Earlier today I asked my husband what I should write a blog about. 'BP' was his answer. Oh, I thought, America's biggest ever oil disaster is quite an issue but not exactly one that affects our lives at the moment - what could I possibly say about it. Not anything constructive probably, but it did get me thinking: when did we completely loose touch with the planet we live on? Why are we so desperate for oil that BP is willing to risk drilling for oil in ridiculous places? How did we become so detached from the essentials in life?
Don't worry I am not planning a big rant here, I just feel the urge to share some of the strange things that I have realised during this green project.
The other day I was in the supermarket doing some shopping and as always ended up passing the biscuit and cake section. I have quite a thing for cakes and can happily eat large quantities, but that day I ended up reading the list of ingredients - bad move. How come I can happily munch away on something that contains at least 5 ingredients I have no idea what is??? Who in their right mind would stuff their face with some chemical concoction that for all that they know could be poison? I made myself a promise to make my own stuff in the future, a promise that lasted just till my next shopping trip and the hypnotic calls from the cake aisle (Yes, I am sure I can hear them calling my name!)
And unfortunately this isn't just the case for cakes, it includes a large amount of the food we eat. Next time you go shopping have a look at the ingredients of sausages or bread or almost anything and you will see how the producers always manage to sneak in at least one bizarre ingredient that you would definitely never find in your own kitchen cupboard. (Don't do it with Coca cola however - just seeing the list of ingredients could make you sick)
Or what about the car thing. Why do we find it so hard to use it less - our legs are meant for walking. When we take the car for a short journey we know it would be better for our health and better for the environment if we didn't - yet the car keys seem to have a hypnotic power over us. Myself included - I still jump in the car sometimes for journeys that I could easily walk or cycle.
Then there is my rather hypocritical attitude to eating meat. We eat it every week, yet I cannot cope with the idea at all of the animals being slaughtered. I prefer all meat to be minced or chopped into pieces in a way that they are completely unrecognisable as animals. That is ridiculous! I should either take the full step and become vegetarian or at least admit to what I am eating. The attitude of 'I will eat meat as long as I don't have to think about where it came from' is not natural - it is the approach of somebody who doesn't really live in touch with the life cycles on this planet.
And the obsession we seem to have with getting everything wrapped in several layers is another one. Today I went and bought a sandwich. The woman in the sandwich shop put it in a box for me, which was good as I wasn't eating it straight away, but then she was also going to put the box in a paper bag. Why, it was completely unnecessary. Lots of things we buy are double wrapped or even triple wrapped and most of the time we don't even think about it, we just peel of the layers. I remember when going shopping at Christmas time I had taken 2 bags to carry my purchases in, yet I still came home with a huge amount of plastic bags, because either I would forget to say I didn't want them or the shop assistants would still put my stuff in plastic bags out of habit. Total waste.
I really think we are strange creatures - we seem to have some kind of self destructive side and our instinct for survival only appears to work in a short term crisis. We live rather unnaturally, we eat food that is completely artificial, we use excessive amounts of stuff without even thinking about it, we drill for oil in dangerous places because oil is more important than sea life. What is going on - we must all be mad! Hmm, time for a cup of tea and some cake while I mull that one over...
Monday 26 July 2010
Tuesday 20 July 2010
Green holiday
We are in the height of holiday season and I wish I could do a post about some fantastic holiday adventure, but unfortunately this is not the case - we are not planning any exotic time away this summer! There are several reasons for this, but lets just say that being green, lazy and out of money doesn't leave you many holiday choices. Question one to consider is what would make a holiday green?
Flying anywhere is kind of out of the question, so that quickly narrows down the destinations available. We could I guess make it to certain parts of Europe going through the Euro tunnel, but it would mean spending quite a lot of time travelling first down to London and then across the water, and I don't think the South of Italy or somewhere similar would be feasible to do with two young kids.
From that point of view it would make most sense to stay in Britain. I have nothing against Britain, we live in a generally nice place, but unfortunately the weather isn't always great and a bit of sunshine can be one of the important parts of a holiday.
The other thing is the price. I really want to think that it is cheaper to stay closer to home, but unfortunately that doesn't always seem to be the case. A recent survey I saw claimed that 1 week for a family of 4 in Bulgaria, Turkey or Cyprus is cheaper than 1 week in Brighton. OK fair enough I am sure there are all sorts of variations and the figures calculated included car hire, which I guess you are less likely to need if holidaying in Brighton - but never the less it shows that Britain can be just as expensive as going abroad. (Not to mention that psychologically you know instantly how much you are actually paying because you are not doing half hearted currency calculations). From an environmental point of view that is not very good.
There are of course ways to make it cheaper, camping for example should be cheaper than a stay in a hotel, but for me this is where the lazy aspect comes in - I am just not keen. I like the part of the holiday that means comfy bed and not having to think too much about cooking, but camping holidays with all inclusive buffets are just not easy to come by...
Some people have mentioned to me eco tourism. These are usually holidays where you show a bit of respect for the local environment and its people and it usually doesn't entail an all-inclusive holiday park with excess food/drink, swimming pools, loud music and general disregard for the local area, but is more likely to include hill walking or some interesting natural or cultural aspect. From a personal point of view I would prefer an eco holiday anytime to a package deal to Spain, but there are 2 things that make me uncertain about eco holidays. One is the price, despite the fact that I think you generally get good stuff for your money it can be quite pricey because these holiday operators mostly try to give you a good experience and it can costs a bit to arrange knowledgeable guides to take you up a mountain, especially as they can't take tours of 80+ people at the time, because that would go against the principle of respecting the local environment. I am also slightly in doubt about how green these things are. It might work if you are going on a trip to the Scottish highlands learning about the fauna and flora of the glens, because you hopefully wouldn't fly there and are unlikely to cause major upset to the local culture; but what happens when you fly on an eco holiday to Malaysia or somewhere else exotic. While I definitely think these holidays are better than the conventional hotel and swimming pool stays, I don't know if they really are green? I mean if you fly there you have already used up a lot of your CO2 quota.
Anyway eco holidays are definitely not an option for us this year, so I didn't really need to worry about where they sit on the green scale. But that brought me back to the question of a feasible green option and this was when I realised that if I wanted any kind of break this year I would need to defy my lazy side! Which is how I found myself buying a 1/2 price tent I suddenly spotted in a shop. I actually purchased a tent! After years of coming up with excuses and being perfectly content with a split in the household that meant my husband did the camping thing with the guys and I stayed nice and cosy at home, we are now owners of a tent and I am out of reasons to give my daughter when she yet again asks why we never go camping.Help!
I only have one hope left. Yesterday we attempted to put the tent up, but after 1 1/2 hours of trying to decipher the encryption code used when writing the instructions and matching the information with the actual bits in the bag, we had to give up. It just made no sense!So if I am really lucky this tent just might be 'unpitchable'. On the other hand that would be rather silly and knowing my husband he will get this tent up one way or another and me - I will probably hope for a break in the rain, dream of a hotel room, congratulate myself for taking a greener holiday and then hopefully join the kids in having some fun!
Flying anywhere is kind of out of the question, so that quickly narrows down the destinations available. We could I guess make it to certain parts of Europe going through the Euro tunnel, but it would mean spending quite a lot of time travelling first down to London and then across the water, and I don't think the South of Italy or somewhere similar would be feasible to do with two young kids.
From that point of view it would make most sense to stay in Britain. I have nothing against Britain, we live in a generally nice place, but unfortunately the weather isn't always great and a bit of sunshine can be one of the important parts of a holiday.
The other thing is the price. I really want to think that it is cheaper to stay closer to home, but unfortunately that doesn't always seem to be the case. A recent survey I saw claimed that 1 week for a family of 4 in Bulgaria, Turkey or Cyprus is cheaper than 1 week in Brighton. OK fair enough I am sure there are all sorts of variations and the figures calculated included car hire, which I guess you are less likely to need if holidaying in Brighton - but never the less it shows that Britain can be just as expensive as going abroad. (Not to mention that psychologically you know instantly how much you are actually paying because you are not doing half hearted currency calculations). From an environmental point of view that is not very good.
There are of course ways to make it cheaper, camping for example should be cheaper than a stay in a hotel, but for me this is where the lazy aspect comes in - I am just not keen. I like the part of the holiday that means comfy bed and not having to think too much about cooking, but camping holidays with all inclusive buffets are just not easy to come by...
Some people have mentioned to me eco tourism. These are usually holidays where you show a bit of respect for the local environment and its people and it usually doesn't entail an all-inclusive holiday park with excess food/drink, swimming pools, loud music and general disregard for the local area, but is more likely to include hill walking or some interesting natural or cultural aspect. From a personal point of view I would prefer an eco holiday anytime to a package deal to Spain, but there are 2 things that make me uncertain about eco holidays. One is the price, despite the fact that I think you generally get good stuff for your money it can be quite pricey because these holiday operators mostly try to give you a good experience and it can costs a bit to arrange knowledgeable guides to take you up a mountain, especially as they can't take tours of 80+ people at the time, because that would go against the principle of respecting the local environment. I am also slightly in doubt about how green these things are. It might work if you are going on a trip to the Scottish highlands learning about the fauna and flora of the glens, because you hopefully wouldn't fly there and are unlikely to cause major upset to the local culture; but what happens when you fly on an eco holiday to Malaysia or somewhere else exotic. While I definitely think these holidays are better than the conventional hotel and swimming pool stays, I don't know if they really are green? I mean if you fly there you have already used up a lot of your CO2 quota.
Anyway eco holidays are definitely not an option for us this year, so I didn't really need to worry about where they sit on the green scale. But that brought me back to the question of a feasible green option and this was when I realised that if I wanted any kind of break this year I would need to defy my lazy side! Which is how I found myself buying a 1/2 price tent I suddenly spotted in a shop. I actually purchased a tent! After years of coming up with excuses and being perfectly content with a split in the household that meant my husband did the camping thing with the guys and I stayed nice and cosy at home, we are now owners of a tent and I am out of reasons to give my daughter when she yet again asks why we never go camping.Help!
I only have one hope left. Yesterday we attempted to put the tent up, but after 1 1/2 hours of trying to decipher the encryption code used when writing the instructions and matching the information with the actual bits in the bag, we had to give up. It just made no sense!So if I am really lucky this tent just might be 'unpitchable'. On the other hand that would be rather silly and knowing my husband he will get this tent up one way or another and me - I will probably hope for a break in the rain, dream of a hotel room, congratulate myself for taking a greener holiday and then hopefully join the kids in having some fun!
Monday 12 July 2010
Annoyingly green
There is a question I have asked myself several times lately: is it possible to be green without being incredible annoying?!
The fact is that the more you become involved with green living the more you start noticing the behaviour of the people around you and sometimes I need to bite my tongue.
For example today on my way to pick up my daughter from holiday club I walked past a parked car where the driver had just got in. He switched the engine on, but to my amazement he didn't drive off, instead he got out his newspaper and a pie and started reading/eating. When I walked back again 15 mins later they guy was still there engine still running. Why? Why did he have the engine running for more than 15 mins if he wasn't going anywhere? I seriously considered knocking on the window to ask him, but eventually decided against that, especially considering I had 2 children with me.
The question I ask myself now is '12 months ago would I have considered speaking to the guy?' No, definitely not. 'Would I even have noticed that he had his engine on for that amount of time?' Probably not. Then why do I care now? I set the challenge for our family to be greener I didn't suggest going on a mission to save the whole world. Is this what being green does to you: you become this annoying person on a crusade who wants to challenge everybody about their behaviour?
I am not quite sure where to take it from here. The fact is I have never been the missionary type of person and I don't really fancy becoming one, but all the knowledge I have collected in my head about the environment, our planet, our ways of wasting and consuming and lots of other things make it difficult to just stay silent.
Ideally I want to be one of the people who do green things just because that is the most natural thing for them to do. There is one mum that I always meet on the walk to school on rainy days (trust me there are not many of us) and she doesn't make her kids walk due to some green anthem, she just thinks walking is the best way to get there.
I know a family who would definitely live up to the green label on many fronts e.g. they grow lots of there own food (and keep chickens), they often choose the ferry when going abroad rather than the plane, they don't use the car much; but I don't think they see themselves as green - it is just the way they are.
I wonder how things will look for us in 15 years time. Will I then be able to be completely relaxed about our lifestyle and just plod on with my vegetables, bike rides, solar panels and zero waste lifestyle without feeling the urge to challenge everybody about their choices (to which they have every right). Or will I have turned into some green eyed monster that annoys everybody with endless rants about vegetables, bikes rides, solar panels and zero waste. Fingers crossed it will be the first one.
The fact is that the more you become involved with green living the more you start noticing the behaviour of the people around you and sometimes I need to bite my tongue.
For example today on my way to pick up my daughter from holiday club I walked past a parked car where the driver had just got in. He switched the engine on, but to my amazement he didn't drive off, instead he got out his newspaper and a pie and started reading/eating. When I walked back again 15 mins later they guy was still there engine still running. Why? Why did he have the engine running for more than 15 mins if he wasn't going anywhere? I seriously considered knocking on the window to ask him, but eventually decided against that, especially considering I had 2 children with me.
The question I ask myself now is '12 months ago would I have considered speaking to the guy?' No, definitely not. 'Would I even have noticed that he had his engine on for that amount of time?' Probably not. Then why do I care now? I set the challenge for our family to be greener I didn't suggest going on a mission to save the whole world. Is this what being green does to you: you become this annoying person on a crusade who wants to challenge everybody about their behaviour?
I am not quite sure where to take it from here. The fact is I have never been the missionary type of person and I don't really fancy becoming one, but all the knowledge I have collected in my head about the environment, our planet, our ways of wasting and consuming and lots of other things make it difficult to just stay silent.
Ideally I want to be one of the people who do green things just because that is the most natural thing for them to do. There is one mum that I always meet on the walk to school on rainy days (trust me there are not many of us) and she doesn't make her kids walk due to some green anthem, she just thinks walking is the best way to get there.
I know a family who would definitely live up to the green label on many fronts e.g. they grow lots of there own food (and keep chickens), they often choose the ferry when going abroad rather than the plane, they don't use the car much; but I don't think they see themselves as green - it is just the way they are.
I wonder how things will look for us in 15 years time. Will I then be able to be completely relaxed about our lifestyle and just plod on with my vegetables, bike rides, solar panels and zero waste lifestyle without feeling the urge to challenge everybody about their choices (to which they have every right). Or will I have turned into some green eyed monster that annoys everybody with endless rants about vegetables, bikes rides, solar panels and zero waste. Fingers crossed it will be the first one.
Tuesday 6 July 2010
Green inspiration
When I occasionally read a newspaper or surf the net I tend to be drawn towards environmental matters and as such I often pick up little bits of information that I think I could convert into something that would green up our household a little bit more. Usually this is good fun and spurs on all the little things we can do.
The other day I read that more trees in urban areas could be a good help to reducing air pollution and restore biodiversity. OK, we don't exactly live in the inner city, but it still reminded me that parts of the front garden could be used far more effectively than squares of grass and that I really need to think about redesigning it. I am sure we can create something far more friendly to bees and other helpful creatures, and with a bit of thought we should even be able to do it in a way that won't upset the neighbours...
Then there was a blog about somebody giving up supermarket shopping all together - a very interesting idea. I am not quite sure how I would cope with that, especially when it comes to getting stuff for the kids, but I will definitely go back and check how she is getting on, maybe it is feasible? If nothing else it was a strong reminder that I still haven't signed up for a veg box scheme! I wonder why this seem to be such a stumbling block for me - after all it is not exactly rocket science. I have a sneaky suspicion that I am scared I will end up with lots of 'funny' vegetables that I then need to learn to prepare and convince my children to eat... Frankly I am just making bad excuses - this will have to be my challenge for the week: get over the veg box phobia and order one (I think this is what is called cognitive behavioural therapy)
I also saw an article about a man in Brazil who built a solar water heater out of plastic bottles and milk cartons - how is that for doing your bit! I so admire people who actually do something about their ideas rather than just talk about it(no mention of veg boxes here please...)
Then came an article that made my heart sink: a woman wanting to be green should learn to do more DIY. Oh help! I totally support the idea that to be green also involves a higher level of self reliance and ability to sustain yourself - it makes sense, but do I really have to learn to plumb in toilets??? I probably shouldn't say this because it goes against everything I believe in when it comes to green living, equal rights and several other things as well, but frankly I find 90% of DIY exceedingly boring. I have absolutely no desire to learn to fix leaking taps or lay slabs. I don't even want to fix punctures on my bike if I can convince somebody else (read: my husband) to do it. It is not because I am scared of working - I did after all dig the vegetable plot from scratch, neither do I think it is above my abilities, I am sure I could learn - I just find it all so uninteresting. Does that mean I can never be a proper green woman?
Hmm, what to do. For now I think I will start with my veg box challenge, then maybe once I have done all the other things I need to learn as well, like successful gardening, cooking local produce, cycling with a heavy load without getting a heart attack, sewing something more advanced than table covers, making my own paper/candles/soap and turning used bottles into amazing energy saving features just then I might consider learning to fix that toilet.
The other day I read that more trees in urban areas could be a good help to reducing air pollution and restore biodiversity. OK, we don't exactly live in the inner city, but it still reminded me that parts of the front garden could be used far more effectively than squares of grass and that I really need to think about redesigning it. I am sure we can create something far more friendly to bees and other helpful creatures, and with a bit of thought we should even be able to do it in a way that won't upset the neighbours...
Then there was a blog about somebody giving up supermarket shopping all together - a very interesting idea. I am not quite sure how I would cope with that, especially when it comes to getting stuff for the kids, but I will definitely go back and check how she is getting on, maybe it is feasible? If nothing else it was a strong reminder that I still haven't signed up for a veg box scheme! I wonder why this seem to be such a stumbling block for me - after all it is not exactly rocket science. I have a sneaky suspicion that I am scared I will end up with lots of 'funny' vegetables that I then need to learn to prepare and convince my children to eat... Frankly I am just making bad excuses - this will have to be my challenge for the week: get over the veg box phobia and order one (I think this is what is called cognitive behavioural therapy)
I also saw an article about a man in Brazil who built a solar water heater out of plastic bottles and milk cartons - how is that for doing your bit! I so admire people who actually do something about their ideas rather than just talk about it(no mention of veg boxes here please...)
Then came an article that made my heart sink: a woman wanting to be green should learn to do more DIY. Oh help! I totally support the idea that to be green also involves a higher level of self reliance and ability to sustain yourself - it makes sense, but do I really have to learn to plumb in toilets??? I probably shouldn't say this because it goes against everything I believe in when it comes to green living, equal rights and several other things as well, but frankly I find 90% of DIY exceedingly boring. I have absolutely no desire to learn to fix leaking taps or lay slabs. I don't even want to fix punctures on my bike if I can convince somebody else (read: my husband) to do it. It is not because I am scared of working - I did after all dig the vegetable plot from scratch, neither do I think it is above my abilities, I am sure I could learn - I just find it all so uninteresting. Does that mean I can never be a proper green woman?
Hmm, what to do. For now I think I will start with my veg box challenge, then maybe once I have done all the other things I need to learn as well, like successful gardening, cooking local produce, cycling with a heavy load without getting a heart attack, sewing something more advanced than table covers, making my own paper/candles/soap and turning used bottles into amazing energy saving features just then I might consider learning to fix that toilet.
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