16 (easy) ways to make a change
1. Less is more
According to textile experts, a European consumes an average of 30 kilograms of textiles, an American up to 35 a year - many items even end up in the trash unworn. So if you buy less often and therefore higher quality, you cause significantly less waste.
2. Coffee to stay
According to the German Environmental Aid, 320,000 coffee cups are used every hour. That's right! So if you do without paper cups on the go, you not only take more time for enjoyment, but also help the environment.
3. When "to go" is the real deal:
Anyone who absolutely needs “to go” can easily implement this in everyday life. Because walking or cycling is not only good for the environment, but also for the body. Anyone who travels further should rely on rail or car sharing, because in order to achieve the same CO2 emissions as a local train, a car would have to have at least three occupants.
4. Wear and repair:
Repairing instead of throwing away is a trend, because upcycling, repair cafés and co. are fun in the long term. So, darn your socks!
5. The taste of nature:
I eat flowers: If you choose plant-based alternatives instead of meat, you not only save water, but above all CO2.
6. Show me yours and I'll give you mine:
Sharing instead of buying is cool. Because with food or clothes sharing, neighborhood networks and the like, you make yourself happy and maybe even make friends.
7. How to care and carry:
Plastic bags are so 80s... In Germany alone, 3.6 billion bags were used in 2016. Fabric bags, jute bags and baskets, on the other hand, are not just a fashion statement, but a very simple trick to avoiding a lot of plastic waste. You can find our tote bag with a clear appeal to save water here .
8. Green and clean power:
Green electricity is not only good for your conscience, it is also worth it when it comes to the price, because in many cases green electricity is even cheaper than nuclear power.
9. Maybe no to Nestlé & Co?
Bulk goods at any price? Thanks to the flourishing variety of products, ideas and start-ups with a sustainable and social corporate philosophy, nowadays you can not only buy great products, but also do something good.
10. Eat local:
More regional and seasonal food means fewer unnecessary transport routes. Instead of bananas from Ecuador, you should rather reach for apples from the old country. And: who doesn't like to stroll through a farmer's market? But be careful: According to a study by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research in Heidelberg, the production conditions are the most important factor. For example, the climate balance of salads produced in winter in Germany was significantly worse than in Spain. The background to this is the houses in Germany that are heated in winter and are therefore significantly less efficient.
11. Cut the bullshit:
Whether cleaning agents, cosmetics and the like - anyone who buys products based on purely natural, biodegradable ingredients is not only doing something good for themselves, but also for the water cycle.
12. Slow Down With Fast Food:
According to the WWF, there is 6,000 liters of water in a single fast food meal. So if you eat more sustainably, you can, for example, reduce meat or consume it from organic farming - this saves a lot of water, CO2 and the cultivation of monocultures.
13. We love you, George Clooney, but..
Ok, we love good coffee (and make a living from it). But who wants to produce 5,000 tons of waste from coffee capsules a year? Good for George and us: Thanks to the pressure on the industry, manufacturers are now offering refillable capsules!
14. Your ticket to sustainability
Concert tickets, boarding passes, train tickets – printed tickets are not only often forgotten in the drawers of this world, but often end up in the garbage a few minutes after use. Useless, especially where paper consumption per person in Germany is the highest in the world at 244 kilograms per year. Simply use the E variant instead, that saves waste and nerves!
15. Buy, eat, buy, eat...repeat!
According to a study by the University of Stuttgart, we Germans throw away every eighth food item from the refrigerator – an extrapolated figure of 6.7 million tons per year in Germany alone. So shop consciously and eat up, because that saves money and protects the environment.
16. Kiss the (gas) cook:
Because gas stoves not only heat up pans and pots faster: According to the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, gas stoves can avoid the emission of around 250 kilograms of carbon dioxide per year.
