After missing the buzz of London city I relocated to Barcelona, Spain, known for its hot climate, beach-lined coast, architecture, arts, shopping and mountain treks. I have moved house and accessed my belongings and carbon footprint a number of times before, so when my husband and I moved to Barcelona, it felt like an easy transition and ultimately we hoped to reduce our carbon footprint.

We agreed to cull our belongings and live in a smaller home with less and the idea of living without a television seems rather liberating furthermore improving our ecological footprint by travelling by bicycle, eco-friendly scooters or by foot. Nothing seems to have changed in terms of our consumption, most of what we consume is much the same as when we lived in England. However back in England, we did not produce as much singular-waste plastic pollution. Living in a city is slightly different to the way we live in the countryside

Most European town and city councils manage a domestic and commercial recycling scheme with budget restrictions, therefore, we are all doing our bit for the environment every day by helping the council remove our domestic waste with more ease.  Small-big changes matter so I had the dishwasher removed to make my home more eco-friendly. Sure, I could have opted for the ECO setting but what is the point with a small family who mainly spend time outside. As for my washing machine, I always wash clothed on an ECO wash. This setting has been tested by the ERL which means the setting is certified to remove dirt from clothes or food from dishes. Family and friends tell me they tend to shy away from the ECO setting, simply because it doesn't say anything more than 'ECO' on the button. I will refrain from boring on but read the instruction manual, ECO is the most environmental setting. Okay so for the fear of talking about dirty laundry for any longer, next time your clothes need a refresh and they aren't stained with grass marks, mud, olive oil or curry be mindful before you put a hot wash on. Ask yourself, how dirty are these clothes or dishes? Why should we opt for the Eco button? 1. It uses lower energy: it heats the water more slowly using less energy 2. It uses less water consumption 3. It reduces your environmental footprint: lower temperatures reduce global fuel consumption 4. Lower temperatures are less abrasive on fabric: caring for your clothes for longer How big is your environmental footprint?

The planet has been in crisis from climate change since the 60s but now, more than ever before we are listening to scientists and experts who understand the whispers of planet earth and the pollution of our oceans and devastation of our forests. We are all individually responsible for the way we live and we can all try to be more mindful of our carbon footprint together.

Find out your carbon footprint, it is thought-provoking and literally takes seconds here https://footprint.wwf.org.uk