Climate Change - What Can I Do?

No one can say they are unaware of the issues our planet is facing, unless they've been living under a rock for the past 30 years or so! We've been discussing the hole in the ozone layer for decades, indeed as our dear, sweet, diplomatic PM Boris Johnson has reminded us, Maggie Thatcher was on to fighting those nasty greenhouse gases when she was in power, decades before Greta Thunberg was a twinkle in her father's eye (yeah right Boris, in that case why is the planet boiling itself to death then).

We've been encouraged to recycle for decades and yet, here we are now, at crisis point and time really is running out. For too long we have expected others to sort it out and taken no personal responsibility. I'm not guilt free at all, I realise I'm to blame as much as the next person. Doing my bit has extended to doing a bit of recycling each week and turning things off instead of leaving them on standby etc., but that simply is not enough. I need to up my game!

The future of our planet is quite literally in the hands of each and every one of us. So, one small step at a time, I present to you my mini 'Steps to be More Green' plan:

Eat Less Meat - this is relatively easy for us. Miss. L decided to go veggie last year and because I'm quite a fussy eater when it comes to meat, and I used to be veggie, we have all adopted a largely vegetarian diet. Not only is it a lot cheaper (there is no end to the things you can do with lentils, Miss. D is a big lentil fan, so we get through quite a lot of them), but we have a lot less food waste and a lot more empty plates!

Buy Loose In Season Veg -  this should be so easy to do, but I fear that I have become somewhat conditioned to being able to buy all sorts of fruit and veg throughout the year, regardless of season and of course, we all know it has to be wrapped in some form of plastic packaging, right? Wrong! This is going to be a tough one, but I have made a start, refusing to place a red pepper and two sweet potatoes in plastic bags last shop. So I'm making a start, but this is going to be a case of retraining myself and I need to read up on what's in season when.

Continue to Recycle - this is such an easy thing to do and something we have been doing for years, though I'm sure I could be more effective at it.

And when finally I move house, (honestly this bloody chain is beginning to do my poor, confused head in) I am going to do the following:

Grow Our Own Veg - the OH has already been asked to build me some raised beds for growing veg in and Miss. L and I have been discussing what we might like to grow. I'm also going to plant some bee (and butterfly) friendly plants, because those stripy wee insects are very important to our ecosystem and need to be looked after too.

Have Milk Delivered - I know it's not as easy as buying a big old plastic bottle with several billion pints in it, but the milkman delivers milk in nice recyclable glass bottles, like we used to have.

Switch to Renewable Energy - I have to change the current heating system in the place I'm moving to, so will be making sure I switch to renewable energy, as well as taking all possible measures to make sure the house is as insulated as possible.

There are lots of other things I can and will do, including using the car less, and much as I would love to travel the world and collect stamps in my passport, I don't want to add to my carbon footprint. I want to reduce it! There are so many places within the UK to visit, and it will probably take many years to get round those, so it's not like I'm going to get bored.

At the time of writing, people are protesting across the world, calling on their governments to act now before it's too late. Our own government has declared a climate emergency, but have yet to act on it. Indeed, our PM has referred to the protesters as 'crusties,' and the words 'hemp smelling' have escaped from his lips too. He's had a dig at Greta Thunberg. A fully grown man in a position of power having a dig at a teenage girl. OK I know Greta gets the backs of some of the older generation up, but remember, she is speaking in her second language, some politicians can't even communicate effectively in their native tongue.

When I was growing up, things were different. Drinks generally came in glass bottles which were returnable, milk and bread were delivered, you could only buy seasonable fruit and veg which was loose and central heating comprised of putting another jumper on. We walked to school, or got a bus. Very few people were ferried to school by car. I'm not sure when things changed, maybe it was with the 'yuppies' of the late 80's, but things did change and for the worse. We have become a 'throw away' nation (world). We want the latest phone, the latest fashion, the latest, fastest car, the biggest home. What we don't want anymore, we chuck away and in doing so, we've hurt our planet. We've destroyed our rain forests and with it the environment which so many animals depend upon, for what? Profit. We've filled our oceans with plastic and harmed the delicate ecosystem which exists there as well as harming her wildlife.

Whether you like Greta or not, she is right, we are running out of time. Whether you think the protesters are right or wrong for attempting to bring our cities to a standstill, we are running out of time. I'll be the first to admit that there are elements of the protests that don't sit well with me, I do worry if the chemicals in some of the glue these protesters use to stick themselves to things is harmful to the environment, and why are they drinking out of plastic bottles instead of reusable cups? That's by the by though. The point is, these people are standing up and demanding the government take notice. Now we have to hope and pray they do listen.

Do let us know what you're doing to live a greener life and of course, I'll keep you updated on my journey to be greener.

Further information on climate change and greener living can be found in the links below:

BBC Country File - How to Live a Greener Life

Quality Unearthed - Going Green Bucket List 2019

Friends of the Earth

and for those of you who are able, or want to join the protesters and make your voice heard,

Extinction Rebellion

(and no, it is not compulsory to adhere to Boris Johnson's idea that protesters are 'hemp smelling' and 'crusty')