Debi’s Tips
Watch Tim’s Talk - Climate Sunday
On September 5th, 2021, Tim spoke about the climate and our church's responsibility to the environment. The talk begins with the bible reading at 46:22 but please feel free to enjoy the whole service.
The environmental challenge is huge. We’re all part of the problem. We also need to be part of the solution. What we do at church and in our homes will have a massive impact on the future world that our children inherit.
Here’s the simple aim: as a church family we need to work out how to get to net zero global warming emissions by 2030, not just the central organisation bit of church, every household!
That’s going to mean us all making some quite big lifestyle changes. It’s going to affect our homes, our work, our leisure, our holidays, our parenting
Our life with respect to the environment is part of how we love God, love people and love life.
Bill Gates “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster”
(clear analysis of where all the carbon emissions are coming from - shows the priorities for action)
Making things (cement, steel, plastic) 31% of all carbon emissions
Plugging in (electricity) 27%
Growing things (plants, animals) 19%
Getting around (cars, planes, trucks, ships) 16%
Keeping warm and cool (heating, air con, refrigeration) 7%
Debi’s personal attempts to make a difference in these 5 areas:
1. Making things - adapt our lifestyles to buy less and use less so that we can live more
Upcycle and recycle: We buy lots of things on Facebook marketplace and eBay; we also have a private Lovechurch group on Facebook for recycling, sharing and swapping – send Debi a message on Facebook if you’d like an invite!
Mend things: If you aren’t that handy yourself then ask a friend to help, or search for an online tutorial – I was amazed at how many there are for things I considered random!
Buy loose things or in bulk (and freeze if fresh):
Local plastic free/refill shops - www.almondandco.co.uk (Westbourne), www.foodontheloosebournemouth.co.uk (Pokesdown), www.just1swap.com (Boscombe High Street); these shops all do a good range of food items as well as cleaning products, toiletries and gifts.
Greengrocers for fruit and veg – Roebridge Farm shop, Winton; TD fruits, Southbourne
Butchers - www.websterfamilybutchers.co.uk
Get to know what you can recycle where: BCP collects glass, paper, card and lots of plastics from our homes; lots of supermarkets have a collection point for soft plastics; look out for the TerraCycle symbol on the packaging – I take all of mine to Food on the Loose who also collect old pens and stationery items.
None of our food waste goes into landfill: Uncooked veg peelings, dead flowers, etc go into our compost bin which we then use in our garden; any cooked waste or animal products go into the BCP food waste bin.
Buy second-hand clothes: Lots of good local charity shops, or online: www.thrift.plus
Do your research: Research clothing companies that source and/or produce goods locally and/or more sustainably. Most companies now have something on their website to explain their environmental ethos and vision.
Debi likes: I like www.passenger-clothing.com (for casual clothing) and www.toms.com/uk and www.po-zu.com for shoes. I also follow @consciousfashion on Instagram to find out about other companies.
There are more and more cosmetic companies doing vegan products and plastic free/refill packaging. I use www.zaoessenceofnature.co.uk for make-up and www.lush.com/uk/en
We get our milk and fruit juice delivered in glass bottles which we return www.milkandmore.co.uk
“I was amazed what a difference little things like using LED bulbs, and turning things off at the plug rather than leaving them on standby makes.”
2. Plugging in – using less electricity
Switch to a clean energy supplier – we are with Bulb but there are lots of alternatives out there is you do a bit of research. Most energy suppliers will send you an electricity monitoring devise so you can see how much you use and what’s using the most
We gave away our tumble drier and air dry our washing. I also try to do only do full loads of washing rather than lots of half full loads!
Similarly I try to bake a few different things at a time when the oven is on for a meal rather than heating it up for one batch of cookies. Slow cookers are very efficient once you get your head around making dinner in the morning – I always feel slightly smug when I don’t have to start cooking in the early evening too!
I was amazed what a difference little things like using LED bulbs, and turning things off at the plug rather than leaving them on standby makes (we’re still not great at that!).
I believe there are still grants for having alternative energy sources such as solar panels fitted at home so do a bit of research to see what would work for you.
“Growing your own reduces the carbon footprint of your food, and can be a fun activity with others!”
3. Growing things
Oddbox – delivers wonky/surplus fruit and veg that would otherwise be thrown away www.oddbox.co.uk
Grow your own – from cress or herbs on a windowsill, to lettuce leaves or tomatoes on a balcony, to a fully utilized allotment with a greenhouse growing everything possible, growing your own reduces the carbon footprint of your food, and can be a fun activity with others! Growing from seeds saves even more money! www.growfruitandveg.co.uk or get involved with www.groundedcommunity.co.uk
Tim has chosen to follow a plant-based diet after doing some research into the impact of producing animal products on the environment, and the rest of us have cut down how much meat and dairy we eat during the week too by introducing more plant-based meals.
“We’ve got an electric car (Nissan Leaf) for use around town and are now looking for a good alternative for our diesel van…”
4. Getting around
Walk or cycle, particularly in dry weather – we’ve found we need to be more organized as it tends to take longer but it’s doable if we plan! Much better for our physical and mental health too!
Use trains and buses more for longer journeys (or when it’s raining!).
Share lifts when possible – very few people will refuse if you ask nicely and it’s a way of getting to know people!
We’ve got an electric car (Nissan Leaf) for use around town and are now looking for a good alternative for our diesel van…
Holiday locally or make the longer journey part of the holiday rather than flying.
“Don’t be overwhelmed! Every little change we make can make a difference, we don’t need to change everything we do all at once, but each step is worth it!”
5. Keeping warm and cool
Old skool but we’ve turned our thermostat down a couple of degrees and wear more jumpers in winter!
We’ve been blessed in that we’ve been able to replace the drafty old doors and windows for more efficient ones, but even before that we bought thick curtains and draft excluders to stop all the heat escaping!
We’re also very blessed to have a south facing home, so keeping the windows clean and remembering to open the curtains on sunny days does a lot to warm the house.
Top tips:
Don’t be overwhelmed! Every little change we make can make a difference, we don’t need to change everything we do all at once, but each step is worth it! And can then make the next step easier.
Do your own research – there’s so much information out there, I feel much more equipped and empowered to make choices once I know a bit of information! And I can then avoid companies who are just greenwashing or a bit of tokenism, and support the businesses who are actually working to make a long term difference for the environment, not just trying to make money out of it!