Living a sustainable (ish) life
After the sobering UN climate reports released a few weeks ago, Governments are being asked to rapidly speed up their plans to move to net zero, with the report confirming that in only 7 years the global temperature will have risen by (and likely breached) 1.5 degrees, endangering many species of animal and even entire countries; many small islands in the Pacific are among the worst affected by the climate emergency, while being some of the lowest contributors to it!
If you feel overwhelmed by all of this, you aren’t alone. But there are things we can do to help, and although it might legit feel like the tiniest drop in the biggest of oceans, the effect of many people working together towards a common goal is incredibly powerful.
Sustainability and protecting our planet are important to me and I try to help where I can. I really wanted this to come across to my business as well so at PWJ we contribute 1% of our revenue (received via card payment) to carbon removal.
I also totally get that there are lots of ideas about sustainability that just aren’t feasible for ‘normal’ people. I’d love to be able to buy from sustainable brands all the time or own an electric car, but in reality these things are not a possibility for me (the cost-of-living crisis is not a joke). There are other (and cheaper) ways of helping though and I thought I’d share a few of the things I do to create a more sustainable life and I’d love to know if there is anything you guys do differently? I am in no way a pro on this and have lots to learn in this area still!
Plan meals
I HATE food waste, defs one of my pet peeves. I spend 1 hour once a week working out my meals for the upcoming 6-7 days and writing a list of exactly what I need before my weekly shop, so I only buy and consume what I need. This is a simple way to reduce your food waste. Other ideas include;
Choosing a few meals that contain the same ingredients (i.e if you’re making a stir fry with half a pack of mangetout, choose another meal that has mangetout in it to use it all up)
Slicing up bread as soon as you’ve purchased it and storing half of it in the freezer
Veggie peel and meat bones make a great base for a stock
If you have a bunch of ingredients leftover, use your creativity, and invent a new recipe using them all! (or just bung them all in a soup/stew/curry)
Eat more plants
I’ve been a vegan, veggie, pesci, flexi, fussy fuss pot (mmm chicken dinosaurs and spaghetti hoops) and 100% meat-lover in my lifetime and am at the point where I definitely don’t feel the need to call my diet a certain name anymore! Currently, I eat fish every other day, white meat on occasion and will only drink almond or pea milk but will happily eat full on dairy ice-cream! One thing is for certain though, I eat all of the veggies and wholegrains as the more plant-based you make your diet, the better it is for the environment (it saves on water consumption, decreases greenhouse gas emission etc). Even making your meals plant-based for a few days a week will help and there are thousands of amazing recipe books and online recipes for plant-based inspo. I love Lazy Cat Kitchen, the nutrition programmes by Artah and anything Ottolenghi, my word that man can make a sexy vegetable dish.
Stop buying ‘fast fashion’
Places like Shein make me feel quite uncomfortable, at the same time though, I get the allure of buying from there. On trend clothes for a teeny tiny price, what’s not to like? Especially in the current COL crisis. The environmental impact of buying from these brands though is eye watering. Much of the clothing is made from cheap (and plastic filled) material, meaning they weren’t made to last and are thrown out (to landfill) after only a few wears. Instead, try to buy from places like thrift shops or Vinted (I have a major obsession). Buying second hand extends a garments life cycle AND you save money. You can find some absolute winners as well – my winter coat is a full length cashmere and wool stunner, that I bought from a thrift store for £12!!
There are a whole heap of other things you can do as well (Walk, get public transport or carshare where possible, recycle, don’t forget your bags at the supermarket, avoid palm oil, reusable mugs and water bottles etc), what are your easy quick wins for living a more sustainable life and helping mother nature out?