What’s the best that could happen?

We often frame climate action and sustainability in a purely environmental dimension. Something that brings benefits we know are logically important but may not materialise into benefits for ourselves. But what if we change the way we think about sustainability to aim for a future we all want. The best way of summarising this idea is with this cartoon by Joel Pett:

 

© 2009 Joel Pett / USA Today

“What if we create a better world for nothing?”

The path humans have created so far has not only caused widespread destruction over our planet and home, but also our own lives. We may now live in a world where our country enjoys a higher standard of living, but our modern lives also carry huge amounts of stress, conflict and uncertainty – you can see this just be reading the news. The journey we are now on to a sustainable lifestyle will bring us so many more added benefits than just keeping temperatures down. Here are just a few examples I can think of …

  • Increase in walking and cycling – increased exercise and greater health 🚲👣👩‍⚕️
  • Reduced meat diet – more varied meals, greater nutritional diversity and better health, including tackling obesity 🍽
  • Reduced vehicle use – cleaner air and better health 🍃
  • Collaborative and kind mindset – greater chance for enterprise and innovation, and less stress! 🗨
  • More local, quality products – better taste, longevity or quality items 🎁
  • Improved and increased access to nature – improvements in mental health and wellbeing 🧠

What if this was the goal – to live like the ‘sustainable future’ infographics show – for humans to live in harmony, part of nature, a way of living that will last forever. Wouldn’t it be great? If we are to go through all the hard work to make this a reality, why aim for the bare minimum? What is the best you could do?

So when it all feels too challenging, like nothing you do will make a difference, that attitude will result in just that – no change. In the kindest way possible, you have to believe you will make a difference for action to take place. We are now at a place in human history where failure is no longer an option – there is no planet B after all. So for all the lows you will experience – as is part of any major challenge – we must meet this challenge as an opportunity and use the skills we have gathered from our existence to find and enact solutions.

If we pull this off, we may leave behind more than just heirlooms to the next generation: a collection of footprints in the sand and an even bigger legacy of a stable and secure Earth for life to continue to call home. Wouldn’t that be the best result we could wish for when our names are in the history books? 🌍

February’s Top Tip

This February……………………… Make one small change in your kitchen.

Maybe this one seems obvious, but its a great energy saving step – put lids on your pans. Whether its heating up soup, cooking pasta, a stovetop casserole or steaming vegetables, put a lid on your pans to reduce energy consumption and reduce your carbon footprint. Its a win all round: less energy used, reduced energy bills, reduced carbon footprint and quicker cooking times leading to quicker eating times 🙂

So when you step into your kitchen tomorrow for meal time, grab a pan and lid, ease the cooking stress and cut down your carbon footprint in the kitchen. Grubs up!

Activity – The Big Garden Birdwatch 2022 🐤

It’s that time of year again! The Big Garden Birdwatch is back…

Starting today (28th) to Sunday the 30th January 2022, The RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch invites the UK to count the birds they see in their gardens, balconies or parks to help us understand the health of birds and wildlife in this country.

All you need is one hour, and maybe a notebook and pen to note down your sightings, then upload to https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/ to submit your sightings along with the nation’s. The more sightings, the more we can compare numbers and see which species are increasing and which need further help. If you saw this blog post last year, compare your 2021 results to this year and see if your garden has experienced any changes – maybe your hard work this past year has paid off?

So whether its watching for birds over breakfast on your balcony, the whole family stationed at windows watching the garden, or observations during your lunch break in the park, get spotting and appreciate the wildlife near to you.

The Green Guide: Tip No.11 – planet conscious crafts & hobbies

Tips and tricks for making environmentally friendly swaps today!

A new year has begun, and a possible resolution you may have made is to learn something new/ spend less time on screens/ make more. If this is you (and even if it isn’t, it can’t hurt reading on…), here are some tips for becoming a greener maker in any crafting or hobbies you may have.

  • Use what you have – It can be easy to assume when picking up a new craft or hobby that you need to go out and buy lots of new material and tools, but often we have lots in our own homes which we can already use, such as old clothes for material or art supplies like pencils that have been hidden away. Friends and family may also be able to lend supplies, which can be useful when you are trialling different styles and want to try a bit of everything without spending lots of money on each new material. In some cases it may be possible to borrow any equipment, especially if you join a group when starting out your new hobby. Of course, if you do need to buy, try to make sure it’s something you know you will use and will last you a long time.
  • Crafting is an excellent mindful activity and can be a great sustainable pastime. But to up the eco credentials, look out for supplies and businesses who champion sustainability. Some examples include recycled yarn if you knit (https://www.weareknitters.co.uk/skeins-and-needles/skeins/recycled-yarn) or buying deadstock fabric over new when sewing (https://www.fabricsgalore.co.uk/collections/deadstock-fabric).
Photo by Dominika Roseclay on Pexels.com
  • Kits – Trying a new hobby can be a lot more accessible with a starting point, such as using a craft kit. The best place to look first in on sites such as Etsy to see if any small businesses create what you are looking for local to you. Small businesses often use less packaging and can be more recyclable too (https://www.etsy.com/uk/search?q=craft%20kits).
  • Make more sustainable items – You may also be able to use your hobbies for even more good, by crafting items to help you on your sustainability journey. Look up patterns on the internet and create your own make up remover pads, cleaning cloths, shopping bags and clothes, plus many more!
  • A simpler life – What may start as a new hobby may lead to a shift in your lifestyle. We all lead very busy lives, but crafting can help to slow down parts of your day. Turn off your phone and TV and spend the evening embroidering with a podcast, or meditating outside, or making gifts for friends and family to share your hobby further and prevent the last minute birthday shopping stress with a stash of homemade gifts, often a much more personal present.
  • Starting out – Some of my favourite crafting ideas: embroidering pieces of clothing, using sentimental or waste paper in paper flowers and origami, patchworking old fabrics and upcycling pieces of homeware, to name just a few.

Whatever new hobby you choose, be it weaving, fitness or meditation, let it be an opportunity to take time for yourself and show both you and the planet love. Doing something new need not be wasteful, but a time to be resourceful and creative. Could this be the start of something new? 🧵

January’s Top Tip

This January………. Start 2022 with the right habits.

It’s a new year, and another opportunity to make a difference. We have 8 years until 2030 to reach our climate goals, so every action helps.

This month, organise your kitchen cupboards, fridge and freezer to make the most of your meals. Put items with a shorter best before date near the front, to prioritise what food you eat. Then try to eat these before you buy more. It may help to start the year by finding three new recipes, to help you find new ideas of meals to cook. You could attempt to choose one vegetarian and vegan one too! Changing dietary habits can be hard, so gradual progress can work best. Let’s make this the most sustainable year yet! Happy 2022! 🥳

The Christmas come down

If you celebrate Christmas, you will now be finding yourself in the ‘Chrimbo Limbo’ period between celebrations. A time to relax, reset and start the new year right, take some time post-Christmas to move on consciously with sustainability in mind… 🎄

  • Wrapping – Need a moment to yourself? Tuck yourself away with the remains of Christmas presents and pause in the rhythm of removing sellotape from paper for recycling, removing gift tags for re-use or recycling and separating wrapping components to maximise the amount recycled. Next year, could you use paper tape for even easier recycling? Or use this years paper and cards to wrap again, or fabric for wrapping that can be reused multiple times and multiple ways? Next Christmas I’ll have some paper on its third celebration and still going strong, which is great if the paper you already have is really pretty! 🎁
  • Food – What a feast! Don’t let any go to waste though: leftover pies, casseroles, soups and bakes, use your leftovers creatively to avoid huge Christmas food waste piles. 🥣
  • Gifts – While it may have only been a few days since receiving them, it can be useful to organise your new gifts early on before you get sentimentally attached. Make piles for keeping, re-gifting or recycling if already used. Less clutter, less waste 🙂
  • Reflection – What could make your Christmas more planet friendly next year? Could you look into plastic-free crackers, to avoid the inevitable plastic frog waste left after the meal, use fabric scraps to wrap family presents, ask friends what they’d like sooner to avoid over-buying or cook a plant-based showstopping meal? Setting a few goals can help mentally prepare for the next celebration without any of the eco guilt afterwards.

I hope if you celebrate you had a great Christmas this year and that 2021 has treated you well, or in the least you survived it! Let’s continue this journey in 2022, every year is more important than the last for our planet so let’s get ready once the new year arrives to give 2022 everything we have to save our home. Happy New Year and thank you for supporting Ginger Leaf Living this year, its very much appreciated! 🎆🥳🎇

December’s Top Tip 🎄

This December…….. Have a more conscious Christmas!

A 2021 update to last year’s post, as the season of giving rolls around again, here are a few tips and reminders to make sure you gift our planet something which will keep on giving…

As the festive season approaches, no matter what or if you celebrate, embrace a more natural, less wasteful celebration and enjoy the season with less worry and more time to care for those you love and the planet we love. Merry Christmas and a Happy sustainable New Year! 🎅🤶

The Sustainable Student – Creating Good Habits

As the Autumn term is in full swing, for many students getting to grips with student life is starting to come together a little more. However, with all the excitement, you may need reminding of how to make your study experience more sustainable. Here are a few good habits to keep both as a student and in the future….

  • Energy – now you have got your own space, use it efficiently for you. Only keeps lights on when in your room and only when needed, only use heating systems when necessary and turn off plugs and chargers when appliances hit 100%. Building this habit now will make life much more affordable when it’s you who has to pay the bills!
  • In the bag – whether it’s for lectures or every day, keep a reusable water bottle, hot drinks cup and other reusable items you need with you, to avoid getting caught out when you fancy that post-study session latte. Then simply pick up your bag and you’re good to go, no last minute rush🎒
Photo by lilartsy on Pexels.com
  • Food – getting used to doing the big shop is an adulting must-do activity, so try and maximise the shop and the cost by creating batch cooked meals and eating more plant-based meals. Buying less meat makes shops a lot cheaper while cooking big meals and reusing leftovers helps cut down the amount of meal ideas you need to create for each week. Win-win!
  • Recycling – spend a little time learning the recycling system in your new area, if you have moved away to study. You might be able to recycle more than you think, such as having on campus or Terracycle initiatives nearby. In addition, work on reducing the amount of waste you create and see where you can change, such as buying loose veg in reusable mesh bags, and reduce the amount of times you have to deal with the bins……
  • Community – get involved in local environmental projects, such as litter picks and campaigns, and discover sustainable elements to your new surroundings if somewhere different, including where the nearest waste-free shop is, to top up the pasta supplies of course.

Sometimes these actions can take a little while to learn, but get in the habit now and you’ll be on your way to a more sustainable adulthood. Hopefully these tips can help you get started in saving a bit of money, and add up to saving the planet. Happy sustainable studying! 📚

The Sustainable guide to Working/Studying From Home 🏡

Sure, we have been doing this a little while now. Whether it’s full time or part time working from home, or online teaching and learning, four walls and a bit of tech has become a more normal sight for many in recent times. But as time stretches on, maybe we need to reset how productive we are at home to get the best sustainability results…

  • Heating – Winter is on it’s way, and while typing away you may be tempted to reach for that heating button a little too easily. Stop! First, no one’s there to watch you, so you can slip into your fluffy slippers, pop on a jumper or grab a blanket, and keep yourself warm the cosy way, until you feel comfortable. Also, be savvy about when you put the heating on – having it on at night is very wasteful since you don’t feel the benefits of a warm house if you are asleep. If your house needs heating, put it on for a set amount of time when you most need it, then conserve that heat for the rest of the day though a combination of draught excluding and comfy knitwear…
  • Lighting – If it is not in use, turn it off! Once you have got the right amount of light for your work space, turn off all other lights in the house where they are not needed. Less energy used, lower energy bills – win win!
Photo by Alizee Marchand on Pexels.com
  • Plugs – Another turn it off one. Laptops, phones……………… Once it gets to 100% charged, switch the charger off at the plug. Give your tech a rest and reset every once in a while and fully turn your appliances off, instead of plugging it in by default in the morning and having appliances on standby all day, which wastes lots of energy. That 20 second wait while your laptop turns back on really isn’t that bad, is it? It also gives your head a break too…
  • Work space – Create the best work or study environment for you: Bottle of water, natural light, all the stationery essentials, and get them in the same place. Then you can effectively shut down the rest of the house for the day, to avoid wasting heat, light and electricity keeping other rooms powered. At the end of the day, you can then leave your workspace and rest in a non-work related zone 🙂

Reset your productivity and your sustainability while working and studying at home, and reap the rewards for the environment and yourself! 🏠

November’s Top Tip 🍂

This November…………… Get more out of your post-Halloween pumpkin

The big night has been and a new month has begun, but you’ve still got the pumpkins to prove it wasn’t all a dream. Here’s how to get the most out of your gourds without any added festive waste…

  • Pumpkin soup – cut up the flesh, get out your pans, search up a recipe to match what you have and get cooking! So warming on an autumn day – yum!
  • Roast the pumpkin seeds – wash, drizzle with oil, season and roast, then add as a garnish to the top of your soup or as a savoury snack for later
  • Pumpkin scones – purée any leftover pumpkin flesh and add to make pumpkin spice scones, sweet or savoury, your choice 🙂
  • Prevent any waste going to landfill by composting any unusable parts of your pumpkin, or putting your pumpkin out in the garden for wildlife, as a bird feeder or for animals to use. Just make sure it is safe for wildlife by cutting it up or making sure no animal could get trapped inside, as well as removing any lights, wax or rotted parts (any worse for wear areas can go in compost!) – see here for ideas https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2019/10/what-to-do-with-pumpkins/ 🎃
  • Looking forward, try to limit your environmental impact this bonfire night. Fireworks have many environmental effects, including air and noise pollution as well as disturbing wildlife. So to limit your impact, choose watching public displays from your window or an organised event over private ones, pick up and responsibly dispose of debris and avoid bonfires, or if having a bonfire, check very carefully for any wildlife such as hedgehogs who may be using the materials, including to hibernate in. Curl up with a toffee apple or hot chocolate and ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ from the comfort of your own home 🎆
Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Pexels.com

So you can now go forth, use your pumpkin to the max, have a cosy bonfire night and live your best autumn life 🍁