The Great Big Green Week

From the 8th-16th of June, the UK is celebrating The Great Big Green Week! This is where communities take action to tackle Climate Change and protect nature by sharing ideas on how to help save our planet. What a great week!

This year the focus is on Swaps. No not swapping football stickers, but swapping out environmentally damaging habits, for those that can help nature recover! But what can I do, we hear you ask? Well, here are a few tips and tricks to get you going:

Swap the car for cycling or walking – You’re doing the school run, going to the gym, meeting a friend for that catch up coffee. If you can, steer (get it 😉) clear from the car and switch to walking or cycling! For journeys that are quick and easy, this swap can make a really big impact in reducing your carbon footprint. It’s also healthier – win win!

Create a book swapping shelf at work – We all love to get stuck into a good book, food for the brain, but once we’re done with it, what happens? It collects dust, doesn’t it! So why not set up a book swapping corner at work? This means the next time you’re raving to your co-worker about that exciting detective thriller, instead of them buying the book and causing more trees to be cut down, they can use your pre-loved copy in the book swapping corner!

Swap fast fashion for sustainable brands or vintage – fast fashion is a killer for the environment. Poorly made clothes which don’t last, meaning they need to be replaced sooner, from fast fashion can account for up to 10% of the world’s carbon emissions. Instead try to buy from brands that sustainably source their materials or, even better, create their clothes using recycled fibres.

Swapping skills – this is a big push for the Great Big Green Week this year! Whether you have green fingers and know how to plant fruit and vegetables, are an eco-friendly creative genius and can upcycle unused items or even a DIY wizard who can fix things, these skills are gold dust! Figure out what your friends’ and families’ skills are and get teaching!

Swapping fossil fuels for renewable energy – this is a bigger commitment but if you can, consider renewable energy. This can come in the form or solar power, or even when picking a car by considering hybrid or electric vehicles.

Swapping everyday items for sustainable alternatives – Lots of our everyday household items cause damage to the environment – plastics, deforestation, harmful chemicals… You name it! However, there are a wide range of eco-friendly products on the market, which make swapping and helping save the environment a piece of cake! In fact, we might know a Cheeky Panda which could help…

Apart from swaps, this week is also about all the ways we can help conserve nature. Here at Cheeky Panda, we are raising money for the WWF through their Great Wild Walk. On the 22nd of June an embarrassment (group) of our Cheeky Pandas will be walking in Epping Forest to raise money and awareness for the vital work the WWF do to protect animals and ecosystems. If you would like to sponsor us, please click the link here. If you donate £10, and tag a friend on our social platforms, you are also entered into a raffle to win £1000 worth of prizes!

So, what will you do this week? Get out there and get SWAPPING! And make sure to share this on social media to inspire others. Happy swapping!