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Have started working for Pod Point (electric car charger company)!
Fix the chargers at Bath uni please?!
Sorry, not keeping up!
surroundedbyhills love the idea of buying concentrates and adding your own water. That company have come up with some great ideas.
myti well done on giving up clingfilm and sounds as though you're really making an effort. Plastic bag usage I'm finding tricky to reduce ie bin liners, putting food portions in freezer. Perhaps I should just reuse them like what you're doing.
Bunnyhop yes I've seen those here:
http://moralfibres.co.uk/diy-reusable-cotton-wool-pads/
Glitter and, yes, you're right in dissuading folk from buying it:
http://moralfibres.co.uk/eco-friendly-alternatives-to-glitter/
Ben_H so glad you've seen this and it's encouraging to hear of your good experience with beeswax wrap. One q especially as you're using it with cheese - does it retain any odour once it's been washed? I shall check out theYoutube vids, thanks for the tip!
Kev shall check that out, thanks.
Daffy blimey, you're on a roll! That's a massive saving on fuel especially over a year. What's a powerwall? Seriously impressed with your achievements, well done.
Mike community shared car sounds good, does it have to be pre-booked or what?
Zero waste shop: anyone use one? They seem to be springing up around the UK although nowhere near me! As a one person household the idea of buying smaller amounts definitely appeals and may well encourage me to eat a more varied diet.
Am ready to roll with making beeswax wraps but unfortunately items are gathering dust due to lack of energy. Oh well.
What changes have you all been making then?
This year we'll probably be having another unsuccessful round of IVF, thereby failing to breed and not having any money left for material consumption.
Other than that we car share or cycle to work, and have reduced meat consumption, usually buying local from farm shop.
wonny j, that sounds very sad and tough to deal with.
Did you find it difficult to reduce your meat consumption? Were you eating it every day?
Picking up on this one,
@cinnamon_girl - we haven't found it very difficult, although it has involved a lot of "experimental cooking" to find out what sort of things we like cooking. Dhals are now a favourite.
We definitely weren't big meat eaters in the first place.
Plastic bag usage I’m finding tricky to reduce ie bin liners, putting food portions in freezer
You can get re-usable silicone bags for freezer food.
We also drastically reduced meat consumption in our house recently since my daughters have gone "pesci" - my wife an I remain "flexi" - haven't found it that hard actually and am quite enjoying investigating and experimenting with a lot of N African and E Mediterranean spice mixes, I alos like that sweet potatoes come unwrapped. Big issue with the fish is that the plastic it inevitably come wrapped in is black, which is harder to recycle - if it gets recycled at all that is. Also just moved to glass milk bottles being delivered, which has a retro cool about it but is a bit of an eye opener at 80p per pint.
Big issue with the fish is that the plastic it inevitably come wrapped in is black, which is harder to recycle – if it gets recycled at all that is.
Go to a proper fishmongers or if you must use supermarket, Morrisons lets you take in your own container.
A zero waste shop is opening down the road from me so I should be able to start buying cleaning /washing products there, taking my own bottles and also dried goods like grains, nuts and seeds. It will take a bit of discipline though to not just buy everything at the supermarket in one big shop as I currently do. I hope they are not ridiculously overpriced though as that will make it a harder decision.
Proper fishmongers are becomingly increasingly rare.
Well I've got a bag of inner tubes up in the loft and a couple of sewing machines I could potentially use to knock some stuff up. No doubt easy to get a good supply as well.
Industrial amounts of vinegar were purchesed from the Chinese C&C and handed out to family.
Sister in law gave us beeswax cloths for Christmas.
Eating less meat, hoping to catch my own but we'll see how that goes. Thinking rabbits and pheasant, apparantly my dad is never done seeing the daft beggars getting hit by cars.
Other than that I've not got very far, I do intend on getting more done this year.
I hear you on the retro appeal of milk bottles. 😊
My girlfriend chased down our milkman(!) to get him to start delivering. Whenever I worry/quibble about prices of milk/juice/coffee, I remember how much a pint of beer now costs and I’m happy again.
Happy to see this thread is still going!
wonny j - experimental cooking sounds good, so easy to make the same old same old when really there's so many recipes online and just needs a bit of effort.
molgrips - really, where from please? I've been batch cooking today following a meat shop yesterday meaning dozens of plastic bags have been used and feel guilty.
myti - lucky you and do report back. I think they're a great idea from the point of just buying the quantity you think you need resulting in less waste. I would buy more spices and dried goods for example if they weren't in industrial sized quantities with a shortish sell by date.
squirrelking - another white vinegar fan eh?! Love the idea of hunting for food if you're a good shot, pheasant makes a tasty meal.
Another glass milk bottle fan, filled with raw Jersey milk from a local farm.
Not had a car for over 15 years. Did it for money reasons initially but now could not justify owning one. Mainly just one person moving at a time and at a time of choice so trains work well.
And I love riding bikes everywhere.
I've stopped using bubblewrap for parcels and use scrunched up newspaper instead.
Err thats it for now apart from a 'less meat, more rice and veg" diet.
The problem with this is that if you truly want to be eco-conscious you wouldn't be able to do anything, other than live a miserable subsistence existence. You certainly wouldn't be riding a modern bike - aluminium and carbon fibre are not materials that are particularly great for the environment when you take into account all the factors of their production.
I find the notion of limiting personal freedom (cars, travel etc0, very worrying, especially when individuals call on governments to have responsibility for enforcing it.
As for limiting air travel, has anyone considered the effect that this might have on developing countries that rely heavily on tourism and few other economic resources?
As with all of these things, reality is a lot more complicated than the rather simplistic 'this thing is bad, this thing is good'.
Unfortunately, humans have an obsession with apocalyptic scenarios (much of the middle ages was spent with the assumption that the end of the world was nigh), and the environment has become a suitable cause for the type of zealot who a few centuries ago would have been obsessed with Revelations.
JP
Keep up the good work JP!
The problem with this is that if you truly want to be eco-conscious you wouldn’t be able to do anything, other than live a miserable subsistence existence. You certainly wouldn’t be riding a modern bike – aluminium and carbon fibre are not materials that are particularly great for the environment when you take into account all the factors of their production.
Why does it need to be so black and white? I think that doing a bit/adjusting your behaviour where you can is still worthwhile. It's not like if you don't go live in a mud hut and live off the land then it's all pointless, doing things like cutting back on plastic is no bad thing.
Has anyone tried a shampoo bar?
Yes, the one that we have at the moment works but having used it makes your hair feel really squeaky until it's dried at which point it feels fine.
I'm not saying that taking measures to recycle, cut down on plastic use, etc are not worthwhile - I'm just pointing out that a single minded pursuance of an eco agenda does not necessarily lead us to some sort of modern utopia.
JP
jjprestidge - as someone who regularly asks myself whether I could make less impact/change what I do/think before I buy/monitor what goes in dustbin in order to do better etc etc., it's these small changes that help and multiplied they have a bigger impact. As chvck says, it doesn't need to be so black and white. We just need to think about what we're doing.
Shampoo bar - thanks for that, am still holding off!
Quick review on the shower puff pictured at the top of the page - made from ramie which is a natural fibre. Not easy to get a lather without adding extra shower gel, mildly exfoliating. Biggest bugbear was that it didn't dry out. Rather disappointing overall.
The problem with this is that if you truly want to be eco-conscious you wouldn’t be able to do anything, other than live a miserable subsistence existence.
Don't think it's quite like this. The planet can support a certain amount of people living their life at a certain level. The trick is finding that level, where if everyone on average lived at that level then the natural world would replenish at a rate equal to or greater than the population consumes it.
That doesn't mean we can't have things, do things and go places. We just need to tone it down and make beter decisions. Personally, for me I think it's too late sadly, there are far too many selfish people and people with their heads in the sand to turn it around now.
How some people are going to be able to look their grandchildren in the eyes in future, I don't know. There are no excuses for the rampant consumerism we have now, the impact this is having on the natural world and the problems stacking up for future generations to deal with is well documented. Choosing to ignore it is a personal decision, entirely down to self-absorbed, entitled, selfish lazy attitudes. Putting your wants above others needs.
Don’t think it’s quite like this. The planet can support a certain amount of people living their life at a certain level. The trick is finding that level, where if everyone on average lived at that level then the natural world would replenish at a rate equal to or greater than the population consumes it.That doesn’t mean we can’t have things, do things and go places. We just need to tone it down and make beter decisions. Personally, for me I think it’s too late sadly, there are far too many selfish people and people with their heads in the sand to turn it around now.
How some people are going to be able to look their grandchildren in the eyes in future, I don’t know. There are no excuses for the rampant consumerism we have now, the impact this is having on the natural world and the problems stacking up for future generations to deal with is well documented. Choosing to ignore it is a personal decision, entirely down to self-absorbed, entitled, selfish lazy attitudes. Putting your wants above others needs.
All of this.
It's the same sort of thinking that makes people vote certain ways. If you tend to think 'me, now' then I reckon you're more likely to vote UKIP>tory whereas if you think 'others, later' you're more likely to vote liberal<Green.
'Others, later' is the way we should all be trying to live our lives.
Well thanks to TFGM, this month the zonal pricing on the trams has cut the cost of my commute, made driving to work much less appealing and made public transport more flexible
kayla1
Member
Don’t think it’s quite like this. The planet can support a certain amount of people living their life at a certain level. The trick is finding that level, where if everyone on average lived at that level then the natural world would replenish at a rate equal to or greater than the population consumes it.
That doesn’t mean we can’t have things, do things and go places. We just need to tone it down and make beter decisions. Personally, for me I think it’s too late sadly, there are far too many selfish people and people with their heads in the sand to turn it around now.
How some people are going to be able to look their grandchildren in the eyes in future, I don’t know. There are no excuses for the rampant consumerism we have now, the impact this is having on the natural world and the problems stacking up for future generations to deal with is well documented. Choosing to ignore it is a personal decision, entirely down to self-absorbed, entitled, selfish lazy attitudes. Putting your wants above others needs.
All of this.
It’s the same sort of thinking that makes people vote certain ways. If you tend to think ‘me, now’ then I reckon you’re more likely to vote UKIP>tory whereas if you think ‘others, later’ you’re more likely to vote liberal<Green.
‘Others, later’ is the way we should all be trying to live our lives.
I understand your points, but I think this is overly simplistic. I'm a natural liberal, (big and small L) and am firmly in the remain camp in relation to the EU. However, I have a strong dislike of policies that encroach on the traditional notions of liberalism.
I would suggest that moderation and changing of habits can have a beneficial effect on the environment. What will ultimately produce the most wide ranging and meaningful results, though, will be technological solutions. When we try to predict the state of the environment in 100 years' time we're doing something akin to the Victorian Tory politician who predicted that London streets would be 6ft deep with horse excrement by the end of the 20th Century, given the expected rate of population growth at the time.
JP
Just been looking at silicone food bags as suggested by molgrips, Stasher seems to be popular brand but in all honesty I can't see myself paying £10 for one bag. As a rough estimate in 2 days I've used around 30 plastic bags purely for the freezer which is totally unacceptable. Will try washing and reusing, updates to follow.
We don't need to predict what it will be like in 100 years time, just look at it now. If technological solutions are developed then all the better, you can adjust the average level to live life at as they come on board. Simply carrying on as is and having faith someone sometime in future will invent something is wishful thinking.
Cinnamon_girl great thread, can't believe I've missed it until now.
Last year, trying to green our local BMX club, looking forward to seeing how the compost goes.
Weaning off plastic, had a moment one lunchtime at work when I saw the amount of nonrecyclable plastic after a supermarket meal deal, so knocked them on the head and use local sandwich shops now.
Shampoo bars are great, got one to take to the megavalanche last summer from lush, used daily at work for my commute and still have more than three quarters left, my locks are shinier than ever.
Also superinsulated the house during a big refurb, working great.
This year, cutting back on meat, no flights, looking at broadening some community green initiatives, probably at our local park, starting with a basic litter pick once a month around the BMX track, we already do inside the track. May build a cheeky singeltravk route to get a local fix of mtbing in...
With regards to the future of the world etc Ratboy recommended reading Ishmael, and I'll pass that recommendation on here. Not read a book that may potentially have such a profound change on my outlook, I'm now working out how I fit in with changing our culture for the better... Josh is therefore my current sustainable guru! Didn't see that coming...
Steve
Oh, my partner has also started building ecobricks with any applicable plastic we do use (I have medical stuffs that comes in plastic and that I need so that's a large contributor).
On the scrubby things, my mum was selling Ancient Wisdom lather things. Basically a sandbag with replacable soap inside but my missus liked them for exfoliating. Would recommend. They wear out after a while (several months) and it's rather a flat lather if you get my drift but definitely do the job.
Thinking about it a bit more, I've been saving plastic takeaway containers and using them for food or general storage, bubblewrap gets reused (more likely to recycle or compost the paper packaging) and any reusable bags go to the charity shop. Not bought a plastic bag all year.
On the consumption aspect, surely that only becomes an issue if you keep up with trends and don't just use what is available? I'm still on my Mk2 Trailstar, my '04 Shore is still up and running and my newest bike is a '10 Pitch Pro. All 26", all hideously unfashionable and all cheap as chips. Not to mention all perfectly capable.
What do Badgers taste like?
They’re a Mustelid, related to polecats, stoats, weasels, etc. What do you imagine they’ll taste like?
My own contribution? Trying to avoid using anything with palm oil in, vast tracts of forest and the lives of indigenous people are being destroyed by the greed of international corporations feeding off the desires of people wishing to ‘do something for the environment/avoid climate change’.
Yeah, how’s that working out for you...?
On the consumption aspect, surely that only becomes an issue if you keep up with trends and don’t just use what is available?
It's suprisingly easy to switch off from [u]wanting[/u] (ie not actually 'needing') new stuff and the money you save by not keeping up with the metaphorical Joneses is staggering which kind of spurs you on to do a bit more. It's a very nice way to live.
Without getting into a whole tin-foil-hat rant, the system's ****ed. Work hard, earn more, buy a car, get a mortage, get into debt to buy stuff to fill the hole in your soul that working so hard creates... No. How about we build more social housing, stop buying stuff so we don't have to work so hard to pay for it all and be content with what we have. You really don't need a massive house and a ****ty car. Grow some of your own veg or whatever, walk or ride to the local shop. Yes, it takes time but what else are you going to be doing? You don't have to work so hard because you've stopped buying stuff you don't need.
Aspiration, avarice and doing shit for 'likes' all drives conspicuous consumption which is mainly what's ****ing the place up. For ****'s sake, fake tan, hair extensions and false nails. What the actual ****.
kayla for PM, you go girl!!
We've got a terracycle drop off point at a local cafe. The lady there collects clean crisp, biscuit and crackers wrappers, which then get used for eco bricks.
Boots the chemist have started collecting contact lens packaging for recycling.
While our next door neighbour carries out her destruction of our planet, I will do the exact opposite and do everything I can (in reason, as we still ski and have a caravan) to do my small bit.
We use standard clipfresh containers for food in the freezer.
Why do you need bags for the freezer cinnamon? Can't you use tupeware? Would have thought it stacks better and better for reheating in microwave?
Good morning all.
twistedpencil, my goodness you're going great guns especially with community initiatives. Well done! Is your water hard or soft? Have read some reports that shampoo bars don't work as well with hard water. Have you a link to that book please?
squirrelking, those sound similar to soap bags that can be made of anything. Currently using one made from bamboo that gently exfoliates, throw in washing machine but too early to see how long it lasts. Did find however that one particular non-commercial soap seemed to shrink in it and disappeared in a matter of days!
Bunnyhop, not heard of that before but was aware of contact lenses and must let daughter know as she uses daily disposables.
myti, have a fridge/freezer with two and a half drawers for frozen food. Using tupperware would simply take up too much space. Tend to reheat in oven but often add other items to it.
Oh yes, need new toothpaste so have ordered powder in glass jar (decided against making my own) together with mouthwash chewable tablets, again in a glass jar. Jars will be repurposed and are earmarked already. Report to follow!
Yes, let us know how the tooth powder goes please!
Shall do kayla. Had to laugh at your comments that included false nails. Daughter off on hols meaning another 'reason' to visit the cheap as chips nail salon where young Vietnamese girls are 'employed'. I've given up trying to reason with her, she's not a teenager and more than capable of understanding. Still, this time it's individually coloured nails and some have water melons on them. I kid you not!
Thanks Mat, those look good and a lot cheaper than silicone.
So decided my next small step will be to double the size of my raised veg patch so I can grow more of my own veg so avoiding supermarket plastic and food miles. It has the added bonus of helping to guard against Brexshit food shortages too!
I look at these things we do and I split them into straight choices and efforts, ie things needing some endeavour to achieve them. Most of those mentioned on this thread I put into the latter category, which I think is a really impressive effort. It takes real effort to change behaviour every day and maintain it. Myself I've tried to do some of these things but am way behind you lot.
What I find interesting though is watching the big choices people make when they are simply choices and there's very little other advantage to the decision one way or the other, or very little effect on the effort we make to carry the decision on. And it's here I think we often fail, or you could say we are looking at a big opportunity for change.
My classic examples are on car travel and space heating, two of our biggest carbon emitters.
All else being equal (speed, space inside, comfort levels, engine type, driving style etc) an "suv", being simply taller and heavier, uses how much more fuel than a lower down normal car? 20%? More? I don't know the numbers but the difference is clearly substantial. Yet their sales are huge. Hardly anyone needs or even uses the off road capability. Jaguar has built one electric car, making them something of a leader in the field (sort of) and what do they choose to make? An SUV because, I assume, of "the market". That's not leading the way.
I'm building a house. I'm lucky enough to be able to fund it, yes, and my house is not the average one, but many of the decisions I have come to about insulation, windows, heat source, choice of things that would necessitate holes in my house etc, are ones where almost every house built in this country chooses the environmentally poorer option. Some of these are extra build cost but it's often not much and they will prove cheaper over only a few years, a fraction of their life. Some of them are cheaper even in build cost terms. And how do architects, builders etc generally respond to questions about these options? Most often it's to dismiss them as not being worth it, but on a bit of probing the people in question know neither the cost nor the benefit, and on further research I consider these opinions to be often wrong. Deeply disappointing I think to express this opinion without any backup.*
Back on topic, I've taken to just not buying perishables unless we've actually run out. We're a shocker for wasting vegetables and this method does seem to have cut that right back. And we have a few acres so planted 1000 trees last year, hopefully nearly the same again this coming winter. Not measured scientifically but I think our population and variety of invertibrates has increased already.
*some finger crossing here. It's scary to go against advice on something so big and I can't confirm it won't come back to bite me!
luket - wow! planting all those trees, that's fantastic.
We planted a mixed hornbeam and hawthorn hedge a few years ago. The amount of wildlife has dramatically increased, mostly birds.
Yes - I don't understand the high usage of SUV vehicles on the roads (which aren't really built for those and don't get me talking about parking space sizes). When you ask some people they say its for the safety of their children. What a load of tosh. Piling children into one of those instead of walking them to school is causing high pollution, breathing problems (asthma), possibly obesity.
Anyway there are many choices to be 'green', but most people will always pick the easy solution and not think about the consequences beyond their little world. If there is a green grocer' nearby where you can pick up loose fruit, veg and salad items, which is maybe a 5 minute walk away, or choose a supermarket, a 1 minute walk away, where most things are packaged to within an inch of their lives, then people will choose the convenience of the supermarket. I don't mind walking. But most people are lazy.
Whoops its turned into a rant - apologies.