April's Sustainability Challenge
🌍 April Sustainability Challenge: Everyday Earth Actions
April is Earth Month, with Earth Day on 22 April, making it the perfect time to focus on everyday actions that protect the planet. As the weather improves, this challenge encourages smarter travel, better recycling, and making the most of the natural world around us.
🚶 Ditch the car where possible
With lighter evenings and warmer weather, April is a great time to swap some car journeys for walking, cycling, public transport, or car sharing. Consider lift-sharing with neighbours or colleagues, or using park-and-ride schemes.
Did you know?
Transport is responsible for around a quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions, with cars being the biggest contributor.
Even replacing one short car journey a week can make a difference.
♻️ Recycle right
Around 44% of household waste is recycled in the UK, but contamination is a major problem. About 20% of recycling is contaminated, meaning it can’t be recycled and ends up as waste.
To recycle properly:
- Rinse food containers before recycling
- Follow your local council’s recycling guidance
- Keep batteries, electricals, and soft plastics out of standard recycling bins
Encourage good recycling habits at home, work, and in schools to help materials stay in use.
🌿 Connect with nature
Spending time outdoors improves wellbeing and helps people notice and value local wildlife. Try watching birds, spotting insects, or tracking seasonal changes.
Apps like Merlin Bird ID allow you to identify and record bird sightings, contributing to conservation data.
Did you know?
People who regularly spend time in nature report lower stress levels and improved mental wellbeing.
🌱 Composting
Composting food scraps and garden waste keeps waste out of landfill and creates nutrient-rich compost for plants. Many households can compost using garden bins, food waste caddies, or community schemes.
Did you know?
Food waste sent to landfill produces methane, a greenhouse gas over 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.
🔌 Everyday energy saving
As heating use reduces, it’s a good time to focus on everyday electricity use — switching off appliances fully, using daylight where possible, and checking energy habits around the home.
Did you know?
Appliances left on standby can account for up to 10% of household electricity use.
How to Take Part
Tell us how you’ve taken action for Earth Month. Share photos, tips, or reflections on Engage or email engagement@sng.org.uk.
Everyone who takes part will be entered into a £20 voucher prize draw, and our favourite story or photo will receive a £25 voucher.
During April I have been doing the following to help the planet.
- Alongside using the roadside recycling collections, I have been taking soft plastics and batteries to the supermarket recycling bins, plastic milk bottle lids, stamps, tetra paks and printer cartridges to our local community recycling bins and foil and light bulbs to our local council recycling centre.
- I'm gradually swapping out standard AA and AAA batteries for rechargeable ones in any existing items that require batteries.
- I've been enjoying the wildlife in the garden and have challenged myself to name the plants I see when doing my regular local walks. Anything I can't identify I photograph to research when I get home.
- We rarely have any cooked food to put in the council recycling bins as I meal plan and we use up any leftover cooked food. All fruit and vegetable feelings go in our garden compost bin along with tea bags, tissues, toilet roll tubes, egg boxes and all garden trimmings.
Some ways I'm trying to do my bit this month:
- making use of park n ride facility at work which means I get my steps in, and reduce congestion at work parking spaces (and use the Merlin app while walking to record all the lovely birds in the area!)
- keep clean water out in my garden for birds and insects
- make use of recycling schemes (ie at Boots) for non recyclable make up and skin care containers
- use apps such as Trash Nothing to re-use and re-purpose items they charity shops typically wouldn't take
Happy April!
Anita