Here is the Sustainability Roadmap with solutions to help stop climate change; from what you can do today to the things that take a bit more time or money.
If you’ve been searching for climate change solutions and how to stop climate change then you’re in the right place.
The Nafford Junction Sustainability Roadmap is about what each of us can do in our day to day lives. It’s about creating a new lifestyle where it’s natural to do everything we can to reduce our consumption and waste, and live in a way that considers others.
This sustainability roadmap won’t fix everything, we need governments and businesses to do that; however, changing government policies and business practices can be influenced by our actions. This roadmap is about doing things where we have the power, things that can encourage and eventually force governments and businesses to change.
It’s also up to us to do what we can in our own lives, without being told, because we are all responsible for our future and future generations.
The Sustainability Roadmap Is Categorised in This Way
- Super easy, do it today
- Needs some research
- Requires you to make something
- Requires a ‘bit’ more effort
- Needs Investment (time and/or money)
You can work through the sustainability roadmap from top to bottom, and use it to make small changes first, create new habits, and progress from there. Or, just jump in and see what grabs your attention. Once something becomes a habit, jump back in and have a scan for the next things to try.
1. Super Easy, Do It Today
I have only just launched this website and this sustainability roadmap is a work-in-progress. Keep checking back as I will be updating this page regularly.
Instead of Google Use Ecosia and Plant Trees
Instead of using Google, use ecosia.org for your web searches. Every search through Ecosia removes 1kg of CO2 from the atmosphere!
- Your searches plant trees in some of the harshest places on Earth
- Trees that benefit people, the environment and local economies
- Ecosia is more than CO2 neutral: Their servers run on 200% renewable energy
- And, they are privacy friendly: They don’t sell their data to advertisers
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: This is free and quick, and a simple one off update to your laptop and mobile devices. I just set up my laptop and mobile to default to Ecosia when I search. When I go to do a search, I can see how many trees will be planted from my searches.
Switch to an Ethical Bank
The UK’s 5 biggest banks – Barclays, HSBC, Natwest, Lloyds and Standard Chartered – invested nearly £40.4bn into the coal industry between 2018 and 2020!
Switching to an ethical bank is an incredibly important part of reversing global heating. Easy to do, high impact, big tick in the box of playing your part in reversing climate change and global heating.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I use Triodos because they’re No.1 in the Ethical Consumer Bank Accounts Buyers Guide. Their financial and banking services are for savers, investors, and organisations who want to change the world for the better. Over 700,000 customers are already playing their part in their positive movement, making Triodos one of the world’s most sustainable banks.
Learn More About Triodos (or Use This Referral Link to Get Some Benefits*)
Use the CoGo App to Automatically Track then Offset Your Carbon Emissions
Now, carbon offsets are not the solution, but they are better than doing nothing. There are carbon offset projects that reduce emissions now (it’s not only about planting trees and waiting for the years that it takes for trees to reduce emissions), there are verified carbon offset projects that are low cost, and you can do this while waiting for it to become possible to move 100% to using only green and renewable technology etc.
Carbon offset, otherwise called Emission reduction projects, can generate “ex ante” or “ex post” certificates:
- “Ex ante” means that the certificates are issued before the actual emission reduction (think rewilding and tree planting).
- “Ex post” certificates are only issued after the emission reduction (think helping African villages transition from peat fuelled fires to renewable).
The CoGo app (install from the App Store or Play Store) makes it easy, and low cost, to purchase carbon offset projects from South Pole. As South Pole focuses on verified climate protection, over 99% of the emission credits from South Pole’s portfolio come from “ex-post” climate protection projects, where the climate impact is verified and calculated before the certificates are issued. Whenever I offset my carbon emissions, within a few minutes I receive the certificate, which means these projects are reducing emission now! Read more about South Pole Carbon Offset Projects.
The science shows clearly that in order to avert the worst impacts of climate change and preserve a livable planet, global temperature increase needs to be limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Currently, the Earth is already about 1.1°C warmer than it was in the late 1800s, and emissions continue to rise. To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C – as called for in the Paris Agreement – emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 [UN Net Zero Coalition]. Using the CoGo app and purchasing verified emission reduction projects through South Pole is one very powerful, low cost, and easy way to quickly reduce emissions whilst we transition to green and renewable.
Link the CoGo App to Your Bank and Credit Cards to Automatically Track Your Carbon Footprint Then Select Projects to Offset Your Carbon Emissions. Download from the App Store or Play Store.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I found this mobile app in 2022 and use it every month to monitor my carbon footprint and pay for carbon offset projects to help me grow, eat, and live sustainably. Carbon offsets aren’t the final solution, it’s best not to produce the emissions in the first place, however, living carbon free is very difficult so I pay for carbon offset projects while I find ways to produce less emissions.
From Tampons and Pads to Plastic Free Periods
Sanitary items are one of the 10 single-use plastic items most commonly found on European beaches.
Disposable period products cost almost £5,000 in a lifetime for someone with a period.
Then there are the health risks using sanitary products that contain pesticide residues, fragrances, and plasticizers.
It’s possible to eliminate single-use sanitary items, reduce almost £5,000 down to around £100, and eliminate the health risks by switching to reusable menstrual cups.
If menstrual cups aren’t for you, you can switch to organic tampons, pads, liners, and wipes.
HOW TO: Switch from Tampons and Sanitary Pads to Menstrual Cups
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: It’s a one-off purchase, that’s it. No waste. No continually spending money.
Learn More About Lunette Menstrual Cups*
From Throw Away Cups, Bottles, and Cutlery to Reusable
3 billion disposable coffee cups are used in the UK, every year! More than one million plastic bottles are bought every minute. Almost all will end up in landfill. Something HAS to change….
Carrying a reusable cup, water bottle, and set of cutlery is super simple. It’s just a bit of an investment and a new habit to learn.
HOW TO: Avoid Plastic Pollution with Reusable Coffee Cups & More
HOW TO: Avoid Plastic Pollution with Milk in Reusable Glass Bottles
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: We’ve been using reusable water bottles, coffee cups, lunch boxes, cutlery, and beeswax wraps for years. It’s a no brainer way to eliminate our consumption and waste from using those products.
From Paper Pads to Reusable Notepads
This one is a no-brainer. We (or employers) all spend money on notepads. Well, that is such a complete waste of paper. Switch from paper to the world’s first infinitely reusable Notebook by Rocketbook*.
The Rocketbook is 32 reusable pages. The pages wipe clean with a damp cloth when used with Pilot FriXion pens (just like using a ball-point pen). You can even upload your hand written notes to Google docs, Dropbox, iCloud, Evernote, or email. This environmentally-friendly notebook can be used endlessly.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I use their notebook and plan never to buy a paper notebook again. I also use their Beacons that are applied to the corners of my whiteboard, so I can save my whiteboard scribbles as images as well as cast my whiteboard for presentations.
From Driving to Walking or Cycling
Only drive if it’s absolutely essential, otherwise walk or cycle. When you do have to drive, consider switching to a Hybrid or better still an Electric Vehicle. Whatever you drive, offset your carbon emissions.
HOW TO: Switch from the Car to Walking, Cycling, Bus, or Train
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I’m lucky that I live in a small town so I am able to walk or cycle to most places. Whenever I do have to use a car, I offset my CO2 emissions using Carbon Footprint: it’s not the best solution, but it is better than doing nothing until we can afford to move to an Electric Vehicle.
Learn More About Offsetting Your CO2 Emissions with Carbon Footprint
Research the Ethical Consumer Bikes Buyers Guide
From Buying New to Buying Used
Buy used except if it’s not possible or it’s an investment for something that is built to last. If you can’t afford to buy something that is built to last, consider waiting until you can afford the right one.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I always start by checking Oxfam then Facebook Marketplace then Gumtree. If I can’t find used then check Ethical Consumer buyers guides to help decide what brands to research.
From Buying Whenever to Consuming and Wasting Less
As you go through your day, do your best to avoid consuming what you don’t really need, or creating more waste. It could be:
- Avoid products that use unnecessary packaging
- Only buy food that you know you need, and will eat before the best before date
- Avoid buying based on impulse, try the £1/1-minute rule (below)
The £1 / 1-minute rule (inspired by The Minimalists):
- To help avoid impulse buys
- For every £1 that something costs
- Think about it for 1-minute before buying
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: Consuming less and wasting less is at the heart of how we live. Watching Minimalism and listening to The Minimalists podcast was the start of my journey to live a more meaningful life, with less.
Don’t Flush After Every Wee (and other water saving ideas)
Before you say this is disgusting, just consider; a modern cistern uses 5 litres of water for every flush, and an older toilet uses as much as 9 litres! That’s a huge amount of sterilised water being flushed down the toilet. That water went all the way to a water treatment plant, went through the water treatment process, and came all the way to your toilet, just to be flushed and go back to the water treatment plant.
If you’re in a public place then you should flush each time. But if you’re at home, just consider the amount of water (and money) that you can save by not flushing after every wee. Try flushing every other time, or more….
Some other simple changes that help to create new habits:
- Turn off the shower while you apply body wash or shampoo
- Turn off the tap while you’re cleaning your teeth
- Turn off the tap while you’re washing dishes
- Turn off the tap while you’re washing your hands
Yes, these are very small changes. No, doing this alone won’t save the planet for future generations, BUT these small changes are all part of being conscious of our consumption and waste, and they can help us to create new habits and change our lifestyle.
HOW TO: Don’t Flush After Every Wee (and Other Water Saving Ideas)
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I first tried this after reading ‘If it’s yellow then let it mellow’ in an app (I forget the name of the app). I thought it was an excellent idea so we’ve been doing this at home for a long time now. I also recently started using rainwater to flush the toilet. I’d guess we save at least 16,000 litres of cleaned sterilised water a year….
Learn More About Saving Water at Water UK
Use Eco Mode
This is a simple change that is often just pressing a different button on your dishwasher, washing machine, or boiler. The same goes for any other products with an eco option, maybe your car?
In addition to using eco mode, consider cooler clothes washes, turning the heating thermostat down a few degrees, using cold tap water instead of hot.
Yes, this is potentially a very small change. No, making this change alone won’t save the planet for future generations, BUT these small changes are all part of being conscious of our impact and they can help us to change our lifestyle and create new habits.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: We’ve done this for a long time now. It’s just a habit and we take the same approach to the way we live: Considering our impact, consuming and wasting as little as possible.
Turn Off Your Boiler in Summer and Autumn
Most boilers are controlled by a thermostat but they can still sneak on when you don’t need to heat up the house, such as early in the morning or late at night. To cut down on your energy consumption outside of winter, early spring, and late autumn, it’s a good idea to turn off your boiler, so the only time it comes on is when you need to heat your water (not your radiators).
Yes, this is potentially a very small change. No, making this change alone won’t save the planet for future generations, BUT these small changes are all part of being conscious of our impact, and they can help us to change our lifestyle and create new habits.
Some other simple changes that help to create new habits:
Use cold water unless you absolutely have to use hot water. This can save water because you spend less time waiting for the water to heat up, and save energy as your boiler isn’t heating the water.
HOW TO: Turn Off Your Gas Boiler in Summer to Help Climate Change
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: We’ve done this for a long time. It helps to keep our energy bills as low as possible. We’re still on a gas boiler as we can’t afford to switch to a heat pump, so this is also our way of keeping our gas usage to a minimum.
Research the Ethical Consumer Energy Buyers Guides
Save Bottles and Jars for Homemade Things
So that you can make products at home, it’s good to keep and reuse bottles and jars that would otherwise be recycled or end up in landfill. Save whatever you have from shop bought products, and ask your friends and family to donate theirs to you.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: We keep lots of used glass jars and bottles, so we have enough for making batches of chutney, wine, yoghurt, fermented drinks, and other homemade products.
Take Time for Yourself
In a world that is always on, full of advertising, messages of doom, high pressure, long hours, it’s strange why it’s not normal to spend time understanding our brain and emotions and impulses and worries. A lot of people spend time at the gym, far less spend time exercising their mind. This is where mindfulness can help.
Starting with 5 to 10-minutes a day, and having mindfulness as part of your daily routine, can significantly help our mental state. It can help us feel calm in a crazy world. It can feel like the difference between being caught in the middle of a thunderstorm vs being inside, safe and warm, looking out of the window at that same thunder storm.
There are plenty of mindfulness apps. The two I have used are Headspace and InsightTimer. I got mindfulness into my daily routine by doing it at the same time as my morning routine. Now, I don’t know how I lived without it. I feel calmer and think with more clarity. I’m far from perfect, but it’s great having something to help me in times of stress, anger, anxiety etc.; after all, I did leave a well paid job to start Nafford Junction and do my bit to help reverse climate change and global warming, fairly big topics that can get extremely heavy at times….
HOW TO: Mindfulness and Self-Care Help Me Cope with the Climate Crisis
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I’m recommending InsightTimer because that’s what I use now. I started using InsightTimer in July 2021, because I feel it’s important to take care of my wellbeing so that I am able to do everything possible to grow, eat, and live sustainably.
Find Inspiration from Others
I’m always listening to podcasts and watching documentaries for personal improvement and ideas to grow, eat, and live sustainably. Making changes in life is a lot easier when you’re in the mindset for change, and the benefits that change brings to our lives, even if it requires discomfort at first.
My choice of documentaries:
- Minimalism (we can live a more meaningful life with less)
- Kiss The Ground (one solution to reverse climate change and global heating)
- This Mountain Life (appreciating the beauty of the world we live in)
My choice of podcasts:
- The Minimalists (we can live a more meaningful life with less)
- The Dr. Axe Show (a healthy life without off-the-shelf products and chemicals)
- The Kindness Economy (doing the right thing and running profitable businesses)
- [or my own podcast] Nafford Junction | Inspiring Sustainability & Regeneration
My choice of books:
- Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology* (we can live with less)
- Biodynamic Gardening (eat nutritious food, and give back more than we take)
- Delia’s Complete Cookery Course* (sooo many homemade recipes)
- Eat Dirt* (a healthy life without off-the-shelf products and chemicals)
- The Farmhouse Kitchen* (sooo many homemade recipes)
- Gray Mountain* (example of the damage done by big ‘extractive’ business)
- RHS Half Hour Allotment* (growing your own doesn’t have to consume lots of time)
- River Cottage – A to Z* (a-z of each ingredient, with recipes for each)
- The Salt Path* (inspiration that we can live with less)
- Work Smarter: Live Better* (finding value, purpose, and efficiency in life)
Less Netflix, More WaterBear
WaterBear is the first interactive streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet. Whatever you feel passionately about in the world of climate action, biodiversity, sustainability, community, diversity and more, WaterBear provides access to award-winning and inspirational content that empowers members to dive deeper, learn more and take action.
No ads and one simple sign up – all for free, on mobile app and web.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I use WaterBear for inspiration on fixing the climate crisis, and a reminder that we are incredibly lucky to live on such an amazing planet.
Help Inspire Others
If you are passionate about inspiring regeneration to give back more than we take and sustainability for the benefit of people, planet, and future generations, please consider supporting Nafford Junction.
- Become a Patron to give regular contributions to support our work*
- Buy Me a Coffee to make a one-off contribution*
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: This is a personal project that I‘m funding myself because it’s critical that we reverse climate change and global heating. We have to halve global emissions by 2030 to keep the potential of ‘only’ increasing average global temperatures by 1.5C. That’s critical to the future of humanity! You can read about Why I Left My Job To Help Inspire Sustainability. I only have enough money to run this without income until early 2022, so I need to generate enough income to keep this going. Please consider supporting us. It’s one way of keeping our content free to read to inspire as many people as possible.
Support Nafford Junction on:
- Patreon, to give regular contributions to support our work*
- Buy Me a Coffee, to make a one-off contribution*
2. Needs Some Research
Switch to a Green Energy Deal
This one is a no-brainer if you can afford to move away from fossil fuels.
Switching to renewable electricity is super simple as there are lots of options for electricity generated by the sun, wind, and water. It’s a bit more tricky if you use gas because the best option is likely to be a deal with carbon offset gas.
If you have a gas boiler and can afford to move to a heat pump, you’ll be able to stop using fossil fuels completely. This needs real government support to help reduce the cost of heat pumps, and to incentivise switching from gas boilers.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to go net zero. For now, I have to keep gas because we can’t afford to switch to a heat pump. When I researched heat pumps the cost of installation started from £11k. There is an incentive to switch, but the installation has to be commissioned and paid for BEFORE applying for the grant, payments are then made quarterly for 7 years based on the renewable energy generated to cover the deemed heat requirement stated on your Energy Performance Certificate combined with the efficiency of the heat pump installed. The latest information can be found at the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive payment calculator. Thanks to Emma at IMS Heat Pumps for the advice.
Switch to an Ethical Pension
Each year the average UK pension pot finances 23 tonnes of CO2 emissions – the equivalent of running 9 family cars each year or burning 1,100 coal fires annually!
Switching to an ethical pension is a quick change with big impact. You will be helping to fund the move from fossil fuels to renewable and sustainable technologies.
Consider this when switching to an ethical pension:
- Does the fund support significant contributors to climate change?
- Does it have a strong exclusion policy for tobacco, arms, and gambling?
- Is the fund invested in carbon intensive sectors?
- Is the provider and fund transparent about where your money is invested?
Before switching your pension to an ethical fund, always get advice from an Independent Financial Advisor.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: This is a no-brainer for me: To put my money where my mouth is. We use Standard Life and People’s Pension. I see this as a sensible investment. Look at all the terrible press about fossil fuels. Fossil fuels won’t last forever. When fracking started it showed that finding fossil fuels was becoming a LOT more difficult, and damaging. Investing in fossil fuels has had its day for financial and ethical reasons. I want all the money we have, going towards giving our son and future generations a better world than the one I am living in today.
When Buying Food and Drink Choose Organic, Biodynamic, or Regenerative
Food that’s produced through conventional methods is often bad for our health (because of the cocktail of chemicals in the food we eat), bad for the planet (because it releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere), and bad for the soil (because it destroys topsoil, which is a finite resource that’s essential to growing the majority of food that we eat).
When you buy food or when you grow food, always go for Organic, Biodynamic, or Regenerative, because they are all good for the health of people, planet, and future generations. And, always prioritise buying local to cut down on transport, and to get the health benefits of consuming locally grown foods.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: We always prioritise buying organic food. We buy from our local organic veg box scheme run by Oxton Organics or from the UK wide online supermarkets Abel & Cole (use this referral link at Abel & Cole* to get some benefits) and Ocado. We prioritise buying organic food because it’s the most widely available. As more Biodynamic and Regenerative foods become available we will start purchasing those. At the allotment, I grow everything based on the Biodynamic approach that is both organic and regenerative.
Learn More About Organic, Biodynamic, and Regenerative
Rescue Food from Restaurants, Cafes, and Shops
⅓ of food produced is wasted! Every day, food goes to waste at cafes, restaurants, hotels, shops and supermarkets – just because it hasn’t sold in time. Reducing food waste is one of the most important things we can do to reverse global warming.
Too Good To Go lets you rescue a Magic Bag of this food so it gets eaten instead of wasted. You won’t know exactly what’s in your order until you pick it up – it’s all part of the surprise. Great food at great prices, served with a side of environmental kudos.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: We use their app whenever suitable deals come up in our area. It’s a great way to stop decent food from going into landfill.
Learn More About Too Good To Go
Buy Products That Use Sustainable Palm Oil
Half of the world’s rainforests have been cleared, in many cases to make space for monocultures like oil palm.
Palm oil is in almost 50% of the packaged products we find in supermarkets: pizza, doughnuts, chocolate, deodorant, shampoo, toothpaste, lipstick, animal feed etc.
It’s good to start by checking the Ethical Consumer Palm Oil article as it includes a list of brands to avoid. Next, start by reading the list of ingredients on the products you buy; sometimes the list will say ‘sustainably sourced’ or ‘RSPO’ palm oil. If you’re buying organic products there’s an excellent chance it is sustainable. This does take some work, but it’s an essential part of getting out of the habit of buying whatever, and becoming conscious of the decisions you make and where you spend your money.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: We prioritise buying organic, and we take our time checking that the products we buy use sustainable palm oil. We avoid big brands as they’re the most likely to prioritise profit over people and planet, and have the biggest supply chain where products need more artificial ingredients and preservatives so they can be transported and stored for longer.
From Gifts to Experiences
Buying a gift, wrapping it up, and handing it over is a fairly common thing for birthdays, Christmas, and other celebrations. This contributes to consumption, and sometimes creates waste if the gift wasn’t needed. Instead of buying a product, what about giving the gift of an experience: A day out, a meal at a nice restaurant, money for a nice picnic, a party at home….
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: As we’ve looked at each part of our life we realised we had too much ‘stuff’. We had many things that we never used, and the experience of minimising our lives opened our eyes to the amount of ‘things’ we had accumulated that should never have been bought in the first place. We’ve given a lot away to charity. We only buy ‘things’ if they’re absolutely essential. We prioritise doing experiences together. Instead of buying gifts for others, we’ve started giving homemade foods. It’s always wonderful watching how grateful people are when they get some homemade wine, homegrown potatoes, or something else we have upcycled.
Switch to an Ethical Mobile Phone
The creation of mobile phones and the way mobile phone manufacturers operate have a direct impact on sustainability. When purchasing a mobile phone it’s important to consider:
- The ability to easily repair a handset
- Do they use minerals that have been mined in areas of armed conflict?
- Are there labour exploitation issues in their supply chain?
- Do they have policies related to toxic chemicals?
HOW TO: Switching to an Ethical Mobile Phone Can Help Climate Change
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I chose Nokia because they scored No.2 in the Ethical Consumer Mobile Phones Buyers Guide. Since getting the No.2 rating, Nokia appears to have improved their policies related to conflict minerals, supply chain management, and toxic chemicals. Their phone deal also planted trees through a partnership with Ecologi.
Research the Ethical Consumer Mobile Phones Buyers Guide
Switch to an Ethical Mobile Phone Network
When choosing a mobile sim deal it’s important to consider if the company uses green energy, if they’re involved with tax avoidance, and if they’re accountable to their customers.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I chose Ecotalk because they scored No.1 in the Ethical Consumer Mobile Phone Networks Buyers Guide. They power all my calls, texts, and data with green energy from the wind and the sun, and they’ve teamed up with the RSPB to create vital new habitats for Britain’s wildlife.
Research the Ethical Consumer Mobile Phone Networks Buyers Guide
Offset Your Carbon Emissions
This is a quick win at a low cost. It’s not the best solution—the best solution is not to emit the emissions at all—but at least you can do something that’s quick and low cost that will reduce your CO2 emissions.
You can offset your CO2 emissions if you are:
- An individual
- A small business
- A large business
You can offset your CO2 emissions:
- For your house
- When you fly
- When you drive a car or ride a motorbike
- When you use the bus or rail
- Based on the products you use
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I use Carbon Footprint because I was able to choose tree planting projects in the area I live.
Learn More About Offsetting Your Carbon Emissions
From Milk in Plastic to Returnable Glass Bottles
This is a great way to contribute to reducing the amount of plastic that is produced, and often sent to landfill.
HOW TO: Avoid Plastic Pollution with Milk in Reusable Glass Bottles
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I use a local milk delivery service (Cotteswold Dairy) because they reuse the glass bottles, do not homogenise their milk, and supply Jersey cows milk with the A2 Beta-casein protein. I avoid regular shop bought milk because it’s usually factory farmed, uses GMOs, pasteurised to extreme heats, homogenised, and from cows with the A1 Beta-casein protein that may be harmful to our health, here are more details on A1 vs A2.
Research the Ethical Consumer Milk Buyers Guide
From Washing Powder to Soapnuts
Clothes washing powder is expensive and full of chemicals that go into the water system and into our clothes. Soapnuts are a natural alternative that last for AGES!
Ecozone organic soapnuts shells* are 100% natural, vegan and a sustainable alternative to laundry detergent. Soapnuts can also be used in many other ways throughout your home such as homemade shampoo, all-purpose household cleaners, glass cleaner, a natural dish soap, hand soap, or as a natural pesticide.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: The last bag of Soapnuts that we bought lasted more than a year. It’s a no-brainer to switch from chemical washing powders to a natural product with zero waste. Once you’ve finished with the soapnuts in the washing machine, you can use them in many other ways.
Learn More About Ecozone Soapnuts in the Ecozone Store*
From Cling Film to Beeswax Wraps
It’s far too easy to wrap food or cover a bowl with cling film; however, that cling film can only end up in one place, landfill. It’s also another plastic product linked to the fossil fuel industry that is all about extraction, not regeneration or sustainability.
Switching to a reusable option is a simple change to make. Beeswax wraps are amazing. They can be reused and simply wiped clean.
Beeswax wraps are good for covering food and going into the fridge. Instead of using cling film or beeswax wraps to cover bowls that are being heated in the microwave, use a small plate instead.
HOW TO: Avoid Plastic Pollution with Reusable Coffee Cups & More
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: We’ve used beeswax wraps for a long time. The only reason we still have cling film at home is because we haven’t had to use it since we bought a pack of beeswax wraps.
Learn More About Beeswax Wraps*
3. Requires You to Make Something
Recycle the Items You Can’t Normally Recycle
Instead of saying “put it in the bin” start saying “put it in landfill”. It’s a great way to realise how much you throw away that will end up in landfill. It was scary when I started doing it. It made me realise how much of a problem we had. It also got me searching for solutions.
Most councils have a fairly decent recycling scheme that allows you to recycle regular items; however, plastic wrapping, crisp packets, and many other items still go into landfill, which is a huge problem. There are other options.
Many supermarkets offer plastic bag recycling. Some also offer flexible plastic recycling, such as Co-op that offers soft plastic recycling or Sainsbury’s.
Learn what you can recycle at home and find your nearest recycling point using Recycle Now’s recycling locator
That still leaves a lot going into landfill. Here are the other options:
- TerraCycle offers a lot of different free and paid recycling programmes
- Ecobricks is where you pack plastics into plastic bottles so they can be reused
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I recycle as much as possible through our local council. I discovered TerraCycle and Co-op recycling in 2021 and have been saving up all the packaging that would normally go to landfill. My next step is to sort it into different types, and use the various drop off points based on the types of waste I have to recycle. Recycling is the solution, it’s just better than putting waste into landfill. The best solution is not to have the waste in the first place, which means using refills and reusable containers instead of throw-away packaging. That needs conscious buying choices and a lot of changes needed from manufacturers and producers.
Learn More at Recycle Now’s Recycling Locator
From Packaged Cereals to DIY Cereals with Reusable Containers
Cereal packaging creates consumption and waste, and many packaged cereals are full of sugar and ingredients that are bad for people and planet, e.g. not organic. Eliminating that packaging is a simple and quick way to reduce our impact on climate change, filling up landfill etc. etc. etc.
Take a look in your cupboards. What packaged cereals do you have? What about making your own cereals so that ingredients can be bought in bulk and kept in reusable containers, and so that you eat ingredients that are much better for your health?
HOW TO: Buy Organic Food and Drink
HOW TO: Avoid Plastic Pollution with Reusable Coffee Cups & More
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: We buy various organic breakfast ingredients in bulk from Forest Whole Foods* then use glass jars from Kilner* and reusable plastic containers to store things like raisins, oats, puffed millet, seeds, and nuts. I get cereal recipe ideas from the book River Cottage – Light & Easy: Healthy Recipes for Every Day*.
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From Packaged Hand Wash to Homemade Soap
Consider the amount of times you buy hand wash in a plastic container, or soap in a plastic coated wrapper. It’s very easy to significantly reduce that consumption and waste by switching to homemade soap.
Once you have the ingredients, it’s easy to make a batch of soap that will last a long time. It’s also a great way for you to avoid the unnecessary chemicals that come with shop bought hand wash and soap.
Making soap at home is also a way to get the very best product—as you can select organic and sustainable ingredients—at the lowest cost, compared to shop bought hand wash and soap.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I’ve made our own soap for a long time. I always use the Soap Queen basic soap recipe and a silicone muffin tray* to make the soap bars. It takes me 20-minutes to make a batch of soap bars that last at least 6-months. I buy all my soap ingredients from TheSoapery*.
Learn more about:
- TheSoapery soap ingredients*
- Sodium Hydroxide (Caustic Soda)
- Soap Queen basic soap recipe
- Silicone muffin tray*
- Research the Ethical Consumer Soap Buyers Guides
From Shop Bought Body Wash, Shampoo, Conditioner, and Deodorant to Homemade with Reusable Bottles
After reading the Dr Axe Eat Dirt* book, I realised that most shop bought body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant wasn’t good for my health, because the chemicals in those products can damage the microbiome that I need on my skin.
Making your own body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant is low cost, and you’ll be surprised how easy they are to make.
Homemade body wash using:
- Water
- Honey
- Liquid castile soap
- Essential oil
Homemade shampoo using:
- Aloe vera gel
- Olive oil
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Essential oil
Homemade conditioner using:
- Water
- Apple cider vinegar
- Essential oil
That’s it. All very gentle ingredients that leave your skin and hair feeling amazing.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I’ve been making these products for some time. I use recipes from the Dr Axe Eat Dirt* book, and buy ingredients from TheSoapery*. I can make a batch of body wash, shampoo, and conditioner in 10-minutes, and that’s enough for at least a month. One batch of homemade deodorant is also super quick to make and lasts for AGES.
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From Packaged Products to Refills and Reusable Containers
Packaged products use energy and materials and create a lot of consumption, waste, and pollution. Reducing the waste from packaging is a simple and quick way to reduce our impact on climate change, filling up landfill etc. Switching to reusable containers and refills is one way to help.
Take a look in your cupboards. What packaged products could you buy in bulk so that you refill your reusable containers then reuse or recycle the packaging?
HOW TO: Buy Organic Food and Drink
HOW TO: Avoid Plastic Pollution with Reusable Coffee Cups & More
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: We buy various organic ingredients in bulk from Forest Whole Foods* then use glass jars from Kilner* and reusable plastic containers to store things like raisins, oats, seeds, nuts, rice, and lentils.
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From Junk Food to Home Baking
Keeping crisps, sweets, biscuits, chocolate etc. at home makes it too easy to eat junk food. Bad for our health, if we eat too much, and bad for waste because of all of the small packaging that is difficult or impossible to recycle.
We all need some treats from time to time, but what about keeping ingredients instead of packaged junk food? What about making your own treats? This way you still get to have some treats now and then, at the same time as knowing you’ve used organic ingredients, and have kept packaging to a minimum. If you have children, this is also a fun thing to do together.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: We still have treats, but we’ve stopped buying crisps and sweets to keep in the house. We might still get the impulse to buy them, but at least we’ve created a barrier, and have cut right down on the plastic and packaging waste that we were creating. Instead of grabbing a bag of crisps from the cupboard, we usually have something better like homemade popcorn, or a bowl of DIY cereals from the refills of ingredients we keep in reusable containers. There are some decent recipes in the book River Cottage – Light & Easy: Healthy Recipes for Every Day*.
Learn more about River Cottage – Light & Easy: Healthy Recipes for Every Day*
From Off-The-Shelf Fizzy Drinks to Fermented with Reusable Bottles
Off-the-shelf fizzy drinks are a huge problem for water consumption, plastic waste, and health. How about switching to home brewed fermented drinks and reusable bottles.
There are tons of proven benefits from consuming drinks with good bacteria. Consuming a selection of fermented drinks helps to fight and prevent infections, improve bone health, protect from cancer, improve digestive problems, ease allergy and asthma symptoms plus many others.
First you buy the cultures that you want to use to create your own fermented drinks then you use those cultures to brew your drinks. After the first purchase, drinking in this way significantly reduces the consumption and waste associated with the production, distribution, and sale of off-the-shelf drinks, and you will be consuming drinks that are extremely good for your health. As long as you look after the cultures, you only need to buy them once!
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I first learnt about fermenting from the River Cottage – Fermentation handbook*. I always have Kombucha (made using regular tea), Jun (made using green tea), and Kefir (made using milk). They take a few minutes to prepare then just leave them to brew and once they’re ready I decant them into reusable bottles. I then save the cultures in a bit of the liquid, ready to brew again.
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Forage Food for Free
If you have access to some green outdoor spaces, you can probably forage. Woods and fields are perfect, but not essential. Edible food grows in lots of places, including cities. Foraging for food is a LOT of fun, free, usually organic, and sustainable—as long as you always leave some to grow, some for insects, some for wild animals, and some for other people. You’ll be surprised at the abundance of wild food, once you know what to look for.
Start by learning the basics then get out and about. Start by reading the River Cottage – Hedgerow handbook by John Wright*, because it includes common wild plants that you can eat, and plants to avoid (and how dangerous they are). You can try the Eat Weeds website: The website lists all wild food, and offers a free monthly email of wild foods in season. Or, Robin has published a book called Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants of Britain and Ireland*.
Be careful, picking the wrong things can be fatal: fatal from illness or fatal from eating all the blackberries before getting home, and realising you can’t make crumble….
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I’m lucky to be able to walk to fields and woods. I’m just a novice forager, but I love foraging to make food and drink at home, it’s a wonderfully liberating experience. I also feel it’s important to learn and retain knowledge of wild food, because it’s been lost in just the last couple of generations. I also like eating seasonally and knowing that it shouldn’t be as easy as walking to the shop and buying whatever I want, whenever I want it, from anywhere in the world. My experience of foraging stretches to spotting blackberry, cherry plum (for the first time in 2021), crab apple, dandelion, elderberry, elderflower, garlic, hawthorn, hazelnut (for the first time in 2021), mallow, plum, poppy, rose, raspberry, silverweed, sloes, stinging nettle, sweet chestnut, and yarrow. My copy of River Cottage – Hedgerow handbook by John Wright* is fairly tatty because I’ve read it so many times.
Learn more about:
- River Cottage – Hedgerow handbook by John Wright*
- Eat Weeds website
- Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants of Britain and Ireland*
From Using the Garden Hose to Capturing Rainwater
If you have a garden, this is a great way to significantly reduce the amount of tap water that you use, and do it virtually for free. This also means that you stop chlorinating your plants from the chlorine that comes in tap water. By capturing rainwater and letting that water sit, you help to remove chlorine and other impurities before watering your plants.
Find used water butts on Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree then place the waterbutt at the bottom of a drain pipe. Buy a watering can from your local hardware shop or Amazon*.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: We have two water butts in the back garden that capture water from the roof. That captures enough water for our whole garden, all for free.
4. Requires a ‘Bit’ More Effort
From Shop Bought Beer and Wine to Homebrew
I started home brewing to save money because it’s a LOT cheaper than buying beer and wine from shops. I now also do this because I can control the quality of the ingredients at the same time as cutting down on the consumption and waste associated with the production, distribution, and sale of shop bought beer and wine.
The ultimate way to home brew is to forage fruit then make your own wine. Once you’ve bought the basic equipment, you only have to buy a few ingredients like yeast, sugar, and water because the main ingredient, such as blackberries or elderberries, can often be foraged for free, and organic. It’s a fantastic feeling pouring a glass of beer or wine that you’ve brewed.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I use the River Cottage – Booze handbook* and River Cottage – Hedgerow handbook*. I brew a simple orange pale ale because it’s easy to make, tasty, and super low cost: From start to drinking a pint it takes about 20 to 30 days. I buy a year’s worth of beer ingredients from The Malt Miller to cut down on packaging and transport. I also brew ginger wine, parsnip wine, elderberry wine, mead, and sloe wine: From start to drinking a glass it takes just over one year, so this needs a bit of planning, and patience. I plan to try making blackberry wine, cherry plum wine, and apple wine (with apples from the allotment).
Learn more about:
- River Cottage – Booze handbook*
- River Cottage – Hedgerow handbook*
- Ethical Consumer Beer & Lager Buyers Guide
- Ethical Consumer Wine Buyers Guide
From Food in the Bin to Reusing and Composting
The best solution is to only buy the food that you will use; however, that’s not always possible, and you will always be left with some food scraps such as vegetable peel or coffee grounds. You can consider:
- Save your vegetable peelings etc then make soup
- Compost your food, egg shells, bones, and kitchen waste
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: I compost dry waste at the allotment (including eggs shells, bones, and waste from the vacuum cleaner…) and mix it with grass clippings and other green matter. When I have egg shells and bones I put them in the oven, when I’m cooking something else, so they go brittle and can crush them. For wet food waste that we can’t reuse, I have a wormery from Wormcity* that creates compost, called vermicompost.
Learn More About the Wormcity Wormery 100*
5. Needs Investment (time and/or money)
Grow Your Own Food
This can be as simple as starting with a tomato plant on your windowsill or as big as your own allotment or working on a farm. Growing your own is an important part of living sustainably: Knowing everything that has gone into your food to avoid dangerous chemicals; growing in a way that helps to capture carbon, and create nutritious and wholesome food.
My suggestion is to start small, get experience, and go from there.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: A few years back I grew some potatoes, onions, and garlic then I took a big break because work got in the way. In 2020, I took on an allotment and I’m having a trial year growing LOTS of different vegetables using the Biodynamic approach. We’ve eaten some amazing broccoli, radishes, lettuce, potatoes, runner beans, and swiss chard. I buy seeds from Seed Co-operative (because they’re organic, biodynamic, and open pollinated so I can save seeds from each crop and grow again) and, for the veg that’s a bit more difficult to grow from seed, I buy transplants from Delfland nurseries. We’re looking forward to harvesting tomatoes, main crop potatoes, kale, parsnips, carrots, celeriac, spring onions, onions, cabbage, brussels sprouts, sweetcorn, and peppers. It’s been wonderful watching my son’s excitement at pulling up our own potatoes or making random bungee strap shapes in the apple trees.
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From Diesel and Petrol to Electric Vehicles
Switching to an electric vehicle (EV) is a no-brainer, if you can afford it; however, EVs are still out of reach for the majority of people. We need real government support to help make EVs mainstream: to help reduce the cost of manufacture as well as the cost of purchase, lease, rental, or subscription. The next best option is to move to a hybrid, as it’s a step towards electric, and a move away from diesel emissions that are more toxic than petrol.
This is a huge topic that needs a lot of research. A good place to start is Honest John Is an Electric Car Right for Me and the Ethical Consumer Electric Cars Buyers Guide.
One thing to consider with EVs is that many companies offer a subscription service, which might work better for you than purchasing or leasing.
Why include this in the Sustainability Roadmap: We still can’t afford to switch to an EV. After a lot of research, our plan is to switch to the Mitsubishi Outlander petrol/electric hybrid, and to keep offsetting our CO2 emissions using Carbon Footprint, until we can afford to move to an EV.
Learn more about:
- Honest John Is an Electric Car Right for Me
- Ethical Consumer Electric Cars Buyers Guide
- Elmo drive EV subscriptions
- Flexible car subscriptions from Volvo
- Onto EV subscriptions
Here Is What You Can Do
- Bookmark this page
- Try one new thing each week
- Can you buy more sustainable products?
- Starting with small changes is ok
- Be inspired. We can Live Climate Positive
- Talk to your friends and colleagues
- Share this with others
Where Next?
There is so much inspiring information to give you ideas of how to Live Climate Positive, you can:
- Get started and Vote with your money
- Try the Sustainability Roadmap
- Use the Company Directory
- Read My Blog Posts
- Subscribe to My Free Email Newsletter
- Support Us
Sources Used to Create This
- Episode 2: Climate Denial: 50 Years of Lies & Misinformation
- S6 Part 1 | Plastic Pipelines | Ep 4: Keeping Oil Alive
- Vast majority of Brits have no idea how much water they use each day
- Plastic-Free Periods
- Switch to Reusables
- Refill app | find free places to Refill on the go!
- Big banks’ trillion-dollar finance for fossil fuels ‘shocking’, says report
- Is your bank funding fossil fuels?
- Bank.Green: Find Ethical & Sustainable Banks In Your Area
- Do you want your pension to invest in companies harming the planet?
Production Notes
This was produced by me, James Walters, as a personal project to help stop climate change by inspiring others to grow, eat, and live sustainably.
Any advice given is the opinion of those involved and does not constitute medical, financial, or legal advice.
* We include links we think you will find useful. If you buy through those links, we may earn a small commission. It’s one way to support our work and to inspire as many people as possible.