A toolkit for people who care about the planet

Here's a toolkit of organisations and tools we love, grouped by where you might want to begin. 

Start with where your money lives 
 

Back the solutions, not the problems.  
This is the bit we know best. Triodos Bank only lends to and invests in organisations doing good for people and the planet, things like renewable energy and nature restoration. We don't fund the fossil fuel industry, nuclear weapons or deforestation. Where your money sits while you're not using it has more impact than most people realise. If you know someone who doesn’t know what their bank could be funding, sharing your own experience or knowledge can be a good way to give them a gentle nudge to look into it. 

Green your pension.  
Your pension is probably your biggest pot of money, and it's invested somewhere on your behalf, often without you ever seeing where. According to research by Make My Money Matter, moving to a sustainable pension is around 21 times more powerful at cutting your carbon footprint than giving up flying, eating a vegetarian diet and switching to a renewable energy provider combined. 

Compare before you buy.  
Ethical Consumer is the UK's leading ethical comparison service. They rate brands and products on their impact on the environment, workers, animals and politics, so you can spend in line with your values without spending hours on research. 

 

Rethink how you shop and consume 
 

Repair instead of replace.  
Repair Café runs free community events where volunteers help you fix broken items, from toasters to trousers. There are now more than 3,000 of them worldwide, and you can find a local one or start your own. 

Switch your energy.  
Comparing green energy providers can be confusing, especially when "green tariff" can mean very different things in practice. USwitch lets you compare providers side by side, including genuinely renewable suppliers like Ecotricity, who invest customer bills back into building new sources of green energy in the UK.

Cut your meat consumption.  
The Vegan Society and Meat Free Mondays offer practical, accessible plant-based recipes and meal plans without the all-or-nothing pressure. Struggling to give something up entirely? Go plant-based except for that one thing. Choose action over perfection. 

Buy books that change how you think.  
Bookshop.org is an ethical alternative to Amazon. Buying through it supports independent bookshops directly, as does popping into your local one. 

Reduce your digital footprint.  
Ecosia is the search engine that uses its ad revenue to plant trees, over 250 million of them so far. Switching is simple but very impactful.

 

Get closer to nature 
 

Reconnect with the outdoors.  
The Wildlife Trusts run 30 Days Wild every June, a free challenge to do one wild thing a day. It's joyful, it's simple, and it genuinely shifts your relationship with the outdoors. But it doesn’t need to be June for you to do this. 

Make your garden a haven for wildlife.  
The RSPB, the UK's most trusted nature organisation, offers practical guides to wildlife-friendly gardening, whether you have a few acres or a single window box. 

Use your voice 
 

Write to your MP.  
TheyWorkForYou lets you find your MP, see how they've voted, and send them a message in minutes. MPs take letters from their own constituents seriously. 

Take climate action together.  
Friends of the Earth is one of the UK's longest-standing environmental campaigning organisations, running national campaigns on climate, nature and pollution, with plenty of practical ways for individuals to get involved. Check out the Money Movers initiative, a powerful movement helping people align their finances with their values. 

Find good work and good news 
 

Find values-aligned companies to work for. 
B Lab UK's B Corp directory and Escape the City are both great places to connect with organisations doing genuine impact work, if you're thinking about where you put your time as well as your money. 

Read more good news.  
Positive News is a magazine and online platform that reports on solutions and progress, not just problems. Their "constructive journalism" approach genuinely changes how the news feels, which matters more than ever.