Tips on How to Consume and Act More Environmentally Friendly

By changing behavior and making active choices, we can together reduce our own and society’s impact on the environment and climate. Below are simple tips on what you can do to reduce your impact on the environment and climate.

Right now, one of the biggest environmental challenges we face is climate change. In the so-called Paris Agreement for 2015, in principle all the countries of the world agreed that global warming should be kept below two degrees, preferably below 1.5 degrees. Global warming is caused by greenhouse gas emissions.

To meet the target of less than 2 degrees of global warming, emissions need to be reduced substantially. Below are simple tips on what exactly you can do to make it reach 1.5 degrees:

Choose foods that are good for the environment and the climate

The food accounts for about a quarter of the household’s impact on the environment and climate. By choosing foods that are good for the environment and the climate, you can make a big difference. For example, you can;

• Eat more vegetables and less meat.
• Choosing vegetables by season.
• Choosing raw materials that are locally produced
• Choosing raw materials that are organic, for example, raw materials marked with Requirements, MSC or EU Organic Agriculture
• Choosing meat that has less impact on the climate and the environment, such as fish, mussels, chicken and pork instead of beef and giant prawns that have a great impact on the environment and climate.
• Toss less food. Plan purchases and take care of food scraps. On average, 50-60 kg of fully edible food is thrown out per person and year.

Sort your garbage properly

• Sorting waste properly is an important part of reducing the impact on the environment and the climate. This is so that waste can come to new use, for example, become new energy, and that dangerous substances are not spread in the environment. Most importantly, hazardous waste such as batteries, paint, solvents, low-energy lamps and electronics and the like are properly sorted. But also keep in mind that;
• Sort other waste so that it can be disposed of in the best possible way.
• Sort out food waste from your garbage. This is converted into biogas (vehicle fuel) and biofertilizer used in agriculture.
• Avoid buying aluminum packaging.
• Always recycle metal packaging. Recycling metal saves 95 percent on energy costs compared to producing new ones.
• Recycle plastic. Plastic is degraded very slowly in nature 400-500 years and is often made from oil. Plastic debris spreads in the oceans and damages aquatic animals and also affects us, humans.

Think about traveling – take the train or bike in front of a car and a plane

Aviation and car transport are among the greatest environmental threats and by choosing other ways of traveling you can reduce your impact on the environment and the climate. If you need a car, you can choose an environmental car or drive eco-driving to reduce fuel use. For example, you can;

• Let the car stand and cycle, walk or ride collectively as often as possible.
• Riding trains instead of flights
• Use a carpool.
• Travel a short distance on your vacation or vacation around where you live.

Reduce your energy use

• Use LED lights, turn off at home, run the dishwasher full and have a decent temperature both in the home and refrigerator. Reducing energy use is also a good way to reduce your impact on the environment and climate. For example, you can;
• Lower the indoor temperature.
• Have a reasonable temperature in the fridge (+5 Cº) and freezer (-18 Cº).
• Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator instead of in the microwave.
• Replace incandescent lamps with LED lighting.
• Turn off the lights in rooms you are not staying in.
• Turn off appliances and unplug cables when not in use. Devices in stand-by mode and mobile chargers that sit in the socket draw electricity unnecessarily.
• Reduce your use of water by installing flushing mixers and shower nozzles, using energy-efficient dishwasher and running the dishwasher only when full.
• Choose a climate-smart heating system at home
• The largest energy use in the home goes to heating. By choosing a climate-smart heating system, we win a lot. For example, you can;
• Additional insulation of the house
• Replace the oil boiler with another heating system
• Choosing renewable electricity
• Think about what you are buying and reuse things instead of buying new ones

Our consumption accounts for a large part of the world’s impact on the environment and climate. Goods and services affect the environment in different ways during their life cycle, ie from being produced until they become waste. For example, to reduce your impact, you can;

Buy used. If you buy used clothing, you will save 97% of the energy needed to create a new garment.
Choosing eco-labeled products, such as Good Environmental Choice, the Nordic Ecolabel, Eco Sustainable Textile, EU Ecolabel, FSC (labeling for wood products), GOTS (labeling for textiles) and TCO certified (labeling for electronics products). ‘
Replace old appliances with more energy-efficient alternatives. Read the energy declaration to see which energy class the product has and preferably choose appliances with the rating A +++.