How to be an eco-warrior and help the planet!

Plastic-free July has drawn to a close so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to share some of the environmentally friendly steps you can take in your everyday life to become an eco-warrior!

On Lady Elliot Island, various aspects of our organisation are paving the way for other businesses in reducing the impacts on the environment. Some initiatives on Lady Elliot include our Hybrid Solar Power Station that powers the resort with 100% renewable solar energy on sunny days, our on-site composting apparatus “OSCA” that composts all of our food, cardboard and green waste into soil used for our revegetation program and our carbon offset program in partnership with GreenFleet. Below, we will share some tips and tricks from our staff and other community members to assist you in taking the first steps towards decreasing your carbon footprint and lending a helping hand to our marine life and environment.

 

#1 Ditch the Plastic

Start small, begin by switching your disposable plastic drink bottle for a stainless-steel alternative or your single-use coffee cup for an eco-friendly KeepCup. The same goes for straws. Decline plastic straws and purchase a stainless-steel alternative! There are so many benefits to this! You can fill up your drink bottle in the morning, pop some ice cubes in and the water will still be icy cold that night! These stainless-steel drink bottles are more durable, and they don’t release chemicals into your water in the way that plastic drink bottles do. Did you know that one litre of water in a plastic bottle can contain up to 241 microplastics?

 

#2 Recycle

Have a quick peek at the underside or back of your plastic bottles or containers once they are finished and check which grade of plastic they are and how you can recycle or reuse them. You are also able to recycle soft plastic such as plastic bags at supermarkets through the REDcycle program with your used plastic turned into items such as recycled furniture!  

You may even notice your used item is worth 10 cents! Collect up your 10 cent refundable items and cash them in at your local recycling plant, take the money home and put it in a savings tin!

 

#3 Search for Eco- friendly cleaning products

Cleaning products are known for their harsh chemicals and pungent odours, so why not look for something that won’t hurt you or the environment next time you give your home a spruce up. One great example is what’s called “soap nuts”, a 100% natural alternative to washing soap for your laundry, simply put several soap nuts into a small bag and pop in with your washing, resulting in each wash only costing around 10c in soap!

 

#4 Reduce plastic packaging

Did you know there are shampoo and conditioner bars that have no plastic packaging? How about toothpaste chews you can buy in a glass jar? Many businesses are coming out with revolutionary new products which significantly cut down or eliminate plastic packaging all together. On the island, we stock plastic free shampoo and conditioner as seen in the images below.

 

#5 Participate in a beach clean-up

If the idea of an organized event isn’t for you, just go for a stroll yourself and collect any rubbish you find on your local beach. Think to yourself “Every bit of plastic I pick up, I have just stopped a turtle from eating it” and I guarantee it will brighten your day!

 

#6 Set an example and spread the word

Tell your mum, dad, aunty, friend-of-a-friend and your neighbours about the importance of helping the environment and creating a more sustainable future. Head down to your local beach and pick up any rubbish you see, often if someone else sees you doing it, they will do the same.

Share images of your eco-warrior efforts online with us and tag @ladyelliotislandecoresort or #ladyelliotisland. There are many things you can do to be an eco-warrior with this blog listing just a few. Thank you for reading, from the LEIER team!