Everything we do in our day-to-day lives has an impact on the planet, from how we get to work, to the food we eat. But there’s plenty of small steps you can take to make a difference. A more sustainable way of living is pretty much readily available with a few tweaks, you just need to make the most of the space around you. Better yet why not get those in your community involved - the more people on board the better, and this way you’ll be strengthening your sense of community too. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Litter picking:

It might not seem like the most glamorous of activities but hear us out. Litter is a danger to wildlife as animals could confuse litter with food or nesting materials. No one likes seeing empty cans or crisp packets lying about, so by engaging in a local litter-pickup you’re ensuring both you and those around you have a more enjoyable dog walk or jog in the park. You’re showing pride for your community, and those around you will be grateful too. Make it into a game if it helps – the one with the most litter is the winner!

Carpool

This will depend on your circumstances (a lot of us work from home now after all) but you could work out amongst your colleagues who lives where relative to work - if one or two of you live in close proximity, you could share a lift to work a couple of days a week. The fewer cars on the road, the better; not only are you cutting down on emissions, you’ll get a good gossip in the car too.

Speak to one another before throwing things away

Reducing household waste (and waste in general) is one of the best things you can do for the environment. Zero waste might seem like a stretch for some, but we can all do little things that will add up to make a big difference. A great way to do this is to sign up to apps such as Nextdoor; based on your postcode, you’ll be able to see what those living nearby to you are giving away or even asking for. That baking dish that you’ve never liked and doesn’t fit in the oven anyway could be someone else’s new favourite!

Sharing home-grown produce

If you’re an avid veg grower with a particularly good yield this year, share the surplus with a neighbour! You’ll not only be saving them money, but supplying them with delicious, organic goodness too. There’s only so many courgettes one person can eat after all (although that could be up for debate).

Go for walks

Walking is a great way to reconnect to nature, and it’ll boost your endorphins too. Someone down your street might know a great public walk nearby – ask if you can go with them one weekend! You might discover a real hidden gem close to home that you didn’t know existed. You’ll feel a heightened sense of community and you never know, it could become a regular thing.

These are just a few of many things you could do to live a more sustainable life, and be more connected to the people and places around you. When it comes to climate change, there’s a mountain of a challenge ahead of us, but when we work together and take things one step at a time, it’s a much easier mountain to climb.