20 ways to live a greener life

20 ways to live a greener life

More tips to help you lead a more sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyle.

11. Conserve water

Conserve water. Each year we use more water than we can save, and you can help by being careful in the kitchen. Only boil as much water as you need in the kettle or when cooking veg. Wash produce in a bowl, not under a tap. Only wash full loads in the dishwasher, as these are more water-efficient.

12. Re-use and recycle more

Every year, UK households throw away almost 30 million tonnes of rubbish. Most of this ends up in landfill, but we're running out of space. Do your bit by reducing the amount of rubbish you create, re-using as much as possible and recycling the rest. Find out more, and find out clever ways to re-use at Waste Online To locate your nearest recycling facility, type your postcode into Wastepoint.

13. Be a greener cleaner

Many ordinary kitchen cleaning products contain toxic ingredients, such as polycarboxylates, phosphonates and bleaching agents, which are potentially harmful to plant, aquatic and animal life once they disappear down the plughole. Look out for Ecover products, now widely available in supermarkets or online at Greenshop.

14. Grow your own

Herbs, lettuce, potatoes, runner beans, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes and more can all be grown in patio pots. Homegrown means fewer food miles and zero packaging. See our Grow-your-own guides to get started.

15. Don't let your waste go to waste

Keep a pedal bin in the kitchen for coffee grounds, egg shells, tea bags and veg peelings, and transfer them regularly to a garden compost pile. Cover with an old carpet to keep warm. You can also buy special compost bins in garden centres. Turn the compost regularly and don't let it dry out - water it occasionally if necessary. You'll end up with beautiful compost to use in your garden in two to six months' time. Visit Garden Organic for more information.