My impact on this planet, and how I can live a little more in harmony with our world , has been on my mind of late. Mother Nature provides us with most, if not all of our resources. I want to discover how I can give a little back and ease that burden in some way. At present, the rate at which Ireland consumes; we would need 3.2 planets to sustain us. Holy Christ!
It boils down to convenience. In today’s society the more convenient, the better. We want things instantly, and with ease, not ever thinking of the consequences of this convenience. An observation at my office; We got new bathrooms about a year ago, we have sensor taps now, a wave of the hand, boom!, water. On the ground floor the bathrooms were not upgraded. Regularly I go in, wave my hand at the tap… frowning, the penny drops… I’ve got to lift the handle, HOW INCONVENIENT!!😂🙈 Really though?, it’s not at all, how quickly the mindset changes once convenience comes into play. An attitude we do not need to cultivate in our society.
Going greener is not at the forefront of people’s minds. We have so much more to be worrying about, right? This is our home though, we should protect it. I love our planet, the beauty of our natural world is what makes us realize how lucky we are to be here. Let’s change our perspective on how we all live, make the effort in trying to save our planet in any small way that we can, she provides so much for us. Rome wasn’t built in a day, we don’t have to change everything all at once, but we can make a start, every little bit helps. I want to start the conversation, see what other people are doing, get tips, share information resources and ideas.
Epa is a great resource and foodwaste.ie. The ‘Live Green’ section on the EPA website breaks things down into digestible sections, so as not to overwhelm, you can dive in from there, they provide links to other greats information resources also.
Here’s what I’ve been up;
I live with my sister, this year we both have tight budgetary goals. She zoned in on our food shopping, completely overhauling how we approached our weekly shops. Nothing laborious, just simple tactics. Checking not only our fridge, but the freezer and pantry, meal ideas planned, and a list written before hitting the shops. Really obvious, practical, common sense tactics, which get overlooked too often. Our food bill has reduced, and, we have cut down on food wastage. Not only have we saved in our pockets, but, my sisters lost lbs, started taking lunches to work and implemented a consistent gym routine. From getting in that zone, focusing on something else, the other things fell into place for her. PMA, positive Mental Attitude a go go!
We have started to compost. This is something that is going to reduce our general waste, lessen bin collections, hence a good money saving tact, not to mention being more environmentally friendly. Luckily our small complex has a composter, we have a pretty, well maintained garden, and outdoor area, which has lots of plants and flowers. I’ts a nice feeling that we are now contributing to that a little. If you have your own garden space, its something to look into, if you live in apartments and there are communal green areas, contact the management company and see if there is a way to implement a composting scheme?.
Consuming! As a woman, I have a penchant for lotions and potions, my bathroom is brimming. I am working on actually using them all up, only buying when I need something verses want. I’ll be making the effort to opt for more environmentally friendly products, when the time comes to replenish. Clothing….I have far too much, major decluttering is afoot. I will be availing of charities, and giving items away to someone in need or a friend who will love and wear them more. Less decisions, more head space, hello mental health!
General considerations. Do you like coffee?, is it part of your routine to treat yourself with takeaway dreams? One million takeaway cups end up in landfill every minute. Get a keep-cup, there are lots of cool designs out there, down to environmentally friendly bamboo ones! Do away with buying plastic bottled water, buy a keep-bottle. Both these items can be taken with you on holiday. Like to travel? Pay that little bit extra and get a direct flight or as direct as you can, reduce that carbon foot print. Buy loose fruit and veg when you can, choose glass jars and bottles over plastic where you can. Walk/cycle or take public transport at least one day a week if possible. Eat veggie at least one day a week. See, there are lots of simple easy ways to make a difference and start the change!
Chat to your local store owner, enquire about local brands, sustainable brands, be curious, the more demand there is for produce that meets these standards the more available they will be. Ask you office what they do to run a greener business, let it bleed into other areas of your life, think outside the box.
You can see from the above, a good deal of these changes can tie directly back into our mental health, and outlook on life, we start to live more in harmony with the planet, we start to live better for ourselves. I would love to hear what anyone else is doing, have they heard of any interesting schemes/ideas? It would be great to share information on this topic and see what changes we can make in our own spheres. Let’s start the conversation in our everyday lives, influence others on how they view their impact. If we communicate, keep this conversation going, in our communities and spheres, influence, lead, begin the change, a ripple effect can lead the bigger changes. Lets try!
A journey of self help and love 