Don’t give things up – add more! says Hackney Friends of the Earth
Join the cycling resolution: Photograph: Hackney Friends of the Earth
Join gym, lose weight, save money, stop smoking, drink less. Sounds familiar? January 1st: tough; January 4th: hanging in there; January 14th: DONE!
Whilst I’m not denying these might be helpful changes, none sounds particularly inviting or fun.
And isn’t forcing yourself to do – or not do – something only going to make you resent it, or want it more? In which case is the start of a new year really the time to instigate such changes?
If you want to make lasting changes that span 2013 and beyond, pick ones you’ll enjoy! Some good news is there are plenty of things you can do to enrich your life that also help the planet. Instead of giving up things you love, try to add new things to your life. You might just find yourself naturally shedding wasteful habits for better ones. Here are a few ideas:
Shop till you drop
If you love shopping try mixing things up by visiting second-hand shops. Reusing beats recycling hands down.
Try Hackney’s great charity shops, retro clothes shops, retro charity clothes shops (e.g. St Vincent’s, E8) and car boot sales.
Of course the ultimate intention is to ‘need’ to buy less first-hand, whether that’s clothes, shoes, books, music, cosmetics, gifts or something else.
Meat vs two veg
If you’d rather cut off your right arm than become a vegetarian, fear not. Eating meat impacts on the environment not because it is inherently bad but because our current meat industry is not sustainable.
So what can you do? Meat-free Mondays are a good start – but instead of cutting meat out, why not trying eating more tasty quality fresh vegetables on any given day?
You can buy locally grown vegetables from Hackney’s very own Growing Communities that has 10 pick-up points across the borough.
Best of all you could grow your own: pick a couple of vegetables you love as a start , then go for it.
Sunday cycles
You may think that cycling isn’t for you. People often tell me they’re scared of London’s roads. But you don’t have to go all out and plan to commute along busy bus routes.
Why not buy a second-hand bike for weekends out around Hackney’s lush green spaces? We’re blessed to have more green space than any other inner London borough, with the Lea Valley and Hackney Marshes on our doorstep as well as many beautiful parks. Explore them! You can see a lot during an hour on a bike.
Overland adventures
If you love going on holiday abroad but would like to slash your carbon footprint from flying (the most damaging form of travel) there are many options that don’t involve giving up something you cherish.
Whether it’s adventure, sun or culture you’re after, none of these have to be a plane ride away. I’ve travelled from Hackney to Marrakech by bus, train and boat and the experience of entering another world whilst knowing exactly how far I was from my world was exhilarating.
Closer to home, there’s plenty of adventure to be had in Britain too.
Clean energy (from your sofa)
If that all sounds a little too energetic to you, here’s a lazy way to make a massive change to your carbon footprint without moving from your sofa.
We all know that using electricity and gas burns fossil fuels and have had it drilled into us to change our light bulbs and not to leave appliances on standby.
But if you’re still not in the habit of doing these things, perhaps you’d be better off switching to an electricity company that uses all renewable energy (e.g. Good Energy) or one that pumps its profits into generating more renewable energy (e.g. Ecotricity).
Read more about Friends of the Earth’s quest for clean British energy here.
There’s still plenty of time to make lasting changes to your life during 2013 that are good for the planet and good for you.
Here’s hoping you find that healthy, responsible and sustainable additions to your life feel so great that you continue to make more and more of them.