Wednesday 9 October 2019

Climate Change - What Can I Do?

No one can say they are unaware of the issues our planet is facing, unless they've been living under a rock for the past 30 years or so! We've been discussing the hole in the ozone layer for decades, indeed as our dear, sweet, diplomatic PM Boris Johnson has reminded us, Maggie Thatcher was on to fighting those nasty greenhouse gases when she was in power, decades before Greta Thunberg was a twinkle in her father's eye (yeah right Boris, in that case why is the planet boiling itself to death then).

We've been encouraged to recycle for decades and yet, here we are now, at crisis point and time really is running out. For too long we have expected others to sort it out and taken no personal responsibility. I'm not guilt free at all, I realise I'm to blame as much as the next person. Doing my bit has extended to doing a bit of recycling each week and turning things off instead of leaving them on standby etc., but that simply is not enough. I need to up my game!

The future of our planet is quite literally in the hands of each and every one of us. So, one small step at a time, I present to you my mini 'Steps to be More Green' plan:

Eat Less Meat - this is relatively easy for us. Miss. L decided to go veggie last year and because I'm quite a fussy eater when it comes to meat, and I used to be veggie, we have all adopted a largely vegetarian diet. Not only is it a lot cheaper (there is no end to the things you can do with lentils, Miss. D is a big lentil fan, so we get through quite a lot of them), but we have a lot less food waste and a lot more empty plates!

Buy Loose In Season Veg -  this should be so easy to do, but I fear that I have become somewhat conditioned to being able to buy all sorts of fruit and veg throughout the year, regardless of season and of course, we all know it has to be wrapped in some form of plastic packaging, right? Wrong! This is going to be a tough one, but I have made a start, refusing to place a red pepper and two sweet potatoes in plastic bags last shop. So I'm making a start, but this is going to be a case of retraining myself and I need to read up on what's in season when.

Continue to Recycle - this is such an easy thing to do and something we have been doing for years, though I'm sure I could be more effective at it.

And when finally I move house, (honestly this bloody chain is beginning to do my poor, confused head in) I am going to do the following:

Grow Our Own Veg - the OH has already been asked to build me some raised beds for growing veg in and Miss. L and I have been discussing what we might like to grow. I'm also going to plant some bee (and butterfly) friendly plants, because those stripy wee insects are very important to our ecosystem and need to be looked after too.

Have Milk Delivered - I know it's not as easy as buying a big old plastic bottle with several billion pints in it, but the milkman delivers milk in nice recyclable glass bottles, like we used to have.

Switch to Renewable Energy - I have to change the current heating system in the place I'm moving to, so will be making sure I switch to renewable energy, as well as taking all possible measures to make sure the house is as insulated as possible.

There are lots of other things I can and will do, including using the car less, and much as I would love to travel the world and collect stamps in my passport, I don't want to add to my carbon footprint. I want to reduce it! There are so many places within the UK to visit, and it will probably take many years to get round those, so it's not like I'm going to get bored.


At the time of writing, people are protesting across the world, calling on their governments to act now before it's too late. Our own government has declared a climate emergency, but have yet to act on it. Indeed, our PM has referred to the protesters as 'crusties,' and the words 'hemp smelling' have escaped from his lips too. He's had a dig at Greta Thunberg. A fully grown man in a position of power having a dig at a teenage girl. OK I know Greta gets the backs of some of the older generation up, but remember, she is speaking in her second language, some politicians can't even communicate effectively in their native tongue.

When I was growing up, things were different. Drinks generally came in glass bottles which were returnable, milk and bread were delivered, you could only buy seasonable fruit and veg which was loose and central heating comprised of putting another jumper on. We walked to school, or got a bus. Very few people were ferried to school by car. I'm not sure when things changed, maybe it was with the 'yuppies' of the late 80's, but things did change and for the worse. We have become a 'throw away' nation (world). We want the latest phone, the latest fashion, the latest, fastest car, the biggest home. What we don't want anymore, we chuck away and in doing so, we've hurt our planet. We've destroyed our rain forests and with it the environment which so many animals depend upon, for what? Profit. We've filled our oceans with plastic and harmed the delicate ecosystem which exists there as well as harming her wildlife.

Whether you like Greta or not, she is right, we are running out of time. Whether you think the protesters are right or wrong for attempting to bring our cities to a standstill, we are running out of time. I'll be the first to admit that there are elements of the protests that don't sit well with me, I do worry if the chemicals in some of the glue these protesters use to stick themselves to things is harmful to the environment, and why are they drinking out of plastic bottles instead of reusable cups? That's by the by though. The point is, these people are standing up and demanding the government take notice. Now we have to hope and pray they do listen.

Do let us know what you're doing to live a greener life and of course, I'll keep you updated on my journey to be greener.


Further information on climate change and greener living can be found in the links below:

BBC Country File - How to Live a Greener Life

Quality Unearthed - Going Green Bucket List 2019

Friends of the Earth

and for those of you who are able, or want to join the protesters and make your voice heard,

Extinction Rebellion

(and no, it is not compulsory to adhere to Boris Johnson's idea that protesters are 'hemp smelling' and 'crusty')



My Random Musings

Post Comment Love

Confessions of a New Mummy

Keep Calm and Carry On Linking Sunday

32 comments:

  1. Love this! I'm a little eco warrior at heart. We recycle, upcycled items, grow our own food, don't waste food and have eco saving devices and lightbulbs in the house. We also have reusable items like water bottles. It's not a lot but I'm proud of the little we do. There's so much more that can be done too.
    We were making eco blocks earlier in home Ed. That's our next mission. Make and donate them. As often as we can.
    Did you see the Jonathan Pie video this week on the climate change protests? Was bloody brilliant

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    1. I did indeed. Love Jonathan Pie! It's crazy that people are protesting and all our PM can do is throw insults at them. Instead of fracking, we should be investing in renewable energy. I am currently practising what I preach by wearing an extra jumper and using my blanket, rather than turning on the central heating.

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  2. So true. We could all be doing more to be more environmentally friendly. I'm also trying to do more at home. As you say though time is running out and i do believe something bigger needs to be done. Governments across the globe need to put politics aside, join forces and put there heads together to come up with some kind of solution.
    #BloggerClubUK

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    1. Couldn't agree more Alex. Let's hope our world leaders take on board the urgency of the matter x

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  3. Great tips, small steps go along way X #bloggerclubuk

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  4. I think it's great that more people are thinking and talking about being more green. I quite like Greta, but not so keen on the Extinction Rebellion movement. Like you, I worry about the glue, chemicals removing the glue, fumes from standing traffic stuck in jams in city centres due to road blocks and so on. Not seen the disposable cups, but maybe it proves none of us are perfect. I like your list and it is all do-able. I have a list too. Little changes add up. No need to wait on the garden. I've just planted spinach and winter salad in my greenhouse. You could start some in tubs and move them with you. #mmbc

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    1. Hi Cheryl. I did think about putting a few bits in some tubs, but I'm up to my ears in packing the house. Maybe if I get a move on with that I can start some planting x

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  5. Some really interesting points on such an important topic! We have been aware of this for years and it is such a shame we all weren't kick started into taking it more seriously back in the day. We recyle everything we possibly can in my house, my 10 year old daughter is as adamant with this as I am! The next generation is learning! Can we do more? Always! I just hope the USA wake up to the fact this is all very real sooner rather than later! Sim x #PoCoLo

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    1. That's great that your ten year old is so passionate about it too. My sixteen year old has decided everyone will have a tree planted in the amazon as a Christmas gift this year.

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  6. Some very good tips here. I have started doing things like taking a reusable shopping bag with me everywhere and using microfiber clothes to wash my face as opposed to face wipes. Every little bit helps right? #TwinklyTuesday

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    1. Oh that's a good one too, I must add that to the list. Thanks for the heads up x

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  7. Great tips you have here. Every effort counts. I have stopped using plastic bags and straws. Now working on eating less meat which is a big challenge!

    #kcacols

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    1. Yep, every little thing is a step in the right direction x

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  8. We have totally incorporated ungreen things into our convenience life. These are some great tips for addressing some of this. Every little helps!

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  9. People are put off being green by the inconvenience and time factor sometimes, but these are great tips #KCACOLS

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    1. Thank you Jo. I'm trying really hard, but the amount of plastic packaging still in our supermarkets is crazy x

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  10. It really is hard enough without our own governments not helping in practical ways, like seriously making companies use unrecyclable plastic packaging. But steps we can take, like you outline Lisa. I really think the value is in education, when our kids get it, and push us to do things like recycle, then it will catch on. Super post. #KCACOLS

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    1. Thank you so much for your lovely comment Enda, it means so much. You're so right, our governments really are not helping, how difficult would it be for them to ban the use of unrecyclable materials. Good grief, polystyrene is still in use! Not good.

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  11. I am trying to do things to help but I know I could and should do more. We have mobile loose weigh/refill van coming to our local town once a week so I am going to try and use that more. I heard Julian Lennon, Saltwater on the radio today - released in 1991 (listen to the words) - our governments have been so slow to really tackle this. #KCACOLS

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    1. I'm of the opinion every little thing each of us does is a step in the right direction, but the really big steps lie with those who run our countries and I fear that for many of them money is more important x

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  12. I am actively trying to change my input into the emissions etc but I did just buy some plane tickets (and that's one of the big ones) and while I'm cuting down on meat, we have a dog, and I just read that's one of the big bad ones. But I carry my own cutlery, and take bottles to the depo and try to reduce purchasing of stuff. There's a lot to change...#KCACOLS

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  13. Oooh, I need to read more about the dog thing. I have a dog too (obviously, otherwise the blog name would just be weird). Thanks for letting me know about that one xx

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  14. There's so much more we could all be doing but I honestly believe small steps are better than none. #TwinklyTuesday

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  15. There's so many changes we can all make. We're trying to cut down our meat in take and buying fruit from our local market.

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    1. Yes, I need to find out if we still have a greengrocer in town, as trying to buy fruit and veg from the supermarket which isn't in plastic packaging is easier said than done x

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  16. There's so much we can all do. We are trying to cut down on our meat intake and buying fruit individually from our local market #KCACOLS

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  17. Some brilliant tips here. It is so important that everyone makes changes. #KCACOLS

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