Quiz: how environmentally friendly are you really?

Closeup of anonymous woman preparing a relaxing bath. — How many baths do you have a year?
Photograph: BONNINSTUDIO/Stocksy United

How many appliances do you have on standby, or charging, right now?

What’s your loo-flushing philosophy?

It’s chilly on the sofa. What are you going to do?

How many baths do you have a year? Be honest.

You’ve had a major Kondo blitz at home. What are you going to do with everything you’ve cleared out?

How did you get to work today?

What’s for lunch?

A lunchbox of leftovers, reworked from last night. There are three key things to consider at lunchtime: packaging (single-use plastics), cooking time (energy use) and ingredients (air miles, water use and sustainability). Avocados, for example, have a significant environmental impact because of the energy, water, fertiliser and pesticide required to grow them, plus the energy used in processing and transporting avocados from as far away as South America. Jeez, you just wanted something to eat! So, let’s focus on what we can do. Pick sustainable, low-impact ingredients such as pasture-raised eggs, UK-grown vegetables and sardines. Rinse out single-use plastic food containers and either reuse or recycle. And tonight, cook extra so you’ve got a delicious lunchbox ready for tomorrow.

How do you take your coffee?

I’ll have instant, thanks. OK, there is the option of not drinking coffee at all. But then 50% of us would be asleep, a further 40% would be crying and the remaining 10% would have to save the planet on their own. So, here’s a surprise: instant coffee is the most environmentally friendly option. You read that right. Researchers from the University of Bath investigated every stage of coffee production, from growing beans to disposing waste, assessing the impact on climate change, ecosystems and water, and found instant coffee the clear winner. Why? Instant needs less actual coffee to make a single drink, so its overall impact is lower. If you simply cannot bear the thought of instant (let alone the taste) try shade-grown coffee, as rated by The Sustainable Business Toolkit (4). PS You know disposable coffee cups are basically the devil, right? Course you do.

What green kit have you got in your bag today?

Oh, just a bamboo cup, lunchbox, knife and spork, and my favourite metal straw. Plus the above, obviously. And only mild back pain from lugging this lot around. Recently a deep-sea diver reached the record depth of 35,853 feet and found – wait for this – a plastic bag. A shameful 5,000 items of marine plastic pollution have been found per mile of beach in the UK, according to Surfers Against Sewage (5). So anything we can do to avoid using more plastic bottles, bags, utensils and other kinds of packaging is a big bonus for the environment.

What’s your least environmentally friendly habit?

You got…

You’re a work in progress. You’re already doing your bit, but hopefully we’ve inspired you to be a bit more eco-conscious. Who knew that about your daily cup of coffee? Now you’re more mindful about everything from flushing the loo to the amount of energy you use at home, you’ll gradually find yourself making greener choices.

You’re part of the problem (sorry not sorry!). Definite room for improvement here. But the good news is, completing this quiz has made you 100% more aware of the green habits that could minimise your carbon footprint. Continue your eco-awakening by cutting down on single-use plastics, installing a smart meter and recycling mindfully. Oh, and go easy on that jetski of yours.

You’re a clean, green eco machine. Wow, it takes some significant lifestyle changes to reach this level of eco ambassador – bravo! Your commitment to the cause has rewards that go far beyond your winning quiz score: being environmentally friendly is scientifically proven to make you healthier and happier (6), as well as protecting the planet. But as Kermit once said, it’s not easy being green.

We all want to make big changes to help our planet, but sometimes to make big changes, we have to start small. Smart meters can’t solve the climate crisis on their own but with the smarter, more energy efficient grid they help to create, they’re a start. To find out more about installing a smart meter in your home, search “I want a smart meter” or call 0300 131 8000*.

This article was paid for by Smart Energy GB, a government-backed organisation tasked with informing Great Britain about the smart meter rollout.
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