Reduce Carbon Footprint and Save Money: 5 Tips

In recent years, a lot of us try and do what we can to cut back on the environmental impacts our daily lives can have on the planet – whether that’s reducing the amount of meat we eat, riding our bikes to work or simply getting ourselves a reusable coffee cup. Being more sustainable has never been easier, and you can now also save your pennies while doing it. Here are 5 ways you can reduce your carbon footprint and save money!

Switch to LED Lightbulbs

LED light bulbs are a great alternative to traditional bulbs as they last much longer and need less energy to light up your room–this can save you up to 90% on your energy bills! LED bulbs tend to be slightly more expensive at face value, but you’ll quickly reap the rewards of the purchase when you see your energy costs fall.

Drive an Electric Car

Have you thought about making your commute all-electric? Switching to an electric vehicle can make a huge impact on your carbon footprint as you are no longer contributing to the large amounts of carbon emissions.

You can also say goodbye to filling up your car at the petrol station every week, instead, you can charge your electric car vehicle overnight from the comfort of your own home, which ends up costing around £5.

If you want to save even more money, you should check if your employer offers a salary sacrifice scheme for electric cars. With schemes like this, you give up a small part of your salary and receive a fully maintained electric car.

Skip the Clothes Dryer

Although drying your clothes in the dryer can be quicker and more convenient, it could be making your energy bills soar, and have a negative impact on the environment. Did you know that by letting your clothes dry on a clothesline, you could reduce the carbon footprint of your clothes by as much as 33%?

Avoid Fast Fashion Brands if you can

It can be pretty tempting to buy clothes from cheap brands, but these clothes are creating big problems for the planet. Almost 15 million tons of textile waste is produced every year and is also responsible for some pretty horrible labour practices.

Not to mention, these clothes are normally made from poor quality materials so will never last you that long. It’s better to save your money and spend it on pieces from sustainable fashion brands.

Say “NO” to Disposable Straws and Cutlery

There’s really no need to use disposable straws, cutlery, and plates as these can increase your carbon footprint and the amount of plastic that goes into landfills – get yourself reusable ones instead!

Have you tried filling out WWF’s Carbon Footprint Calculator? It’ll open your eyes to how big your carbon footprint may well be! For more details on how to be more green, why not download our guide to ultra-low emission vehicles?