Your Guide to an Eco-Friendly Instagram

Grace Clift details seven of her favourite eco-friendly Instagram accounts.

Social media can often feel all-consuming; an entirely separate world from the physical space we’re in. It can be isolating, not only from real people, but from our environment. Connection, with people and places, is essential for wellbeing – 89% of adults in the UK said that natural spaces are good for mental health. But how can we achieve this, when social media is so intricately designed to separate us from the rest of the world?

By following accounts that present the morals and interests that we want to reflect in our real life, we can turn social media into a prompt to action. On that note, we’ve collected seven Instagram accounts on all things nature, eco-activism and environmental, and covered why they’ll help to make a positive impact on your social media usage. 

Social media can be a cesspit for negativity and anxiety. Can it be used as a tool to reconnect with the natural world?

Image Credits: Pexels, Jeremy Levin

@futureearth – A climate news source with bright, eye-catching posts 

It’s difficult to pay attention to everything you care about when the information is spread all across the Internet – and mindless scrolling seems so much more appealing. @futureearth is an online climate news source with cited sources and bright, gorgeous posts. In an age where attention spans are becoming shorter and shorter, the brilliant design of Future Earth’s posts helps productive information pop out on your feed. 

Climate anxiety, fuelled by worrying ecological change like ice melts, is rampant across social media. But, curating your Instagram feed to receive accurate and informed facts can help.

Image Credit: Pexels, Frederick Sorensen

@floraldaysintheshires – Essential for floral fans 

Sophie van Gerwen of @floraldaysintheshires knows everything there is to know about flowers. Her garden is stunning, and she shares tips for growing your own flowers every few days. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or a total beginner, Sophie has everything you need to know and could ever want to see. Some of her content is advisory – tips for growing poppies, or what flowers in which month – and some is simply beautiful – visits to The Festival of Roses at RHS Hampton Court. 

@theclimatecoalition – The UK’s largest climate activism group 

The Climate Coalition focuses on the prevalent political side of climate action, and without them, change would be a much slower process. Their tireless campaign led to the UK committing to net zero, and they have a combined supporter base of 20 million. Their Instagram account is a great way to receive regular updates on ways to pressure the government into action. As a plus, they post about the Great Big Green Week annually, a helpful reminder to join in! 

@climateincolour – An environmental justice technologist sharing clear information

With only a glance at her page, it’s easy to tell that Joycelyn Longdon is a genius. An environmental justice technologist currently completing her Bioacoustics and Justice PhD at Cambridge University, she’s clearly one of the people with the most access to the complicated side of climate. It’s a pleasant surprise, then, that all the information she shares is easily accessible and extremely engaging. Whether you’re looking for book recommendations for further education, or facts on AI’s impact on carbon emissions, @climateincolour is the place to go.

Ever wanted to keep up to date with various climate coalitions across the UK? Instagram and other social media platforms provide an easy way to stay informed with actions.

Image Credits: Pexels, Markus Spiske

@slowstitchclub – Creative clothing repairs that are cute for your clothes and kind to the planet 

Skye from @slowstitchclub is the author of the recently published book ‘Well Worn: Visible Mending for the Clothes You Love’. Her approach to mending clothes is not only saving tons of clothing from landfills; its visibility is a protest for repairing garments. She also runs workshops on visible mending, and sells kits. In her own words from the account, “The most sustainable thing you can do is keep wearing and repairing the clothes you already own.” 

@plantyou – The inventor of the famous series ‘Scrappy Cooking’ 

Over a third of all food produced globally goes to waste. This is where Carleigh Bodrug comes in. Bodrug started a series on her account called ‘Scrappy Cooking’, where she uses food scraps in recipes to reduce food waste. Since then, she’s reached over 5 million followers and released her own cookbook, which was a New York Times Bestseller. If you’re looking for ways to reduce your kitchen wastage, Bodrug posts regular tips, as well as some brilliant general recipes to try. 

@kevinbruseby – Serene nature photography to give you the travel bug

As a self-described ‘fog-chaser’. Bruseby’s feed is a collection of expansive, fog-filled landscapes that centre around a quest for peace. Sweden-based, Bruseby specialises in landscape and commercial photography, and spends a lot of time in forests. Watch out though – only a few minutes on his page will have you considering flights to Sweden. 

With people in the UK having average screen times of over 6 hours a day (phone and laptop usage combined), integrating positive environmental content is a great way to reconnect with the real world. The word ‘eco’ can describe a whole range of hobbies – clothing repairs, gardening, photography or activism – and social media has a massive impact on what hobbies we choose to pursue. It’s important to remember however that following these accounts alone will not have a positive environmental impact – it’s your actions that matter, and social media can only be a stepping stone towards change. 

About the author: Grace Clift is an English Literature student at the University of York with particular interest in UK politics, climate issues and literature. Grace can be contacted via her email, gracevclift@gmail.com, or Instagram, @gracevclift.