How To Be More Eco-Friendly

Hello hello how are you hope life is good!

I've been wanting to type this blog post for so long, but I always wanted to add more and more to it!

So I apologise in advance if this post is a long one, but I'll put in loads of pictures so it'll be worth it ahaha!

Now please excuse my French but the planet that we're living on is fucking amazing.

Like seriously.

Wow.

Our planet is so beautiful and inspiring and amazing and incredible that it actually annoys me so much when people say that they're not into 'being eco-friendly' or that 'the planet is going to die anyway so how can one person even make a difference'.

Aaaaaargh my blood boils when I hear people who are so indifferent about the health and future of our amazing planet!

Anyway, rant over.

When it comes to the environment, I'm not an angel at all at all, but I do try my best and I try to set a good example for others to follow.

So yeah here are some tips and tricks etc to help you become are more environmentally friendly human!

I've divided my points up into 3 big things and then a long list of small little things you can do!

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1. Eat more plants

2. Become a conscious consumer

3. Educate yourself

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1. Eat more plants

Probably the easiest thing for you to do right now that'll help not only the health of the planet but your own health too, is to eat more plants.

Less meat, animal products, etc.

More plants.

And before you click out of this blog post ahahaha, hear me out!

Not only does plant-based food taste feckin delicious, you'll be doing a massive favour for the planet too.

Animal agriculture is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions.

That's more than the combined exhaust from all modes of transport; cars, buses, planes, trains, the whole lot!

Check out Cowspiracy.com to read all of the facts, I'm only going to mention a few...

• 2,500 gallons of water are needed to produce 1 pound of beef.
• 1,000 gallons of water are required to produce 1 gallon of milk.
• Animal agriculture is the leading cause of species extinction, ocean dead zones, water pollution, and habitat destruction.
• Animal agriculture is responsible for up to 91% of Amazon destruction.

I know it's so easy to read those facts and just be like "Oh yeah that's grand sure I don't eat that much meat" but just stop for a second and think.

If you're even considering going plant-based or even flexitarian or whatever-you-want-to-call-yourself, then this is the sign to do it!!!

I wish people would forget about labels like 'vegan' etc.

Yes I call myself a vegan but really that's not that important in the grand scheme of things like.

So whatever you want to call yourself (or not call yourself!), the most important thing is that we all try to eat as many plant-based foods as we can and a lot less animal products.

You can do something as simple as switching from dairy milk to a plant-based milk.

(And no, eating more plant-based foods doesn't mean you have to eat smoothie bowls ahahaha, I just put them in because they look nice and will hopefully encourage 1 person to give it a go!)

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2. Become a conscious consumer

"Become a what what?!" I hear you say ahaha!

Basically conscious consumerism is where you stop and think about how you spend your money, where you're spending it, and who you're giving it to.

It's also about taking back control over your life and realising that you don't need that new shirt from that shop just because it's 'in season' and 'everyone else has one' etc etc.

I dunno if I explained that very well haha but basically, as a conscious consumer, I'm always asking myself the following questions...

• Am I buying something that I actually need?
• Where is my money going to? (i.e a big business or a local business)
• Am I supporting a local business with this purchase?
• Has this item been made ethically?
• Is it FairTrade/ethical/organic/etc?

Every time you buy something you're voting with your money.

I know that sounds pure cringey but it's true.

So think...

Are you 'voting' to help support a local company or are you just giving more money to massive companies that are trying to take over the world ahaha.

Every time you buy something try and take into consideration the impact that your purchase will have on the planet.

Check out my Ethical Fashion blog post for more info etc about my favourite ethical and environmentally-conscious brands!

In an ideal world, every single company/business/etc would be totally transparent about what they do and how they do it, but sadly that's not the case for the world we live in at the moment.

But what inspires me so much is seeing a small business/company and how they impact the world around them, I just love it!

Here are my favourite businesses/companies that help make the world a better place:

(Click their name to check out their website)

• Good Day Deli - A sustainable foods deli located in Nano Nagle Place in Cork City. GDD is my favourite place ever, the food is beyond divine and the people there are so sound and lovely and kind. Click here to read my blog post about Good Day Deli, and if you're in Cork then definitely check them out!)
• West Cork Coffee - My favourite coffee, without a doubt. Tony is so knowledgable about what he does and he's so kind and interesting too. I was lucky enough to catch Tony to do a Chill Chats interview, which you can read by clicking here, and Good Day Deli use West Cork Coffee so if you go to GDD then definitely get some of Tony's coffee, it's a win-win!
• Bean Brownie Company and My Goodness - My two favourite stalls to go to at the farmers market. If I'm not at Bean Brownie then I'll be at My Goodness and vice versa, or I might even go to both if I'm feeling fancy haha! Check out my blog posts about them, if you'd like to find out more about these amazing businesses (and even-more-amazing people!) Bean Brownie Company and My Goodness.
• Vegan Athletic - By farrrrr the most incredibly fantastic company I've had the pleasure of coming across! Vegan Athletic make high-quality, ethically sourced and produced athletic apparel. I wish my entire wardrobe was made by VA, like seriously! Everything I've bought from them is absolutely stunning, even their eBook (and I'm not a fan of eBooks so that says a lot!) Please check them out, I guarantee you'll be ridiculously inspired by all that they do!
• Rapanui - A sustainable fashion brand that makes everything from eco-friendly shirts to organic boxers. I've fallen in love with this company because they make lovely simple clothes. I bought a grey t-shirt from them and it's my favourite t-shirt ever. Definitely check them out if you want to make your wardrobe more eco-friendly!
• Toms - I'm not even going to say anything about Toms because you've probably heard about them already and know how amazing they are! They're by far my favourite shoe brand and I'm after owning 5 pairs of Toms over the years, and I have a Toms bag too haha! I wish everyone wore Toms!

 

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3. Educate yourself

I know this is such a broad statement to make, but it's so easy to do!

And it's so important to make a point of educating yourself too, because there are so many people trying to spread misinformation and trying to confuse people and trying to trick them!

Now don't worry, I'm not telling you to sit down with like 400 books about the environment and read them all ahaha!

Educating yourself can be as easy as watching a few documentaries.

I highly recommend you check out these documentaries (you can probably find them for free online so don't go buying them or anything!)...

• Cowspiracy - All about the environmental impact that animal products have. It's really eye-opening and it's one of the reasons I went vegan.
• The True Cost - All about the stories behind the clothes we wear; who made them, how they were made, and how they're impacting our planet. This documentary really shocked me because I never thought about how clothes and how the fast fashion industry can be so damaging when it comes to the environment.

I'd also really recommend following people on Instagram who are interested in helping save the planet. People such as...

• Ellie Goulding
• Jack Harries
• Finn Harries
• Roz Purcell
• Conor McDonnell
• Venetia Falconer
• Lauren Singer (Trash Is For Tossers)
• WWF
• Leonardo DiCaprio
• Emma Watson

And if you're in the position to educate other people about everything you've learned, then go for it!

Use your platform, whatever that may be, for good!

Post a picture on Instagram, start an eco-friendly-inspiring Snapchat vlog, start a blog, get your friends over to your house and watch a few documentaries, try make eco-friendly gifts and give them to people you love, the opportunities are endless!

However you can spread the message then do ittttttt!

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I understand that those 3 points might seem a bit daunting if you're new to trying to be more eco-friendly, so here's a list of small things that you can do every day that'll help make a massive difference!

You obvs don't have to do all of them (or even any of them!) but they're here to inspire you and hopefully help you start living a more environmentally friendly life!

• Get a reusable coffee cup (My favourite ones are the KeepCups, I got mine in Soma).
• Try and make as little food waste as possible. My favourite way to do this is to make a buddha bowl and use up any leftover food I have and any food that I need to get rid of before it goes off! A typical buddha bowl for me would usually have some leftover veggie curry, some greens, maybe a veggie burger, and some brown rice, but use whatever ya got!
• Walk/run/cycle/bus/carpool instead of driving, whenever is possible for you.
• Say no to plastic straws (and single-use plastic in general, get it outta your life!)
• Travel - I know this probably sounds counter-intuitive but it really makes you appreciate the planet a lot more, and because of that, it makes you want to do more to help protect it.
• Buy organic food when possible.
• Support local businesses.
• Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle.
• Eat more veg.
• Only buy things if you need them.
• Use your voice. Use the platform that you have to educate and inform.
• Don't support fast fashion.
• Shop second-hand or vintage.
• If you're in Cork then you HAVE TO go to Good Day Deli!!!
• Get a reusable bottle and stop buying bottled water.
• Eat local and seasonal food.
• Grow your own food.
• Bring your own shopping bags.
• Buy ethical and environmentally friendly clothes.
• Support sustainability.
• Wear your clothes until they fall apart, and when they fall apart, fix them instead of throwing them out!
• Get a good lunchbox and use and reuse it for everythanggggg!
• Get a tote bag/backpack that you like and bring it everywhere with you! Trust me, they're a lifesaver! And you can carry your reusable coffee cup, bottle, and lunchbox in it!
• Get outside and into nature as much as you can, it really makes you appreciate how beautiful our planet is!

So now so, there we have it!

Sorry if this blog post was really long ahaha, I had a lot to say!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post and if you have any comments/questions/anything at all leave a comment down below or else you can send me an email to plantpoweredhuman@gmail.com or chat to me over on my Instagram!

I hope you like this post, thanks a million for reading!

See ya next week!

Big love,

Darragh