Growing up in London, the smog was normal. It was part of London life. I didn’t think anything of waking up to grey air and literally seeing dirt in the air. But since moving to Nottingham and having two little ones, I can see that actually, it was and is a massive issue, and even in the midlands – where the air seems a little clearer, pollution is a big problem too. Recently, E.ON took to Nottingham city centre with a massive 15ft LUNGS installation to give us a visual representation of the polluted air that we’re breathing. Pretty gross huh? So what can we do to clear the air?
E.ON are trying to combat the pollution and making the air clearer. They now provide all their customers’ homes with electricity backed by 100% renewable sources. I think it’s epic that a company as huge as E.ON has made serious steps to help the environment. I have no doubt that it took a lot of time, energy and red tape to get to that point but bravo to them for making serious changes.
Of course, they can’t do it alone. We can all make small changes that can result in big changes to the air that we breathe… and our little ones! For example, did you know that Aloe Vera plants can help the air quality in your own home? No? Neither did I!!!!! There are other small things you can do such as using LED lights, turning off all your electricals when they’re not in use and so much more. You can find out more ways of fighting pollution over on the E.ON website.
Ditching plastics is another way we can reduce air pollution. Creating plastic is energy-intensive and plastic takes its form by burning fossil fuels. Making simple swaps in our daily lives can go a long way. For example, getting yourself a reusable bamboo coffee cup can save 100s of plastic throwaway cups ever being created. Another simple swap you can make is moving away from a plastic toothbrush to a bamboo toothbrush. Not only would we save marine life from harmful micro-plastics but we’d also save millions of brushes going to landfill where they end up emitting gases whilst breaking down (which takes hundreds of years by the way!)
We recently had a big change by changing to a more eco-friendly car. It’s not quite electric but it’s in the top 10 of greenest models in 2019 so I feel like we’ve tried to be wiser with our car choice, which is something we wouldn’t have done 5 years ago. But you know, we’re at a time in our lives where our boy’s health and wellbeing comes above everything.
Does air pollution worry me? Yes! It contributes to 2 in 20 deaths! So I’m pleased to hear that E.ON has made a commitment to respond to air pollution and I hope lot’s more companies follow suit. Because I can’t imagine where we’ll be when my little ones are my age. Can you?
*This post is part of a paid collaboration with E.ON, however, all views and opinions are my own.
