The true cost of your Christmas turkey and other meat

There's a discussion on a Facebook group I am a member of about how the cost of meat this year seems to be higher than ever. Various options have been given as to where you can buy the cheapest turkey or other meats. One person said they saw a bird (she wasn't sure what) on sale for 61€ whilst another lady said she was really pleased to have bought a supermarket turkey for 18€.

The fact is, over several decades now, we have been conditioned into thinking that meat is not especially expensive when the true cost, on all levels, is actually much higher. The 61€ bird is more than likely the correct price where the bird will have had free range (not crammed in an over-crowded barn) whilst not being pumped full of growth hormones and antibiotics etc in life and once dead will  not have been injected with water to plump up its size and where everyone involved in its life, slaughter and processing will have been paid a decent wage. To produce a turkey (of any size) at just 18€ means some serious corners will have been cut. How many thousands of birds will have been stuffed into a small area, how many underpaid worker, will have toiled over their short lives earning only just enough money that they themselves can only afford to buy factory farmed meat? And what is the environmental impact of the large amounts of manure produced by such a concentration of birds in one place?

 

 

Intensive chicken farming, Finland
Image credit - Oikeutta eläimille on Flickr

 

The intensive factory farming of animals, which reduces them to purely a mass of financial units, is the only way you can get an 18€ turkey or a £2 chicken or how ever little you pay for a cheap burger or sausage.  Yet I believe many people don't chose to ignore these facts, they simply are unaware of how their meat is produced and this fact makes me both sad and angry. How can people have no idea of what type of life the animals lead in order to put cheap meat on their plates?  Someone elsewhere on Facebook got really huffy with me recently when I showed a picture of mass cattle pens and told me they couldn't possibly be raised like that and it must have been an auction site. I told this person to look up how cattle are raised in places like the Americas but I have no idea if they went and looked. It is just so wrong that we live in a world where factory farming is allowed and people are not taught about it at all. It's all pictures of straw chewing farmers and rural idylls on the packaging which could not be further from the truth.

I didn't reply to the lady who bought the cheap turkey, although I did have to sit very hard on my hands not to.  Part of me thought I should help people realise the true cost of producing (decent) meat and what happens when we demand cheap meat but part of me said let it go, it's Christmas and who knows what other stuff the person buying the 18€ turkey has going in in their life at the moment. I am also painfully aware that if only free range meat with high welfare standards were sold it would be at a price that many people could not afford. No doubt those who are vegetarian or vegan feel this is what should happen so that we are priced out of eating meat but I am looking at the here and now with families trying to feed themselves as food prices rise and we are not going to see a mass shift away from eating meat in the immediate future.

This blog is not about whether we should or should not eat meat I do not want it turning into a be vegan battle cry so I will not publish any comments of that nature. Maybe in the future we will live in a world where we don't eat meat and food poverty will only known about through history lessons but in the meantime many people do eat meat and many are pleased to be able to buy it as cheaply as possible without a second thought for the welfare of the animal or the livelihoods of those who work in the meat industry. How do you make people see the true picture and when you do, how do you make then care when all they want is to eat a fast food burger, a turkey at Christmas or a bacon sandwich?

I did reply to the lady who thought a 61€ bird was too expensive saying that it probably represented a realistic price but neither she, nor anyone else, replied. Do you think I should have said something to the lady who was so pleased to have bought the cheap turkey? What would you have done? 

 

Deforestation, Palm Oil and Black Friday

Do you remember/know that in 2018 an advert by the UK supermarket chain, Iceland, was banned.  It outlined the plight of orangutans in the face of increased deforestation for palm oil plantations but was considered too political to be aired.  If you don't know the advert and want to read up more of the story or you just want to see it again click HERE. 

Are you outraged at this type of censorship?

Now let me ask you 2 more questions ...

• Are you planning to buy anything in a Black Friday sale event, either in a shop or online?

• Are you busy wondering what Christmas gifts to buy all your family and friends, searching online lists of what to buy a difficult teenager or elderly relative etc or grabbing the latest "must have" ideas after seeing some other slick TV advert?

Positive News Stories to Counter Eco-Anxiety

I see all too often on social media and when talking with friends how very worried so many people are about our future. People are concerned that nothing is being done to stop catastrophic Climate Change that could render much of the world in habitable for humans.  People see Governments and big corporations not acting or worse still actively promoting environmentally damaging activities, they see people being apathetic to the problems or at worst still in complete denial.  Too many may believe that there is a problem but think that either someone else will sort it out or why should they do anything to change when XYZ (insert whoever you want here) are not doing anything. Look on social media and you will see the likes of Greta Thunberg being pulled apart for standing up and demanding change and you'll see misinformation throughout the real and digital world. 

"We are the first generation to feel the impact of climate change and the last generation that can do something about it."

This quote by Barack Obama is why so many people have such high levels of eco-anxiety and I can count myself amongst those people. BUT ... it isn't all total gloom and doom and I'd like to highlight some of the ways that show there is reason to feel positive about the future.  This is not an exhaustive list and I am sure I will return to this topic again with new additions. 

Positive News Stories to Counter Eco-Anxiety

France has recently announced a law banning plastic on all fresh fruit and vegetables.  Supermarkets are also stocking increasing amounts of eco-friendly products - here in France every supermarket has sections where you can buy loose dry goods and our local one has a refill station for cleaning products.  You can buy Moocups and other reusable sanitary products, solid shampoo and conditioner bars and numerous other plastic-free alternatives to everyday products. It seems almost every shop from supermarkets to the tourist information centres stock refillable water bottles. More and more palm oil free and vegetarian/vegan products are being sold.

Beyond supermarkets there has been a meteoric rise in small eco-friendly businesses both on the high street with local and zero waste shops and online.

Climate Change is getting MUCH more coverage in mainstream media. This will partly be as a result of COP26 that is taking place in Glasgow as I type but it is also true to say that it was starting to go mainstream even before then.  A small part of the last episode of the BBC's Blue Planet programme brought the issue of plastic pollution in our seas into so many living rooms - young and old alike saw for the first time the direct consequences of our love affair with plastic and many vowed to reduce their dependence on it. And I'm not sure that even just 2 years ago we'd have had the likes of programmes such as Shop Well for the Planet (BBC) and Jo Lycett vs the Oil Giant (Channel 4). It's not only factual programmes and UK soaps and dramas are joining together to encourage discussion on Climate Change. In November 2021, seven of the UK's most popular TV dramas and soaps will each have a storyline focussing on an environmental topic and actors from each will appear in other programmes or discuss the environment as a way to highlight the issue and to act as a catalyst for dialogue. Such inter-programme collaboration has never happened before but this is unlikely to be a one off and 12 of UK's media brands have agreed to increase quantity and quality of climate change coverage in drama, comedy and daytime programming.

Young people are becoming more vocal and are not willing to be fobbed off by politicians and corporations.  It may have started with a lone Swedish girl striking outside her school but the youth environmental has grown and grown. There are young and extremely eloquent young climate activists across the globe pushing the message time and time again that for their future we have to act now.  Climate Change is covered on the school curriculum and young people are better informed on environmental issues than any previous generation.

It's not just young people. Everyone is becoming aware that there is a problem and that time is running out.  The number of eco-centric accounts and groups on social media has sky-rocketed and people use their accounts to spread the eco-message and call out greenwashing examples.  On social media and in real life it is becoming normal to talk about climate change. 

And the Royals are speaking out - the Queen was overhead dissing the Australian Prime Minister for saying he would not attend COP26 and Prince William is pushing for environmental change through his Earthshot Prize, a prestigious global environment prize designed to incentivise change and help repair the planet.

One argument put forward by climate deniers is they "believe" that the changes needed to avert climate change will result in the loss of jobs and that we will all return to the dark ages. But whilst it is true that some of the traditional jobs associated with climate damaging industries will disappear they will be replaced with millions of other jobs in the new clean energy sector, in new technologies and in urban food production, to name just three. Technology is moving fast to create an environmentally safe future. 

As the clock keeps ticking governments are beginning to realise that actually it is in their own interest to limit climate change. In the 1990's Costa Rica had the world’s highest global deforestation rates and less than a quarter of its original forest cover remained. However thanks to sustainable land use policies the country has stopped deforestation and reversed it, successfully replanting half of its lost forest whilst at the same time increasing economic growth. 

In too many cases the discussion for or against climate change is a left versus right political debate but sometimes something happens that brings both sides of this divide together.  The UK Government has been increasing the amount of raw sewage dumped into its waterways and coast and whilst opposition to this practice might previously have stopped at the doors of groups such as Surfers Against Sewage and conservation organisations this has not been the case this time. Thanks to some prominent tweets by the likes of 80's pop stat Feargal Sharkey everyone has got behind the call to stop this sewage dumping and at one point the story was headlining on both the Daily Mail (right wing newspaper) and the daily Mirror (left wing). 

These are just some of the good news environmental stories that I wanted to share.  We have a massively long way to go to ensure the global temperature does not rise too much but I do believe that together we can achieve this.  To keep yourself informed why not listen to some sustainability podcasts or subscribe to either a magazine such as Positive News or an email newsletter such as Happy Eco-News.  The better informed we are the better we can make the right decisions and fight the inevitable greenwash that will undoubtedly grow in the coming years.  

How do you feel about the future? Are you filled with eco-anxiety and can you see a path to a better future? Please do share any good news stories you have some across so we can all share them.

Covid-19 and Capitalism. Why we need a new sustainable normal

Covid-19 in humans resulted when a virus jumped from a wild animal to humans, possibly via an intermediate host species.  Since 1957 there have been numerous new viruses including SARS, MERS, Ebola, HIV and several flu strains where-as in the previous 1800 years there were far fewer major new viral outbreaks.  This begs the question why we are seeing such an increase in new viruses?  These outbreaks have coincided with a time of greatly reduced natural habitats across the globe leading to wild animals coming into much closer contact with humans so increasing the chances of a virus jumping across species barrier.  Some viruses are able to then make the deadly jump of being able to pass from human to human rather than just from animal to human.  When this happens in overcrowded urban areas the virus can spread quickly amongst the human population.  Add to this how much we travel around the world and it is easy to see how a pandemic such as Covid-19 was a disaster waiting to happen.

You may question why Italy became the first European country to be so badly affected when other countries closer to China have fewer cases.  Northern Italy and China have build strong business links through Italy's fashion industry and brands such as Gucci and Prada which are located there.  In a bid to keep down costs and raise profit margins many fashion houses outsource manufacturing to China, notably the Wuhan region and opened up the first international flight routes between Europe and mainland China.  Over the Chinese New Year many families flew between the 2 countries, some of whom were unknowingly infected.

With Covid-19 affecting the respiratory system anything that weakens it will lead to a worse infection and greater likelihood of getting life threatening secondary infections and pneumonia.  High levels of air pollution as seen over large urban areas make the effects of the virus worse. These areas will have more people with asthma,  lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and emphysema. Anyone with any of these conditions will find it harder to fight off Covid-19. 

Air pollution disproportionately affects poorer people who live in overcrowded urban areas, many of whom work in factories supplying goods for people around the world, be that cheap goods or designer goods.  Economists often say we need economic growth to prevent recessions but the bottom line is that capitalism creates economic inequality: a few people get extremely rich from it and many more are left in poverty where their need for any work is exploited and their human rights are eroded.

Where is this air pollution coming from? It comes from particles and gases that are emitted from vehicle exhausts, factories as well as "natural" sources such as forest fires, pollen and volcanoes.  The pollution that hangs over cities is primarily human derived. As well as these visible forms of air pollution that can be seen as a haze over cities there is another form of air pollution, the increase in greenhouse gases.  Some of these gases come from natural sources (volcanoes, animal respiration etc) but the vast majority have built up since the mid 18th century due to man-made activity:  burning fossil fuels for electricity and vehicle fuel, through agriculture (arable and livestock) and deforestation, by the creation of refrigeration gases and plastics plus a plethora of other man-made sources.  The result of these increased levels of greenhouse gases is far reaching - rising sea levels, increasing extreme weather conditions, loss of biodiversity and changes in global climates which affect agriculture and the spread of diseases.

So what if the Covid-19 pandemic could act as the catalyst we need to restructure our lives and our economies. We don't need the mega-corporations that, through their businesses, are destroying the planet.

We have power through what we spend our money on. What if we move away from the likes of Amazon, Coca Cola, Nestlé,  etc. What if we start to fully support local businesses who pay their employees living wages and acceptable working hours. What if we didn't buy so many new cars, phones, TVs, wardrobes full of fast fashion items, imported out of season food, excessively packaged goods etc but were happy to make things last, mend them and share with friends and neighbours. What if we bought fewer things but that they cost a bit more and they lasted longer.  Businesses would survive but quality over quantity would be better for the environment and for the workers in factories producing these goods.  The CEOs and shareholders would not be quite so stupidly rich but the poor would not be so stupidly poor. And more importantly the earth could begin to heal.

In a post Covid-19 world we will remember that most of us survived under lockdown and for the most part our worlds did not fall apart because we couldn't fly around the world, buy useless tat on everyday trips to the shops or upgrade our phones etc. We discovered the power of our local communities and of small independent shops. We marvelled at the simpler things and saw pollution levels drop.  This lockdown Easter a friend bought her son just one high quality chocolate egg which he got in place of large numbers of lower quality ones he usually received from family and friends. They had a low key family day, playing games and making Easter  decorations. Her son voted Easter 2020  "the best Easter ever"!

Do we really need to fill our houses and lives with so much tat? With less comes a greater appreciation of what we already have. Not only was the one quality chocolate more appreciated by its recipient but it was also better for the environment and better for the chocolatier who made it.

Capitalists tell us we need growth.

Do we?

Yes, we need jobs but what sorts of jobs and the way we work needs to change ... as lockdowns continue the world is able to breathe again and we must not lose this opportunity to do the right thing for future generations. Surely businesses can see that at least some home working and online meetings are perfectly workable options.  Individuals can make sustainable choices and Governments can support those who actually keep countries running.  In lockdown we valued key workers in essential services and this must continue because it was in lockdown when we realised we didn't need the the bankers or CEOs with their fat cat salaries nor the super rich, many of whom flew away in their private jets to their private hide-aways.

As I write this much of the world is still lockdown so I urge you to stay home and stay safe.  I hope you can use this time to work out how you can become more sustainable. For the sake of the future of humanity and for something positive to come from those who died from Covid-19 we have to change. We cannot return to normality because that normality was fundamentally flawed. We need a new post Covid-19 future: a new sustainable normal.

10 ways to stay healthy and help the environment

Being unwell is horrible for you and also horrible for the environment.  Health Services are one of the most wasteful sectors of society with many items made from single use plastic wrapped in plastic and most of this is not recycled. Gowns, masks, gloves etc are often thrown away after one use. Medicines, operations and care in hospitals or at home are all heavy on resources and every bottle of children's medicine you ever buy comes with a spoon/syringe.  Whilst no-one can predict unforeseen illnesses and injuries there are many ways we can keep ourselves healthy and reduce the negative environmental impact from time spent under the care of your health service.  Why not make your New Year Resolutions to be more healthy not just for you ... but for the planet as well.

How to keep yourself and the planet healthy:

Don't overeat

Being overweight increases your risk of being ill. In many cases heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, gout and sleep apnoea can be attributed to excess weight - furthermore overweight people put extra pressure on their joints etc leading to a higher risk of joint damage and other injuries. You read more about this subject in this blog post I wrote: Overeating, food waste, obesity and climate change.

Eat healthily and avoid over-processed food

It is now realised that eating well is more than just eating the right amount of calories, you also need to be heating healthy calories. So plenty of fresh produce (especially local and in season food) and less empty calories from biscuits and fizzy drinks etc.  Often processed food is high in salt, fat and sugar none of which are healthy in high amounts. Replacements for these products are also not good for your health including sugar substitutes, unnatural flavourings and flavour enhancers.

Keep up the exercise

You don't have to join a gym or take up a sport and there are so many small lifestyle changes you can implement to increase how much exercise you take.  Park a street or two away and walk the last bit of your journey, walk the kids to school, walk the dog a bit further (or offer to walk the dog of an elderly or unwell friend/neighbour), take the stairs, run upstairs, spend 5 mins doing yoga stretches every day. This list goes on! And get outside in the fresh air every day, what-ever the weather.

When ill keep away from others

If you are ill stay off work and keep out of crowded places and keep unwell children at home. Especially in warm heated buildings you are going to spread your germs and without rest you will lengthen how long you (or your child) is ill.

Use natural remedies

For minor illnesses and injuries consider natural remedies - for example rosehip syrup, elderberry port and honey and lemon are great for colds and coughs.

Let minor illnesses such as colds take their course

Colds cannot be cured by antibiotics so unless the patient has underlying health issues such as asthma or is very young or elderly colds should just be allowed to run their course - take natural remedies to ease the symptoms and keep away from other people.

Avoid antibiotics

Overuse of these winder medicines is resulting in bacteria becoming resistant to them and so there is a risk of us returning to a time when illnesses and even minor injuries can become life threatening as bacteria cannot be treated. This places a massive burden on health services and it is why we are seeing a rise in cases of MRSA also known as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus - the bacteria is resistant to many of our antibiotics and no new antibiotics have been found recently. The same goes for antibacterial cleaners - do not over-use them.

Avoid toxic products

For example over use of cleaning products can lead to asthma and so many toxic products risk making us ill.  Avoid chemicals where-ever you can. Keep you house fresh by opening the windows and use house plants to help cleanse the air.

Give up smoking

Just that - it's bad for your health and for those around you. Just do it.

Avoid flying

We all know flying is bad for the environment but there is more than just the direct impact of the flight. First off you are stuck in a closed shell and at risk of picking up illnesses from fellow passengers. Secondly long haul flights increase your risk of getting life threatening deep vein thrombosis.

These are my Top 10 Tips - do you have any more to add so we can all stay as healthy as possible?

Other posts you might enjoy:

 

How Sustainable is your Christmas Dinner?

We are probably all aware how unsustainable a "Typical" Christmas is and I've seen plenty of posts on social media begging us to cut back on how much we buy, suggesting eco-friendly wrapping ideas,  how to make natural decorations and whether to have a real or fake tree etc.  But what about your Christmas Dinner? How sustainable ... or not .. is that?  A Daily Mail article from 2009 suggested that our Christmas meal could have travelled nearly 90,000 miles before it got to your plate ... and that's just one aspect to consider.

For a meal to be sustainable we need to consider many factors - does it include meat and if so how was it raised and where, how far have all the ingredients travelled (food miles), how processed is it and how much packaging did it involve? Are the ingredients fair trade or organic and does any part of it contain palm oil? Is it from local producers or a big multi-national? It's a lot so I thought I'd try and break down our main course and see if it is "sustainable".

Embrace change, don't be negative.

Something I've noticed a lot recently is how quickly people are to jump on new climate friendly ideas with a whole heap of negativity.  It is always good to question new ideas and technologies to ascertain if they will really work and work out if they are going to be more damaging to the environment than what we already have but this is not what I am talking about. I am talking about the knee-jerk negativity that so often plagues innovative ideas. Let's talk storm drains.

I recently saw this innovative and simple way to limit how much rubbish is swept down storm drains, rubbish that ultimately ends up in our waterways an oceans.

On the original Facebook page (Tramore Eco-Group) where it was posted there were some really positive comments from the public and councillors looking to see how they could implement trials of this idea ... but in other groups where it was shared there was far too much negativity without any thought for finding a solution to the perceived problem.  Top of the list and most frequently cited was the fact that the baskets would need emptying on a regular basis to prevent flooding.  Cost was also cited and how they would block with leaves in autumn. Some just said they were dangerous and people would fall down them.

Baskets would need empting

It's a fair point but it is not enough to stop what could be a really simple way to limit how much rubbish gets into the drains and ultimately water courses. The problem of them needing cleaning out is not difficult to remedy and it's as simple as employing people to clear them on a regular basis.  As we tackle climate change there will be many new jobs created and many old "polluting" jobs will disappear.

Cost

To this I simply say we cannot afford NOT to tackle plastic pollution and we owe this to future generations.  As Abraham Lincoln said:

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.“

Dangerous

Quite simply anyone writing this had not taken on board that they would have a normal drain cover over them as shown in the top of the photo.

Trials would be needed to find the optimum size of basket and holes but this ridiculously uncomplicated addition to storm drains could massively limit how much rubbish reaches the sea. They could be used to compliment regular road sweeping and work alongside increased education to reduce littering.  Alternatives may be needed in areas with lot of trees where autumn leaves could block them.  But the simple fact is this could work. Let's be positive about ideas like this, not knock them down at the first hurdle.

Social media is a great place to share innovative ideas and I was so pleased to see local councillors talking about how they could set up trials for these drain baskets.  The negativity and unwillingness to change saddened me and I see this so much on social media.  We need to embrace innovation and be ready to change our world for better.  I'll leave you with this poster from World War Two and my namesake Rosie the Riveter. We can do anything if we put our mind to it as many thousands of men and women did during the war.  Let's all be Rosie!

Have you seen many examples of negativity towards eco-friendly ideas? 

Other posts you might enjoy:

   

Packaging - Think Outside of the Box

Our kettle died recently and when I brought home the new one it got me thinking about how we need to have a totally radical and innovative new at packaging.  This is what my one kettle "needed":

• A cardboard box
• 2 shaped cardboard sections to secure the kettle in the box.
• 2 plastic bags (one for the kettle and one for the kettle base)
• A 60 page safety instruction leaflet in 19 different languages
• A guarantee certificate, approx equivalent to A3 size and also in 19 different languages (not shown, I only found it later inside the safety instruction booklet).

On first impression this might appear to be relatively sustainable packaging with minimal plastic but sustainability is more than about replacing plastic with other products. It is about reducing unnecessary single use items of all types and where this isn't possible making them more sustainable.

It's time to swap for a better world

Who is old enough to remember the TV programme Swap Shop?  It was a ground-breaking children's entertainment programme that aired for 3 hours on a Saturday morning on BBC.  It included music, interviews with celebrities, competitions, cartoons and news coverage - but the name of the programme came from the part called the show called the "Swaporama" where children could swap their toys etc with other children.  I very much doubt thinking green and keeping items out of the bin was behind the concept but it was immensely popular and over the 146 episodes must have seen so many items find a new home rather than ending up in landfill.

They say "one man's rubbish is another man's gold" and how often do you think about throwing something out that is of no further use to you but think it must be useful to some-one else?  We need to bring Swap Shop back to the 21st century and make it more than just something for kids to swap their toys etc.  You don't need to be a TV producer, though, and there are plenty of ways to swap items and organise your own swap events.

Children of the world, you are the Generation to reverse Climate Change. Act now.

Wow - will September 20th 2109 go down in history as the day the world woke up because the children shouted so loudly? I sincerely hope so.

The Climate Strikes are fabulous. They have made so many more people aware of the looming climate crisis and put increasing pressure on Governments to act. However, it is not just Governments who need to act now to stop humanity destroying itself (and many other species and habitats at the same time) and we ALL need to make some big changes to our lifestyles. Even as children there is so much you can do right now reduce YOUR impact on the planet.  You are more than likely the last generation who can make the changes need to avert a total crisis.  Please read on and please become eco-friendly even before you are an adult.

Image credit

Eco-friendly actions children can do, right now.

Food

• Only take the food you will eat - don't take too much and don't waste food.
• Learn how to cook especially those things that are heavily packaged - don't just watch Bake Off, become a baker!!  Learn how to make bread, biscuits etc. Reject plastic packed processed food and aim for delicious home made goodies.
• Takeaways - the beef in your burger may have come from a cow grazed on land that was, until recently, rain forest. Your fried chicken will most likely be from a factory farmed bird pumped full of growth hormones.  Parents often buy takeaways when they are short of time to cook a meal but you can help out.  Do some of the cooking or help with other jobs around the house to free up your parent's time.
• Choose a vegetarian meal when you eat out.
• Cut out those plastic packaged snacks that may well also contain palm oil.

School

• Ask if your  school will set up an environmental club and help run it.
• Likewise ask for and help look after a school veg garden and suggest your school invites in environmental professionals to give talks and run workshops.
• Lunch boxes - make your own sweet/savoury snacks and use reusable sandwich wraps. Make seasonal salads in reusable containers.  Take a reusable water bottle and say no to so many fizzy drinks or squash.
• If you eat school dinners, pick the veggie option.
• If available choose lesson options that give you skills as well as academic qualifications - cookery, woodwork etc
• Look to follow a career that is environmentally friendly - green technology, environmental consultancy, organic agriculture etc. and chose the appropriate courses to reach our career goal.
• Learn about politics and how governments work so you will be better informed when you are old enough to vote.

Special Events

• Over the next year you'll all have a birthday and then there's Christmas, Halloween, Easter etc so ask for fewer gifts and/or eco-friendly ones. Reject all th eplastic paraphernalia that goes with Halloween.  The generous grandparent can be a sticking point but politely tell them that their apparent generosity spending out on gifts you don't need is actually damaging your future. By spoiling you now they are spoiling your future.

Fashion

• You are no doubt going to need a new wardrobe as you outgrow your current one but consider buying fewer items and choose those from ethical and sustainable suppliers. Even if you can't do this reject the excess and enjoy a slimmer wardrobe.
• Stop buying clothes online and returning those you don't like - did you know returned items invariably go to landfill as that is easier than checking they are clean and repackaging them?
• Wear clothes until they actually need washing and get out of the habit if tossing them in the wash basket as soon as you take them off. 
• Pass your outgrown clothes onto younger/smaller friends and family members and be proud to wear second hand.
• Learn to make, mend and alter your own clothes.

Personal care

• Toiletries - ask your parents to buy you eco-friendly brands and products such as bars of soap and solid shampoo. If these cost more you could pay for the extra yourself from your pocket money.
• Make up - consider how much you buy and finish what you have before you buy more. Could you cut back how much make-up you use, anyway? 
• Sanitary wear - use washable sanitary pads or a reusable Mooncup. These may appear expensive but in the long term you will save a fortune.

Your Garden

• Ask if  you can take over a small part of your garden and start growing some veg for your family.  Even without a garden you can grow some herbs in a pot or cress on a plate on the windowsill. There's more growing ideas here. 
• If you have no space in your garden you could offer to help out at the local allotments in exchange for veg and fruit.

Leisure time

• Join an environmental club or conservation organisation and start to become an expert on environmental issues.  You can get involved in wildlife surveys and maintaining local green spaces, parks and wildlife reserves.
• Learn a useful skill.  I've already mentioned about helping to cook at home so join a cooking club to build up kitchen skills.  What about joining a sewing class so you make and mend clothes? Or classes on carpentry etc that will mean you can make and mend all sorts of things.
• Become a Cub, Brownie or Guide as these organisations have become very green focused. You'll learn loads and be with other like minded people.
• Join and use the local library. 
• Could you help set up a toy library or a free book swap?
• Technology - your phone takes a lot of resources and energy to be built and the servers that allow you access to the internet use A LOT of electricity.  It's time to get used to keeping your current phone etc MUCH longer and using it A LOT less.  When you are busy helping cook meals and snacks, looking after that veg patch and spending time in that environmental club you'll be on the phone less anyway so it will last longer! And you really don't need the latest phone, earphones, games console, tv etc etc - be happy with what you have right now and make it last.
• Turn all your technology off when not in use - do not leave them on energy sapping standby.
• Switch your search engine to Ecosia who use their profits to plant trees.

Eco-friendly thinking

• Remember to turn off the light, put on a jumper rather than ask to turn up the heating, only boil the amount if water you need for your drink, use both sides of the paper, only print what you really need, use a refillable water bottle, say no to straws etc etc etc. Question all your actions and see if you can do better.
• Become an eco-complainer - contact shops, businesses, politicians to voice your concerns.  On the flip side praise those who are taking on board positive action. You may not have the same spending power/voting rights as your parents but remind those you contact that very soon you will be an adult and you will then have the choice where you spend your money/place your voting cross.  They need to prove to you that they are worthy in environmental terms of having your custom/vote.
• Consider how you spend your pocket money/allowance - choose wisely and don't just spend for the sake of it. Ask yourself if you really need to buy a particular thing or perhaps even more importantly does the planet need you to buy it?
• Learn to recognise greenwashing - many companies will be promoting things that appear to be really green but may be less so when you look into it a bit more. For example companies may from plastic straws to paper ones but either supplying them in plastic sleeves or the paper one actually is non recyclable or compostable. This is greenwashing and the best solution is to reject straws totally, even reusable ones as they take energy and resources to produce. 
• Ignore peer pressure - often as young people you want to fit in with everyone else and peer pressure can force you to make poor environmental choices.  Be strong and do what you know is right for the planet. Choose your friends carefully and be a green leader not a planet harming hanger on. 
• Learn to recognise fake news. Question everything and get to the truth. 
• Be the change you want to see in the world and be your parent's personal advisory service.  Research good environmental practice and help your whole family to make positive environmental choices.  This blog post lists 365 ways you can help the planet - help your parents to make these changes.

The future is in your hands.

I have heard some children blaming their parents for the state of the planet but this simply isn't true (who to blame is the subject of a whole separate blog post).  Yes, they have played their part in getting us to this crisis point mostly through ignorance of their actions but blaming them is not helpful.  In all likelihood the Climate Strikes you and your friends have set in motion will lead Governments to make changes but it will also need a committed change from the whole human race to ensure success, especially those of you lucky enough to live in the developed world. 

You have had luxury and convenience all your lives and to a level unlike any previous generation and whilst no-one is expecting you to return to poverty you will need to make many changes from now on.  Soon you will no longer be a child and by starting to live a greener lifestyle now you will find it so much easier as you enter adulthood.  You will be ready for a more simple life which does not crave material goods, that supports local and ethical businesses, where your food is seasonal and there is less waste. A world where we support everyone be they a fellow human, an animal or a plant.

I think I know the type of world you want to live in.  And for that world to be a reality it will be your personal lifestyle choices that will determine whether you and all the generations that come after you can achieve this.   For that reason there has never been a better day to start making changes. Show the world now that you can do what so many previous generations have failed to achieve.

Together you are strong. Together you can do this!

7 eco friendly things you can do this week

More and more people are now aware that we need to make major changes to our lives to stop a climate catastrophe and it is going to take more that buying a reusable coffee cup or rejecting wet wipes.  Millions across  the globe are striking today to support action - are you?

Strike against Climate Change

This movement started when Greta Thurnberg was a sole person striking outside her school but it has now grown into an international movement supported by hundreds of thousands of people of all ages.  Joins students and adults alike on Friday 20th September 2019 to tell governments and businesses we not only want change we absolutely need it.  There will be other dates for direct action if you are reading this after September 20th so click on the link above to keep up to date.

Photo credit

What inspired you to become more green?

It was a Winter's day, I am sat in the car whilst Mum has popped into the shop to buy something.  The car parked in front of ours has the engine running and I am drawn to the exhaust fumes spewing out.  The longer Mum is shopping the more I watch and wonder what happens to the fumes, as surely they can't just keep filling the air?  Not long after I was watching the TV and saw a news story about Acid Rain and a connection was made.  Huge areas of forest were being destroyed by the rain that had become so acidic it killed the trees. This acid rain was, in part, created by nitrous oxides in the atmosphere that come from ... you guessed it ... car exhaust fumes.  I was probably about 12 years old.

Electric Vehicles are not the answer - we need a more radical solution

We all know that driving a traditional diesel or petrol car releases CO₂ that contributes to Climate Change.  These cars also release pollutants that can be damaging to our health.  Many countries are pledging to phase out the production of diesel vehicles urging the car drivers to switch to electric vehicles.  But are electric cars always the greenest option or should we be concentrating on a different approach altogether?  Whilst electric vehicles undoubtedly produce less CO₂ when being driven they are far from being as environmentally friendly as you might think.  For that reason I believe that we should we actually be pushing for a massive reduction in overall car ownership because the negative effect that all cars have on the planet goes far beyond the CO₂ they emit whilst being driven.

How to Overcome Negativity to Climate Change

It is a sad fact  that many people are not engaged enough with the issue of Climate Change to make the changes in their lives to tackle it.  The more I see of attitudes, especially on the Internet, the more I worry.  Let me give you three examples:

I was recently made aware of social media accounts pushing people to extreme cleaning with a massive arsenal of often toxic products all supplied in plastic packaging.  If you suggest an eco-friendly alternative or mention health concerns you will be labelled a troll and more than likely find yourself blocked.

Then there is the petition asking to being back plastic straws to MacDonalds.  Thankfully many more people have signed the ban plastic straws petitions but over 44,000 still want to drink their milkshakes with a plastic straw.

And very recently someone reading this blog was clearly not able to accept my point of view: In my last blog post, I wrote about how the world cannot support a growing population that over eats and wastes food. Whilst many acknowledged this, one reader was clearly very upset and accused me of being a sanctimonious vegan who spouted crap and was now turning on people.

"Ouch!"

I don't believe she properly read what I wrote, not least because I am not a vegan and my whole reason for writing this blog to to help people make simple green changes that can have far reaching positive effects - it is something I am passionate about but it appears this lady was very much against my view this time - or at least read it that way and so turned on me in her comment.  I have no idea exactly what sparked her anger but people will use various defences or strategies to justify why they do not need to do anything to something and she will have used one or more of these.

Overeating, food waste, obesity and climate change.

It is well documented that the beef and dairy industries contribute to rising level of atmospheric greenhouse gases such as CO₂ and methane and these increases are responsible for the planet's current Climate Emergency.  Eating a plant based diet (vegan) will do a huge amount to reduce CO₂ and methane emissions but this alone will not save the world as some vegans will have you believe. It is not as simple as switching your beef burger for a veggie burger and to truly tackle Climate Change we need to make major changes to how we produce and prepare our food and we need to tackle one main issue urgently:

The world's population over-eats and/or wastes way too much food

What our fast fashion habit is doing to the planet

The term fast fashion has changed slightly over recent years. It originally meant the practice of high street clothes stores producing cheap clothes, quickly, based on clothes on the cat walks of the most recent fashion shows.  Now, though, it has taken on somewhat of a further sense to mean the way many people view and use cheap clothes - fast fashion is where people buy a fashionable item, wear it once once or twice and then throw it away.  The clothes are generally cheap, imported and of low quality but the wearer doesn't see or care about this.  They buy them to satisfy their Fast Fashion Habit.  In fact, the term Single Use Clothing could be used in many cases.

Let's Create A Sharing World

It really isn't that long ago that we had so much less stuff - we had less gadgets, fewer clothes, minimal (if any) technology and what we did own we used well and kept for a long time   Fast forward to today and I think it would be fair to say that many of us own a good number of things that we rarely use. Now imagine how many of these rarely used things are filling up houses and gardens across the country/world?  Do we really all need to be buying all our own things when we could share so many things with friends and neighbours.  

Sharing is a sustainable way to allow us to still make use all the things we have got used to having but without each of us owning everything: it has such a positive effect on the environment. Sharing means:

• Fewer raw materials used and less energy needed to produce fewer goods.
• Less transport of good.
• Less packaging.
• Fewer resources ending up in landfill.
• Money saving ... one of the reasons people state for not making some greener choices is cost. Sharing releases up finances.
• Building communities. Stronger communities are more likely to want to save their local environment, working together to achieve this.

Think beyond Plastic - take green living to the next level

On Instagram I follow lots of eco-friendly accounts and see my fair share of images advising what we can do to help reduce plastic etc and reduce our impact on the environment.  You know the sort of thing - say no to straws, take your own coffee cup/water bottle, grow some veg etc. and it's great to see so many people shouting this message out.  If you've got all these ideas firmly into your routine that's fabulous but now is not the time to rest on your green laurels.  Now is the time to take Green Living to the next level with these 3 steps.

3 Steps to Take Green Living to the Next Level

Make do and Make your own

When did you last get a new mobile, TV or other electronic device? Did you really need it or were you tempted by the new iphone whatever number they are up to and all the new stuff it could apparently do?  Advertisers are great at their jobs and we grab their new goods at an alarming rate leaving a large carbon footprint behind us.  Maybe your old phone was a bit slower than the newer one but you didn't think that when you first bought it.  Bottom line - we buy so much new stuff that is totally unnecessary.

It would also seem that we have lost the ability to mend anything and just chick it out and buy new.  I say get out that sewing kit, patch up what-ever is broken and be proud of keeping your items in working order for years. Make mending things trendy! 

We also buy presents for people because we feel we need to but ask any teacher and they'll tell you how many cute mugs they have or how much chocolate. I am sure many would be just as happy with a hand-made card.

Talking of "themed" presents this might be the most appalling idea I have ever seen, a shop selling a plastic heart filled with NOTHING, marketed as The Gift of Nothing for Valentine's Day. It is an awful idea and so wasteful ... but I have to admit the sentiment is right.  Do we really need to be buying our loved ones expensive gifts, flowers flown in from the other side of the world, over-packaged chocolates and cards?  Why not offer a romantic experience instead: a nice meal, romantic walk, trip to the theatre etc but not a plastic heart filled with nothing.

Image from the BBC

Naked or Plastic-wrapped - Which is the Better Swede?

In my previous post I wrote about the importance of contacting supermarkets (and other businesses) by social media if you refuse to buy something they stock on environmental grounds.  True to my word I tweeted to Tesco about the plastic wrapped swedes I saw in their Ruxley Corner store at the weekend.  And this is how the conversation proceeded.

Use social media to tell supermarkets we want change

Sometimes I am sure you have all had that feeling that your efforts to reduce your impact on the environment via your shopping choices just don't make any significant difference.  Will buying one less plastic wrapped swede from a large supermarket chain actually make any significant difference to global plastic pollution levels?  Will the supermarket even notice?  

Does it make any difference?

Yes!

** Every piece of single use plastic rejected is one less piece of plastic 
ending up in landfill or escaping to become pollution **

Will the supermarket even notice?

This may well be a no ... unless you let them know. And if you let them know publicly via social media it can have far more of an impact.  You will be ensuring the supermarket is aware of practices you want them to change and your message will get to a larger number of other customers. It is the ripple effect in action.  You may find you only get a standard corporate answer or you may get a more personalised reply. Either way the supermarket knows your views and the more people that contact them the more likely they are to implement change.  I have just tweeted this and tagged Tesco because nobody needs plastic wrapped swedes.  I am waiting to see their response.

To make contacting the main UK supermarkets even easier for you, here are links to their social media accounts. You can then either write/comment on their pages or tag them in your own posts.  And remember, it's not just the negative stuff - give them a shout-out when they make positive environmental changes too.