Written by Regan Daly-Newby.

As much as we love to nourish our skin and body, we also need to love and nourish the environment. As humans we are always fixated on the present and living busy lives that it is easy to forget about the impact of our actions on the future. Environmental damage is slowly creeping to the forefront of today’s news with our climate, water pollution and deforestation rising just to name a few. Although we wish we could turn back time to try and stop these things from happening, we can try to make eco-friendly changes to our modern day routine. Here are 6 eco-friendly tips to lend a helping hand to our environment!

1. Switch Plugs Off

 Yes, as annoying and tedious as it sounds…it works! We often leave things on standby out of laziness as it is easier to turn back on. The keyword here is ‘standby’ – it’s not using as much energy as it would if it was turned on but it is still using some energy to stay on standby and come alive at your request. The same goes for phone chargers which are plugged in but not connected to your phone. The average house spends an extra £80 a year from standby electronics. To generate electricity, fuels are burned which can emit greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. So switching your plugs off or better yet removing them from the socket can help reduce emissions and your electricity bill!

2. Turn The Water Off Whilst Brushing Your Teeth

 Another small and easy job to do! Some of us leave the tap running whilst brushing our teeth which can waste up to 6 litres per minute! We are extremely lucky within the UK to have access to a running tap and should not take it for granted either. Turning the tap off whilst brushing your teeth can save up to 492 litres of water a year which is nearly enough to fill a swimming pool. To put it in perspective, an average citizen in the UK uses around 150 litres of water per day, so turning the tap off when brushing your teeth can make a positive impact. Such an easy yet effective way of saving water and protecting the planet. Other methods you can reduce water waste include using the rainfall to fill up water cans for gardening and keeping a jug of cold water in the fridge so you do not have to run the tap until the water turns cold.

3. Buy/Sell Reused Clothes

 And any goods for that matter! This is a brilliant way of giving clothes that might have initially ended up in a dump or stuffed at the back of the wardrobe some life again! Websites and Apps such as Depop are committed to making fashion inclusive, diverse and less wasteful. Resale culture is becoming the ‘in-thing’ again as people can find vintage or very new and cool pieces for a decent price. As well as reusing clothes and materials, it also helps support smaller businesses and keeps clear of fast fashion websites which abuse the environment for a quick turnover of profit. Dig deep into your wardrobe and see what goodies you can sell!

4. Stop Using Cotton Pads/Wipes And Buy Reusable Ones Instead

 Although they are seen as an essential for removing make-up, they have a devastating impact on the environment. Cotton pads and wipes are not biodegradable and unlike toilet paper. They do not breakdown within the water but instead release chemicals into them. These chemicals pollute the water with ingredients such as parabens and SLSs (sodium lauryl sulphate) which can harm sea animals and fish. 20 million make up wipes are thrown away each day around the world! Why not switch to the alternative of a reusable make up wipe? A typically soft muslin cloth which can be washed, dried and reused. It will also work out cheaper for you in the long run as reusable wipes are durable and can be replaced every few months!

5. Reuse, Reuse, Reuse!

 If we take a good long hard look around our homes, I’m sure we can find plenty of things that can be reused. For example, I keep my pens in an old make up container I no longer use which I was originally going to throw away. You can also reuse your plastic bags when you’re out and about shopping, reuse old jars to store things like pennies or food itself, the list is endless. You just have to think opportunistically to give old items a new function. We throw 15 tonnes of waste a year into landfills which is the equivalent of burying 100,000 blue wales. By reusing items and giving them new functions, we can reduce our household waste.

6. Buying from eco-friendly companies

 Companies that are eco-friendly almost always go unnoticed. Buying from them is an easy way to contribute to saving the environment as their products should be reusable, durable, energy efficient and recyclable. Do they care about the production and manufacturing process? How are they impacting the environment? It is also important to support brands that have ethics and awareness of the current problems within the world such as deforestation and labour working conditions just to name a few. Supporting companies that want to help the environment, the people and animals within it can make a big difference.

Here at London Organic we try our best to remain eco-friendly whilst giving you the best quality products. We also try to encourage our customers to think in a more eco-friendly way and set an example by creating products which can be recycled and are ethically sourced and made in England.