For a moment I had the feeling of complete failure, am I in fact not really doing anything? It sounded a bit silly to say we take all glass to the bottle bank, because we did that before as well, saying we have signed up for online billing isn't exactly a major feat either and I can't claim to grow my own vegetables, because our carrots are the size of overgrown peanuts and the beetroots are only tops and no root.
My lack of answer to the question was even more disturbing, because I have now become involved with the local climate challenge group and I feel I spend a lot of time thinking about environmental issues at the moment, yet I had no decent answer. (This involvement with the Climate Group is one of the reasons for the lack of updates on this site as well, apologies to you people who faithfully check in on a regular basis).
The thing is that when you get put on the spot you want to be able to say big things like 'we have had solar panels installed' or 'we sold the car and only use public transport' or 'we converted the garage to a mini wind power station using a tricycle, an old sheet and 20 metres of organic cotton string...', but I had nothing like that to say.
It got me re-evaluating the whole project again, and I realised that being green isn't just about the big things, it is just as much about taking responsibility for your everyday actions. The main difference between now and then is my attitude. Before I would often leave the light on in the living room when going upstairs to put the kids to bed, because 'I am coming back down again shortly'. Before I would only occasionally walk to the shops rather than take the car. Before I would just grab the most convenient pack of veg in the supermarket without fully considering if we would be able to use it all up. I don't do that anymore!
I have become so much more aware of my actions. Yes, I still use my car, but I use it a lot less than I used to, and when I do use it I try to drive it in a fuel efficient way. We obviously still use electricity, but I make a very conscience effort to not use more than necessary. I always look at how much water is in the kettle before switching it on. I don't leave anything on standby and I know which kitchen appliances are the most energy consuming. I try to make sure I use up stuff in the fridge before it expires (try is the key word here...) and rather than thinking about putting in 1 fruit tree in the garden I am planning 2 or 3 and couple of berry bushes. I wipe my sons face with a washable flannel instead of disposable wipes, and my daughter's sandwich goes in a reusable paper bag rather than cling film.
None of this sounds like much, and there is still ample room for improvement, but I am heading in a direction rather than staying on the same spot.
I do hope that one day we will have solar panels and a garden that is full of useful stuff rather than weeds and miniature vegetables , just as I hope we will be nicely insulated and having a primarily vegetarian diet, but the fact is that small things matter as well. My actions won't have much of an impact on the level of CO2 spewed out in Scotland, but they do have an impact on how I think.
So next time somebody asks me what I am doing to become greener, I shall say something like: 'I am changing my habits gradually and I am taking responsibility for my actions. I don't do anything extraordinary, because most of us know what we should be doing, my bid to be green is to actually try and follow some of the advice that is given and not just leave it at good intentions.'
And hopefully I won't get too many of my friends asking, because if I have to say that kind of stuff too often I will probably end up with no friends at all!
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