Seven eco-friendly skills and habits to develop this year

Whether you’re hoping to shrink your carbon footprint, support biodiversity or make smarter choices every day, here are seven things you can do in 2026 to help protect the natural world.

1. Grow your own food

The distance that your food has travelled is called ‘food miles’. The higher the food miles, the worse the carbon footprint. Globally, food miles can be responsible for three billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions in a single year.

Learning to grow your own food will help you offset food miles and encourage local wildlife such as bees, butterflies and other vital pollinators. Plus, it’s a great way to improve your wellbeing too – studies have shown that gardening is extremely good for mental and physical health.

If you’re new to gardening, volunteering at a community garden is a great place to start. These spaces often welcome beginners, offering hands-on experience and the chance to learn practical skills. Everything you learn there can be brought back to your own home setup.

The best part? You don’t need a traditional garden. Any outdoor space, such as a balcony, patio or even a sunny windowsill, will do. You’ll still be able to grow a surprising amount of food. Crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, chillies, salad leaves and strawberries thrive in pots and containers.

Check a seasonal calendar to work out what to plant when. This will ensure your crops experience the right temperatures and amount of light and water to be able to grow well.

2. Learn how to ride a bike

In 2023, transport was responsible for 29% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Cycling is one of the most planet-friendly ways to get around and it’s often cheaper than driving or taking public transport.

Cycle lanes in the UK are improving – as of 2024, London’s cycleway network now stretches more than 400 kilometres. Having dedicated cycle lanes makes riding a bike safer and easier, and you’ll often get around faster than cars stuck in rush-hour traffic jams.

If you never learnt to ride a bike, don’t worry – 2026 could be the perfect time to start. Many local councils and community organisations offer adult cycling lessons. Always keep your safety in mind while cycling – wear a helmet and find a park or traffic-free area to practice getting your balance to build your confidence before getting out on the roads.

If you can already ride a bike, improve your confidence by attending cycle training sessions. You could even pass your skills on by teaching others to cycle too.

3. Save energy and water at home

Making your home more energy-efficient doesn’t always require big renovations – small changes can add up to significant savings for both you and the planet. Learning about energy use and insulation as well as introducing new, simple household habits can make your home more environmentally friendly.

• Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth. A tap running for one minute uses about six litres of water – if you brush your teeth for the recommended two minutes, you’ll be using about 12 litres of water. Turning off the tap is a small change that’ll have a big effect.

• Take the shorter shower challenge. Most of the water you use every day goes down plugholes and drains in the bathroom. Showering for just one minute less saves around 10 litres of water.

• Invest in a hot water bottle or microwavable heat pack. Instead of turning up the heating or having it on for longer, using these can keep you warm for hours with minimal energy use.

• Use draught excluders and heavy curtains to keep heat in and reduce the need for extra heating. Locate heat leaks around doors, windows, letterboxes and chimneys, then seal the gaps.

• Switch to LED light bulbs. Compared to traditional bulbs, LEDs convert far more energy into light than heat, making them much more energy efficient. They also last much longer, so you need to replace them less often.

4. Try a plant-based diet

The production of meat has a significant impact on the environment. A 2021 study found that greenhouse emissions from animal-based foods were twice as high as plant-based ones.

Learn to make plant-based meals and give a vegan or vegetarian diet a try. It may be easier to slowly phase this habit in to give yourself time to work out what does and doesn’t work for you. You don’t even have to go fully plant-based to have an impact – if you cut out meat just on weekdays, you’ll still significantly help the environment.

You could even invite friends over for a plant-based dinner party and show off your new culinary skills.

Food waste is another major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, so developing the skill of reinventing leftovers is incredibly valuable. For example, get into the habit of saving your vegetable scraps and turning them into stock.

5. Learn to sew to maintain your wardrobe

The fashion industry produces 10% of all carbon emissions, according to a 2019 report. The worst contributors are products that fall under the ‘fast fashion’ label – items that are typically quickly mass-produced and sold at low price points. This industry uses huge amounts of resources, including water and materials, such as plastics.

Buck the trend by learning basic repair skills that’ll keep your favourite clothes in use for years longer. You don’t need professional sewing experience – simple hand-stitching can make a big difference. For example, you could start by learning to reattach buttons. It’s one of the easiest repairs and instantly extends the life of shirts, coats and trousers. You’ll find plenty of easy-to-follow tutorials online.

Don’t have the skills for a particular repair yet? Look for a local repair cafe, where volunteers can help you fix garments or show you how to do repairs yourself. Repair cafes aren’t just for clothes, you can take broken electronics there too instead of throwing them away. These community events are great for learning new skills and meeting people with the same sustainability goals.

As we head into the new year, you may be preparing to have a clear out. If you do, make sure to donate unwanted items to charity shops instead of throwing them away. For clothes that are unwearable, take them to a dedicated fabric recycling station.

6. Get to know nature

Spending time outdoors, surrounded by nature is good for our mental and physical health. It can reduce stress, improve your mood and help you be more active.

Why not aim to get outside in your lunchtimes for a daily mood booster? Nature is everywhere, even in urban spaces. Learn the names of plants and animals and challenge yourself to see how many you can spot on your daily walks.

You can even put your new knowledge to good use. To understand how nature is doing, scientists need to collect data on species’s numbers and locations. Take part in nature surveys and BioBlitzes to help inform local conservation, future scientific research and government policy.

Help protect nature and boost biodiversity in your area by attending tree or hedgerow planting events. You’ll be providing new habitat for wildlife and fighting emissions at the same time. Don’t see any events coming up in your area – why not organise your own?

7. Spread the word

This year, make it your goal to share the message of sustainable living with the people around you.

• Host events, workshops or skill shares to spark conversations about environmental issues. You could even start a climate book club.

• Write to your MP to raise your concerns about issues in your area.

• Show support for eco-friendly businesses by choosing their products and helping to promote their efforts.

• Don’t underestimate the impact of simply talking to friends and family about what you’ve learned. It could inspire them to take action to help the planet too.

If we all make changes, no matter how small, we can collectively move towards a healthier, more sustainable planet in 2026.

Use our handy tool to find even more actions that are good for you and good for the planet.