At YOURGB, we all try and make a conscious effort to use products or live in a way that is more sustainable to love and care for our planet.

In the current ‘new normal’ we are living in, we are seeing a lot more waste with disposable masks, having to rely on plastic cups and containers in hospitality environments, and anything else that may minimise the risk of contamination for our safety. Although all of this is to keep us safe, we’re aware of the adverse impact it’s having on our environment too.

In this blog, we wanted to share all the wonderful ways we try and make tiny changes in our lives that will contribute to helping our planet. Perhaps we can inspire others to make small – or maybe even big – changes in their lives to live sustainably too!

CHILLY’S WATER BOTTLE (we all have matching ones!)

Gilly is a big fan of Chilly’s water bottles, so much so, we all get a matching one when we join Team YOURGB! (they are even personalised!)

“I absolutely love Chilly’s Bottles – a chic, on-brand, handy, sustainable and lifelong water bottle. There is really no excuse for buying water in plastic bottles – they are quickly finished and simply contribute to our planet’s gross plastic mountain. Every YOURgb team member is gifted with their own personal Chilly’s bottle as a starting gift, and we all use them, every day.”

WILD DEODORANT (hygienic and sustainable. Win-win!)

Emily found Wild Deodorant after an advert appeared on her social media, and has never smelt better (felt, we meant felt)

“I don’t have a brand loyalty when it comes to deodorant but I have always been conscious of those with added aluminium. Slowly through Instagram I started to see Wild pop up in targeted ads, then gradually celebs that I follow started to promote them too – this got me curious and within 20 minutes I was hooked. Wild’s mission is to shake up the throwaway culture of everyday bathroom products. Through their ‘wildly’ sustainable products, their aim is to redefine the future of personal care!

Not only are the cases super cool but you also get to choose the scent of your refills, however, the ultimate winner for me was the fact that I could order refills at any time from my phone and they arrive straight to my door – easy, cute and of course good for the planet!”

DASH WATER (there’s just nothing like it)

Karen is a big fan of Dash Water, after the team over there kindly supplied our office with a whole box of it:

“As someone who doesn’t drink cans of fizzy pop, I had been looking for a healthy drink with a bit of fizz – water does get a bit boring. The lovely team at DASH dropped a box of their delicious drinks into the office for us to try and from there I was hooked. Refreshing, thirst quenching and just delicious! What is even better about DASH water is it is made from British spring water and all the fruit used is wonky or been rejected for the way it looks, which results in reducing food waste. Up to 40% of fruits and veg grown in the UK goes to waste, these small cans make a mighty difference!”

BOUCLÈME HAIR PRODUCTS (because your hair deserves the best, and so does the planet)

Beauty fanatic Kathleen has recently started using sustainable hair brand, Bouclème:

“Bouclème use only naturally derived ingredients and natural fragrances and refer to the Environmental Working Group (EWG) to keep their products as clean as possible! All packaging can be recycled and product ingredients are biodegradable, making Bouclème safe for the environment as well as safe for your body. Also, for every 300ml bottle you buy from them Bouclème plant a tree with their partners Trees For The Future. Bouclème really cares as much about the planet as they do curly hair!”

BAMBOO COFFEE CUP (getting your coffee fix and helping save the planet!)

Jenny loves her bamboo coffee cup to keep her morning coffee warm as she wanders over to the office (which yes, at the moment is from the kitchen to her living room…).

“I have to start my morning with a hot beverage, it can be a cup of tea or a coffee – I am not fussy! Therefore, my reusable bamboo travel mug comes in very handy when I am walking to work.

Bamboo is a really great alternative to plastic cups, as they are free from any unwanted chemicals and is an eco-friendly material. I was given my mug as a present from my closest friend so it is a FAB reminder of her every morning too!”

GROWING YOUR OWN VEG (well…attempting too)

Vikki is ready and set to teach us how to start our own vegetable patches (with the help of her family to show us the ropes!)

“At the start of lockdown, we made a ‘happy list’ with our daughter. The activities we wanted to do that would make us happy during such a strange existence, so we created our first vegetable patch! We planted tiny seeds in the teeniest of pots and ‘potted them on’ as they grew and grew until they were ready for their adventure outside in our garden. Every day we watered and talked to the veg until they were ready for picking. We grew carrots, lettuce, radishes and some herbs and it made us realise how easy and sustainable it was. And fun! Roll on next year……….”

BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSH (for a smile that shines and a planet that thrives)

Finlay has recently started using Bamwoo toothbrushes for that award-winning actors smile:

“These toothbrushes are made of bamboo, which grows very quickly, and is totally biodegradable, naturally antibacterial, and looks and feels great. These are a great purchase instead of plastic toothbrushes and they don’t make too much of a dent in your wallet. With a choice of either firm or medium bristles (I went for medium) I found it easy peasy to use and works an absolute dream! You can get a years supply for only £19.95. And with every 1 toothbrush purchased, the company plants a tree so you are doing your bit for the environment, and then some!”

TOTE BAGS (practical AND cute)

Lisa is a big fan of reusable tote bags since moving to Scotland and she has one bag in particular which is her favourite (we’re not jealous at all of her having matching tote bags to her outfits…)

“I know this is very common in the UK to replace a carrier bag, but not as much in France. When I moved to Scotland, I was really impressed by the effort put to reduce plastic bags (in France, we not only get them in all stores, but don’t even have to pay an extra charge for it…). I therefore got used to always having a tote bag with me, especially when I’m out to do my grocery shopping! I now have such a big collection, that I will soon be able to pick the bag that matches my outfit best. Dreamy!”

HOMEMADE FACEMASKS (from literally any available fabric left in our house)

Emma started making homemade facemasks just after we went into lockdown and even managed to recycle some of her old clothes in the process (okay it was mostly her parents’ old t-shirts but that’s beside the point…)

“Trying to buy facemasks at the start of lockdown very quickly became difficult and with little to do at the evenings and weekends, I decided to make my own. I was conscious of buying reusable ones that I could see being dropped on the streets, so out came my sewing machine, lots of old pillowcases and a Youtube tutorial! Nearly all of the 30 reusable masks I made for friends and family were made with material from around the house and when I made some for the NHS, all fabric was donated from a local fashion designer. I’m just about to start making face masks again and this time, the aim is that all fabric is from clothes that would otherwise be thrown out!”

As we continue through the coming months where we very likely will face more changes to our everyday lives, we believe these little changes, coupled with more we make in the future, will help reduce our carbon footprints individually so that together, we can make a big difference.

“Buy less, choose well.”
Vivienne Westwood