Embracing Autumn 🍂

Seasonal living is one of the best and most natural ways we can care for ourselves and the planet. Reconnecting with our natural rhythms, seasonal produce and local offerings can help us feel more in tune with our bodies, embrace the highlights of each season and put less pressure on our planet’s resources. Now October has begun, it is time to celebrate my favourite season of all: Autumn. Here are some autumnal things you can do to enjoy the season and bring sustainability into your everyday 🍁

• Make the most of the late summer bounty – If you were able to make the most of the last warm rays and pick your own fruit, such as blackberries or homegrown produce, now is the time to fill your freezer with fresh produce for the winter months. Going blackberry picking in the summer is a favourite tradition of mine, made all the more sweeter when you can enjoy the fruits for months to come by using them in jams, desserts and baking. Just remember to only take what you need, and leave plenty for others and the local wildlife. If you’ve grown your own fruit and veg, make sure to harvest the last of your crops and store them for future use, to keep enjoying them long after the growing season ends.

• Create a cosy autumnal home – I always find the changing of the seasons, especially from summer into the cosy months, I great time to invest in your living space. Have a declutter, paying attention to any summer items that weren’t used this year and donating or recycling if you no longer use them. Once you’re happy with your space, use seasonal decorations, such as strings of dried leaves or plants, blankets and warm furnishings to bring autumn into your home. Even when your day-to-day may not have changed too much, changing up your space to reflect the seasons helps us to mentally transition to the colder months and remind us (if we needed it!) all the great things that autumn brings: cosy evenings, crafting projects, home baking, crisp walks – need I go on?
• Getting outside – While the temperature may be dropping, this shouldn’t stop you embracing the season, getting out of the house and enjoying your local nature. One of my yearly highlights is going for a crisp autumn walk, hearing the leaves crunch underfoot and layering up in hats and scarves, so while the air might feel fresh, I’m all cosy and wrapped up. Taking time to notice the colours changing in the trees, the different species of plants, fungi and animals and being mindful within ourselves to be in the present moment. When we take the time to care for the spaces around us, we know how important it is to protect them. And if you can lend your time to volunteering in a green space, or picking up any litter that you see on your walk, you will be leaving it in a better state too.
• Seasonal eating – A simple way to cut your food footprint and live more in tune with your own body is to focus on eating seasonal, fresh foods. In autumn, fruits such as apples and pears and vegetables like squashes, leeks and root vegetables are at their best in the UK, ready to be made into warming curries, casseroles and crumbles. You can use this National Trust webpage to see the best produce month by month right through the year. My favourites – homemade pumpkin soup, with some nice crusty bread. Can’t get much better 🍲

• Romanticise – Romanticising your life not only helps us cultivate a positive mindset, but is important for sustainability too. You could just whack on the heating all day, keep wearing a t-shirt and hand all your money over or you could create your ideal autumn outfit of earth-toned layers, insulate your home by using your curtains and draught excluders and spend your evening cuddled under a cosy blanket. Of course health is paramount, and there will be times when heating is necessary, but it is important that we make these decisions when, and in the places, we need them, and don’t waste energy where we don’t need it. Do what you can to prepare yourself and your home for autumn, to provide any excessive waste, be it energy, food or otherwise. Maybe not as romantic, but taking the time now to check your home heating systems to improve their efficiency or move to a greener supplier if you can could save you a lot of time and money once winter sets in. In this life so many of us are incredibly lucky to already have what we need to live, so instead of focussing on what you are lacking, romanticise your day-to-day by making this autumn one of enjoyment, experiences and using what you have right now.
• Refuse the single use – Pumpkin spice latte? Bought my own cup thank you. Halloween decorations? Reused from last year, homemade or natural – no scary single use plastic this year. Shopping bag? Not when I have a beautiful reusable one that compliments my autumnal outfit, but thanks for asking. Increasing landfill and having a negative impact on our environment is so not in this season – ditch the plastic, be fantastic 🧘‍♀️💅

Whether you’re enjoying the array of golden colours on the trees, baking up some tasty pumpkin treats or lighting a eco-friendly candle and cosying up under a blanket, I wish you a very beautiful, happy, healthy and sustainable autumn. If you have any favourite activities for the season that do good for people and planet, let us know in the comments! 🧡