Wed, 6th Mar, 2019
Lent starts today, giving us the perfect opportunity to focus on becoming more aware of the environment and the issues facing us.
Here are some great ideas we have taken from www.treehugger.com to get you started.
- Go vegetarian or vegan. This may seem easy to those who avoid animal products all the time, but for people who are in the transition phase – learning about animal agriculture and the environmental effects – Lent might be the perfect time to dive into meat-free eating.
- Go zero-waste or plastic-free. See how little rubbish (including recycling!) you can generate between now and Easter. If that’s too much, focus simply on eliminating plastic as much as possible. Pledge to take your own coffee cup to work each day.
- Reduce food waste. Strive to use all the food you buy before any goes bad. Try to cook through the contents of your freezer, places where food items often get forgotten.
- Cook from scratch for all of Lent. See if you can make all your meals at home until Easter. Not only will you cut down on food waste, but you’ll probably save some money while you’re at it.
- Try the 100-mile diet. For Lent, source only ingredients that come from within a 100-mile radius of your home. An added challenge is expanding that criterion to all aspects of your life, i.e. clothes, household accessories, etc.
- "Fast" from excess water use. Pay close attention to your water footprint and try to eliminate it as much as possible through conservation, collecting rainwater, and reusing water.
- Try a buy-nothing challenge. Become a conscious consumer, asking yourself, “Do I really need this?”
- Be a minimalist. Purge your house and get rid of excess clutter, either by playing the Minimalism Game or doing the 40 bags in 40 days challenge.
- Change your mode of transportation.Instead of jumping in the car to go to work, allocate time each day for walking, cycling and or car-pooling.
- Establish a strong morning routine.There’s something wonderfully satisfying and efficient about having a predictable morning routine. Be strict with yourself for 40 days and see how much easier it is to maintain after Easter.
12. Do a digital detox. Set strict parameters for use of personal devices, i.e. phone off during the workday or during evenings when you’re with family, no TV except on weekends, checking email and social media at designated times each day, etc.