How to be a Hero – what can you do to save the world?

Well, the good news is that you don’t need to wear your underpants on the outside! As we teeter on the edge of society as we know it, with COVID 19 causing chaos to our manmade world, the natural world has crept into the spotlight some more. We are all now aware of how our carbon footprint translates into changing climatologies around the globe, species extinction and the other terrifying consequences that modern lifestyles demand of the planet with every passing year. It seems a huge problem which is easier to shy away from than face, but we all need to be brave and do something about it.

Ever heard that phrase “every grain of sand…” well it’s true. If everyone changed a few things in their daily lives, then businesses would have to follow. Quite simply, we consume too much energy making too much “stuff”, and we make it from the wrong materials. 

Some easy steps everyone can make are the following;

Repair if you can – Clothes, furniture, and electronics are often very easy to extend the life of, follow Right to Repair to get involved in demanding big companies make products which are repairable.

Buy second hand if possible. Some things are often better second hand.

Choose ethical brands that have no plastic packaging and contain less harmful chemicals,  My Green Pod is a good place to start.

Buy locally if you can or opt for veg boxes like Box Fresh.

who have a Naked Veg Pledge means that they strive to deliver your produce with bare minimum packing & provide you with our tried and tested methods of keeping your produce fresh and in tip top condition! Or Riverford who want to do better than vague claims of social responsibility and greenwash so they try to make informed decisions about the important issues affecting us and our environment.

Upcycle – have some fun and renovate something old, make it your own heirloom, a stamp of individuality, there is enough uniformity in today’s highstreets. We love Revitalised Goods who turned a hobby into a passion Facebook and they even guest blogged for us – read more here, revitalised goods guest blog

How many plastic bottles does a family of 4 get through in a year? An average  household will get through 24 bottles of shower gel alone annually. If everyone stopped buying brands delivered in plastic bottles and bought shampoo bars wrapped in paper instead, then the big brands would have to change or go bust and the price of paper wrapped bars would go down. Basic economics. Try Earth bits

for some ideas.

Every year 22M pieces of furniture are thrown away. It’s worrying as the average Pine tree absorbs about 10 kilograms of CO2 per year. Assuming that the standard measurements of tree plantings are about 1000 trees in one hectare and a tree absorbs 10 kg per year, the hectare will absorb a total of 10,000kg or 10 tons per year according to GoTreeQuotes. However globally “An area of forest the size of the UK is being lost annually around the world” (09/2019 Guardian newspaper)

Why buy new when you can save money, trees and the planet at the same time? You would literally be helping save the human race!

We all have the power to effect huge change but most people don’t realise it. Be one of the leaders and change some habits, tell your friends what you are doing and why. Your children will think of you as the super hero that changed the world – hopefully for the better !