Six Ways To Go Greener While Staying At Home

Today is the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, an international day focused on saving the planet. Being Eco Web Hosting, we take being green very seriously, and even though you’re staying home, here are six easy ways to do your part.

Check your local recycling rules

Are you sure you’re putting the right things into your recycling bins? Double-check your local council’s guidelines, especially when it comes to types of plastic and cross-contamination. And remember – if it’s grease-covered cardboard, it can’t go in, so you’ll have to find another use for those pizza boxes!

Review your energy supplier

How green is your energy supplier? There are a number of energy suppliers nowadays who source electricity entirely from renewable sources, and they often have excellent prices as well. Now is a great time to just see what’s out there and see if switching would result in a better deal for you as well as the planet. We work from home, so some of us are on Bulb and others on Octopus, so have a look to see what options are available for you!

Encourage wildlife

If you’re spending a lot more time in the garden, now is the time to start making sure it’s wildlife-friendly. If you have a grass lawn, let it grow for longer to encourage more wildlife (and help keep it green!). And if you’re planting bee-friendly plants, make sure they’re near each other – bees like to visit only one type of flower on each trip. If you’re really looking to encourage local wildlife, consider leaving one part of your garden untidied – leave the weeds and leaves around, and provide rocks and other shelters.

A bee collecting nectar from a lavender bush

Think about your finances

UK banks have invested a lot of money into fossil fuels, which affects your current account, any investments you have, and your pension. Check the record of your bank, and see if there’s a better option, or talk to your HR department or pension provider to see if there are sustainable or ethical options for your workplace pension.  And look for responsible or ethical investment funds as well. Climate 2025 has launched Earth Day Switch, which gives you details on what your bank or energy supplier is doing and tells you how to switch.

Learn how to mend your clothes

Missing a button on a well-loved skirt? Ripped the armpit seam on a t-shirt? Holes in your best socks? Watch videos or read tutorials on basic mending (Easy Sewing for Beginners is a good start) and learn how to fix your clothing instead of throwing it away when they’re damaged. You can’t repair everything, though, so also look up how to repurpose clothing, and turn those beaten up jeans or destroyed t-shirts into something beautiful.

Fund tree planting

If there’s no room in your garden for trees, why not get online and fund tree planting around the world? We’re big fans of Ecologi and tree-nation, and, in fact, because it’s Earth Day, we just planted another 500 red mangroves in Madagascar!

We hope these six ideas help make your time at home a little more comfortable and entertaining while you’re making the world a better place!

(Also, if you want to tell everyone about it, why not get one of our hosting packages and start your eco-friendly blog? Save 20% right now with EARTHDAY20!)