• When I travel (via any fossil fuel-powered method) I work with UK Charity Energy Revolution to balance my carbon emissions
• They tax me by the mile and use it to fund renewable energy projects in the UK and India
• In 2018 I flew 72 times, mostly for work. It’s unacceptable
• At time of writing (July 2019) I’ve taken 12 flights. I continue to work to reduce my carbon footprint, always thoroughly investigating train and coach options
I’ve scrutinised many facets of my life in an effort to live more sustainably, sometimes finding it altering my behaviours in ways that don’t necessarily impact the environment. I’ve been guided and inspired by charities Julie’s Bicycle and Energy Revolution, as well as Plastic Oceans and Greenpeace, Extinction Rebellion, while these books have heavily influenced my path, all bought from independent book shops with a physical presence (ie. not Amazon):
– The Water Will Come – Jeff Goodell
– The Great Derangement – Amitav Ghosh
– The Uninhabitable Earth – David Wallace Wells
– How Bad Are Bananas? – Mike Berners-Lee
– Learning to Die in the Anthropocene – Roy Scranton
– The Mandibles – Lionel Shriver (fiction)
– Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel (fiction)
CLOTHING
I’m a men’s size XS so buying second-hand from charity shops isn’t feasible – there’s very rarely anything that small, likewise in vintage shops – but this doesn’t mean I need to wear ‘fast fashion’
• I wear clothes until they’re absolutely worn out, then put them in textile bins
• Watches and small pieces of jewellery (I wear tie pins and cuff links) are second-hand
• My running shoes are made from 17 recycled plastic bottles
• Try to buy natural fibres only, and from companies who prioritise sustainable sourcing
• If I do buy from high street outlets, I try to keep the journey from factory to shop as short as possible, so I’ll buy a shirt made in Portugal before one from the Far East.
• If I buy anything that was made a long way from my location, I’ll tax myself and pay that to Energy Revolution. For example, a £20 shirt from Uniqlo will incur a self-imposed tax of £5. The figures are arbitrary, sure.
FOOD
• I’ve been vegetarian since 1990, am heading toward veganism
• I try to eat produce that’s sourced locally
• I try to eat where organic food is served, preferably vegan or vegetarian only, and in independently-owned businesses
• I carry my own metal cutlery, and napkins (taken from restaurants if they can still be used), and a spatula, to scrape all the food off the plate
• I also carry a small Tupperware box to take any leftover food with me
• If the restaurant doesn’t recycle, I’ll take anything I’ve used with me and do it myself. This includes the receipt. I’ll then email the business owner and encourage them to recycle
• I have a reusable water bottle from Chilly’s
• Where ice cream shops allow it, I carry my own reusable ice cream bowl and metal spoon. I eat a lot of ice cream, leaning toward vegan flavours
• If I eat anything that was sourced a long way from my location, I’ll tax myself and pay that to Energy Revolution. For example, an avocado incurs a 50p tax. Again, the figures are arbitrary, but I’m basing this partly on Tim Berners’ book (above), and partly on the rationale that if I can afford to do more, I should
HOTELS / AT HOME
• Hang the Do Not Disturb sign on the door immediately and have the room removed from the housekeeping list
• Unplug anything on stand-by and turn A/C off
• Use nothing supplied that will have to be replaced
• If any toiletries have been manufactured abroad, suggest to reception at check-out that they switch to a local, organic/sustainable supplier
• If you’re not a giant, use a hand-towel, and one for 4-5 days is fine
• Before I leave the room, I strip the bed and put all bedding and used towels in one pile on a ledge, not the floor. Anything that housekeeping will have to remove is put on a ledge. It’s back-breaking work for little pay
• I don’t flush the toilet unless I have to
• Cold showers mostly (you don’t get used to it, but it’s exhilarating). When I use hot water I tax myself 10p
OTHER
• If I put anything in the bin (landfill) I tax myself 5p. It makes me constantly aware of my consumption, and both throw things away less and use less things that need thrown away. I use Notes on my phone to keep track of these things
• Keep phone on Low Battery mode to conserve energy
