Living responsibly in a way that helps to preserve the planet is no doubt something that is important to most of us, which leads to us making lots of changes in our life styles to help save the environment and reduce our carbon footprint.
A huge part of our life style that sometimes gets forgotten about in terms of this is our diet. The production of the food we eat, how we prepare it at home and food wastage all has a massive impact on our environment, so we’ve looked at some ways in which we can make our diets more eco friendly.
Buy local produce where possible
Sourcing your food locally is a great way to reduce your family’s carbon footprint as you’re helping to reduce transportation of produce. Seek out local independent stores to not only help the environment but also the local economy. Don’t be afraid to ask store workers where you food has come from too, if you are unsure.
Look out for organic options
As soon as people hear the words ‘organic food’ they immediately assume it will cost a lot more than non-organic alternatives, and whilst this is generally fairly accurate, you can actually find some really good deals on organic food. There are some guides online to eating organically on a budget which should help, too.
Make your food last longer
As well as choosing your food more wisely, you should look into ways in which you can preserve it for the longest amount of time possible, to reduce your food waste, and even things like your petrol consumption if you have to drive to the supermarket. As well as the obvious notion of sticking the food in the freezer to make it last longer, there are lots of other things you can do to make your food last longer, too.
Cut down on your meat intake
Vegetarian and vegan diets are great for the environment, as industrially farmed meat has the greatest impact of any food product on the environment. Aim to reduce your family’s meat intake by going vegetarian (or even vegan) for one or two days a week. Cutting down on red meat in particular can have a really positive impact on your health, too.
Cut down on your packaging waste
As well as the actual food you’re consuming, think about the packaging it comes in, as food and drink packaging makes up a huge percentage of the waste in landfills. Recycle the materials where possible, and even avoid buying products that seem to use far too much of it, especially if it can’t be recycled. Reuse your shopping bags when you do your food shop as well.
Upgrade to energy efficient food appliances
The way you store and cook your food will also have a huge impact on the environment. Upgrade your major appliances like your refrigerator and your oven to energy efficient ones, and don’t forget to recycle your existing ones; keeping the WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) directive in mind. There’s more about that here – ServiceForce.co.uk.
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