5 answers to… Is It Really Green?

Is It Really Green? Everyday Eco Dilemmas Answered by Georgina Wildson-Powell

By Georgina Wilson-Powell, founder + editor of pebble.

Over the last 18 months I’ve researched over 140 everyday dilemmas that most people face at home, for my new book Is It Really Green? It looks at decisions we are all trying to make in the home, at work and on our travels to make sure we’re doing the best thing for the planet. That’s not always easy - everything we do has a consequence, but how do we make those consequences have less of a carbon footprint? That’s what I’ve tried to help with.

What’s the greenest non-dairy milk?

Many dilemmas don’t have an easy green answer. This one does. Oat milk is greener than other non-dairy milks because oats need 10 times less land to grow than raise cows, plus it uses a lot less water than almonds - which need 3 litres PER ALMOND to grow and also cause all sorts of desertification and drought issues in California, as well as messing with the bee populations needed to pollinate every flower.

Oats grow well in northern Europe and even their oaty waste can be turned into biogas. Plus I think it’s the best alternative in a hot cuppa.

Are Bags For Life really a green choice?

Not really no. Thicker plastic, reusable bags use 12 times as much plastic and energy as a single use plastic bag, but that’s not an excuse to use single use plastic. The most green bag is one you already own and reuse - whatever material that is. The other issue with Bags for Life is that we don’t use them like that - we all have drawers and cupboards packed with them or use them a few times and then use them for bin liners. Which doesn’t really solve the plastic problem.

What’s the greenest way to remove make up?

Step away from the wet wipes. We use over 1.3 BILLION wet wipes a year across the world, they’re a scourge of the seas, coming up as one of the top three sources of ocean plastic and take 100 years + to break down. So not really worth wiping round your face for 30 seconds.

Swap them for reusable make up pads made from organic cotton or bamboo, or ones you’ve made from other fabrics.

Is it greener to use the dishwasher or wash up by hand? 

Haters of dishwashing rejoice! Based on the energy and water used, if a dishwasher is full and run on an eco-setting then it uses less water than washing up by hand (which gets through 9 litres of water a minute with the tap running). Be sure to use a plant based detergent that doesn’t come in plastic packaging.

What’s the greenest way to do laundry?

A lot of it comes down to washing less. Natural materials like wool and linen need to be washed less as they’re antibacterial materials and denim shouldn't be washed that often (and preferably in cold water and then hung out to dry). Sadly 65% of our wardrobes now have plastic in them.

Washing machines use huge amounts of energy and water so making sure you’re using the right cycle, (wash at 30 degrees) or just spot cleaning your clothes (for when you’ve got soup down a bit of it) rather than putting everything through the machine every time you’ve worn it.

Use plant based laundry detergents in plastic free packaging, an Eco egg (made up of natural pellets), soap nuts or refill your bottle of detergent from a zero waste shop to reduce the impact of your washing.

Also if you want to stop the 100s of 1,000s of microplastics being washed into the sea from our synthetic clothing (nylon, lycra, polyester, acrylic), then put clothing in a Guppy bag before putting it in the machine.

Georgina Wilson-Powell is the founder of stylish sustainable lifestyle magazine and community, pebble and author of Is It Really Green? Everyday Eco Dilemmas Answered, available from all good bookshops and as an audio book on Audible.