Whilst we here at Flexible Capital are focused on finding you the best finance, we are also environmentally minded!
Let’s face it – life can be expensive. The majority of people work to live, so we may as well live in a way that impacts the environment as little as possible.
A few tips to minimise your carbon footprint whilst still enjoying life:
- Buy local – sure overseas options may be cheaper, but there are significant emissions involved in the transportation of goods (transportation accounts for approximately one third of global emissions)
- Try reducing your consumption of red meat, or have a meat free day once a week. Not only are plant based ingredients more cost effective than steak, but they can reduce tour environmental impact. In terms of carbon costs per kg, ruminants (cattle, sheep, goat) produce approximately 58 to 1,0000 kg of carbon per kg of protein, followed by pork at 24kg of carbon per kg of protein, followed by chicken at 3.7kg of carbon per kg of protein
- Consider the emission of a range of vehicles when purchasing – this can be checked at greenvehicleguide.gov.au. Remember, if the vehicle is more fuel efficient, it will cost you less at the bowser!
- Buy a keep cup for your coffee – not only will you be preventing coffee cups going to landfill, but many cafes will provide a discount for using your own cup
- Consider buying and selling second hand. With platforms such as Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace, and Ebay why not make some money from selling your unwanted goods? Rather than buying lower quality new clothes, consider buying near new (sometimes unworn) high quality goods – particularly for one off occasions (there is a healthy market for the rental and sale of second hand designer shoes and gowns)
- Avoid buying unnecessary items – sure it may give you a temporary thrill, but unless it is useful and is going to bring you long term benefits, it may be worth leaving on the shelf
- Car pool – if you’re going in the same direction, give someone a lift. They can return the favour, or contribute towards fuel and parking. And in today’s age of social disconnection, you might even enjoy the company!
With a little thought and some very slight modifications to our every day behaviour, we can not only help the environment, but also help our hip pocket!
