Because it’s so late In the day and we’re running out of time, we all need to make as many personal changes as possible to reduce our carbon footprint. That said, I don’t think it’s helpful to be judgemental about other people’s choices as changing habits well-established over a lifetime is HARD and what someone can and can’t do will depend on individual circumstances. At the end of the day, everything has a carbon foot print so none of us can ever be ‘carbon free’ consumers, so to speak.
I see it as not about overhauling everything at once but making incremental changes that I can live with and afford. For example, I don’t own a car but appreciate some people need to. I don’t buy many clothes because I hate shopping, but when I do I buy classic and good quality. But I appreciate not everyone can afford to do that. I get my energy from a renewable energy supplier (Octopus Energy – I recommend), there’s no reason why anyone can’t do that. I try not to waste or throw anything away, also no reason why anyone can’t do that.
One thing for me is food. I buy and eat a lot of it (I am the house chef) and I don’t know if I can ever give up eating meat. But in the last month I’ve decided to go meat-free four times a week (because I do all the cooking this means my husband will too). I’m finding it very hard and don’t always achieve it but I am trying to stick with it and it is getting much easier over time.
To reduce packaging waste I’ve decided to buy only meat and fish from local fishmongers and butchers. I’m lucky that I have Brixton market down the road and also a fishmonger a five-minute walk from my house. I’ve only just started doing this – you can see how it works out and other lifestyle changes and tips on the ‘Low Carbon Lifestyle’ page which I’ll update when I can.
I’ve also started using Ecover refill bottles for my cleaning and washing products. According to the labelling, it reduces packaging by nearly 50%.
And I’ve started getting Oddbox deliveries. The company ‘rescues’ fruit and veg not uniform enough for the supermarket and drops them at your door in a single cardboard box (No other packaging). Considering I could buy vegetables, and usually do, from the grocer across the road this doesn’t reduce my packaging, as such. Also, much of the stuff bought from across the road looks like it wouldn’t make the supermarket cut either 😂but I really love the convenience and especially the quality of the Oddbox deliveries. See the pic. It has definitely got me eating more fruit and veg.
To measure if there’s any reduction in my waste I’ve adopted the very scientific method of noting how often my husband changes the bins on a calendar to see if it gets less over time. I always know when he changes the bins because he makes a great fuss about it; he spends a good few minutes full-body wrestling with each to get the overflowing bags out of the metal bin frame. Sometimes I have to help by using my body weight to keep the bin base down. He then repeatedly curses the ‘shit’ bin bags, the make of which he seems to change weekly (and so we have about five different rolls lying about the place), and then huffs off with the rammed-full sacks down the fire escape. So an added bonus of less waste will be reducing the occurrence of this little spectacle.
Please also share your tips and suggestions on the ‘Low Carbon Lifestyle’ page!
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