Today marks World Environment Day.
Despite all the chaos and pain that COVID-19 has brought, the restrictions have given our environment some much-needed time out.
We've given up long car journeys, flying and more - all of which have had a small but positive impact on the natural world.
We know, life would be pretty dull if we continued to live like we are now, but why not take on just a few of these lifestyle changes for good?
Check out these great ways you can reduce your carbon footprint once the lockdown is finally lifted.
- Discover Your Neighbourhood
The government-imposed 2 & 5km restrictions have had an unexpected benefit – we’ve all become experts on our own little patch of the world. In a sense it has taught us that you don’t need to jet off to Ibiza to enjoy a perfect sunset - it’s all here on your doorstep, and if not, it’s in your back garden!
- Work From Home
Tech has transformed how we work. Working from home has been possible for the last decade or so, but it has taken this pandemic to show employers that remote working is a serious alternative to offices. While some studies suggest working from a home office can boost productivity, the jury is still out on its impact on employee mental health. What is a given, however, is its effect on air pollution. Switching on from home means fewer commuters on our road network and a reduced strain on public transport infrastructure. Moving to a 60/40 office/home working environment could make serious inroads when it comes to reducing our carbon footprint.
- Zoom, Don’t fly
An old mate of mine flew from Cork to Spain on a weekly basis before the current restrictions came into force. Today, he catches up with his team on Zoom from his home in Waterford. If we’re to curb Ireland’s flight addiction, simple measures like this must be carried over.
- Grow What You Eat
A desire to be fit and healthy without having to make regular supermarket trips has seen a surge in people young and old growing their own products at home. Campaigns such as GIY’s Grow It Forward is encouraging 50,000 people to cultivate their own organic produce from the comfort of their back garden, balcony or windowsill. We have the perfect year-round climate for growing our own produce, so this something that can go beyond our lockdown. Don’t forget what you plant now will be ready to harvest well after the lockdown is lifted!
- Cook What You Grow
What’s more satisfying than growing your own food? Cooking it! The ongoing lockdown has seen a surge in home cooking and baking, with Tesco Ireland shifting 600,000 kilos of flour in a single week. Across the nation, people are throwing away their ready meals and cooking wholesome meals from scratch - with a little help from foodie bloggers, of course.
- Home Gym It
Scroll through your Insta or TikTok feed and you're bound to see a whole host of exercise tips and tutorials that you can do from the comfort of your own living room. If the past few months have shown us one thing, it’s that you don’t need to drive 10km to an air-cond gym to keep fit. A yoga mat and a decent playlist is all you really need.
- Staycation
What we’d do for a weekend in Tramore right now! In a sense, events like this put life into perspective. It’s so easy to be selfish and convince ourselves that it’s our right to holiday whenever, wherever without taking account of the environmental implications. Here’s a little context, the tourism industry alone accounts for an estimated 8% of global emissions — 8%! Perhaps in 2021 we’ll see the staycation as a privilege rather than a compromise.
Image by David Mark from Pixabay
