Sustainability

10 Switches You Can Make For The Environment This Earth Hour

Each year when Earth Hour rolls around, we all make a concerted effort to turn off our electricity for an hour as a symbol of commitment to our planet. But, this year, we are stepping up our game and letting you in on some smaller changes you can make for the environment not just for an hour, but for good.

We’ve partnered with revolutionary skincare brand Conserving Beauty to share our top ten switches you can make for the environment this Earth Hour that are easy to commit to for a long-term positive impact on our environment.

1. Say goodbye to disposable! Invest in a reusable water bottle and coffee cup, and say goodbye to plastic waste.

Did you know that if you use a reusable coffee cup or water bottle at least 15 times, you’ll offset the environmental impact of making it. Plus, if you continue to use them every day for a year, you’ve prevented 365 single-use items from ending up in landfill. Grab your Kip&Co x frank green reusable cup today!

2. Ditch traditional make-up wipes, and opt for Conserving Beauty’s dissolving, zero waste cleansing wipes.

Generic makeup wipes may be easy-to-use, but their compromising impact on the planet needs to be understood.

Traditional wipes are made from polyester and polypropylene (4), which are non-biodegradable plastic fibers. This means that makeup wipes can end up sitting in landfill for centuries. It’s estimated that 70% of Australia’s water pipe blockages, and over 90% in the UK, are caused by single-use wipes. That’s why you should opt for using Conserving Beauty’s InstaMelt dissolving, zero-waste cleansing wipes. These wipes not only cleanse the skin effortlessly with an oil-based cleansing formulation, they also dissolve in water, leaving behind no microplastics. Plus, they are also wrapped in 100% compostable packing making them a zero-waste product.

3. Choose bedding made from natural, renewable fibers such as organic cotton, linen, and bamboo.

Whether you are a linen lover or cotton converter, making the switch to sustainable bedding has never been easier or accessible! Just like your food, clothing or furniture, it is important to consider whether or not you’re sleeping under sustainably sourced and ethically made bedding.

Take your pick from 100% GOTS certified organic cotton bedding or ethically sourced French flax linen for a comfortable (and conscious) night’s sleep. Keep reading to find out how making the switch to French flax linen or organic cotton can help save our environment.

3. Make the switch to a bike or public transportation.

Did you know that avoiding peak hour traffic isn’t the only benefit of taking public transport? Using shared transportation services such as a tram, train or bus is actually a great way to reduce emissions and save the environment.

In fact, the Public Transport Authority (1) outlines that switching from car to public transport on your daily commute will reduce your personal greenhouse emissions and could even save you $5500 a year.

4. Get your green thumb on.

Growing your own fruit, herbs or veggies at home is far more sustainable than buying them at your local supermarket. Having your own veggie garden right at your doorstep is not only convenient, but it means less waste, zero packaging and no transport emissions. On average, your fresh fruit & veg has traveled over 2,400kms before it reaches your fridge (2). That means, the short walk to your backyard veggie garden has some seriously impressive results on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. How good is that!

So, this Earth Hour, we are encouraging you to get your green thumb on and cook up a home-made feast using environmentally conscious homewares, sustainably sourced French flax table linen and ethically made enamelware.

5. Switch to reusable shopping bags.

We know it’s easy to forget, but next time you’re heading out, make sure you chuck some reusable shopping bags or sustainable sourced French flax linen tote bags in your boot or handbag. It is estimated that for one reusable shopping bag, 500 single-use plastic bags are replaced (3) and ultimately saved from landfill.

It’s little changes like this that have a huge impact on our environment and ultimately help reduce pollution in our land and seas, and thus landfill.

6. Reducing your meat consumption.

Reducing your meat consumption by just one day per week can have some pretty incredible results on the health of ourselves and the planet. Cutting down your meat consumption significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation and soil degradation. Plus, doing so will in turn lessen the demand for precious environmental resources such as water, energy, and land.

Stuck for dinner ideas? Why not try out this vegan homemade pasta recipe with alla norma sauce. Seriously delicious and seriously easy!

8. Make the switch to pre-loved clothing and furniture.

Some of our favourite vintage stores in Melbourne include, Fitzroy Market and Smith Street Bazaar. Vintage clothes, Y2K fashion and hand-me-downs are the latest trend of 2023, and we couldn't be more excited about it. Not only are vintage clothes unique, trendy and special, these items are sustainable and help save our planet. Since these clothes already exist, it means new no resources, water and energy have to be used to create these garments. So, there is no better time than now to get your thrift on and go vintage shopping!

9. Shorter showers.

In 2019, the UN declared that we are living in a global water crisis, meaning that we are running out of this precious finite resource. Thinking about ways you can reduce your water footprint is therefore essential. A simple and easy way to do this is by timing your showers, and keeping them as close to 2 minutes as possible.

10. Wash your clothes on a cold wash cycle.

Did you know that around 90% of the energy used by the washing machine goes towards heating the water? Using cold water to wash your clothes eliminates this energy, making your clothes and the planet happy!