At LabelsZoo we love our animals as much as our labels, and care about the environment they live in. To help create a better environment for animals and people alike we wanted to share some our favourite tips for a greener lifestyle. We try to follow the principles of Reduce, Re-use and Recycle at the Labelszoo and have the following suggestions to help reduce emissions and work towards a naturally environmentally friendly lifestyle.
Reduce
1. Plan Trips
Good forward planning can help save needless fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Try to combine trips to save multiple car journeys. Going to the supermarket, the bank, and delivering that letter you’ve been meaning to send, all in one go can help make a huge difference to your emissions. Even better; try and make time to walk or cycle when you need to go somewhere fairly local, costing no fuel at all.
Image By MindMomo
2. Turn off the gas!
It’s tempting with the night’s drawing in to make your house cosy by turning on the heating and lots of lights. Instead you could huddle like a penguin, put a jumper on or tuck under a blanket to watch TV. Lighting candles generates a surprising amount of heat and makes a room look cosy. Just turning down the thermostat a couple of degrees and turning radiators right down in rooms you are not using will make a huge difference to energy consumption. Not only are you saving energy, you will also be reducing your bills.
Image By The Spruce
3. Switch off the lights!
It’s a small thing and easily over-looked but turning off lights and sockets when not in use can make a big difference over a year to your electricity usage. Turn out the lights when you leave a room and try not to leave lamps on overnight. Don’t just unplug sockets – turn them off at the wall to. Try not to leave electrical items on charge overnight as this wastes a lot of electricity. Follow the motto of switch off and unplug for a greener home.
Image By The Spruce
4. Keep it fresh
It’s a shocking fact that around a third of the world’s food is wasted. You can play your part in helping to reduce this statistic with a bit of forward planning. At the zoo we keep our vegetables and salads fresh for longer by following some simple rules. Never keep fresh food in plastic bags! Put a tea towel at the bottom of your vegetable drawer, put the vegetables in loose and cover with another tea towel. For salads put them in a Tupperware container and then lay 3 -4 sheets of kitchen towels over the top and then seal with a plastic lid. This will keep the moisture of the produce and keep it fresh for up to two weeks.
Image By Whirlpool
Reuse
5. Reusing Plastic Cups and Plates
We understand that its not the obvious thing to do but don’t just throw away plastic cups, plates and cutlery after you have used them – they do wash and can be re-used multiple times and are great for picnics or the Chimps Tea Party! Or plastic cups can be used to plant seedlings, protect them from frost and give your vegetable garden a kick start.
Image By Flickr
6. Up Cycling
Don’t worry, we don’t mean cycling up hills. There is a growing trend to upcycle old items, whether it be furniture or using household waste for arts and crafts projects. There are multiple uses for reusable items that can be remade to serve different purposes. ReUse have offered a selection of ideas that can help. For example, ice cream tubs can be washed and then used for freezing leftover portions of food. Don’t forget to label them with the contents and date though. Plastic cups, plates and other parts can be reused for growing seedlings outside, simply carve the parts to accommodate soil and seed plantation. These cups can also protect plants from frost and bugs, except for holes punctured in them for water and air supply.
Image By EasyStore
7. Saving gift bags and shopping bags
Saving and re-using plastic bags and gift bags all helps reduce waste. Keep a supply of used plastic bags in the back of your car so you don’t need to buy new ones every time you go shopping.
Image By The Independant
8. Toys can be reused too.
We know children can get tired of their toys and want to play on nothing but the latest technology. We understand as we can’t seem to stop our monkeys playing on Fortnite. However, don’t just dump your old toys and games, look to donate them to charity shops or give them away to local families in your neighbourhood using Freecycle or Facebook marketplace websites.
Image By The Ealing Mummy
Recycle
9. Know what and where to recycle
Knowing where your local recycling pickups take place, how to get yourself subscribed to the service and where to go for large deposits are all essential. Knowing what to recycle as well is important, such as plastics, aluminium, glass, paper, metal, cardboard, tin foil and many more. For a helpful guide in what to recycle, take a look here: https://www.recyclenow.com/local-recycling?gclid=CjwKCAjw3qDeBRBkEiwAsqeO7iHh73-rFpmFOkeyLtDWn0MKQBXbP4mSW9nhHeM0i7bHW4R7yn0TTBoCJhMQAvD_BwE
Image By Ecomaine
10. Integrate recycling where your lifestyle takes you.
On your way to work, out for the weekly shop or on the school run; knowing where the recycling points are in your area can help you incorporate them into your daily routine. This allows you fit recycling into your lifestyle easily, and if you have kids it’s a great way for them to learn good green habits.
Image By StoryBlocks
And there you have it, as you can see plenty of small things you can add to your lifestyle that can help make the planet that little bit greener not just for us, but for the animals we share it with.
Goodluck!
Zookeeper
