‘We’re not eco angels, but we’re trying to make a difference’
Liz Weston from Cambridge reveals how her sons, Elliott, 14, and William, 13, have persuaded her and husband James to make more green choices.
Two years ago, I was with my family at the cafe we go to every month for a Sunday breakfast when my usual order of avocado and tomatoes on toast arrived. My son, William, piped up, ‘Do you know how many miles that avocado has travelled to get to your plate?’ I was mid-mouthful when he added, ‘It can take 300 litres of water to grow a single avocado.’
From a young age, the boys were very knowledgeable about climate change and the planet. They learned about the environment at school and via Sir David Attenborough documentaries. I watched with them but, whereas they were taking it all in and seeking out more information, I just thought, ‘Oh, that’s awful,’ and carried on with my life.
I found sorting through the recycling and food waste time-consuming and boring and, though I always did it, I wondered if it was actually worth the effort. But the boys’ passion pricked my conscience.
We started trying new ways to bring green choices into our lives, using different poo bags for the dogs, experimenting with food waste containers and attempting meat-free Mondays, which wasn’t popular and once ended with a trip to Mcdonald’s!
Then I lost my marketing job during the pandemic. I was devastated and being unemployed in my 40s wasn’t part of the plan. A few months later, I saw a job
We have attempted to grow lettuce in the drainpipes!
advertised at Savemoneycutcarbon, which helps people find sustainable swaps for everyday products. With everything we’d been doing as a family, it seemed like the perfect fit and I was thrilled when I was offered the role.
Work has been a huge eye-opener. I have learned so much more about the environment and brought home lots of products to test. The first thing I did was replace all the light bulbs in the house with LED eco ones. They’re bright and warm and last 50,000 hours, plus are cheaper to use.
I also have an air-pressure shower head, which replaces some of the water with air. It uses 50% less water and feels like the best hotel shower you’ve ever had. We’ve been growing plants in huge tomato tins I got from my local cafe, and we’ve attempted to grow lettuce in the drainpipes!
Some people think it’s more expensive to be green but we’ve definitely saved money on energy and water use. It’s a way of life now to consider everything we buy and use, but we’ve had failures. We’re certainly no eco angels. I still enjoy an avocado on toast every month!
My biggest bugbear is loo roll packed in plastic. I wish people realised that it costs the same packaged in paper and there’s no single-use plastic to hang around in landfill for hundreds of years.
I think people just don’t know where to start. My message is to try something, however small, then you can build on it. Our children’s futures are at stake.
• savemoneycutcarbon.com