Let’s Get Physical For A Cleaner, Greener Planet

Being more active not only helps to keep you fit and healthy, it can benefit the environment too. Simple things such as leaving the car at home and walking to work, or taking the stairs rather than the lift, may seem small but they all help to save energy as well as increase our fitness and wellbeing.
Transport
Do you automatically jump in the car to travel to work, take the kids to school, or pop to the shops? Consider instead walking, running or cycling, even if you do it just once or twice a week. If you’ve got a longer distance to travel, walk to the bus stop or the train station. Admittedly, it takes more planning in the mornings but think about the health and environmental benefits, not to mention saying goodbye to horrendous traffic and parking issues.

Washing the car
Taking the car to the car wash might seem the quick and easy solution but you’ll save a sizeable amount of money and energy if you wash it yourself. Not only that but washing the car can be a great workout – and think of the satisfaction you’ll gain by knowing that your gleaming car is all down to your efforts!
Take the stairs
Taking the stairs rather than using the lift is a great way to incorporate exercise into your day, plus it saves a huge amount of energy – just think about how much electricity it takes for a lift to reach your floor and then take you to the floor you need to reach. Walking up and down the stairs is a great way to keep fit, stay alert at work, avoid those uncomfortable lift conversations, and do your bit for the environment.
Grow your own
There are numerous advantages to growing your own fruit and vegetables, quite apart from the fact that nothing tastes as good as produce freshly picked from your very own garden. Gardening is a fantastic way to get some exercise and fresh air and it is incredibly environmentally friendly. Rather than buying produce that’s been shipped from all over the world, racking up countless food miles, you’ll simply be walking to your garden and back. If you can’t grow your own, pick your own – take a walk in the woods at the right time of year all you’ll find all sorts of wild berries, just make sure they’re safe to eat!
Manual gardening
Gardening is only beneficial to the environment and your physical wellbeing if you do the work yourself. Mow the lawn with a push mower rather than an electricity or gas powered one and use a rake to collect leaves rather than powering up a leaf blower.
It’s a fantastic bonus that many of the ways in which we can help save energy and protect the environment also help to keep us fit and healthy. Companies such as AGL Electricity Suppliers actively help consumers to save energy and money so get involved, get physical and do your bit for a cleaner, greener future and a fitter, healthier you.
Journalist Emily Buckley writes about the future of energy for our planet and is currently engaged in a series of articles on the topic in conjunction with AGL electricity supplier, Australia’s leading integrated renewable energy company.