Green living tips for 2024 from The Hiking Household founder

Laura Earl, who founded The Hiking Household to help families get outside more, offers advice on small lifestyle changes that could have a profound impact on the environment while saving money.

One of Ms Earl’s suggestions is to ditch the car.

Earlier last year, she and her children made their regular journey from Carlisle to Keswick using public transport, and took advantage of a Stagecoach offer where single journeys are capped at £2.

She found the experience not just cost-effective but enjoyable for her children too, urging others to utilise public transportation for their day trips.

The mum-of-four said: "You will be amazed how much easier, cheaper and exciting your day trip will be if you try public transport in 2024."

Ms Earl also advised more walking.

As a business owner in the hiking industry, she encouraged people to park further away from their destination to fit in a brisk walk, which can potentially save on parking costs and provides physical and mental health benefits.

On the topic of reusable products, Ms Earl warned against fast fashion, the second-largest polluter globally.

She advocated for a move towards circular fashion, which involves reusing clothes, buying second hand, or sharing among friends.

Ms Earl said: "There are many ways to reuse clothing and help with the recycling of clothes such as shopping in local charity shops, buying second hand school uniforms and of course sharing between friends."

Websites like Vinted and Depop also offer an eco-friendly alternative for those seeking a fashion fix.

Food waste is another area where families can 'go green'.

Ms Earl recommended "loving your leftovers", by incorporating freezing and better meal planning to reduce food waste.

Regarding laundry, The Hiking Household founder promoted well-spaced washing.

Laura suggests waiting until your laundry bag is full before putting a wash on. (Image: We are Intro)

Ms Earl noted that doing laundry three times weekly results in approximately 400 litres of water waste.

She suggested waiting for a full laundry bag before washing and spot washing, which is more eco-friendly and effective for removing stains.

The businessowner said: "Don’t forget, the less your washing machine is on, the more money you are saving."

Finally, Ms Earl recommended recycling as much household waste as possible, adding that 80% of household waste is recyclable.

She bought a large recycling bin for her kitchen and has been teaching her children about the importance of recycling in hopes to instil the practice into a daily habit.