Lockdown lessons:
As the government slowly lifts restrictions, Closer investigates how the pandemic has changed us for the better...
“We’re
going greener for life”
Before lockdown began, Emily Goyal rarely thought about her impact on the environment, aside from the recycling bin in the corner of her kitchen.
But now, four months on, the mum of two grows her own food, makes her own cleaning products, walks everywhere instead of using her car, and she’s even considering giving up air travel.
ECO-FRIENDLY
Emily, 36, from Derby, says, “I didn’t intend to become so green during the pandemic, but it’s been a happy accident. It started off with thinking of ways to entertain the kids who were off from nursery, so growing our own veg seemed like a fun idea.
“I followed a few accounts on Instagram for gardening tips, and it opened up a world about how to a live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Now, I’m determined to carry on with these changes, even when life eventually goes back to normal.”
Any damage the pandemic has done to the planet – with the recent shocking scenes of parks and beaches left litterstrewn by picnic-goers, as well as more plastic being used for disposable coffee cups and PPE
– seems to be outweighed by the positives. While coronavirus has brought tragedy to thousands of families, the planet has been flourishing.
Almost half of consumers say they now throw away less food, and one in five Brits have reduced their meat intake during lockdown. Traffic congestion is down by 36 per cent, too.
Animals have also been enjoying this new normal.
Wild goats were seen roaming a town in Wales, and sea turtles are finding it easier to nest on the once-crowded beaches of Thailand and Florida. Research suggests that nearly half of us want to continue with the green changes we’ve made since the start of lockdown 15 weeks ago – and experts believe this has the potential to save the future of our planet.
Clara Goldsmith, campaign director at The Climate Coalition – a group of over
140 organisations dedicated to action against climate change – told Closer, “During lockdown, lifestyle changes are a positive by-product of a terrible situation, from households being more conscious of food waste, to a huge spike in people getting on their bicycles.
“This kind of shift gives us a good chance to alter the way we live going forward, if everyone continues to embrace more sustainable lifestyle choices.
“The big drop in air and car travel and factories closing led to a global drop in emissions of 17 per cent at the peak of the pandemic. If levels stay as low as we’ve seen them recently, it could make a real change. We cannot return to pre-pandemic patterns of emissions if we’re going to prevent the irreversible impact of climate change on the people and place we love.”
Before lockdown began on 23 March, Emily, who lives with her husband, Sushil, and children, Zevi, four, and Edie, two, didn’t think too much about her impact on the planet.
She says, “Like most people, I recycled, and I’m a vegan too – but I was motivated by animal welfare issues, rather than the environment.”
But when the country locked down, Emily, who works for a water company, started thinking of ways to keep her children busy.
She says, “I thought planting vegetables, like cauliflower and beetroot, in the garden would be fun and educational. I started scrolling through Instagram for tips on how to live more sustainably.
PLANT-BASED
“I was also struggling to get food at the supermarket – queues were so long, and shoppers were stockpiling, so I found a local company delivering organic veg. I was also conscious of not wasting food –because we didn’t want to make unnecessary trips to the shop – so I found I was
throwing away so much less.”
And with everyone at home 24/7, Emily’s veganism soon caught on. She says, “When Sushil was at the office, he’d eat cakes or grab a meal deal. But now we’re home together, he’s eating solely plant-based food – and he’s going to stick to it after lockdown.”
Emily’s eco-friendly lifestyle extends beyond the kitchen. She says, “I’ve switched to solid shampoo and conditioners, which use natural ingredients and don’t use plastic packaging. I’ve also stopped buying tampons – as they almost always contain plastic – and use a reusable moon cup instead.
“I’ve even dabbled with making my own cleaning products using white vinegar, rather than chemicals that get washed into the water cycle. I’ve also bought a laundry egg – a way to clean clothes using natural pellets encased in a recyclable egg, which you can reuse – rather than buying detergent.”
Emily is also thinking about travel in a post-pandemic world. She says, “Sushil and I have both loved not being stuck in traffic every day, and we’ve been walking whenever we can. Sushil has said he’ll cycle to work when he returns to the office. And we have a caravan, so I’d like to explore places in the UK, rather than holidays abroad.”
And Emily says she’s determined to keep up with her green lifestyle, even when lockdown is completely lifted. She says, “The changes I’ve made are so easy. Lockdown has been horrible in lots of ways but, for us, living a greener lifestyle has been a wonderful silver lining.”
RESOURCEFUL
Like Emily, before lockdown, busy mum-of-three Sarah Edwards balanced her job as a pastry chef with ferrying the children around and had no time or inclination for green lifestyle changes. Sarah, 43, from Slough, says, “My kids Callum, 13, Ashlyn, 11, and Ethan, nine, had various afterschool clubs and I was always rushing from one pick-up to the next drop-off. I never thought of growing our own veg. The garden was a mess and was just somewhere to keep the kids’ trampoline. It was Ethan who suggested growing veg just before lockdown and when my job came to an abrupt halt and the kids were sent home from school, we planted strawberries, tomatoes, peas, carrots, peppers, corn and runner beans. We’ve been resourceful and used old drawers as plant boxes.”
And Sarah’s new-found green ways have also made her reflect on her fashion purchases. She says, “I haven’t bought any new clothes and it’s made me realise I don’t need half the outfits I used to buy.”
She adds, “Lockdown has taught us that small changes can do a lot for our planet, and I want to make sure we keep doing so going forward.”
By Kristina Beanland
& Kim Willis
LIVING A GREENER LIFESTYLE HAS BEEN A WONDERFUL SILVER LINING OF LOCKDOWN