When you run a business, you won’t have time to write your own blogs but you can get me to do it for you. I ghost-write blogs in your voice and ensure that they are search engine optimised. Easy Peasy Greeny asked me to write this blog for them to talk about why they did their recent giveaway. 

Easy Peasy eco swaps

If you’re thinking of going green but don’t know where to begin, it’s easier to start small by swapping some of your everyday essentials with eco-friendly alternatives. 

In April I did an eco-bundle giveaway with the aim to inspire people to make simple changes that will make a huge impact on the environment. I know a lot of people want to be greener and do their bit for the environment, but there are usually three hurdles that stand in their way from the start:

• Will it be more expensive? 
• Will I have to shop around for speciality shops?
• Will I have to put up with inferior products?

The truth is, the answer is no to all of these hurdles, and I wanted to demonstrate this with my April giveaway. If I could show just one person that greener alternatives are easily available, sometimes less expensive and just as good, if not better, then I know I’ve made a difference. 

Start in the bathroom

Knowing which products to swap out can be tricky, but I’d encourage you to start in the bathroom. You can do simple things to use less water by reducing your time in the shower, washing your hair less frequently, fixing leaky taps and turning off the tap while brushing your teeth. You can source eco-friendly toilet paper and dry your towels on the line outside. There are also three essential products you can easily swap out, which I included in my eco-bundle giveaway, 

My top 3 eco swaps for the bathroom

• Truthbrush bamboo toothbrushes
• BBC Earth Shampoo Bars
• Bamboo cotton buds

Did you know…

It takes up to 500 years for a plastic toothbrush to break down, and even then it doesn’t properly decompose. The first ever plastic toothbrush made in the 1930s is still hanging around somewhere! 

Making the swap to a bamboo toothbrush means you can reduce the amount of waste going to landfill, and use a sustainable product that actually helps the environment. Bamboo needs no pesticides or fertilisers to grow. Plus, it is more efficient than trees at taking CO2 from the air and producing more O2. 

The award-winning Truthbrushes I included in my giveaway, which I encourage you to use, are made from moso bamboo which is inedible to pandas. They are naturally anti-bacterial, ergonomically designed and you can get a year’s supply (four brushes) for just £16. To dispose of them, simply snap off the head with the bristles, and either repurpose the bamboo handle or put them in your garden where they will break down into the soil. 

“Finally a bamboo toothbrush that looks and feels better than a plastic one”

Did you know…

Shampoos are extremely harmful to the water supply and wildlife because they contain additives, parabens and fragrances, as well as chemicals such as sodium laureth sulfate which can induce mutations in animals’ genetic makeup. 

As an easy alternative to buying plastic bottles of shampoo, you can buy BBC Earth’s vegan shampoo bars from highstreet shops such as Boots. These shampoo bars use zero plastic packaging, are cruelty free, produce no waste afterwards and the residue that goes down the plughole isn’t harmful to the water supply or wildlife. In addition, they wash and nourish your hair as good as any shampoo, and last longer.

“Lovely shampoo bar. It left my hair feeling soft, so much so I didn’t even have to use a conditioner.”

Did you know…

During 2018, 22 plastic cotton buds stems were found for every 100 meters of UK beach2 surveyed. 1.8 billion plastic cotton buds are used each year in the UK alone.

It’s a wonder why the use of plastic cotton buds hasn’t been addressed properly, but the plastic stems of these single use items make up a significant proportion of sewage-related debris on our beaches. They pose a threat to wildlife who accidentally ingest them, plus when they break down they add to the micro-plastic problem. 

By using bamboo or cardboard cotton buds you are most certainly doing the world a huge favour as they are both 100% biodegradable. 

Don’t stop at just three swaps

As part of my giveaway, I included the excellent book Clean & Green: 101 Hints and Tips for a More Eco-Friendly Home by Nancy Birtwhistle. I’d recommend getting this beautifully illustrated book if you want easy hints, tips and recipes to help you live a sustainable lifestyle and reduce your use of plastic and throwaway products. 

Once you consciously start looking at what you buy, you’ll soon find plenty more effortless swaps to help the planet. 

Coming soon

I’ll be doing a new eco-bundle giveaway soon, so watch this space! 

If you have any tips or suggestions, please share them in the comments below. I’m always on the lookout for great eco-swaps and would love to know yours.