You’ll never believe it: Could you go green?
Small changes can make a big difference to the planet, as writer Kim Willis, 38, finds out
It is now impossible to ignore the climate crisis, leading psychologists to coin the term ‘climate-anxiety’ to describe the worries so many of us share for the future of the planet. I tick a few green boxes already. I work from home, in Wiltshire, I’m vegan, and I installed energy-saving light bulbs. But I could do so much more. The plastic bottles jostling for space in my bathroom are embarrassing. The singleuse plastic me and my husband Gaz, 39, amass with every supermarket shop makes me cringe with shame. And I buy more clothes, even though I have enough.
Taking inspiration from the book Join the Greener Revolution by Ollie Hunter, can I make lifestyle changes that are affordable, realistic and even fun? Here’s how I got on.
ZERO WASTE
Supermarkets have been slow to stop depending on single-use plastic. I get home from every shop appalled by what goes in the recycling bin, especially as, according to Ollie Hunter, only 9% of all the plastic ever made has been recycled.
So I signed up to Good Club (goodclub. co.uk), a zero-waste online shop boasting prices on average 15% cheaper than every major retailer. The service is fantastic and so simple. I buy rice, dried fruit, porridge, granola, nuts and seeds, which arrive in reusable pots. I decant the goodies into my own jars then pop the Good Club pots back into the delivery box and leave it outside to be picked up for free the next day, using a carbon-neutral courier. Good Club aims to stop 400 tonnes of single-use plastic entering the waste stream and reduce CO2 production by 2,500 tonnes in the next five years.
GOOD-HAIR DAY
I harp on to Gaz about saving the planet through my veganism but my plastic bottles of shampoo and conditioner will outlive me. I have tried switching to shampoo bars but I just can’t get on with them. So I tried Awake Organics shampoo powder.
One tiny aluminium bottle has enough powder to last 35 washes – and it lathers, which I love. Crucially, it also leaves me with shiny, voluminous locks. I want to be an eco-warrior, but I want good hair, too.
‘THE PLASTIC MAKES ME CRINGE’
KITCHEN GREENS
Ollie Hunter suggests we think less ‘throwaway’ and more ‘think twice, buy once’. My six-for-99p washing-up sponges are made from virgin plastic, thrown away weekly and can’t be recycled. This week, I spent £8.50 on a four-pack of Seep washing-up sponges, which are plastic-free, durable, compostable and, brilliantly, machine washable.
WARDROBE MALFUNCTION
Thanks to the lure of fast-fashion, I have normalised the fallacy that I just don’t have enough clothes. But curbing my shopping, it all started to feel a bit ‘worn’. When I was a teenager, I loved tie-dye, so I spent an afternoon painting old T-shirts and I’m delighted with the results. I
remade a T-shirt for Gaz, too, and he says it’s now one of his favourite tops.
Going forward, I want to buy from better brands, less often, and wear clothes I’ve worn and loved for years, because only then am I truly wearing my green heart on my sleeve.
KEEP BRITAIN TIDY
My mum is such an avid litter picker, her council gifted her a grabber. We’re in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty but it often doesn’t look very beautiful because there’s so much litter. Borrowing the grabber, I went on a mission, picking up plastic bags, a sandwich carton, a crisps packet, wet wipes, a plastic straw, a coffee-cup lid and a disposable face mask. Now I understand Mum’s litterpicking addiction - it takes nothing from a walk but adds so much.
THE VERDICT
This challenge taught me that it feels good to make adjustments and improvements to my lifestyle, and often the tweaks are not only good for the planet, they’re good for me, too. Far from being daunting and expensive, the changes were simple and affordable. A more green and gentle way of being felt like I was connecting with nature, rather than contributing to her destruction. ❉ Join the Greener Revolution: 30 Easy Ways to Live and Eat Sustainably by Ollie Hunter is available in bookshops and online (£11.99, Pavilion Books).