WWF-UK: One Planet Living Tips
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One Planet Living Tips
Use the quick links below to find out how you can become a one planet living person.
Zero carbon
Zero Waste
Sustainable transport
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Sustainable Materials
Local and Sustainable Food
Sustainable Water
Natural Habitats and Wildlife
Culture and Heritage
Equity and Fair Trade
Health and Happiness
Zero carbon
- Switch off all lights and electrical appliances when not in use.
- Choose energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs.
- Turn down your thermostat by just 1°C and save one tenth of your home heating bill.
- Make your home more energy efficient by insulating your loft, lagging your boiler and pipes, and using draft excluders.
- Switch to a green energy provider like Ecotricity.
Zero Waste
- Recycle as much as you can - if there are no recycling facilities near you, contact your local council.
- Start a compost heap or wormery - these recycle organic waste, including food, and produce excellent compost. Visit recyclenow.com to find out more.
- Give unwanted clothes, toys and books to charity shops or jumble sales.
- Don't buy products with excessive amounts of packaging and, where possible, choose products with re-useable containers.
- Return unwanted mail and ask for your name to be removed from the mailing list. E-mail the Mailing Preference Service.
Sustainable transport
- Reduce your CO2 emissions by using public transport, cycling or walking.
- Get the most out of your car by driving smoothly in the highest gear possible to reduce exhaust emissions, and switch off your engine if you are not moving.
- When buying a new car, make fuel efficiency a top consideration. The Environmental Transport Association offers advice on the relative environmental merits of most cars.
- Don't travel by air if you can avoid it - air travel uses large amounts of fossil fuels and creates greenhouse gases.
- Start a car sharing scheme at work or with your friends.
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Sustainable Materials
- Buy recycled or recyclable products such as toilet tissue and stationery.
- Look for the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo when buying wood products – from paper to raw timber. This ensures the wood comes from a well-managed forest.
- Re-use envelopes.
- Recycle paper after use.
- Use e-mail where possible, rather than faxing or writing.
Local and Sustainable Food
- Go organic! You can get organic produce delivered to your door.
- Choose locally produced food where possible or visit your local farmers market
- Buy fruit and vegetables that are in season to help reduce the enormous transport costs that result from importing produce.
- When buying fish, look out for 'eco-labelling' such as the Marine Stewardship Council" (MSC) logo, eat a variety of non-endangered species and buy local fish if possible.
Sustainable Water
- Fix dripping taps.
- Install a Hippo Water Saver in the cistern of your toilet. This can save between 2.5 and 3.5 litres of water each time you flush.
- Avoid using a hose wherever possible - use a watering can for the garden and buckets of water for washing the car.
- Try to water plants at sunset, rather than in the heat of the day - this will allow the water to soak through to the roots, rather than simply evaporate. Also let your grass grow a little longer - it will require less water.
- Install a water-butt to collect rainwater for your garden. Water-butts can be bought at local garden centres.
Natural Habitats and Wildlife
- Try to use organic and environmentally friendly fertilisers and pesticides - organic gardening reduces pollution and is better for wildlife.
- Try to use bark based compost, not peat or plants grown in peat, as it is irreplaceable. If you are unable to use your own compost, alternatives are available in most garden centres and DIY stores.
- Encourage wildlife in your garden - put up nest boxes, build a pond and plant a wide range of native flowers and plants. Visit our Earthly Goods online store for unusual bird boxes made of wood from well-managed forests.
- Don't be tempted to touch wildlife and disturb habitats whether on land, at the coast or under water.
- Voice concerns about development of environmentally sensitive areas to your MP or council. Find your MP.
Culture and Heritage
- Find out about places before you visit. You may be visiting a Site of Special Scientific Importance (SSSI) or other environmentally sensitive area, in which case you must take extra care to stay on footpaths and follow signs.
- When on holiday let the local people know that you appreciate pristine nature being there, so that they see its economic value.
- Re-use towels and participate in any green schemes run by hotels.
- Go on holiday during the off-peak period to prevent over-straining resources - you'll also avoid the crowds.
- Get involved in your local community - even simply attending a local class can lead to new friendships in your area.
Equity and Fair Trade
- Encourage your company to invest ethically.
- Ask your travel agent or tour operator what they are doing to be environmentally responsible.
- Use facilities and trips run by local people whenever possible.
- When you're not buying locally sourced products, buy fairly traded products as much as possible.
- Use home-grown UK charcoal instead of imported charcoal from tropical forests.
Health and Happiness
- Volunteer your time or services to a local conservation group. The Wildlife Trusts can give you details of volunteering opportunities in your area.
- Don't buy head lice shampoos that contain pesticides. Use homeopathic alternatives or a fine-toothed metal comb instead. Visit our Safer Shopping website for tips and advice.
- Ask your vet to recommend or supply a flea killer for your pet that does not contain pesticides.
- Prevent food from coming into contact with PVC cling film, which is created through the addition of chemical additives.
- Health, happiness and saving the planet can go together very well. By improving the insulation in our homes, we feel warmer and cosier in the winter – we also feel a lot happier when the bills arrive in the spring!
Facts
Carbon
If every UK household installed 3 Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs enough energy would be saved in a year to supply all street lighting in the UK.
Waste
On average, each household in the UK produces over a tonne of household waste every year - that's the weight of a small car. We send as much as 80% of this to landfill.
Transport
One return flight to Australia will use as much as all the energy to heat and power your home for up to six years.
Materials
For every tonne of paper we use each year, we need an area of forest about the size of five football pitches to produce it.
Food
Each tonne of strawberries we fly into the UK from the Middle East releases more than four and a half tonnes of CO2. 4 tonnes of CO2 fills three 25 metre olympic swimming pools.
Water
A dripping tap can waste up to 140 litres of water a week. Turning off the tap when brushing your teeth could save as much as 20 litres of water per day.
Habitats and Wildlife
In London, it's estimated that two-thirds of front gardens are now completely or partially covered by paving, bricks or concrete - an area 22 times the size of Hyde Park!
Culture and Heritage
The Lavender-growing capital of the world used to be in south London.
Equity and Fair Trade
Producers registered with Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO) receive a minimum price that covers the cost of production and an extra premium that's invested in the local community.
Health and Happiness
The New Economic Foundation reports that evidence has increasingly shown people's sense of well-being is related to their physical health, including the dramatic finding that 'happy' people live up to seven years longer than 'unhappy' people.