Eco-Friendly Summer Activities for Summer 2023

From walks on beautiful coastlines to exciting events hosted in your own garden, make the most of the good weather and time spent with your loved ones with these eco-friendly summer activities, designed to give you an unforgettable Summer that both protects and helps out our planet. 

1. Beach Trip

Who doesn’t love a trip to the beach? To make yours as sustainable as possible:

• Bring reusable food and drink containers, instead of single-use plastic.
• Wear “marine safe” sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun.
• Engage in low-impact activities, such as swimming and paddleboarding. 
• Avoid touching or disturbing marine creatures.
• Leave no trace by picking up your waste. 

Although the amount of waste washing up on the UK’s beaches is falling year by year, plastic is still making up the majority of beach waste, which poses a huge issue for the environment. 

Double up a fun trip to the beach by attending or hosting a beach clean-up at the end of your visit. Use gloves, litter pickers and bin bags to collect rubbish and prevent it from entering the sea and harming our marine ecosystem. This also makes the beach a cleaner, safer and nicer place for everyone to visit.

2. Plant a Garden

Dedicate time to planting and nurturing a garden. Not only is this rewarding for you and your loved ones, a sustainable garden has immense potential to reduce our carbon footprint and encourage our ecosystems to thrive. 

Start by filling your garden with as many native plants as possible, and make sure to include fruit and vegetables that thrive in the warm weather, such as tomatoes, courgettes and cucumber. To take your efforts to the next level, you can —

• Set up a compost heap or bin to divert waste and improve soil health.
• Implement water-saving practices, such as a drip irrigation system to water plants.
• Create your own natural pesticides, instead of using ones that contain toxic chemicals. 
• Invest in furniture made from eco-conscious materials, such as bamboo. 

If you don’t have your own garden, see if you can get involved in a community garden or tree-planting initiative to help out the green spaces in your area. 

3. Host a Picnic or Garden Event 

Hosting a picnic or garden event, such as a BBQ, dinner or games night, doesn’t mean you need to create waste. Though it can be tempting to write it off as an unfortunate side effect, there are ways to put on a great event without waste. 

• Avoid single-use plates, cups, utensils and serving tools. Instead, use reusable utensils and textiles, such as reusable straws and napkins.
• Cook from scratch where possible, to avoid buying food in single-use plastic. 
• Serve vegan or vegetarian food, to reduce the emissions derived from meat.
• Cover food with beeswax wraps or silicone bags, instead of plastic cling film. 
• Make sure that all leftover food is composted or converted to leftovers. 

4. Go for a Hike or Bike

Going for a walk or cycle is one of the best, eco-friendly ways to enjoy nature this summer — and it’s free! Visit your local green spaces, or go further afield to a national park or mountain to enjoy a scenic day out reconnecting with nature. 

Need help planning your route? National Trail will help you find long distance walking, cycling and horse riding routes through the best landscapes in England and Wales. Or, check out Sustrans or a comprehensive look at paths and routes for walking, wheeling, cycling and exploring outdoors. 

5. Nature Scavenger Hunt 

Plan an outdoors scavenger hunt where you have to spot specific things out in nature, such as a pink flower, flying ladybird, or four-leaf clover. Or, use your other senses to “tick off” nature sounds and smells, such as finding something to play music with or the smell of freshly cut grass. This encourages children to use and develop their observation skills, but is also a fun day out for all. 

There are plenty of online resources for inspiration on what to include on your nature scavenger hunt. Just remember to —

• Be careful not to disrupt animal habitat. 
• Don't pick rare or endangered plants, or drag up whole plants. 
• Leave the area the same or better than you found it

6. Indoor Activities 

If it’s too hot to spend a long time outdoors, or you just need a day inside, you can still enjoy some fun indoor activities, such as —

• Visit a local library or museum.
• Upcycle your rubbish for an arts and crafts project, such as making a bird feeder from a juice carton.
• Cook or bake with plant-based ingredients. 
• Start an indoors herb garden. 
• Create an indoors fort, where you can also enjoy a film marathon.
• Tackle the “to be read” books on your shelves.
• Teach yourself a new skill, such as learning a language 
• Finally get around to organising your pantry or fridge. 

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Wild & Stone's mission is to create stylish, easy to adopt and usable alternatives to common plastic products around the home. We source all our products sustainably, from raw material to final delivery. Shop our sustainable home & lifestyle products on our website, or discover our full on-the-go collection for some of your sustainable travel essentials this summer. 

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