Sustainable Living

Top tips on how families can help protect the environment at home in 2022

Many decided that 2022 was the year where we would make more of an effort to do our bit and help protect the environment. However, you are forgiven if you’ve not gotten into the full swing of things – it’s not always easy knowing where to start.

And, particularly now that Earth Day has arrived, more people are looking at ways they can make small changes that can be applied daily. Others are interested in finding ways to invest in the future of the planet on a longer-term scale – but either way, there are a variety of ways you and your family can be more eco-friendly in your daily routines at home.

But these grand gestures aren’t all that can be done to help the environment. Here, we have compiled a list of easy steps you can take from the comfort of your own home to reduce your carbon footprint.

How to help protect the environment in 2022

Change your kettle

We’re a nation of tea lovers, which means we use a lot of energy each day boiling the kettle. According to the Energy Saving Trust, if we all only boiled as much water as we needed (rather than boiling and reboiling) we could save enough energy to power all the UK’s streetlights for seven months. 

So what’s the greenest way of heating water? According to Professor Peter Main, former head of Physics at King’s College London, the answer is the hob. “To boil a kettle full of water takes the same energy regardless of how one does it, so the question becomes one of energy loss,” he explains.

“An electric kettle is slightly better at reducing heat loss than a kettle on a gas hob – but there is a much more important effect. The majority of electricity in the UK is created by burning gas, and that process is only around 60 per cent efficient. Therefore, overall, it is more efficient to burn the gas directly in the kitchen to heat the water than to use an electric kettle.”

If you must stick with a kettle, the best choice are eco kettles, which allow you to select how many cups you actually need to boil. Remember to de-scale regularly too: a build-up on heating elements means the kettle takes more time (and energy) to boil.

Find alternative sources of electricity

We love our dogs –  their waste, not so much. It not only blights our streets, but the bags that responsible owners use to clear it up are adding to our growing plastic problem. Even so-called green ones aren’t straightforwardly biodegradable if they end up in landfill (as most of them do).

Sick of seeing waste ruining his local area in the Malvern Hills, resident Brian Harper came up with a solution. A few years ago he built an anaerobic digester that converts dog waste into methane, which in turn fuels a street lamp. Ten bags of poo are enough to power two hours of light. “We’ve had people coming from all over to see it – including a bus load of pensioners from Dudley,” he says.

Along with solving the problem of the dog poo and reducing the need for plastic bags (there are free paper bags available on the site), Harper says it has reduced the need for waste collection “in a diesel-powered lorry”.

Become a flexitarian

Researchers have been warning for some time about the climate impacts of a high-meat diet, but turning vegetarian isn’t necessarily the solution. In fact, a 2019 study found that a flexitarian diet that includes one portion of meat per day is better for the environment than a vegetarian one that features lots of milk and cheese. 

When researchers at Johns Hopkins University in the US modeled the environmental impact of all major diets across 140 countries, they found that what they called a “two-thirds vegan diet” – one that was largely fruit, vegetables and pulses, supplemented with small amounts of meat – produced a lower carbon footprint than a vegetarian diet high in dairy. This is because certain dairy products, such as cheese, are in fact more “carbon intensive” than some meats.

Use refillable containers

Single-use plastic is an ever-growing problem – 700,000 plastic bottles are littered every day in the UK. One commercial response is to sell water in cans and cartons. But these aren’t actually any better for the environment. 

“All materials have environmental impacts which could result in different environmental burdens of some kind,” Libby Peake, head of resource policy at independent think tank Green Alliance, which focuses on green policies, says.

She cites research showing that if half the UK’s plastic water bottles were replaced by aluminium cans, “mining this new material could create enough toxic waste to fill the Royal Albert Hall more than six times over each year”. Switching over to cartons could fill almost 9,000 bin lorries a year with waste that can’t be recycled at that level. “The only sustainable option is to use a refillable container.”

Invest in renewable energy

Perhaps it is time to consider utilising renewable energy resources such as solar, wind or hydro energy.  

In the wake of Cop26, Harry Roberts, managing director of My Favourite Cottages, issued guidance on how to make homes more sustainable.

He suggested that, among other measures, installing solar panels can reduce the carbon footprint of your home by 80 per cent in just one year. Solar panels can last for up to 50 years and, therefore, they do not need to be frequently replaced and require very little maintenance. Plus, they can reduce your electricity bill, the Energy Savings Trust by as much as £120-£310 a year.

Meanwhile, smart alternatives such as LED lightbulbs last 25 times longer than traditional light bulbs and are 80 per cent more energy efficient. They can convert 95 per cent of energy used into light, compared to five per cent used by fluorescent bulbs. So swapping will reduce power usage and eliminate specialist disposal.

It is also important to check all your appliances have an A++ energy rating, as these are more eco-friendly and cost efficient in the long run.

Save water

We often get told to turn off the taps when we are brushing our teeth so we don’t waste water. But how seriously should we actually take the advice? 

Well, on average, each person uses about 142 litres of water each day, which combined with the increasing pressure on natural resources, means the UK could face water shortages by 2050.

To prevent wastage, households can install water-efficient shower heads, low-flow taps and even dual flush toilets (which use four-six litres compared to standard 13 litres).  

Plus, it is possible to opt for modern energy and water-efficient appliances to help control the use of water and reduce your water bills.  

Start small

Generating a big impact always starts with implementing the smallest changes.

Families can start by switching to eco-friendly soaps, washing up liquids and detergents that are free from any harmful chemicals or pollutants.  

Remembering to recycle correctly, opting for reusable shopping bags and reducing the need for extra heating by investing in thick curtains and furnishings can all make a difference. Not only will this help to reduce your heating bill but it will add extra cosiness to the décor, too.

This article is kept updated with the latest advice.


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