Climate-Smart Actions

Things you can do right now to live a greener life:

- Replace all conventional lamps with efficient LED lamps.

- Save unnecessary electricity consumption by turning off lights when the light is not needed, unplugging mobile chargers when not used, and turning off appliances instead of having them in standby mode.

- Use sealing strips around windows and doors to keep the heat inside. Use thick curtains to cover windows during the night.

- Lower the heat by one degree. Put on more clothes instead.

- Wash at 30 or 40 degrees instead of 60 degrees as often as possible. This almost halves your energy use.

- Save on hot water with the help of low-flush tap faucets. How often and for how long you shower also affects energy use. Washing in a dishwasher saves energy compared to washing by hand.

- Check out the possibility of additional insulation if you live in an old house. All houses can be built or renovated to a standard that generates more energy than they use in one year.

- Replace fossil heat and electricity with renewable energy from wind, solar, water, and geothermal energy. Make sure that furniture does not block the radiators.

- Reduce food waste by planning purchases, storing food properly, and caring for leftovers. Buy as many locally-produced foods as possible, preferably organically grown.

- Eat less meat and more veggies. Eat locally-produced meat. If you must eat meat, avoid lamb and beef.

- Avoid long-distance travel. If you must, choose to travel by train instead of an airplane. For shorter trips, use your bicycle or public transport. If you must own a car, choose a car powered by biogas or electricity.

- Work at home one day a week if possible. You avoid unnecessary transportation and increase your productivity.

- Check out the secondhand market when you need to buy something new for your home. Feel free to choose high-quality things that last a long time. 

- Get involved in environmental issues, and demand municipal politicians take local measures to reduce climate impact.

Plogging is a combination of jogging with picking up litter. Merging the Swedish verbs "plocka upp" (pick up) and "jogga" (jog) gives the new Swedish verb plogga, from which the word plogging derives.

It started as an organized activity in Sweden around 2016 and spread to other countries in 2018 following increased concern about plastic pollution. Plogging provides variation in body movements by adding bending, squatting, and stretching to running, hiking, or walking.

Let's go plogging!