With COP26 about to arrive in Glasgow, it feels like the entire world is talking about going green. While making certain green lifestyle changes can certainly lower your carbon footprint, that’s not the only benefit – it can improve your health and wellbeing too.
Below are five small changes that will make a big difference to both your carbon footprint and your overall sense of wellness.
- Shop organic
The food you eat plays a big role in your general health and wellbeing, but it can also have an impact on the environment.
Going organic is one of the easiest ways to ensure fewer harmful chemicals are used in the food that you eat. ‘Organic’ essentially means less pesticides end up in our soil, watercourses, wildlife and, ultimately, us.
Going organic doesn’t mean your food bill will skyrocket either. In fact, some supermarkets are even offering cheaper prices for their organic produce, and organic suppliers are often local, meaning you can slash the distance produce needs to travel to arrive in your kitchen.
- Cut down on driving
It’s easy to think that the only way to get around is by car, especially if you don’t live near the centre of your town or city. However, it’s possible to take public transport, cycle, or even walk to get from A to B.
Going green doesn’t need to mean going without, you just have to be a bit smarter about how and when you drive your car. Driving on alternate days, carpooling to work, and trialling an ‘active travel’ day per week are all ways you can cut down on driving without the experience being too painful.
And if you’ve ever considered an alternative way of getting about, right now couldn’t be a better time. The arrival of over 30,000 delegates to Glasgow is set to cause severe travel restrictions around the city for at least a few weeks.
Add to that the fact that the train drivers are striking for the duration of the conference, and your bike could very soon become your best friend!
- Grow your own food
If you don’t want to go down the organic route, then growing your own fruit and vegetables is a simple and rewarding way to go green.
Not only will you be eating healthily – which we hope was your aim in the first place! – but growing your own food also means you’re reducing the miles it has travelled from field to plate, as well as ensuring no harmful chemicals or pesticides have been used along the way.
And best of all, getting green fingers protects your pay packet as well as the planet. What’s not to love?
- Go paperless
Going paperless might sound difficult but in fact all it really involves are a few small changes to your daily routine, which can then make a huge dent in your environmental impact.
Whether it’s making the switch to online banking, recycling paper you don’t need, or sending emails instead of letters – there are lots of ways in which you can reduce how much paper you use on a day-to-day basis.
And as we know, the less paper we use, the fewer trees need to be cut down to facilitate our print-offs, postcards, and sticky notes – it’s estimated the average paperless office can save a massive 48 trees a year.
- Spend more time outdoors
Going green doesn’t just mean doing your bit for the environment, it can also improve both your health and wellbeing. One of the quickest ways you can do this is by spending more time outdoors.
That might sound like going green in a very literal sense, but there are lots of reasons why living a greener lifestyle and getting active go hand-in-hand. Going outdoors more often has been shown time and again to reduce stress, improve mental health, and boost overall wellbeing.
Whether that’s going for a walk with friends, taking up gardening or just reading a book in the park, going outside is one the best things you can do for your health and wellbeing. Why not combine going green with taking some much-needed outdoor R&R and see how much better you feel?
For more information about how Ludo’s Primal Wellness can help you and your employees improve their wellness, click here.
