The summer I turned sustainable 🐚☀️🌊

Happy August all! This title is a bit misleading because a) I haven’t watched TSITP as I don’t have Amazon Prime and b) I don’t think you ever ‘turn’ sustainable, and if I did have some transformative realisation, it definitely happened long before this summer! However, before the summer is up, I wanted to share my reflections on sustainability this season.

Bear with me on a short personal tangent, it does get relevant! End of last year we had to get rid of our family car. I live in a rural area where public transport routes are available, but limited, and most people use a car to get around. Even though I would use public transport where able to, the car was still a significant possession for ease of mobility. When it went and we were unable to replace it, public transport became our only travel-based option. Commuting moved onto the bus, longer journeys to the train. And while improvements to both systems still need to be made to make them more reliable, many positives came out of this…

I recently tried to go on a walk with a family member, where we drove around 40 minutes to the car park early one morning, only to find it full, the roads very congested, and return rather disappointed. Fast forward a couple of weeks, I went again, but this time by the bus that I’d seen pulling into the village where the car park was situated, and had a fantastic day. No parking stress, no rush to get back before the ticket expired, just transport direct to the walking location. Especially in the busy summer months, going car-free makes getting around much less stressful, and if more followed suit, congestion on the roads might ease a bit too.

Additionally, recently I visited some family in Lincoln. I had never visited before, and one of the main reasons for having never been was the distance from home, which made for an off-putting drive, let alone train journey. However, finding ourselves carless, the train it was! The journey was a number of hours each way, but all of those hours were enjoyable and whizzed by! It made getting cross country much simpler, even with the multiple changes that had always put me off. And a really lovely city too! Having done that journey, it opens up so much more of the country, knowing that train travel can get you to so many locations without having to sit in endless queues on the motorway……

Due to our lack of vehicle, every event, trip and plan we’ve had for this year we’ve attended by train – whether concert, holiday or day trip. If you’ve been looking for a sign that life without a car is indeed OK, this is it. We’ve reduced our emissions to these events considerably and had a fantastic time too!

Other sustainability related favourites of the summer include…..

• Watching the butterflies in my garden – so so many of them! Absolutely beautiful, and what a joy to just take a few minutes and watch them sunbathe or flit between the flowers 🦋
• Prioritising nature – Watching the sunset, exercising outside, going for walks, all so important for reconnecting ourselves with nature and with the seasons. Soak up the remaining warm air and sunshine, it is not only good for us but reminds of what is important and what we are looking after by embracing sustainability ⛰️
• Eating homegrown produce – We are lucky to have some space to grow fruit and vegetables, so the summer is when we best get to enjoy the fruits of our labour (literally!). From beans and courgettes added to (almost all) recipes to fresh raspberries for dessert, this season makes eating fresh even more satisfying. And you don’t need an allotment or huge garden space, one of my favourites is using our little pot of basil to add to dishes just before serving 🍴🍓🫐🍅🌽🥬🫛

Sometimes in summer, with its outdoor living, seasonal local food and good weather, it can feel in some ways easier to be sustainable. But all the benefits we get in this season – connection to the environment, plant-focussed meals, active travel – we can take into the rest of the year too, leaning into seasonal differences. Maybe as one season comes to an end, this is a chance to reflect again on our goals, our impact and our values, and carry them on into the rest of the year. The headlines are pretty bleak out there, but we can create little positive wins in our own lives, that when scaled up as a collective, become major actions. Thank you summer 💛