A remarkable number of individuals want to do more to preserve and safeguard our national environment, but they don’t know where to start.
Rather than making drastic replacements, swaps and changes to our lifestyles will contribute to the greater goal of bettering the environment.
Viessmann recently created a campaign that looks to compare which part of the UK houses the greenest citizens. The scoring system used 5 unique indicators to help determine the results. These included the most eco-friendly commuters, restaurant goers, shoppers, UK council, and homeowners.
The Findings
1. The overall winner…
Bristol was crowned to have the UK’s greenest citizen, with the city ranking first for both eco-friendly commuters and shoppers, and joint first with seven other UK councils.
2. Most Eco-friendly Commuters
Bristol is home to most sustainable commuters, with one in seven (14.15%) workers in the city get to and from work by foot, and 6.08% commute by bike.
Edinburgh follows closely in second place, with the highest proportion (16.34%) of workers commuting by foot and 4.3% commuting by bike.
And in third position, we have Southampton, with 12.56% walking or running to and from work, and 3.8% cycling.
3. Most Eco-friendly Restaurant Goers
Viessmann’s research suggests Huddersfield has the most eco-friendly restaurant goers with the highest number of vegan and vegetarian dining options, with 809 restaurants offering vegan options per 1,000,000 people.
Edinburgh follows closely behind with 808 restaurants per 1,000,000, and Bradford takes third place with 672.
4. Most Eco-friendly Shoppers
Bristol seems to pave the way for the most eco-friendly shoppers. With 16 zero-waste or plastic-free shops per 1,00,000 people and an average of 3,207 online monthly searches for ‘charity shops near me’, this city seems to have the most environmentally-conscious shoppers.
Edinburgh snatches second place, with 11 zero-waste or plastic-free stores per 1,000,00 population and 3,048 average monthly search volume for charity shops.
5. Most Eco-friendly Homeowners
Nottingham homeowners win this race with 4.6% of its domestic properties having installed solar panels, Newcastle follows closely with 3.7% and Bournemouth in third place with 3.46% of homeowners harnessing solar energy.
Tips and Advice
Being environmentally conscious essentially means leading a more ecologically friendly lifestyle. It’s only a matter of taking small actions toward caring for Mother Nature to make this world a healthier home for our families and future generations.
This thorough scoring system highlighted the different aspects we can look towards improving making it more environmentally conscious in your daily existence, a more specific guide follows below:
1. Home
Invest in Renewable Energy Sources for Electricity Production
Most households are connected to a grid that relies on non-renewable energy sources such as oil or gas.
Solar panels are a renewable energy technology that harnesses the sun’s energy. The sun’s energy is harnessed and converted into power in this photovoltaic system. Using energy obtained from the combustion of fossil fuels is a far more eco-friendly choice.
2. Transport
Utilize Public Transportation
Sadly, the utilization of public transportation for commuting has declined from 12% in 1960 to 5% in 2017.
However, whenever the distance is too great for walking or cycling, this is perhaps the most effective and environmentally beneficial method of transportation.
You can use other means of transportation such as;
- Walking
- Taking a bike
- Switch to energy-efficient vehicles
3. Food
Sourcing Your Food in a Sustainable Manner
Isn’t it true that most of us buy our groceries at the supermarket since it’s more convenient?
However, if you glance at your shopping trolley at checkout, you’ll discover that the majority of the items you purchased come in non-eco-friendly packaging.
Alternatively, why not visit a local food store, where you may purchase locally made food? For further protection, take your recyclable storage units.
4. Shopping
We live in a day and age where we have vast options for every item we would like to purchase, while many of us may prioritize cost or convenience, a more eco-friendly option is to choose products that are made sustainably. There are other companies that also support eco-friendly causes, it just takes a bit of extra research and the conscious decision to look for these options.
Have you got any ideas to create a greener lifestyle?
Feel free to share these ideas using the hashtag #GreenestCitizens.