Our feature ‘Living Green’ focuses on sustainable living, and through this we hope to aid our fellow students in becoming more environmentally aware. The Living Green articles give advice, helpful information and reviews on sustainable products, in order to bring attention to the issues and solutions we find, as editors and writers, on our journey to living greener.

Anyone who has been watching David Attenborough’s 2021 series A Perfect Planet has surely been kick-started into considering environmental impacts on our beautiful Earth. With greenhouse gas emissions on the rise and ecological pollution levels very high, it’s hard to accept the rhetoric that the individual can do little but sit back and accept the inevitable destruction. But maintaining a green lifestyle doesn’t have to drastically inconvenience us. In actuality, there are a range of apps and websites which can help us fight climate change and positively impact our green footprints…

Too Good To Go

I honestly can’t rave about this app enough. Not only is it great for preventing food wastage, it’s ideal for students struggling on a budget. It is a free app which allows you to purchase unsold food at a greatly reduced price. This means that leftover food won’t end up decomposing in landfills, hence CO2 emissions are reduced.
Top restaurants which participate regularly within Leeds include: YO! Sushi!, Simpatico Pizza (located in Queen‘s Arcade), Rola Wala and Barburrito. And, lots of on-campus cafes also offer reduced food on the app.

Depop

We all know an ‘edgy Leeds’ fashionista who lives for Depop fashion. But do you also recognise the beneficial impact that buying second-hand clothes can have on the planet? Recycling your old clothes and buying second hand promotes a much more sustainable relationship with fashion. The garments life is extended, rejecting the unsustainable fast-fashion industry. However, you may need to watch out for some sellers that take advantage of Depop to sell cheap thrifted items at extortionate prices

World Of Books

For any literature nerds out there, or even those of us trying to console ourselves in lockdown by getting lost in a good book, this is the site for you. World of Books buy unsold used books, many of which were previously destined for landfill, and give them a second life. The perfect way to avoid contributing to Jeff Bezo’s net worth.
Even better – there is currently an offer giving customers an extra 20% off when 4 or more books are purchased!

Good On You

Ever wondered just how much your favourite brands are contributing to staying green? We can often feel out of the loop when it comes to exposing bad practises, especially when they’re already so normalised in fashion brand circles. This app gives sustainable ratings for stores which allows consumers to gain knowledge concerning the impact of their favourite brands on the environment.
Ratings, sustainability tips, guides and style advice are made very easily accessible by this app so environmentally beneficial choices are easily within our grasp

Ecosia

This website is a search engine that should replace Google for sure. Every time you make a search on the site, Ecosia uses the income to plant trees, helping to reverse climate change and paving the way for a carbon neutral planet.
There’s also an easily downloadable app which makes it easy to search on the go.

Sometimes it can feel like climate change is completely overwhelming and that any changes we could personally make are miniscule in comparison. But all change starts with the individual. It is our responsibility to help the planet and that’s never been easier than right now when a simple click or tap to download can help save our depleting environment.

Header image credit: Stuff