The Give It a Go-er
This might be your first go at making changes for the environment... and the good news is there are loads of cool things to get you started!
This one is easy peasy, switch off breezy. Just remember to switch things off when not in use - lights, chargers and things usually left on standby. Little savings are still savings! Click here to discover more energy-saving actions.
Do you use cling film or tinfoil in your lunchbox? Tupperware is an easy reusable swap you can make! Click here to discover more reduce, reuse and recycle actions.
Plant trees while you scroll online! How? Install 'Ecosia' - it's a search engine like Google but they use their profits to plant trees around the world. So you can feel a little better about your screen time! Click here to discover more nature-boosting actions.
You love new experiences and you’re not fazed by a challenge. You have a good awareness of the world and are always eager to learn new things! Here are a few ways to connect with the planet and make your mark.
Become a litter-picking legend! Rubbish can seriously harm local wildlife and often gets washed out to sea, polluting the ocean. Can you organise a litter pick, then bin or recycle what you find, to save it causing harm?
Take a screen break and park your phone in your pocket or bag. Head to your local green space and take notice of the kinds of things you don't usually see or hear. When was the last time you looked up into a tree canopy? Take a closer look, touch, or smell and feel closer to nature.
Feed the birds the good stuff. Bread isn't actually the best food to give birds. It's not natural to their environment and can make them really bloated! Oops. Instead, seeds, oats, fruit and nuts are good alternatives. Check out this easy bird feeder tutorial and help our feathered friends survive the colder months.
You like to keep up with what’s going on around you and know it’s time to make some changes for the planet, but you want to make sure they have a big and long-lasting impact. Ready to take action?
Fill up a reusable water bottle. In the UK, we're really lucky that we have safe, clean tap water, so you can refill a reusable bottle every day instead of getting all your water from plastic bottles, like people in many parts of the world. See how many refills you can get before you forget (or lose) your water bottle - and then try to beat that high score.
You've heard of shorter showers, but what about cooler showers? A huge amount of the energy needed for a shower is used to heat up the water, so dialing down the temperature - even just a smidge - will help. Cool showers can be really refreshing, producing feel-good endorphins and boosting your circulation, so double down with a quick, cold shower…if you dare!
Have a lightbulb moment. Take a peek at the light bulbs in your house. Can you spot if they're LED? It might say on the bulb or, if the watts are under 10 it’s very likely to be LED. This is great because LED bulbs use way less energy than other types. Could you challenge your family to LED-ify all the lights in your house and help them swap the bulbs over?
Click here to discover more energy-saving actions, or try some of our actions to reduce reuse and recycle more.
You’ve already made some big changes in your life to help the planet and now it’s time to get your friends and family involved. Can you make changes at home or at school to help the environment? Here are a few ways to make a start.
You've heard of Airbnb, but what about Bugbnb? Build a bug hotel to give insects a safe place to live. All you need to do is find an empty toilet roll or old jar, then head outside and find some bits and pieces to fill it up with. Bark, twigs, dried leaves, pinecones and moss are all good. Arrange as many different materials as you can inside your container, leaving little gaps and cracks for bugs. Then put it in a shady spot outside, ready for guests! Click here to discover more nature-boosting actions.
Recycling is easy, right? You just throw things in a recycling bin… Mm, kinda! Each area has different collection rules, so double check your council website to find out what they do and don’t accept in the recycling bin. Putting the wrong things in can contaminate collections (booo!) and means that they can't be recycled properly - so if in doubt, leave it out! Give your items a quick rinse to make sure they’re clean. Then, recycle away! Click here to discover more reduce, reuse and recycle actions.