in the car per year

AND

Regularly use public transport

AND / OR

Get a bike, learn to cycle and try cycling for journeys below 5 miles (~8 km)

Top Tips:

Focus on a small number of actions at a time.
Allocate time for actions in your schedule
Share your “personal eco-progress-story” to help yourself and others
Track your progress to build motivation

Benefits of walking, cycling, using public transport and reducing driving

Many people make the majority of their travel by cars fuelled by fossil fuels. A typical car’s internal combustion engine converts fossil fuel to motion, but also generates CO₂and other greenhouse gases as well as air pollutants such as NOx and carbon monoxide and particulate matter (particularly PM2.5) which affect human health. The extraction of fuel also has an environmental impact. As we drive all cars (including electric cars), brake dust is created and tyres constantly shed tiny plastic particles which can accumulate in the environment, significantly contributing to air pollution and the problematic increase in microplastics (see the Use eco-friendly products and services (and reduce waste) EcoTracker Top Action). Furthermore, our driving creates noise pollution which negatively impacts wildlife and also ourselves. By reducing our driving where possible and using alternative forms of transport with lower emissions, we reduce our environmental impact across all of these categories.

Our regular use of cars has become a major contributor to the significant air pollution issues in cities and near to major roads, as confirmed by Sustrans. This causes health risks that are increasingly being recognised. A study by Vohra et al (2021), described in the Guardian, attribute a huge 8.7million global excess deaths in 2018 to air pollution from the burning of fossil fuels, one in five of the people who died that year.

By reducing our driving where possible and using alternative forms of transport with lower emissions, we reduce the health impacts on the community, including our self and others, and we reduce our impact on wildlife, allowing it to flourish.

If we walk or cycle rather than taking the car for shorter journeys we can not only avoid the negative impacts described above but we can also improve our health, fitness and wellbeing while also getting to our destination. This can save time overall as less exercise is needed at other times and can even save money on gym fees! In traffic congested areas, a journey by bike is likely to be quicker than by car.

Driving is a relatively expensive mode of transport when factoring in the fuel as well as ongoing costs such as purchasing or renting the car, maintenance, insurance and tax; walking, cycling or using public transport typically saves us a lot of money overall, with little or no upfront cost needed.

Cycling can be a liberating and exhilarating new skill to learn. Walking or cycling also gives us more chance to see the neighbourhood or countryside at a slower pace and really take it in. Go exploring and learn about the local area!

Some public transport services, particularly in cities, are fast and relatively low cost. Unfortunately services are often relatively poor or non-existent in rural areas. By using public transport, we support its development as a low carbon transport option, including for those who can’t use cars; the more people that use public transport, the more the authorities should invest in improving the service.

By walking, cycling or using public transport rather than driving, we also avoid wasting precious time in traffic jams. However, if commuting can be avoided (e.g. by choosing to work from home when possible), we can spend less time in transit and more time doing things we enjoy, and save much money on the commute. Many people have found during the Covid-19 pandemic that video-conferencing can be just as effective for work as being there in person; possibly more effective as the stress of the commute is avoided. For those who work from home it is even more important to progress the Reduce my home energy use, Get renewable electricity, and Get low carbon heating EcoTracker Top Actions, as more time will be spent and more energy will be used at home.

Those who commute by public transport have the opportunity to focus on meaningful things which are not possible when driving, like reading a book.

If those who have to drive by car choose to car share where possible this will make for a more sociable and cost effective journey and will also avoid the additional emissions of multiple people driving separate cars.

Future-gazing – imagine how your life will improve

For instance try and imagine how you will feel about:

your reduced environmental impact which will help avoid the worst effects of climate change, ecological breakdown and air pollution within your lifetime, helping to ensure you and others can live a long and full life.
improved long term prospects for your children and future generations, who will have a much greater opportunity to avoid climate change, ecological breakdown and air pollution during their lives. They will be much safer than in the alternative future of extreme climate change, ecological breakdown and significant air pollution and many lives will be saved. Will you be able to look your child in the eye in years to come and say that you have done everything you can to protect their future?
improved opportunities and social justice (climate justice) for those around the world who are currently struggling with the early impacts of climate change and ecological breakdown, with many lives and livelihoods saved.
having time to focus on the things that truly bring you happiness and joy, such as spending time with your loved ones, rather than a long commute to work.
improving your health, fitness and wellbeing and reducing your stress.
saving money.
being outside in the fresh air more often.
learning to cycle, giving you a new exhilarating hobby.
having more sociable and meaningful journeys.
helping to promote walking, cycling and public transport, encouraging public authorities to invest in infrastructure and improving these options for all including those who have no other choice.
some of the above may be really life-changing for you or others in your local area who will suffer less air pollution.

Watch this video from ebiketips which gives tips for going car-free by using e-bikes. Please note there are alternative approaches to going car-free and other brands/models of available e-bikes including some cheaper options.

A step-by-step guide to completing EcoTracker Top Actions, with indicative time listed against each step

These steps are generic because this is your unique personal journey and you will need to explore the details for yourself, using this process and the Expert Tips below as a guide and support.

Build motivation from within to complete this EcoTracker Top Action, assisted by reading the Benefits and Future-gazing to imagine how your life will improve (10 minutes)
Make a personal commitment and share this to social media (5 minutes)
Book a time in your diary for progressing your EcoTracker actions – you may wish to set up a regular slot for taking actions (5 minutes)
Research – read the guidance on this EcoTracker Top Action page such as the Expert Tips and you may wish to visit your community for support (30 minutes +)
Discuss with others in your household and agree broadly what you will do (15-30 minutes)
Get the resources lined up e.g. find what you need online, locate or borrow/rent/buy the materials and tools (2-3 hours)
Make a final decision on exactly what you will do and book in a date (15 minutes)
Complete all Sub-Actions to enable you to complete the Full Top Action (5 + hours)
Visit our Tracker page, and share your progress to social media (5 minutes). You may want to share your progress as you go through the steps for each Sub-Action.
Once you’ve mastered this Top Action, why not also help others in the community complete their’s, with tips and support (1 minute, periodically)

Expert Tips – Introduction and walking

Don’t blame yourself for your past habits, but choose to focus on what you can improve. Similarly, choose not to blame others in your household or elsewhere for their current or past habits, but to point out to them the damaging impacts of driving and the benefits of walking, cycling and public transport. Encourage and support others to make changes (e.g. by using EcoTracker). You may need to focus on and persist with some of these changes for weeks or months before they become new habits that you don’t need to think about. It can be easier to change our habits during a moment of larger change such as when you move home or get a new job; when you are going through such a period, it is a great time to reset and work on building new habits. See the Approach page for further suggestions on developing habits.

If you want to try a new walking, cycling or public transport journey, a try route search using Google Maps or other map or public transport services, which will usually provide a good initial indicator of some options for each mode of transport. Your local authority or other relevant local organisations are also likely to provide information on the walking and cycling routes in your area. Sustrans has further suggestions on route planning apps to try.

Energy Saving Trust suggests walking and cycling may be quicker than you think: you should be able to walk a mile (1.6km) in around 20 minutes or cycle a mile in 5 minutes. Sustrans suggests that the average commute in the UK is five miles (8km), which can be easily cycled in less than 30 minutes. Public transport may also save you time for some journeys.

By combining your journeys and purposes, e.g. commuting with active travel and / or picking up your shopping on your way back from work, this can save you unnecessary journeys and a lot of time to spend how you want. When walking and cycling considering the weather will make the experience much better; for instance, protect yourselves from the sun and take wet weather clothes unless you’re sure it won’t rain. If you will be out for a few hours remember to take food and drink.

Try alternative walking routes – you may find some much more pleasant than others. The route suggested by Google Maps along the main road may be the fastest, but may also be the least attractive. Go exploring!

For further tips on walking, read articles by Sustrans and try the 20 top tips from Living Streets to get you walking more; some of these are really fun, such as having a walking adventure or taking a romantic promenade!

Consider joining a local walking or ramblers group so that you can get support, meet like-minded people and find some good routes. Organisations such as Walking for Health (England) and Paths for all (Scotland) offer short and easy walks. Walking may be excellent for journeys of up to a few miles (~5km), but for longer distances, you may prefer cycling (see below).

Expert Tips – Cycling and electric bikes

Cycling is not for everyone and is not required in order to complete this Top Action unless you want to, but is well worth considering.

First, you need to get a bike. A wide range of bikes are available from a variety of retailers. A hybrid bike may be a good option if you’re not sure what you prefer, as such options typically offer flexibility for both on and off road use and combine some of the toughness of mountain bikes with the speed of road bikes, whilst offering reasonable comfort and opportunities to carry your possessions. To enable you to go shopping using your bike or transport larger items, consider a bike with pannier bags or a cargo bike approach. If you have small children, there are bike attachments available that allow you to transport your children as well as the shopping. Also, consider getting an electric bike (ebike) which could help you get on your bike with far less effort and help you whiz up those hills (see below).

Make sure you get a bike with the right sized frame for you: get an idea using the general sizing guide from Halfords but bear in mind that new bikes should have their own size guide that should be used. Read further guidance from Sustrans about buying the right bike for you.

In the UK you may be able to get some support towards purchasing your bike through your employer via the Cycle to Work scheme.

Many excellent second hand bikes are available for a good price from retailers, or eBay or Gumtree or you may be able to find a suitable option for free at Freecycle. Some may need a service to get them in good condition and set up the saddle so the bike fits you well, which you could get done at your local bike shop. If you want to try to “Do It Yourself”, there are many bike repair videos available online, for instance on Youtube, which can give you excellent advice.

Depending on where you live there may also be various vouchers available to contribute towards the cost of your bike maintenance.

You will need a secure and accessible place to store your bike; this should be as convenient as possible (ideally more conveniently located than your car parking) to encourage you to use your bike. This must also be secure to avoid bike theft, with a robust metal frame locked into concrete or strong masonry and a high quality lock (such as a “D lock”) used to secure the bike. Ideally the storage space should also be covered to keep your bike dry and in good working order. Consider bespoke cycle storage options such as Protect a Cycle for maximum security. If you don’t have outdoor space for bike storage, internal space-saving options are available such as wall or ceiling hangers. To discourage bike theft, if you will be leaving your bike unattended in a public place or outside the front of your home regularly, consider getting a less expensive bike which would be less likely to be stolen and less costly to replace. Cycle parking and cyclist facilities (such as showers, lockers and clothes drying space) at your workplace make cycle commuting easily manageable if you live within a suitable distance. Consider cycle commuting, and if necessary request that your employer provides the necessary parking and facilities to support you in this. It can help to plan ahead, such as by leaving some items at the workplace (e.g. a secure lock, a towel and a washing kit) so that you avoid regularly carrying more than you need to on your cycle commutes.

Get advice on many cycling topics by reading articles by Cycling UK, or Sustrans.

It is also strongly recommended that you use a cycle helmet and also take a repair kit which could help you fix any issues that develop during travel (watch the video on how to fix a puncture at Cycling UK’s essential riding advice for beginners) and a lock if you will leave your bike unattended in public. You may also want to get some other kit such as high-visibility clothing, which is highly recommended for safety during dark or dingy times. Lights are essential if you will be cycling after dark, and options that can be powered by re-chargeable batteries are recommended. Read about cycling kit hacks for beginners, a guide to cycling in the dark, and a guide to cycling in the rain from Sustrans.

If you are trying cycling for the first time get cycle training e.g. in the UK from Bikeability.

Get cycling safety tips from Cycling UK.

If you are a relative beginner or have recently moved to a new area, try going on a ride with a friend who knows an area. Consider joining a local cycling club or group so that you can get support, meet like-minded people and find some good routes. In the UK, find local social cycling groups at Let’s Ride, including Breeze rides for ladies only.

In the UK there is a National Cycle Network which can help you travel through and between many towns and cities and there are various other local routes available, which you can find by contacting your local authority or community group.

Consider bike insurance, which is offered by organisations such as Cycling UK and British Cycling, and would protect you if something goes wrong.

If you have a long or hilly journey to make that is off-putting for cycling, or if you find cycling challenging, consider getting an electric bike (ebike) which could help you get on your bike with far less effort. They use stored electricity to assist you in turning the peddles, making it much easier, particularly for those tricky uphill stretches. Test or hire an electric bike from a local bike shop to see the benefits they provide. Read Energy Saving Trust’s guide to electric bikes, which outlines considerations including:

electric bikes are likely to be more expensive than standard bikes, ranging from £500 – £3,500, so you may need to save up to get one
the electric battery range is typically 25 miles – 100 miles (40km -160km).
electric bikes are very low cost to run, with a single full charge (which typically takes around 4 hours) costing around 5-10p.

Watch the video above from ebiketips for further content on ebikes.

Expert Tips – Public transport and reducing driving

Public transport is particularly good for travelling within and between cities and larger towns, and longer journeys for which walking or cycling are not possible. Public transport within congested cities and long distance trains may often be quicker than taking the car and in some places much cheaper. Check your routes ahead of travel including the live journey updates that you can find on the websites of many travel providers. Take something to entertain you to make the most of your journey, such as a book. Sit back and relax and let others do the work of managing your transport. If you regularly use public transport, consider getting a season ticket or railcard which can help save money overall.

If you do have to drive by car, for instance, to travel within rural areas, choose to car share where possible and to combine your journeys (e.g. by doing the shopping on the way home from work) in order to significantly reduce the total distance that needs to be driven. This may require planning journeys ahead. Ask whether your workplace has a car sharing list. Consider using car sharing services such as Liftshare for journeys. The RAC reports that the average car travels 7,400miles (~11,840 km) per year. If you are driving such a distance alone, you can halve your miles per person in the car by travelling with another person, which would bring you much closer to the EcoTracker target of 1,000 miles (~1,600km) per year per person in the car. However, the biggest opportunities to reduce car use include walking or cycling where journeys are less than 5 miles (8 km) and using public transport where there are effective links for journeys of any length. The Department for Transport Road Use Statistics Great Britain 2016 confirms that 56% of trips taken by car in 2014 were under 5 miles.

Although many of us are used to the convenience of a car for things like large shopping trips, it is perfectly possible to manage when not having a car; for instance you can of course make smaller purchases at the shop and make bulk orders for delivery, or simply use deliveries all round. Do consider that deliveries have their own impact, so try and choose delivery companies with environmental credentials where possible and consider that walking or cycling to get shopping would be preferable; a cargo bike is very useful. If you don’t have a car, you may need to take a taxi more often if you need to get to less accessible places. Although the individual cost of a taxi ride may seem relatively expensive, once you factor in all the savings from not having a costly car, it will seem much more cost effective.

If you commute or travel for business consider whether you could avoid travelling (video conference) or whether you could take a sustainable travel option rather than the car. Unless you have a clear reason to go into your workplace or you cannot work from home, it is suggested that you continue to regularly work from home. If you do have to have to go into the workplace, try cycle commuting (see the above Expert Tips – Cycling and electric bikes section).

If you have children, help them start good habits for life, like walking or cycling to school. You could start by accompanying them before giving them the independence to make the journey themselves when they are ready; this is so much better in many ways than you adding to the school run congestion and wasting your own time.

Where you live can have a big impact on how easy it is to achieve this Top Action. Typically this is easier if you live in cities, or a well-connected town due to the distances involved and better public transport, walking and cycling infrastructure provided, but the level of infrastructure does vary significantly. If you are not happy with the walking, cycling or public transport infrastructure in your area and this is putting you off, consider sending a letter or email to your local politicians. The more people who raise this as an issue, the more attention it will get. It is likely that more investment will be made in future as governments try to decarbonise the transport system, so do keep up to date with the options available in your local area.

When choosing where to live, do consider the walking, cycling and public transport infrastructure available locally, but also how easy it is to get to the places you need to go, including your workplace, shops, entertainment and also the homes of the family and friends who you will meet. An idyllic rural location may tick many boxes, but could see you spending a lot more time in the car if you don’t also think about where else you will need to travel to and minimise the distances.

Links and References

Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps

Energy Saving Trust: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/active-travel/

Sustrans: https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/get-active/?location=null&theme=null

Vohra et al (2021) (air pollution deaths): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935121000487

The Guardian (air pollution deaths): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/feb/09/fossil-fuels-pollution-deaths-research

Walking:

Walking for Health (England only): https://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/get-walking/walking-works

Paths for All (Scotland only): https://www.pathsforall.org.uk/walking-for-health

Living Streets: https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/workplaces/try20-tips

Cycling:

Cycling UK: https://www.cyclinguk.org/ and https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/campaigns-guide/cycling-tips-24-essential-pieces-riding-advice-beginners and https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/video-guide-five-top-tips-safer-journey

Halfords (bicycle sizing): https://www.halfords.com/bikes/expert-advice/getting-the-right-size-bike.html

Bikeability: https://bikeability.org.uk/

British Cycling (UK only): https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/

National Cycle Network (UK only): https://www.sustrans.org.uk/national-cycle-network

Let’s Ride (UK only): https://www.letsride.co.uk/social and https://www.letsride.co.uk/breeze

Protect a Cycle: https://www.trimetals.co.uk/protect-a-cycle/

Electric bicycles:

Energy Saving Trust: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/electric-bikes-explained/

Public transport:

National Rail (UK only): https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

National Express bus travel (UK only): https://www.nationalexpress.com/en

Car sharing:

Liftshare: https://liftshare.com/uk

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Reduce my home energy use

Reduce my home energy use is one of the twelve EcoTracker Top Actions, and so typically one most impactful things you can do to reduce your environmental impact in terms of CO₂ emissions and ecological footprint and thus help address the Climate and ecological emergency and promote Climate justice. Click or tap here for a page overview and general tips.

See below the Reduce my home energy use Sub-Actions. Click or tap the sections further below to reveal a summary of the benefits of reducing my home energy use, future-gazing to help visualise how this would work for you, a thought-provoking video, a step-by-step guide outlining how to achieve this Top Action, expert tips, and useful links and references.

Have you completed this Top Action already? You would need to complete:

all the Halfway (0.5) Sub-Actions to complete half of the Top Action.
all the Halfway (0.5) and Full (1.0) Sub-Actions to fully complete the Top Action.

Reduce my home energy use Halfway (0.5) Sub-Actions:

Turn down your thermostat, limit your window opening habits during winter and only turn on your heating when it is needed.
Install draught proofing
Have showers rather than baths and minimise your shower time
Turn lights off when you are not in the room
Install LED lighting
Turn electric devices off when not in-use and avoid leaving them on standby
Adopt energy and water saving behaviours

Reduce my home energy use Full (1.0) Sub-Actions:

Install sufficient loft insulation
Install wall insulation
Install double / triple glazed windows
Consider installing floor insulation and do so if feasible
Review your ventilation, consider mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, and improve your ventilation as necessary
Get energy efficient and low carbon (and if applicable water efficient) white goods, cooking facilities and electronic devices
Install water saving equipment including dual flush toilets, low flow shower heads and a water butt

Top Tips:

Focus on a small number of actions at a time.
Allocate time for actions in your schedule
Share your “personal eco-progress-story” to help yourself and others
Track your progress to build motivation

Benefits of reducing your home energy use

Every bit of energy we use has an environmental impact. Reducing our home energy use is the first step on the energy hierarchy – the best energy is the energy not used at all. There are many opportunities for reducing our home energy use, which means there are a wide variety of different sub-actions and approaches that can be taken here, to suit different preferences.

There are many behaviours that can be adopted to reduce our home energy usage, which are very simple and will cost nothing but can save a lot of energy and money. For instance, Energy Saving Trust reported that turning the heating thermostat down by 1°C could save £60 (at 2021 prices) and 0.3 Tonnes of CO₂ each year. Following the 2022 energy crisis and large energy cost inflation, the cost savings due to energy saving measures may now be much higher than reported on this page.

There are other cheap options that save a lot of energy and money but are relatively simple DIY jobs, such as draught proofing, installing LED lights and insulating the loft.

Finally, there are some opportunities, such as insulating walls, that require a larger upfront investment but that will provide big energy and money savings over time.

Some of these sub-actions are also important enablers, for instance, insulating our homes to a reasonable level is strongly recommended to help get the most out of low carbon heating – see the Get low carbon heating EcoTracker Top Action.

Some of the sub-actions allow us to maintain our lifestyles but will cost money, such as insulating our homes or getting energy efficient appliances, although adopting energy efficient behaviour is a quick win that requires no money and so is available to all. All the sub-actions can potentially reduce our bills and save us money in the long run, whilst reducing our reliance on any fossil fuels that supply our heating or electricity. The use of fossil fuels (e.g. for our home energy use) can, in some cases, help to fund wars and social injustices as well as being an underlying cause of the climate and ecological emergency, and so should be minimised or preferably avoided.

By insulating our homes and improving our ventilation we can also improve our health. This will make the temperature of the home more stable and remove internal pollutants and moisture, stopping mould from growing and improving the air quality. By insulating our homes and improving their ventilation, their values may increase, as the benefits are becoming more widely recognised by home-owners and industry. For example, a larger mortgage may be available for a home with energy measures such as insulation installed.

Several of the sub-actions are relatively simple and suitable for DIY installation, although others will require a professional to do it. Those keen to do it themselves can learn new skills and save money on the installation.

Water scarcity is getting worse in many parts of the world, as climate change affects weather patterns and causes more extreme events such as droughts. Human water extraction can cause rivers and lakes to decline, which destroys a critical habitat for wildlife. By adopting water efficient behaviour and installing water saving equipment we can preserve this precious resource for all, take the pressure of the local water supply and allow rivers and lakes to support wildlife. Those who have a water meter can also save money. Our potable water supplies undergo much treatment and require pumping, all of which also requires energy, so by saving water we also save energy.

Future-gazing – imagine how your life will improve

For instance try and imagine how you will feel about:

your reduced environmental impact which will help avoid the worst effects of climate change and ecological breakdown within your lifetime, helping to ensure you and others can live a long and full life.
improved long term prospects for your children and future generations, who will have a much greater opportunity to avoid climate change and ecological breakdown during their lives. They will be much safer than in the alternative future of extreme climate change and ecological breakdown and many lives will be saved. Will you be able to look your child in the eye in years to come and say that you have done everything you can to protect their future?
improved opportunities and social justice (climate justice) for those around the world who are currently struggling with the early impacts of climate change and ecological breakdown, with many lives and livelihoods saved.
having a warmer home with improved air quality, which could improve your health.
saving a lot of money in the short term and even more in the long run.
saving water to avoid contributing to local shortages.
learning useful new skills such as DIY.
some of the above may be really life-changing for you and your overall standard of living.

Watch this video from The Telegraph and Energy Saving Trust which provides five impactful energy saving tips.

A step-by-step guide to completing EcoTracker Top Actions, with indicative time listed against each step

These steps are generic because this is your unique personal journey and you will need to explore the details for yourself, using this process and the Expert Tips below as a guide and support.

Build motivation from within to complete this EcoTracker Top Action, assisted by reading the Benefits and Future-gazing to imagine how your life will improve (10 minutes)
Make a personal commitment and share this to social media (5 minutes)
Book a time in your diary for progressing your EcoTracker actions – you may wish to set up a regular slot for taking actions (5 minutes)
Research – read the guidance on this EcoTracker Top Action page such as the Expert Tips and you may wish to visit your community for support (30 minutes +)
Discuss with others in your household and agree broadly what you will do (15-30 minutes)
Get the resources lined up e.g. find what you need online, locate or borrow/rent/buy the materials and tools (2-3 hours)
Make a final decision on exactly what you will do and book in a date (15 minutes)
Complete all Sub-Actions to enable you to complete the Full Top Action (5 + hours)
Visit our Tracker page, and share your progress to social media (5 minutes). You may want to share your progress as you go through the steps for each Sub-Action.
Once you’ve mastered this Top Action, why not also help others in the community complete their’s, with tips and support (1 minute, periodically)

Expert Tips – Introduction

Start off by considering the Halfway sub-actions that will cost nothing or little but will save energy and money – these are quick wins. Make savings and reinvest these in the more expensive items. Or if you already have the money available, do progress the more expensive items as early as possible.

If you want to “Do It Yourself”, there are many DIY videos available online, for instance on Youtube, which can give you excellent advice.

Some heating related items are part of the Get low carbon heating EcoTracker Top Action.

For inspiration, watch videos with energy saving tips published by the Telegraph featuring the Energy Saving Trust (on this page, see above) and B & Q.

When progressing the more expensive items such as home insulation, first decide on what needs to be done and the order of priority. You’ll need to ensure that you have sufficient money available to invest in the insulation and other home energy saving measures. By combining some jobs together, the cost and any disruption can be minimised.

If you are renting your property, encourage your landlord to consider installing insulation and other energy saving measures. If you’re living in a flat, you might consider grouping together with other residents to encourage your freeholder to install insulation and/or provide funding towards it.

Find out if you can get access to a thermal imaging camera and use it. This is fun and informative, and will be able to highlight areas that need attention, both for draught proofing and for insulation (see below). Check whether there are any community initiatives that could provide access to a camera, or phone attachments are available that can do a reasonable job.

Expert Tips – Quick wins – energy and water saving behaviours

Everyone has a different perception of comfort so turning down the thermostat will mean different things for different people. Have a discussion with your household about this, and compromise where necessary. Your preference may be affected by your age and level of activity and how draughty your home is. Choose to wear warmer clothes indoors during winter, which should enable you to set your thermostat lower and use less heating. NHS recommends that the internal temperature is at least 18°C if you’re not very mobile, are 65 or over, or have a health condition, but those not in this category could go lower if they wish. Aim for the lowest temperature at which you are still comfortable, but do be aware that at lower temperatures the relative humidity will increase.

Choose to limit window opening during winter to short times when necessary (e.g. after showering or when cooking), but do ensure your home gets reasonable ventilation to remove humidity and odours.

Control your heating, ideally by using a programmer, so that it is only on when you need it. Energy Saving Trust suggests you can save £70 (at 2021 prices) and 0.3 Tonnes of CO₂ each year by installing and correctly using a programmer, room thermostat and thermostatic radiator valves. See the Get low carbon heating EcoTracker Top Action for further information on installing heating controls. Choosing to get into the habit of turning your heating off when there is no-one in your home for an extended period will save a lot of wasted energy. Most people will not need to keep the heating on overnight; consider getting a warmer duvet if you feel that you need to. Note that for some low carbon heating systems you may need to keep the heating on for longer periods than you are used to with gas boilers so that they can work efficiently and effectively.

Reduce your hot water usage by choosing to have showers rather than baths, and minimising your shower time. By reducing your shower time as far as you can whilst being comfortable and getting the job done, you can save both water and also the energy needed to heat the water. Consider turning the shower off while you apply shampoo or shower gel. Waterwise suggest using a shower timer or playing a short song so you can keep to the optimum shower time of 4 minutes. Also, if you usually have a very hot shower, consider whether you could reduce its temperature. For some people, a bath or longer shower is more than just a time for washing and may be an important part of mentally preparing for the day or de-stressing; if your bath or longer shower is particularly important to you it is even more important that you complete other actions such as the Get low carbon heating EcoTracker Top Action, fitting a low flow shower head and fitting other water saving measures (see below Expert tips – installing equipment that saves water and energy).

A small but effective tip for saving hot water is to only use the hot tap when it is really needed and also effective. Quite often out of habit we might use the hot tap to wash our hands, but by the time it has heated up we have finished; by simply using the cold tap, we get essentially the same experience but don’t waste hot water.

If you use less hot water, make sure you also check and consider updating your hot water control setting. You may be able to reduce the amount of hot water generated by reducing the length of time it is set to come on; this may take some trial and error.

Behaviours that save water and energy include:

Make sure you fully turn taps off when not in use and fix leaks.
If you have a dual flush toilet, use the small flush unless the larger flush is needed.
Use a washing up bowl when washing up and capture the water for later use (e.g. in the garden) as you wait for the hot tap to warm up.
Only fill your kettle or cooking pots and pans with the amount of water you need.
When cooking using pots and pans, use lids and you can turn down the hob heat.
If you have a dishwasher, fully load it and use an eco mode to save water compared to washing up by hand.
Run your washing machine with full loads and limit the temperature to 30°C for most washes. Also consider whether you actually need to wash all of your clothes as regularly as you do and wash them less where possible. Airing clothes can be effective at freshening them up.
Don’t water your lawn.
Use mulch or bark on the soil around your plants to retain soil moisture so the plants require less watering.
When buying plants for your garden, consider drought tolerant species, whilst also considering the aims of the Rewilding Top Action.
See further guidance and tips from Energy Saving Trust and Waterwise.

Energy saving behaviours include turning electrical devices and lights off when not in use. It is easiest to do so at the time e.g. when you stop using the device or leave a room. Standby modes still use electricity to keep devices running at low levels. Many people have multiple devices always on standby which add up to a big opportunity for saving electricity and reducing your environmental impact and energy bill. Where you have devices clustered together such as connected to a TV, consider getting a multi-socket system with a single switch that allows you to easily turn everything off at once. It is recommended that you try to adopt other energy saving behaviours including:

Don’t turn on more lights in a room than you need.
Dry your clothes outside on a line rather than using a tumble dryer
Use the microwave rather than the oven if you can.
Cook larger batches, such as by cooking for all of the household at once and / or making multiple meals that can be quickly reheated in the microwave another day.
Try turning off your oven or hob a minute or two before your food is fully cooked as these take a while to cool. This will be particularly effective with ovens and electric hobs.
Let your food cool first before putting it in the fridge or freezer.
Defrost your fridge and freezer when needed.
See further guidance and tips from Energy Saving Trust.

The items above are all about developing energy efficient habits. You may need to focus on and persist with these for weeks or months before they become new habits that you don’t need to think about. Don’t blame yourself for your past habits, but choose to focus on what you can improve. Similarly, choose not to blame others in your household or elsewhere for their current or past habits, but to point out to them the damaging impact of energy wasting and encourage and support them to make changes (e.g. by using EcoTracker). It can be easier to change our habits during a moment of larger change such as when you move home; when you are going through such a period, it is a great time to reset and work on building energy efficiency habits. See the Approach page for further suggestions on developing habits.

If you struggle with some of these behaviours there may be smart solutions you can find e.g. to get a single switch installed at home that turns off all of your sockets and lights or a shower timer.

Expert Tips – Quick wins – draught proofing and LED lights

Draught proofing is a simple and cheap DIY job, which most people will be able to complete themselves although professionals also offer this service. It reduces air leakage from gaps and cracks in the home and so reduces heat loss. Solutions for different issues include draught excluders or brush strips under doors; flexible sealant to fill gaps; foam strips around doors, windows and loft hatches; and specialist products e.g. draught proof letterboxes and cat-flaps or chimney balloons for unused chimneys. By doing it yourself, you can save money and improve your financial payback, although this is not for everyone. The first step is to identify thermal weaknesses and plan to address these. Some of issues will be quite obvious e.g. or poorly sealed window or door or gaps where pipes or wires pass through your wall or ceiling. See if you can get access to a thermal imaging camera and use it (see above in the introduction). This is fun and informative, and will be able to highlight areas that need attention, both for draught proofing and for insulation (see below).

LED lights are many times more efficient than incandescent or halogen lighting and so very quick to pay back environmentally and financially, with Energy Saving Trust reporting energy bill savings of £2-£7 per year per bulb (at 2021 prices) from making the switch. Incandescent or halogen lighting should be replaced as soon as possible rather than waiting until the bulb fails. Also consider replacing fluorescent lighting, which are likely to be 2-3 times less efficient than the best LED lighting. Always buy LED bulbs when you need to replace a bulb.

If you are renting your property, encourage your landlord to consider installing these low cost measures, or if they decline you could offer to pay for them and you are likely to get your money back very quickly through savings on your energy bill.

Expert Tips – Installing home insulation

First decide on what needs to be done and the order of priority – see below for the opportunities and constraints for each type of home insulation.

See if you can get access to use a thermal imaging camera and use it (see above in the introduction). This is fun and informative, and will be able to highlight areas that need attention, both for insulation and for draught proofing (see above).

Start by finding some reputable installers and doing some research. In the UK look for Trustmark Registered installers via Simple Energy Advice, and read the guidance from the Energy Saving Trust to inform yourself with further details. Also find out if you have a bulk purchase scheme in your area, which organises bulk purchase and installation of insulation for a discounted price.

You’ll need to ensure that you have sufficient money available to invest in the insulation. Energy Saving Trust suggests that typical costs (at 2021 prices), which vary depending on the size and construction of the homes, are around:

Loft insulation (to 270mm of mineral wool) – £285- £395
Cavity wall insulation – £345 – £610
External insulation (solid wall) – £10,000
Internal insulation (solid wall) – £8,200
Double glazing – £4,250 (triple glazing is more expensive but thermally and acoustically better)
Floor insulation – £520 – £1,300

Energy Saving Trust also provides an indication of the running cost savings that you can make, which varies between homes.

If you don’t currently have the money available consider whether there are any grants available, some of which may be funded through your local authority. Also consider whether you could get cheap finance, e.g. by remortgaging your home. If so, do make sure the heating bill savings would cover the ongoing cost of repaying your loan, or where relevant you might decide you are happy with the idea of paying a bit more for a more efficient home. Alternatively, if you’re struggling to find the money, you could focus on other EcoTracker Top Actions which save money and make savings over some years until you can afford to get insulation or other energy saving measures installed – you can find these on the Actions page by filtering the Top Actions accordingly.

It is typically more cost effective to combine jobs at the same time, but if you don’t have the money available for this do consider doing the work room by room or element by element. Getting as much done as possible within your constraints is likely to be better for the environment than waiting for the perfect opportunity to do everything at once (which may never happen).

If you are very keen and ambitious consider targeting the Passivhaus EnerPHit standard, which is the ‘gold standard’ for low energy home retrofit.

Decide which types of insulation or energy saving measures you would ideally like before discussing this with installers, or ask for their suggestions. Loft insulation is typically the simplest type of insulation to install and is relatively DIY friendly so you may wish to install loft insulation yourself.

Contact a number of installers, some of which will specialise in one kind of insulation installation, discuss your requirements and get quotes from the installers. They may need to visit your home to assess what is required. Then decide what is right for you. Check that the work will be guaranteed for 25 years by CIGA, or a similar insurance-backed guarantee.

When insulating your home, flexible insulation products are recommended where possible rather than rigid foam boards. Although foam boards may provide a higher level of insulation for the same thickness, it is challenging to get them to line up tightly, particularly in hard to reach areas where they might need to be cut to shape; a significant amount of heat can escape through any gaps. The plastic dust that is created by cutting rigid boards is also a potential environmental pollutant if it is not contained.

Mineral wool is a typical choice for many scenarios, cellulose is worth considering, and rigid foam boards may be necessary where space is a premium or in a floor construction. Natural insulation such as sheep wool or timber fibreboard are likely to be lower environmental impact to manufacture and are also worth considering and using where possible. Insulated plaster is another option, particularly for older buildings that are challenging to insulate.

Homes built in the UK in the last 20 or so years are likely to have a reasonable amount of insulation already, but do investigate and consider whether additional insulation would be beneficial as there may still be much scope for improvement. If you have an older home it is much less likely that there will be sufficient insulation in place.

It is essential that any problems with damp to the elements in your home should be resolved before you insulate them; insulation typically blocks the flow of water and the ability of air to dry damp areas, while the water can reduce the performance of insulation.

Get an idea of how much insulation you will need to add to your home walls, roof and floor to achieve a high performance standard. The heat loss rate of elements is represented by the “U-value” of the construction; where possible performance of 0.15 W/m²K or less recommended to match a high performance new-build standard, which would require about 200mm – 250mm of mineral wool or 110mm – 140mm of rigid polyurethane (PUR) foam board. It may be possible to get down to U-values of 0.1 W/m²K or lower i.e. 1.5 x better, but there is a law of diminishing returns with insulation around this level in which each extra thickness of insulation added makes less difference to the heat loss. Such figures may be only achievable if you undertake a major refurbishment of your home. For walls, if you only have cavity wall insulation fitted, the U-value is likely to be much worse than 0.15 W/m²K due to the limited space available for insulation in the wall cavity. If you can’t add sufficient insulation to achieve U-values of 0.15 W/m²K due to constraints, add as much insulation as you can.

Loft insulation should typically be considered first as it has the best energy and financial payback when installed horizontally by laying insulation between and over the timber joists; this is especially true if you don’t already have any loft insulation, and it should be topped-up to at least 270mm. If you wish to retain storage space in the loft, use loft legs and plywood boarding to create a raised deck above the insulation for storage space. Lofts need to be suitably ventilated to preserve the timber construction and this is commonly done at the eaves. Although it is ideal to create as much continuity between roof and wall insulation, make sure insulation does not block your roof ventilation; it is worth considering adding additional roof ventilation when adding insulation. Also make sure your loft hatch is insulated so that heat doesn’t escape through this common weak point. It is more expensive to insulate at the sloping rafters and this is not recommended except for relevant sloping areas if you are having a loft conversion to create additional living space. For any hard to reach areas, consider getting a professional to install blown insulation. If you have a flat roof it is best to insulate this from above and fit a new weatherproof layer above this, but insulation can also be added to the ceiling below.

Cavity Wall insulation is generally suitable if you have a wall cavity, although may not be advisable in areas that experience a lot of driving rain, and may not be available to those in older properties e.g. pre-1920s. Use the guidance from Energy Saving Trust to identify whether you have a cavity wall. Cavity wall insulation is usually added by injecting insulation through holes made between bricks – if you move into a new home and are not sure if you have cavity wall insulation you may be able to spot where regular holes were made and filled with new mortar.

If you have solid walls you will need to use external or internal wall insulation, although even if you have cavity wall insulation, it is also worth considering whether to install external wall insulation to bring your heat loss right down. External wall insulation can wrap your home and also eliminate many of the thermal bridges that are challenging to avoid in older homes. It also gives your home a fresh new external finish that is typically done with render. Internal wall insulation is much more disruptive as it involves sacrificing a small amount of internal space to fit rigid insulation boards or a timber stud wall filled with insulation and then redecorating with a new finish, but it may be the only option available in some situations e.g. where a home has heritage value. It may be best to do this when you are planning to redecorate anyway, for instance when you are fitting a new kitchen.

When installing insulation, membranes or vapour barriers are often beneficial to reduce air movement and control moisture movement; these may be necessary, as the added insulation can change the moisture balance within the building elements and cause long-term damage, particularly for older properties with solid walls which were designed to permit moisture movement. Either the insulation selected will need to permit moisture movement or a vapour barrier will be needed to ensure moisture cannot enter the wall from the inside; the advice of a suitably experienced professional should be followed.

Whether or not you have wall insulation, adding radiator foil behind radiators on external walls will reflect more heat into the room and allow less to escape through the wall. This is cheap and easy to install yourself. When redecorating – and particularly for areas that are challenging to insulate – consider using thermal wallpaper; this will provide some benefit, although the benefit would be insignificant compared to cavity, external or internal wall insulation which has far thicker insulation layers.

If you only have single glazing it is essential to replace this with double or even better triple glazing. The seals of older double glazing will gradually degrade; check with installers where this may also need replacing. It is recommended that you go for solar glazing with low emissivity (low-e) and a relatively low g-value (<0.5), so that you minimise the risk of summer overheating (see the Get low carbon heating EcoTracker Top Action for other passive cooling measures). Ask your installer about the “U-value” of the glazing unit (including for the glass and frame), which represents the heat loss; performance of 1.2W/m²K or less is recommended, with the best coming in around 0.8W/m²K i.e. 1.5 x better. In the UK, the BFRC runs an energy rating scheme, with A++ being best rated for thermal performance. As well as significantly reducing your home heat loss, replacing your glazing, particularly with triple glazing, will also reduce the noise that you hear from outside. Hardwood timber glazing is more expensive that typical U-PVC plastic glazing, but sustainably sourced timber is a recommended material; it has a lower environmental cost of manufacture than other options and when timber is used as a building material it stores the CO₂ taken in when the tree was growing. Composite options are available. If your home has heritage value (e.g. is a listed building) you may need to obtain consent to change your windows, and secondary glazing (an extra layer added internally) is an option to consider. The use of heavy thermal curtains, closed overnight, will also help, particularly for less insulated and more draughty properties. Ensure that your curtains do not cover your radiators and shorten them if they do.

If you have a conservatory, it is highly recommended that you choose to install a high performance glazed door between the conservatory and your main home, as the windows that make up a conservatory will naturally lose much more heat during winter than the walls of your home, making it much colder, and the conservatory is likely to overheat during sunny days during summer. Having the glazed door as an effective thermal barrier will keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. However, during sunny cool periods in the spring and autumn your conservatory can capture much heat from the sun and reduce the amount of heating you need in the house, so it is well worth opening the glazed door during such times. It is not recommended to heat conservatories.

Floor insulation can be challenging to install if not already installed under the floor structure. Rigid insulation board and a suitable deck can be laid on top of any existing floor, but this will mean that doors have to be undercut and kitchen cupboards and work surfaces may need to be raised to accommodate white goods. If this is not feasible, putting down a thick carpet or wood rather than tiled flooring, with an insulating underlay such as timber fibreboard, can help stabilise the room temperature and take the chill away from your feet; this can make you feel much warmer whilst saving some energy and may even enable you to turn down the thermostat. If you have a cellar, you may be able to insulate the underside of its ceiling. If you have a timber ground floor, the floor boards can be raised and insulation and draught proofing added, which is highly recommended. There are also innovative options such as Q-Bot emerging that claim to be able to install insulation under timber ground floors with far less disruption. You should also insulate the floors of any heated spaces that are above unheated spaces such as garages; insulation could be added to the garage ceiling. For a natural rigid insulation board option, consider timber fibreboard, although this is not as thermally effective as rigid foam boards such as polyurethane (PUR).

When adding insulation, do consider the junctions between the elements and seek to maintain continuity of insulation wherever possible, including in more challenging locations such as around window reveals, between the main wall insulation and the glazing. Consider any elements that can be improved, including the party wall.

For similar reasons, it is essential to maintain and ideally improve internal ventilation to your home, so that excessive internal moisture build up is avoided. Air bricks, wall vents and trickle vents should be left as they are, unless you are installing an alternative ventilation strategy and an appropriate professional advises you can block these up. When considering ventilation, make the most of passive opportunities such as opening windows as outlined in the Get low carbon heating Top Action but do not do this excessively during winter. Ensure that your home can be securely ventilated during the day or at night, ideally to create a cross flow between windows on opposite sides of the property. If you are undertaking a large scale renovation consider centralised Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR), which is likely to be disruptive to install, requiring space for a central unit within the heated area of the home, and some ducts around the home to accommodate, box in and decorate. MVHR is particularly effective for reducing heat loss and providing good consistent air quality in well-insulated and air tight homes, and it is necessary in the most air tight homes. This will be challenging to accommodate and less effective in many homes, which may benefit from other kinds of mechanical ventilation, such as extract fans to wet rooms or other localised heat recovery ventilation approaches.

When your home insulation is installed, sit back and relax, and enjoy your reduced bills!

Expert Tips – Energy efficient white goods, cooking facilities and electronic equipment

White goods such as fridges, freezers, washing machines, and dishwashers use a lot of energy and getting energy efficient products can significantly reduce the energy used, environmental impact and running costs. Check the energy label and choose to buy the most efficient products of the type and size your need where you are replacing your white goods. In the UK read about the current A to G rating system at Label 2020, although your old appliance may have been assessed against the EU energy labelling scheme system from A+++ to G which still operates across the rest of the EU. The ratings are relative to size, so a smaller unit with a lower rating may actually use less energy than a large unit with a higher rating; avoid buying a bigger unit than you need simply because it has a higher rating. For washing machines and dishwashers also check that they are water efficient; relevant figures are available on the energy label.

Consider the size, energy efficiency and energy source of cooking facilities such as ovens, hobs and microwaves, and choose options that have a low carbon energy source, are energy efficient and are appropriately sized for your needs.

In the UK, electric cooking facilities can be considered low carbon; there will be some CO₂ emissions due to the use of grid electricity but no pollution or emissions are produced directly by electrically powered equipment and the CO₂ emissions will reduce as the national grid decarbonises (as more renewable energy generation is added to it). Consider electric induction hobs and pans. Sustainably sourced biomass is also low carbon but bear in mind it produces air pollution, so it may not be appropriate, particularly in urban areas. Avoid fossil fuel-based cooking facilities, particularly those fuelled by coal or charcoal but also those fuelled by gas. This does not necessarily mean never having a barbeque again, but do consider reducing how often you do this and using the lowest carbon fuel available. Elsewhere in the world, the best low carbon cooking energy sources may vary.

Choose cooking facilities that are energy efficient, by comparing models, if product labelling is available. Also choose options that are not overly large for what you need but offer the range of flexibility that you need. For instance avoid getting a large oven if you will only ever use a single thin shelf to heat food. The full volume of air in the oven needs to be heated each time you use it and it will take more energy to heat the extra air in a larger oven. Therefore, a smaller oven may meet your needs whilst saving energy. If you need flexibility, choose cooking facilities which offer flexibility. For instance, choose a two part oven, with one large and one small oven compartment, or choose a range of hobs which include a small hob.

Choose to get a microwave and use it when appropriate; using a microwave is typically much more energy efficient than cooking with an oven.

Also consider the energy efficiency of your electronic equipment, such as TVs and computers, and choose efficient products using the energy labels. Modern LED TVs are relatively efficient compared to older TVs including cathode ray tube and plasma models. Larger TVs consume much more energy than smaller TVs, so go for the smallest one that you are happy with. Laptops are typically much more energy efficient than desktop computers.

Also, consider the high environmental cost of manufacture of new white goods and electric equipment, so you should not keep regularly upgrading these as more efficient units come out. If you have equipment from the last 5-10 years, it should not be necessary to upgrade them for a new model unless they break, however, older models are likely to be significantly less energy efficient as there has been much progress made with energy efficiency in the last decade.

If you have old white goods or electronic equipment you don’t need, consider selling them via a car boot sale or eBay or Gumtree , donate them to a charity shop, or give them away via Freecycle. See the Buy fewer products (re-use and repair) EcoTracker Top Action. Someone else may be able to use your old equipment and they may not need to buy a new product as a result. If you have already tried the alternative options, dispose of them responsibly at your local waste facility or your council may be able to pick them up for you.

When your energy efficient equipment is installed, sit back and relax, and enjoy your reduced bills!

Expert Tips – Installing equipment that saves water and energy

Typically, the most impactful water (and energy) saving equipment you can install is dual flush toilets and low flow shower heads. If you currently have a single flush toilet, you may be able to get a specialist retrofit dual flush siphon fitted which should cost much less than a new toilet. If the flush is larger than you need, also consider a cistern displacement device which will stop your cistern from filling up to the full level.

Other water saving equipment should be considered including low flow taps.

It is also critical to fix any leaks e.g. to taps and also to toilets. Your water company may be able to assist with this.

By fitting aerating shower heads and taps, air is added to the water which disperses into smaller droplets, which reduces the amount of water used to achieve a similar feeling of water flow. You may be able to fit flow restrictors and aerators to your existing taps rather than replacing the whole unit.

Water butts are an effective way of reducing the need to use tap water for outside water uses, such as watering the garden and washing the car. Much energy is used for treating and transporting tap water, and by storing rainwater run-off from the roof for use, you avoid needing to use tap water for purposes that don’t need it. You will be able to water the garden guilt free during dry periods. If you have a water meter, this can also save you a lot of money.

Fitting dual flush WCs or retrofit dual flush siphons, and potentially fitting a low flow tap is likely to need a professional installer, but installing all the other equipment should be a relatively simple DIY job.

For those who really want to do everything they can and who have the money available, there are further advanced energy and water efficiency technologies to consider including Waste Water Heat Recovery and rainwater recycling. Waste Water Heat Recovery recycles heat from the water that goes down the shower to pre-heat the heat supply, while rainwater recycling collects the water from the showers and taps for re-use, typically in flushing toilets. The water and heat recovered reduces the total amount of heat and water required.

When your water and energy saving equipment is installed, sit back and relax, and enjoy your reduced bills!

Links and References

Energy Saving Trust: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/energy-at-home/ and https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/hub/quick-tips-to-save-energy/ and https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/advice/saving-water-at-home/ and https://energysavingtrust.org.uk/energy-at-home/buying-energy-efficient-products/

Passivhaus EnerPHit (ambitious whole house retrofit standard): https://www.passivhaustrust.org.uk/what_is_passivhaus.php

Waterwise: https://www.waterwise.org.uk/save-water/

NHS (internal temperature and health): https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/keep-warm-keep-well/

Telegraph featuring the Energy Saving Trust (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0pybMoCnhU

B & Q (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhWLZgEHNKg

Simple Energy Advice: https://www.simpleenergyadvice.org.uk/

Q-bot (insulation for timber ground floor): https://q-bot.co/

Label 2020: https://energylabel.org.uk/the-new-label/

EU energy labelling scheme: https://ec.europa.eu/info/energy-climate-change-environment/standards-tools-and-labels/products-labelling-rules-and-requirements/energy-label-and-ecodesign/energy-efficient-products_en

Improve health Minimal £ spend New skill Save £ from minimal spend Save water

Buy fewer products (re-use and repair)

Buy fewer products (re-use and repair) is one of the twelve EcoTracker Top Actions, and so typically one of the most impactful things you can do to reduce your environmental impact in terms of CO₂ emissions and ecological footprint and thus help address the Climate and ecological emergency and promote Climate justice. Click or tap here for a page overview and general tips.

See below the Buy fewer products (re-use and repair) Sub-Actions. Click or tap the sections further below to reveal a summary of the benefits of buying fewer products, future-gazing to help visualise how this would work for you, thought-provoking videos, a step-by-step guide outlining how to achieve this Top Action, expert tips, and useful links and references.

Have you completed this Top Action already? You would need to complete:

all the Halfway (0.5) Sub-Actions to complete half of the Top Action.
all the Halfway (0.5) and Full (1.0) Sub-Actions to fully complete the Top Action.

Buy fewer products Halfway (0.5) Sub-Actions:

Halve your spending on new clothes
Halve your spending on new electricals
Halve your spending on new furniture and fittings
Do you really need that second car?

Buy fewer products Full (1.0) Sub-Actions:

Buy new products only when essential. Buy second hand or borrow or rent if possible
Re-use, repair and up-cycle your possessions and sell or donate those you don’t need

Top Tips:

Focus on a small number of actions at a time.
Allocate time for actions in your schedule
Share your “personal eco-progress-story” to help yourself and others
Track your progress to build motivation

Benefits of buying fewer products

This Top Action is all about living a leaner lifestyle in which we can cast aside some of those possessions and expectations that don’t really matter, embrace “sufficiency” and focus on the things that truly bring us happiness and joy. It doesn’t cost you any money to take this approach and complete this Top Action but it can save you a lot of money!

The consumer lifestyle does not bring us any lasting happiness as outlined on Psychology Today, and managing our many possessions can actually get very stressful. Our possessions take up space and we have to find time to clean and maintain them.

Our consumer habits for regularly buying new things we don’t need have a large environmental impact, for instance, requiring much land and water and generating pollution. If we decide what we truly get pleasure from, focus on those things and cut back the rest to what is necessary, we can both save money and improve our happiness and wellbeing.

Many of us have too many possessions that we don’t use, which could be cleared out, sold or donated – it feels good to know the unused possessions will have another life and be useful to someone, and we may make some money too!

The bigger the item that is unused or underused, the more you have to gain by selling it. Many families have multiple cars which relatively rarely all get used at the same time; they have a large ongoing cost and possibly a significant sales value. By selling surplus cars, there is a huge amount of money to be saved as well as reduced environmental impact.

When considering buying something new, why not buy it second hand or borrow or rent it instead, avoiding the need to buy new products with all of that embedded environmental and monetary cost.

By learning to repair our possessions we can learn a useful new skill such as sewing or woodwork or electronics. By getting creative we can even “up-cycle” our old possessions into something unique and attractive.

Future-gazing – imagine how your life will improve

For instance try and imagine how you will feel about:

your reduced environmental impact which will help avoid the worst effects of climate change and ecological breakdown within your lifetime, helping to ensure you and others can live a long and full life.
improved long term prospects for your children and future generations, who will have a much greater opportunity to avoid climate change and ecological breakdown during their lives. They will be much safer than in the alternative future of extreme climate change and ecological breakdown and many lives will be saved. Will you be able to look your child in the eye in years to come and say that you have done everything you can to protect their future?
improved opportunities and social justice (climate justice) for those around the world who are currently struggling with the early impacts of climate change and ecological breakdown, with many lives and livelihoods saved.
being able to focus on the things that truly bring you happiness and joy, such as spending time with your loved ones, rather than on collecting and managing your many possessions.
having a less cluttered home.
having only the possessions that matter to you.
saving a lot of money.
learning useful new skills.
by upcycling older possessions or buying second hand, you can gain some really high quality and unique possessions and add your personal touch.
by renting possessions you rarely use, you will not have to store or maintain them. When you need to rent them you can get the most up to date model and one that meets your exact needs at the time.
some of the above may be really life-changing for you and your overall standard of living.

Watch the videos below from BBC on sustainable fashion and from The Restart Project on how they help people to learn to repair their broken equipment.

A step-by-step guide to completing EcoTracker Top Actions, with indicative time listed against each step

These steps are generic because this is your unique personal journey and you will need to explore the details for yourself, using this process and the Expert Tips below as a guide and support.

Build motivation from within to complete this EcoTracker Top Action, assisted by reading the Benefits and Future-gazing to imagine how your life will improve (10 minutes)
Make a personal commitment and share this to social media (5 minutes)
Book a time in your diary for progressing your EcoTracker actions – you may wish to set up a regular slot for taking actions (5 minutes)
Research – read the guidance on this EcoTracker Top Action page such as the Expert Tips and you may wish to visit your community for support (30 minutes +)
Discuss with others in your household and agree broadly what you will do (15-30 minutes)
Get the resources lined up e.g. find what you need online, locate or borrow/rent/buy the materials and tools (2-3 hours)
Make a final decision on exactly what you will do and book in a date (15 minutes)
Complete all Sub-Actions to enable you to complete the Full Top Action (5 + hours)
Visit our Tracker page, and share your progress to social media (5 minutes). You may want to share your progress as you go through the steps for each Sub-Action.
Once you’ve mastered this Top Action, why not also help others in the community complete their’s, with tips and support (1 minute, periodically)

Expert Tips

Don’t blame yourself for your past habits, but choose to focus on what you can improve. Similarly, choose not to blame others in your household or elsewhere for their current or past habits, but to point out to them the damaging impacts of unnecessary purchases and the benefits of buying less. Encourage and support others to make changes (e.g. by using EcoTracker). You may need to focus on and persist with some of these changes for weeks or months before they become new habits that you don’t need to think about. See the Approach page for further suggestions on developing habits.

We live in a throwaway society, where product manufacturers make cheap new disposable products for short-term use by people. This has unfortunately become the expectation for how we live. It may help to try and develop a mindset in which you take responsibility for your purchases and your possessions and try to do your best to make sure the products you buy are needed and robust, and that the possessions that you no longer want are maintained and passed on to someone else. Even if your products and possessions no longer have value for you, consider the energy that has gone into producing them and the environmental impact caused; you could consider yourself to be their steward, making sure they retain their value and get to the next suitable place on their journey, in line with the waste hierarchy as illustrated by DEFRA:

Try embracing the idea of “sufficiency” in which you decide on which possessions, materials and activities you really need to live a good and happy life and focus on these whilst avoiding buying those things that are unnecessary.

The first step to halving your spend on new products is to work out how much you buy. Try tracking your purchases over a typical period or look at your bank statement. Identify which purchases were important for you to live a sufficient and happy life and which were unnecessary or impulse buys. Try and fight any urges to make impulse buys and give yourself time to think whether these are really necessary. You may already have reduced your spend in the past or may never been a big spender; if you are struggling to halve your spend for these reasons, move onto focusing on the other sub-actions. It is also important to consider how much we have stored at home and how much we need.

If you have too many possessions that you don’t use, choose to have a clear out and sell them via a car boot sale or eBay or Gumtree, donate them to a charity shop, or give them away via Freecycle. Someone else may be able to use them and they may not need to buy a new product as a result. Only put them in your rubbish or take them to the local waste facility after you have already tried the alternative options. Moving house is a good time to review your possessions and a good time to build new habits.

The EU and UK has brought in a legal right to repair various home electrical items, which, as described by the BBC, requires manufacturers to make spare parts available to consumers for at least 10 years. However, according to Which?, there is still room for improvement, such as expanding the law to cover more equipment and a longer time period.

This is part of a drive in some parts of the world to promote a ‘circular economy’ where products are designed to eliminate waste and materials and products remain in use for as long as possible at each level of the waste hierarchy before moving down to the next level; this is the opposite to the throwaway society where a material is used once and then thrown away. Read more on the circular economy, which can also involve minimising pollution and regenerating natural systems, from the Ellen Macarthur Foundation.

Buying second hand is a great way to support the circular economy. To get second hand items generally, try eBay or Gumtree or Freecycle.

To buy second hand clothes whilst supporting a good cause, try a charity shop. To buy or sell clothes try Vinted.

For babies and children, the products that you will use will only be needed for a short period (e.g. prams, cots, clothes, toys etc), so choose to get these second hand when possible and ensure they go to a good home when they are no longer needed. You may need to buy some new things, particularly for a new baby – for tips see the Use eco-friendly products and services (and reduce waste) EcoTracker Top Action.

When you do buy new items, choose something you will use for a significant amount of time, that they will have a long product lifespan, that they are designed to be repaired and disassembled and that they are are eco-friendly (see the Use eco-friendly products and services (and reduce waste) EcoTracker Top Action).

Avoid single-use items wherever possible, and choose to get into the habit of taking re-usable items with you such as drinks bottles and shopping bags whenever you might need them. Often single-use items are associated with plastic – see the Use eco-friendly products and services (and reduce waste) EcoTracker Top Action.

For furniture and fittings If you want to buy new but and at the same time sell back your old furniture, try IKEA who are promoting the circular economy with their buy-back policy.

You can pay a professional to repair your possessions, or you can do so yourself in many cases. There are guides for many repairs online, for instance at iFixit, which also has spare parts for sale. Alternatively, there are many repair videos available online, for instance on Youtube, which can give you excellent advice as well as inspirational videos with ideas for upcycling. Learn basic sewing skills in order to significantly prolong the life of your clothes. There may be local community groups or events that can provide you with support to complete repair jobs, for instance, those organised by The Restart Project.

If you are really keen you may be able to find an appropriate repair course. If you choose to repair things yourself, make sure this does not take up too much of your precious time and frustrate and wear you down; if it does definitely consider getting a professional to do the hard work for you.

Research whether there are any specialist local facilities that could help you e.g. repair workshops / upcycling centres / circular economy hubs etc.

Rather than having an under-used car sitting on the drive, try and combine your household car journeys so you can get by with fewer cars. Preferably use other modes of transport where possible, such as walking, cycling and using public transport – see the Walk, cycle, use public transport and reduce driving EcoTracker Top Action

Consider hiring or leasing an electric car, to get a car when you need it. Try Enterprise Car Club or Zipcar which allows you to hire cars regularly when you need them. Consider Hiyacar, which does peer to peer car rental, and if you have an underused car, consider listing your car there too.

Also, consider car sharing either with someone you know or with a stranger using Liftshare or other similar services, so that there are less cars on the road and you share the emissions from one car. See the Low impact driving EcoTracker Top Action.

Links and References

Defra (The waste hierarchy): https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/69403/pb13530-waste-hierarchy-guidance.pdf

BBC (Right to repair): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56340077

Which? (Right to repair): https://www.which.co.uk/news/2021/06/new-right-to-repair-laws-introduced-what-do-they-actually-mean-for-you/

Ellen Macarthur Foundation (Circular economy): https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-economy/concept

Psychology Today (happiness and consumption): https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/buddhist-economics/201803/why-over-consumption-is-making-us-unhappy

Repair:

iFixit: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide

The Restart Project: https://therestartproject.org/

Buy and sell second hand items:

eBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/

Gumtree: https://www.gumtree.com/

Freecycle: https://www.freecycle.org/

Vinted (clothes): https://www.vinted.co.uk/

Buying furniture:

IKEA: https://www.ikea.com/

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