This year, WWF Sweden celebrates its 50 years, and in association with this anniversary, it has developed 50 changes that we can all make for the climate and biodiversity! We think it’s a great idea, and as a birthday present we therefore promise to implement some of the changes from the list during the anniversary year so as to become stronger in our own personal sustainability journey.

Many of the items on the list we already have a good grasp of, such as what we eat and do not eat, and that we should not throw away any food unnecessarily. Regarding this last point, did you know that households are responsible for the absolute largest part of food waste – 917,000 tonnes, which corresponds to about 95 kilos per person per year? When you hear that, you get even more inspiration to continue!

Well, we hereby promise to make the following three changes in our lives:

1. Put the lid on the saucepan. If you have a lid on the saucepan when you boil water, you use 75% less energy. You can also save energy by not boiling more than you need.

The only environmentally friendly energy is “negative water” – the energy we do not use. A kettle is efficient for heating water and you can also save energy by reheating on the stove or oven, ie after you turn it off. It is important to be more efficient in the use of energy, as all energy usage affects our climate. Therefore, we must make better use of the energy that is in the system.

Personal reflection:

So, how easy is it to put a lid on the pan? This is such a typically cool Food Pharmacy tip, of course. In addition to lids, we should also remember to boil more water in the kettle (not just tea water) and then pour it into the saucepan when we cook vegetables, for example.

2. Skip the dryer. The dryer consumes too much energy and it is even worse when you add on the drying cabinet. Hang-dry your laundry as often as you can so both your clothes and the planet feel better.

It takes more energy to dry the laundry than it does to wash it. It takes 50% of the time and up to 3-4 times more energy to tumble dry the laundry than it does to wash it.

Personal reflection:

Yes, I will buy a washbasin next time we are at IKEA. Unfortunately we already have a drying cabinet – but we will ignore its existence and not put it on the next time we hang up our clothes.

Another thing that pops up is how much less wear and tear this will be on our clothes. Did you know, for example, that you can extend the life of your underwear by several years if you air dry them instead of tumble drying them? I think it might apply to all clothes!

3. Let the lawn grow! Leave about 10 square meters of your lawn uncut over the summer so that the flowering plants can bloom. It’s great for biodiversity in your garden!

The lawn is home to many important species, including bees and bumblebees. There are almost three hundred different kinds of bees and bumblebees in Sweden. Forty six of these are threatened and risk disappearing from the country. We humans depend on their pollination for our food supply. Help the insects by letting meadows and lawns flourish!

Personal reflection:

A no brainer. Of course we will leave 10 square metres uncut this summer. At least!

Those were our three choices in 2021! If you also want to accept this challenge, go to www.wwf.se/ärdumed and select the changes that suit you. Whatever you choose, they will make a difference to the planet. The journey to a living planet begins now. And the more the merrier and the faster it goes, of course.

Are you in? Feel free to tell us here in or in your own channels what changes you assume, and feel free to tag us @food_pharmacy but above all @wwfsverige.