Earth Day 2023!

Earth Day is an annual celebration that honors the achievements of the environmental movement and raises awareness of the need to protect Earths natural resources for future generations. Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 across more than 193 countries and on either April 22.
Here at Digs Swansea, for every property that lets we plant a tree. We are also committed to using as many environmentally friendly products when constructing new properties.
What can I do to help on Earth Day?
1) Go for a beach clean.
If you want to help get rid of some of the plastic waste in your area, going on a beach clean is a great and fun way to do this. They happen all year round in most coastal areas and you can sign up easily online, on Facebook or on a website such as Surfers Against Sewage and the Marine Conservation Society. The Great British Beach Clean is an annual event in September happening on many beaches around the UK. In 2017, almost 7,000 people took part and they removed over 250,000 pieces of rubbish from beaches. Maybe this year it can be even bigger!
2) Plant a tree.
Trees and forests are extremely important for providing oxygen, homes, and resources to animals, which includes us. Deforestation contributes to greenhouse gases, with an estimated 15 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions are due the cutting down of trees.
If you want to help make your area a bit greener and help reduce deforestation and climate change; plant a tree or even a forest! You can buy saplings from garden centres or order them online from the Woodland Trust. Either buy a single sapling, or a tree pack, which contains up to 210 trees. You can even apply for free trees for your school or local community.
3) Buy a bag for life.
As a species, we love eating meat, especially in the West, but this is putting a great pressure on this industry. As well as potential animal welfare issues from intensive farming, the environmental damage animal products create is also a massive issue. Beef in particular uses up a lot of land, a lot of water, and produces many greenhouse gases. If you are a meat eater, cutting down on the amount you eat will have a beneficial impact on the environment. You could start small and go meat free for one day a week (it’ll even save you money, or even try go vegetarian. You never know, you might love it.
4) Go micro-bead free.
Microbeads are tiny beads of plastic that are in many cosmetic products, such as face washes and toothpaste. They end up being washed down your sink into the ocean and can enter the food chain when marine animals consume them. Fortunately, a ban this year means that micorbeads can no longer be used in cosmetic products. However, this does not cover ‘leave-on’ products such as make up. So, make sure the next time you buy any cosmetic products, check the label first for the ingredients list.
5) Walk or ride a bike.
Cars contribute greatly to air pollution, climate change, and have a negative impact on human health. They produce dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, which then enter our atmosphere that we have to breath in.
Rather than taking your car, try to walk or ride a bike instead. This is also good exercise contributing to a healthy lifestyle. If you don’t have a bicycle, then even carpooling with others will help cut down your carbon footprint.
6) Give up chewing gum.
You might think that chewing gum is environmentally friendly, but it is actually made from a synthetic rubber, which is plastic. Around 100,000 tonnes of this plastic is thrown away every year, and a lot of it ends up on our streets. Next time you want minty-fresh breath, just brush your teeth rather than chewing on a piece of plastic.
7) Shop at local farmers markets.
Farmers markets are a great way to get fresh produce and are beneficial in many ways. Firstly, they support local businesses encouraging positive growth in your area. They also tend to use a lot less, or even no plastic packaging compared to supermarkets, so help reduce waste. Finally, the products are grown or made locally so transport distances are very short and CO2 emissions are low.
Supermarkets on the other hand transport food over thousands of miles from different countries. If there isn’t a farmers market near you, then try to buy grocery products that are from the UK and organic.
8) Buy a reusable water bottle.
In 2016, over 480 billion plastic bottles were sold, which is over 60 for every person. If everyone had a reusable water bottle, then this number would decrease greatly. If you don’t already own one, then go out and buy a bottle that you can take with you everywhere you go.
Cutting down on single-use plastic bottles also means drinking less juices and fizzy drinks, good for your health as they contain a lot of sugar and sometimes weird chemicals. If they are in a glass bottle, then this is a better option to reduce plastic waste.
9) Stop using plastic straws.
Plastic straws contribute greatly to the plastic waste in our oceans. The next time you go to a bar or restaurant, make sure say no to a straw, and even encourage them to stop using straws completely. If you have to use one, then buy an environmentally friendly one that is reusable. You can buy bamboo, metal, and glass straws online that you can wash and use rather than always buying plastic ones.
10) Switch your bills to paperless.
Rather than being sent your monthly bills by post, switch to online statements to reduce paper waste. It’s really easy to do and you are sent an email when your bills are available online to view. Decreasing the demand for paper will hopefully decrease the rate of deforestation.
11) Spread the word!
The more people who know about Earth Day and your efforts to help reduce environmental damage, the faster important issues such as plastic pollution will be resolved.

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By Neil Kinnerly • October 31, 2025

Halloween is nearly here and it’s always a good time to add a little spooky fun to your day, whether you’re hanging out with friends, getting your place ready, or just enjoying the autumn vibes. Before you dive into the celebrations, we thought it would be cool to share some interesting things about Halloween in the UK and some local Swansea stories to get you in the mood. Halloween actually has really old roots here in the UK. It goes back to an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain. People used to celebrate the end of the harvest season and the start of the cold, dark winter. Back then, they believed that the boundary between the living world and the spirit world was thinner around this time of year. Because of that, they thought ghosts and spirits could cross over and roam the earth. It was a time to light bonfires and wear costumes to keep those spirits away. The pumpkin carving tradition that’s so popular today actually started a little differently. In Ireland and Scotland, people used to carve faces into turnips or other root vegetables to scare off wandering spirits. When Irish immigrants came to America, they discovered pumpkins were easier to carve and much bigger, so the jack-o’-lantern as we know it was born. But if you want to keep it authentic, you could always try carving a turnip this Halloween. Trick or treating is another interesting tradition. It didn’t really become popular in the UK until the 1980s. Before that, kids went “guising” which meant dressing up in costumes and going door to door to perform songs or jokes in exchange for treats. It was less about threats and more about entertainment. So when you’re knocking on doors this year, you’re taking part in a tradition that’s only a few decades old here but has deep roots in earlier customs. Swansea itself has plenty of spooky stories and places that make Halloween feel a bit more real. For example, Swansea Castle is said to be haunted, and people have reported strange noises and ghostly sightings there. The Maritime Quarter has its own legends of mysterious figures wandering the docks late at night. If you’re up for a bit of local adventure, grabbing a few friends and exploring some of these spots could be a fun way to get into the Halloween spirit. If you’re staying in your student house, adding some decorations like cobwebs, spooky lights or even a hand-carved pumpkin can transform your place without much effort. You don’t have to go over the top to make it feel festive. And maybe set up a horror movie night with your housemates. Whether you prefer classic chills or silly scary comedies, it’s a great way to relax and have some laughs. One more fun fact - did you know that in some parts of the UK people still follow the old tradition of “snap-apple” at Halloween? It’s a game where apples are hung from a string and you try to bite one without using your hands. It’s messy but a good laugh with friends. Whether you’re planning to head out, stay in or just enjoy some snacks and spooky stories, it’s a great chance to take a break and have some fun. We hope your Halloween is full of good times, a few surprises and plenty of treats. If you come across any great local events or have some cool decorations or costumes to show off, we’d love to hear from you.