Green Living: Lifestyle
Drive electric, green ways of working, sustainable holidays and more.
Whether you’re looking to make big changes or small, it’s not as hard as you think. Let us show you how we can all DO MORE.
Help at hand
Whatever you're looking to do, we have plenty of inspiration and ideas to help you on your journey to a greener lifestyle.
Benefits of a green lifestyle
Living a green lifestyle helps in the fight against climate change, creates health benefits for all of us and saves money.
Health
In practice a green lifestyle means better food choices and a more active way of life. Sourcing food locally, growing our own and commuting on foot, bike or by electric vehicle are choices that produce less waste, lower pollution and better air quality for all generations.
Savings
Investing in a greener lifestyle can cost money up front, but the savings soon balance the cost of powering a hybrid or electric car, or heating a well insulated or solar panelled home. Grants and incentives can go a long way towards covering the set up costs.
Environment
All of us can do more to protect the limited resources of our planet.
Today’s small changes in lifestyle will lessen the effects of climate change and build a better environment for us to pass to the generations who follow us.
Easy changes for a greener lifestyle
Changing our habits can make difference.
Greener choices we can make
Eating fruit and veg in season and sourced locally means lower food miles and less environmental impact. Why not go one better and try growing your own? Find out from our green partner GIY how to get started here. Rethink clothing choices. Fast fashion is having a detrimental impact on our world. Think “made to last and durable” when buying new clothes. Buy second hand — and don’t throw out your own unwanted clothes if they are in good condition. Sell or give to charity. There are so many ways water can be saved or reused. Purchasing a water filter or drinking tap water instead of buying bottled. Run the gutter down pipe into a rain barrel and use the water for watering plants or cleaning cars. Dry sweeping driveways instead of power hosing. Simple changes can really add up.Kinder ways to work from home
Turn off computers, laptops and monitors at the end of the day - it sounds simple, but many of us don’t do this. Many of us print documents to review when really, we could do this digitally. Make the most of natural light. If our workspace allows, we should follow the sun instead of turning on lights - plus sunlight is a great mood booster. Invest in a digital paperless notebook. The initial expense might be more, but in the long run they can turn out to be cost effective. Try bamboo made stationery. It’s just as durable as plastic, but significantly better for our planet.Green holiday tips
Getting there - drive instead of fly. Walk or cycle instead of jumping in the car. If we slow down and enjoy the journey - we’ll be lessening our CO2 emissions too. Be a mindful guest. Many of us enjoy the experience of staying in a hotel or guest house. But remembering to use air-con sparingly and reusing towels can really help. Respect the natural habitats we visit. Leaving as we find - free of rubbish, staying on marked trails so as not to disturb wildlife and never removing plant life. Pack bamboo toothbrushes, refillable deodorant, shampoo bars instead of bottles - there are so many ways when packing for trips that we can really cut back on plastics.Eco friendly commuting
Take public transport or cycle. Cycling is carbon-free, great exercise, cost effective and quick. Going car free is just not practical for some of us - but why not consider some greener options and reduce your carbon footprint by upgrading to an electric or plug-in-hybrid vehicle. For those of us who can’t part with our cars, maintaining them will help. Keeping tires properly inflated and having the engine checked regularly can reduce fuel consumption by up to 15%. Changing our commute times to avoid peak traffic by going or leaving later than others will avoid so many of us sitting in rush-hour traffic. Offset carbon contributions. Whether we are driving to work or flying to a conference, buying credits to offset our carbon footprint can help reduce our impact on the climate.
Living greener - our green partners tell us how
We’ve partnered with a number of sustainable communities on our journey to DO MORE and understand how we can make positive contributions to our society.
Considering going electric
Kinder for our communities and there are savings to be made too.
Benefits of driving electric
Up to 70% reduction in fuel costs. Electric vehicles (EV) are grant eligible (up to €5,000). Battery Electric Vehicles have the lowest tax - €120 per year. Discounted toll incentives - 50% for battery electric vehicles and 25% for plug in hybrid electric vehicles. Fewer moving parts means less wear and tear and cheaper servicing costs. Zero emissions meaning cleaner air for pedestrians and cyclists as well as reduction in noise pollution. To find out about AIB and Nissan Power of Zero finance offer click here.(Source: SEAI)
Benefits of cycling electric
The Bike to Work scheme could help you purchase an electric bike up to €1,500. (Source: Bike to Work) An electric motor can help you feel capable of tackling longer distances or hills when cycling. They are better for the environment than driving, especially if you charge them using green or renewable energy. Less waiting in the traffic means that you can travel faster than other modes of transport at rush hour, making your commute more enjoyable, while reducing traffic in your neighbourhood.
Driving electric - useful tools
Industry comparison tools, grant information and charge point locations.
Warmer, more energy efficient homes
Energy efficient homes cost lest to run, are more comfortable to live in and have less impact on our environment.
Benefits of upgrading your home
Comfort: No more drafty, cold rooms in winter. Future proofed against extreme weather events. Savings: Reduce your heating bills. If you want to make extensive upgrades you could benefit from SEAI grants for up to 35% of the costs. (Source: SEAI) Health: No more humidity problems, with less dampness and better ventilation, both of which have health benefits in reducing colds. Environmental: Higher rated energy efficient homes benefit from lower greenhouse gas emissions, reducing our carbon footprint and the impact of what we leave behind.Home energy upgrade options
There are changes that you can make, big and small, and some that will cost considerably more than others.
Simpler Changes: Turning down the thermostat, replace old light bulbs with LED and upgrade to energy efficient appliances. Bigger Investments: Solar panels, heating system upgrades, roof and wall insulation and windows and doors replacements. Full Home Retrofit: A full retrofit of your home to increase the energy rating may seem a big task - but help is at hand.Find out more at our AIB Green Living Home space.
Green finance options
Let’s take a look at some lower rate green finance options developed as part of our pledge to DO MORE.
More ways to go green
We Pledge To DO MORE
Over the last number of years we have been working to build a more sustainable business. We've invested in wind energy projects, launched a €5 billion climate action fund and created a green mortgage.
And yet, it's still not enough. And we will keep telling ourselves that every day. AIB alone is not the solution to climate change, but we are doing everything we can to be a part of it.
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