Simple Ways to be More Eco-Friendly at Home
02.01.2023

It’s never been more important to live more sustainably. We all know the impact that excess waste and carbon emissions are having on the environment. Fortunately, there are many ways to be more eco-friendly, with simple, sustainable swaps to be made around the home.
Below, we look into just some of the ways you can improve your sustainable living practices at home to reduce your carbon footprint.
How to create a green home office
There are many ways you can create an eco-friendly office at home to improve your sustainable living practices. Even just working from home reduces your carbon footprint, especially if you usually drive to work. By cutting down the number of journeys you take into the office you can lessen your impact on the environment.
One of the best ways to create a green home office is to reduce the paper waste you create when working. So, instead of writing reminders for yourself on sticky notes, use a reusable glass memo board.
Our Leitz Cosy Desktop Easel is an A4-size memo board with a minimalist design to suit every home office. Alternatively, our Leitz Cosy Glass Desk Notepad has been designed to fit neatly above your keyboard so it’s always ready to use for quick messages.
Another way you can create a green home office is with the tools you use. You should aim to buy eco-friendly stationery that’s made from sustainable materials, such as the Leitz Recycle range.
The Recycle range features a range of home office stationery made from recycled plastic and is 100% recyclable. The range features all sorts of tools you might need for your eco-friendly home office, such as a Recycle Lever Arch File, Recycle Document Wallet, and Recycle A4 Pocket.
We also have eco-friendly stationery tools such as a hole punch, stapler, and waste paper bin. With the Leitz Recycle range, you can equip your home office with sustainable equipment and help to minimise your impact on the environment.
Another simple change for your home office is to use a cleaning spray and microfibre cloth instead of single-use screen wipes. You can get cleaning spray specifically designed for screens, so they won’t damage them or leave smears. Moving away from single-use items will be better for the environment.
Easy ways to go green in the kitchen
The kitchen is an area in the home that creates a lot of waste, so there are plenty of ways to be sustainable. One way is to swap your paper planner for a whiteboard. Our Leitz Cosy Magnetic Glass Whiteboard is the perfect sustainable alternative to keeping your family organised.
You can use it to note down key dates for the months or reminders for the week, and just wipe it clean and reuse when needed. Our whiteboard is made from tempered safety glass and is ultra-resistant to ink stains, pen marks, scratches and dents, so it’s perfect for busy family homes.
Another way you can reduce the waste from your kitchen is to plan your meals in advance and only buy the food you need. You should also aim to keep track of the food you have, so you know what needs to be eaten before it goes off. Having a visual reminder, such as writing a list of what’s in the fridge on your whiteboard, is a great way of monitoring what you have.
You should try to compost any appropriate food waste that you do end up with. This stops adding waste to landfill and also reduces how much methane is released into the atmosphere due to the way composting breaks down the food. If you don’t have a garden to use the compost, you could look to see if there are any composting schemes in your area that can take your food waste.
Another way to be more eco-friendly is to cut down on how much meat you eat. You don’t have to commit to going fully vegetarian or vegan – unless that’s your preference. Even having one or two meat-free days a week can help to lessen your impact on the environment.
You could also look at switching to dairy alternatives, such as oat milk or soya milk. Research shows that non-dairy milks produce about a third or less of the carbon emissions produced by dairy milk, making them a simple sustainable swap for your kitchen.
Simple swaps for a sustainable bathroom
One of the ways you can be more eco-friendly in the bathroom is to consider the products you use. You should try to avoid using personal care products that contain microbeads. These are small bits of plastic that are sometimes used in body washes, toothpaste, and face scrubs to act as an exfoliant. The plastics aren’t biodegradable, and they can end up in natural bodies of water and harm wildlife.
You could also look at the cleaning products you use in the bathroom. You could swap your usual cleaning products for natural alternatives which use effective ingredients but no harsh chemicals. These will have less impact on the environment.
You could also look for concentrated cleaning products that come in a small bottle. You’ll then just need to decant it into a larger bottle and add water. This helps to reduce the amount of plastic waste that’s created and can also help to lower carbon emissions as more items can be transported in one shipment, meaning fewer shipments overall.
Many companies now offer refill schemes, where you can take your empty shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel bottles and refill them in-store. This can be a huge help in cutting plastic waste, as you can reuse the same bottle over and over again. Look online to see what refill schemes are available in your area.
You can also reduce plastic use in your bathroom by switching to sustainable alternatives. You could try a bamboo toothbrush, loofah, or silk dental floss which are all made from natural materials and can reduce the impact on the environment.
Other eco-friendly ideas for home
There are plenty of general changes you can make around the home to live more sustainably. For example, when your current lightbulbs stop working, you could replace them with LED lightbulbs. LED bulbs are much more energy efficient than other types of bulbs, using less electricity for the same light output. This means fewer emissions and also cheaper energy bills.
Another way to be more eco-friendly at home is to switch to sustainable energy. Renewable energy will come from natural sources such as solar or wind and won’t rely on harmful fossil fuels. You could speak to your current supplier about any renewable energy tariffs they might have, or you could switch to a green supplier.
You should also try to switch off electronics when they’re not in use. Rather than leaving equipment on standby or sleep mode, you should always fully switch it off and could even turn it off at the plug to ensure it’s not using any energy. This will help to reduce carbon emissions and is another way to save money on your energy bills.
One of the best ways to be more sustainable at home is to reuse and recycle as much as possible. If something is broken, see if it can be fixed before you throw it away and buy a new replacement. If it’s not fixable, consider whether it can be upcycled as something else – for example, an old, ripped t-shirt could be used as a cloth for cleaning.
You could also look at buying second-hand furniture, such as from charity shops or online marketplaces. This can be a great way of finding good quality furniture for cheaper than buying it new, and it can also prevent items from going to landfill.
Leitz has a range of home office essentials and sustainable office equipment to help improve your sustainability at work.
Read more about ways to live more sustainably:
How to Live More Sustainably on the Cheap