5 unexpected eco-friendly hangouts in London

The city may be nicknamed the ‘Big Smoke’, but Londoners have become a lot more environmentally conscious lately. If you want to join the green crusade and do your bit for the future of our planet, you can start now – and still have all the fun. There are a whole bunch of cool, eco-friendly hangouts and initiatives dotted around the city, and here’s a small selection of them:

1. Good Hotel

Based in the Royal Victoria Docks, the Good Hotel is a hotel with a cause. Everything is sourced from neighbouring small businesses — from kitchen ingredients to building materials and labour. Sustainable staycation, anyone?

2. London Zoo: Plastic not so Fantastic

To raise awareness of our out-of-control plastic use, London Zoo has crafted a whole building from plastic bottles collected in and around the city. Inside, Londoners can find tips on how to be more environmentally friendly in their everyday lives.

3. Bulk Market

This zero-waste enterprise started life as a Hackney pop-up, but thanks to huge support from the local community and a successful crowdfunding project — it’s about to get a permanent location. This eco-friendly supermarket will stock lots of organic, local and loose produce inside retro sweetshop-style glass jars. So turn up with tote bags and wicker baskets when it opens and do your weekly shop with a clear conscience. 

4. Dalston Eastern Curve Garden

This green space in one of east London’s most densely populated areas costs nothing to enter — all profits from the café fund its maintenance. Built on the old Eastern Curve railway line, this unique inner-city oasis is as tranquil as it is Instagrammable. 

5. Smashing Kitchen

One of the main ways we overuse plastic is through straws and takeaway food containers. Smashing Kitchen vegan café in Hackney has abolished all use of plastic. This means paper straws and cardboard takeaway pots, all of which are recyclable. Eating here means doing your bit for the environment and enjoying some delicious food along the way!