There are more and more of us are thinking of ways we can be more sustainable.

Climate change is big news and from recycling to walking or biking to work, there are little things that we can all do to help.

However, with everything from heating to food and fuel seeming to get more expensive all the time, going green is also a great way of saving money.

Here are 10 of our tips to lighten the load on your wallet and the planet in 2023.

1. Leave The Car At Home And Take The Bus

It doesn’t take a mathematical genius to work out that lots of people travelling in one vehicle is more efficient than one person driving in a single car.

There are few better examples of this than using the bus.

Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire operates the bus network in the region, serving rural areas, main towns and cities and tourist hotspots.

From next year, the company is introducing a fleet of nine new double-decker buses running right through the heart of the Lake District, with cleaner engines which will cut their carbon emissions.

This is alongside electric engineering vans to carry out fleet maintenance.

You can plan your journey with Stagecoach by going to: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/plan-a-journey

2. Go On Two Wheels Or Walk

If there was anything positive to come out of lockdown, it was the number of people who discovered the joys of getting out on their bike or taking a daily walk. 

The mental and physical health benefits of exercise are clear, so why not leave the car at home for your daily commute and take a walk or hop on the bike instead?

Why not tie it in with our first point and get off a stop early where possible.

3. Buy Local

We’ve all heard about the concept of food miles.

Things like bananas and mangoes aren’t crops which grow very easily in the UK and have to be imported from overseas.

The same goes for lots of different products, not just food. The further something has to travel to get to your plate, the bigger its carbon footprint.

You can cut down on the impact by buying locally grown fruit, veg and meat, as well as other locally produced products.

Why not take a trip to the local farmers’ market rather than the supermarket?

4. Reuse And Reinvent

It’s all too easy to throw things out. If something is broken or not working, our first instinct is often to put it in the bin or take it to the dump.

However, mending or adapting broken items or clothing not only saves them going to landfill but also reduces the pressure on resources required to make new products.

Get creative and unleash your inner crafter by mending things or upcycling them. There is no shortage of videos online to help.

5. Swap, Don’t Shop

Everyone’s taste in clothes and body shape changes throughout their life and it’s no surprise that so many of us have wardrobes full of unworn clothes.

However, one person’s junk could be another person’s new favourite outfit.

Why not get your friends together to go through some of your old items and see what you can exchange?

6. Cut Down On Your Energy And Water

The price of power is a hot topic for us all at the moment and it seems almost too obvious to point out that you can save money by cutting down on your energy usage.

So, turn off devices when they’re not in use, switch off lights when you’re not in a room and maybe put on a jumper instead of turning up the heating.

It’s also possible to save money by cutting down on the amount of water we use as well.

There are lots of little things we can all do, including taking showers instead of baths, turning off the tap when you’re cleaning your teeth or only using the washing machine or dishwasher when you have a full load.

7. Overbuying

The weekly ‘big shop’ is a familiar outing for all of us.

However, how often does the food which you bought end up getting thrown away?

We all love filling our trolley with healthy fresh ingredients, but it’s no good if they go off before we get the chance to eat them.

You can save on food waste by going for smaller shopping trips less regularly, freezing items for future use or being honest about what you’re really going to use.

8. Recycle And Reuse

We all know it’s important to recycle plastic, cans and paper. There are lots of ways we can make use of these items as well.

Plastic tubs and pots are essentially free Tupperware which you can use for storage, while jars and bottles can be used for anything from keeping your toothbrushes in to arranging flowers.

Even the mesh bags oranges and satsumas are packed into in supermarkets can be repurposed for carrying other loose items.

9. Go Meat Free

Livestock farming is one of the major causes of carbon emissions worldwide.

However, you don’t need to eschew meat and animal products completely in order to help cut down your carbon footprint.

Going vegetarian or vegan for a couple of days a week can make a big difference to the planet and veggies and plants tend to be quite a bit cheaper than meat as well.

10. Sell On

If you can’t think of a way to reuse or recycle unwanted items then why not sell them?

It’s easy to put things up for sale online and, remember, people are often looking to buy things for parts even if they’re not in full working order anymore.

There are also plenty of platforms on the web or social media where you can offer to give away your unwanted items for free so they can have a fresh lease of life with a new owner.