How to Be More Eco-friendly: 10 Top Lifestyle Tips

Being environmentally friendly has never been as important as it is today. Something that we’re very passionate about and strive for here at Robert Dyas. Sure, you only have to listen to David Attenborough’s heartfelt, stirring messages to be moved about how much our planet needs us to change in order to protect it for future generations. By changing old habits, learning how to be more sustainable, and making more eco-friendly choices - we can all play an important role in protecting our beautiful planet.  

When we talk about becoming more eco-friendly, it goes far beyond switching off lights and recycling (even though these too are valuable habits that will benefit the environment). Living a better, sustainable lifestyle means looking at all of the possible areas in which you can make changes, even the most subtle ones from the kitchen to the garden!

Whether you’re on a mission this new year to say goodbye to your wasteful lifestyle and live a more sustainable one, or simply want to add more habits to what you’re already successfully doing - check out our Top 10 List of things that you can easily do to accomplish this! 

Plus, with our wide range of FSC-certified and sustainable products to eco-friendly products; making the switch to alternatives will be easier than you think. What better place to start than at home.

Ranging from kitchen to bathroom, opting for eco-friendly cleaning products over traditional ones offers a host of benefits:

• No toxic chemicals. This makes for a safer, healthier home for you and your family as there’ll be no toxins in the atmosphere or on surfaces you clean.
• Smaller plastic footprint. Many eco cleaning products come in recycled plastic bottles and avoid the use of virgin plastic.
• Smaller carbon footprint. Using less virgin plastic means a reduced use of fossil fuels. And if using refillable products, even more so as the water doesn’t need to be transported and fewer plastic bottles are produced! Check out OceanSaver for amazing refillable products, and read our blog for the best eco cleaning products and brands.  
• Fewer risks. Eco-friendly cleaning products are less likely to cause the type of harmful accidents that can be caused by the chemicals in traditional cleaning products if they come into contact with your skin.

Such a small change, but makes a huge difference to the environment. Investing in a reusable water bottle takes less oil to produce, uses less plastic, reduces your carbon footprint and, most importantly, reduces the build-up of plastic on landfills and in oceans and streams. 

While doing your bit for the planet, and choosing not to buy plastic water bottles anymore, you’ll also save yourself lots of money in the long run. Simply fill it up before you leave the house and top it up throughout the day at work or during gym time. With a selection of designs and colours available, you’re sure to find one you like.

Having a Brita water filter jug at home makes drinking from the tap so easy. Enjoy fresh, better-tasting water with impurities removed while helping reduce the impact of single-use plastic bottle waste. One litre of Brita water has a 25% smaller carbon footprint than 1L of bottled water! Save money too by removing plastic bottled water from your shopping list. 

On a similar note, buying bottled fizzy drinks is expensive and increases plastic waste – not to mention the fact that they’re full of sugar. With SodaStream, making your own natural flavoured sparkling beverages at home is a great sustainable alternative. Enjoy all the classics including cola and orange flavoured drinks! This April, SodaStream are running a Save a Sea Turtle campaign, whereby for every sparkling water machine bought this month, they’ll make a donation to seaturtles.org

These eco-friendly products use CO2 cylinders, each of which produces about 60 litres of sparkling water, helping each household prevent 60 1-litre single-use plastic bottles from ending up in our environment. Plus, whenever you bring back your SodaStream carbonating cylinders to our stores, we’ll send them away to be refilled and give you a £10 discount per cylinder on a pack of four. 

On a similar note, buying bottled fizzy drinks is expensive and increases plastic waste – not to mention the fact that they’re full of sugar. With SodaStream, making your own natural flavoured sparkling beverages at home is a great sustainable alternative. Enjoy all the classics including cola and orange flavoured drinks! This April, SodaStream are running a Save a Sea Turtle campaign, whereby for every sparkling water machine bought this month, they’ll make a donation to seaturtles.org

These eco-friendly products use CO2 cylinders, each of which produces about 60 litres of sparkling water, helping each household prevent 60 1-litre single-use plastic bottles from ending up in our environment. Plus, whenever you bring back your SodaStream carbonating cylinders to our stores, we’ll send them away to be refilled and give you a £10 discount per cylinder on a pack of four. 

Even though paper straws are better for the planet, they can only be used once in a drink which means you’ll need to buy them regularly. Opting for reusable stainless steel ones allows you to wash them after use, making them much more eco-friendly – and they’ll also make your pennies go further.

The production and preparation of meat and dairy contribute to the majority of greenhouse gas emissions in the agriculture industry which isn’t good news for the environment. Consuming less meat in your diet will make a positive change and conserve more water. 

Plus, with so many delicious veggie recipes to sample and less cooking time required, what’s not to love? Check out our blog on how to go vegan – we’ve listed lots of fantastic tips on exciting meals you can make in the kitchen.

Plan your meals; take a shopping list to the supermarket to avoid having leftover food at the end of the week.Reducing food waste also helps the planet and with some simple steps, you can achieve this:

• Plan your meals; take a shopping list to the supermarket to avoid having leftover food at the end of the week.
• Add leftover vegetables to a soup maker to make a tasty soup.
• Pot up leftover portions of dinner into food containers and freeze them - great for when you want something quick to eat after a busy day at work, or perhaps when you’re not in the mood for cooking.   

When cooking, use eco-friendly kitchenware like Prestige Earthpan Recycled Non-stick Pans. These toxic-free, ceramic, non-stick pans are constructed from 100% recycled (and recyclable) aluminium that produces 88% less CO2 emissions than production using primary aluminium. Not only this, but the handles are made from recycled ocean plastics, and the pans come in 100% recyclable, biodegradable packaging with no plastic or shrink wrap.

When it comes to lighting your home, LED, Halogen and CFL light bulbs are the smartest lighting options, being most environmentally friendly and reducing greenhouse emissions.

LED bulbs are the best choice out of the three as they’re the most energy-efficient, will bring your energy bills down, have a longer bulb life and are recyclable. CFL are four times more energy efficient than traditional ones, initially cost more but are less expensive in the long run, and they’re recyclable. 

Halogen bulbs feature a bright, white light, are small and compact, last longer than traditional bulbs, but they must be disposed of in the normal household waste.

And then there’s smart lighting, which lets you set timers and routines to help you make the most energy-efficient choices. 

On that note, why not invest in a smart plug which lets you monitor the energy usage of connected devices?

Buying FSC-certified furniture ensures the product comes from responsibly managed forests that provide environmental, social, and economic benefits. You can also opt for items that use recycled plastic from the ocean, such as the LifestyleGarden® Nassau Bistro Set featuring Social Plastic® (available in four gorgeous colourways). These stunning chairs are so much more than just furniture - they’re bringing about a circular, ethical economy, improving the lives of people in developing countries.

Collectors receive digital tokens for the plastic they collect, which can be used for basic family necessities, like groceries, cooking fuel, school tuition and more. Not only will every Nassau chair be made from the equivalent of 175 recycled plastic bottles, but the range is already committed to utilising the equivalent of 13.2million bottles (or 264,000kgs) in its first year. That’s a lot of plastic!

As well as these stunning bistro sets, we have a wide selection of FSC-certified furniture for the garden, making it easy to find items to suit your style while most importantly giving the environment a helping hand.

Recycling as much as you can will have a positive impact on the planet. Take easy steps such as having the relevant recycling bins in your kitchen for different materials and popping into any of our Robert Dyas stores to use our recycling services. We’ll help you on your eco lifestyle journey by recycling your batteries, light bulbs, water filter cartridges, printer cartridges, household electricals, tech and SodaStream canisters.

Taking your old, unwanted clothes to charity shops and clothes banks is also far better for the environment than throwing them in the bin at home.

While it can be easier to buy new items, it’s always good to get into the habit of making an effort to try and fix it first, using your DIY skills or asking a family, friend or neighbour for a helping hand. This way you’re being more sustainable, plus it will be cheaper than purchasing a new item. Upcycling old furniture by painting it or adding new handles or knobs is another fantastic way of saving money and being kinder to the planet.

For all your other DIY jobs, we have heaps of products to help you get them done, from power drills to screwdrivers and nifty gadgets like electric sanders – as well as your good old-fashioned sandpaper and essentials, of course.