This title could almost be my tagline for life. I’m no eco-warrior, I don’t only buy green or ethically produced products and every so often I stick a plastic bottle in the bin rather than the recycling.
That said – I do try!
While making small changes with my shopping and the products I use won’t change the world it will help a little and my way of think is that if we all help a little it’ll add up to a much bigger difference.
What do you do to help?
Some of my purchases are ethically motivated. I enjoy Traidcraft products (I wrote about this recently here), I choose organic food from retailers and my weekly fruit veg box is organic. I have chosen to change my light bulbs to LEDs and energy savers because it is better for the environment and my purse. I also actively support Freecycle, an organisation that helps people donate their unwanted items to others instead of dumping them in landfill. I do this because it is the environmentally-responsible thing to do and also because I have had a couple of fabulous freebies from Freecycle in the past few years as well as having enjoyed seeing others receive something of mine which they really wanted or needed. Is some of this financially motivated rather than motivated by concern for the planet? Absolutely – but I’m trying!
I am teaching the boys about waste, about not wasting food, about how to make do and mend and am trying to instil a work ethical into them so that they will grow up working for what they want and treasuring what they having rather than buying new all of the time and frittering money. Some of this teaching is for their own good, some is so that I don’t unleash two wasteful creatures into society when they are old enough to leave the nest.
I am trying to teach them how fortunate they are to have the things that they have and to show them the value of things. I feel this is important.
I’m no saint. Try as I might I can’t drink Traidcraft coffee (I am drinking Kenco though and collecting the reward codes to get myself an eco-kettle, that helps right?), I don’t want to substitute everything in my kitchen for organic and I am rather fond of my gadgets. I don’t have a super eco-friendly car (it’s not a BAD car though) and I’m sure I don’t recycle as much as I could.
I do however try and if choosing Ecover cleaning products and recycled loo paper helps a little then I’m on track.
I’ll keep trying and hopefully by this time next year I’ll have introduced a few new green, ethical and moneysaving list of things I’ve tried.
*Written in collaboration with the mentioned business but true to my own thoughts, feelings and experiences.
