How to make your life greener in 2024

• The People’s Climate Vote, a UN survey of public opinion on climate change, highlights that citizens around the world recognise climate change as a global emergency and agree that we should do everything necessary in response.
• Read more:
  Eco-anxiety: climate change affects our mental health – here's how to cope

  So if you’re looking to make your life greener in 2024, here are some manageable and affordable changes you can make.

1. Eating

• But there are simple changes you can make to eat more sustainably (and often at less expense too).
• These include eating locally and seasonally, or eating less meat and more plants, especially beans and greens.
• Eating processed “mock meats” can be a stepping stone towards a more plant-based lifestyle, although they are relatively expensive.

2. Travelling

• Choosing active travel – walking, wheeling and cycling – is the greenest option, keeping us and our children fitter and healthier while producing no carbon emissions.
• In urban areas, where you’re travelling shorter distances, active transport is often faster and cheaper than car travel.
• For longer journeys, travelling by train or bus is more environmentally friendly than by car and plane.

3. Energy use

• The energy we use at home is becoming increasingly expensive and is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
• Making small changes to our daily energy use can make a big difference, both to our bills and household emissions.
• Using the data recorded by a smart meter (if you have one) to monitor your energy use can help you make these changes.

4. Clothing

• You can even make your clothing more personal using repair methods such as Sashiko stitching, making the repair a visible feature of your clothing.
• You could also swap clothing you no longer want with friends and family or at swap shops.
• Alternatively, you could buy less, but higher quality clothing.

5. Waste management

• We generate more than 2 billion metric tons of solid municipal waste worldwide each year.
• There are many small changes we can make to reduce the amount we put in our bins.
• Reducing waste saves valuable resources as well as reducing pollution and your weekly spend.

Ian Williams receives funding from EU Horizon 2020 and EPSRC. Ian Williams is a member of the International Solid Waste Association, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management and the Royal Society of Chemistry. Alice Brock does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.