Make the most of what's around you
At Start, we talk about sustainable living from the perspective
of resource use because we're running out of stuff to dig up and
places to put it when we chuck it out.
There's so much we can all do differently now in an effort to
lighten our load on the planet. This isn't about living without the
things we love; it's about making the most of what's around you in
the community you're part of.
Our goal is to help everyone find new and exciting ways of
continuing to enjoy the things that make you happy.
Where we are now - do we need to live more
sustainably?
The smart people at Defra tell us
that across Europe we currently consume 30% more natural resources
than our planet can replenish. The truth is, we are simply running
out resources with which to make the things we buy, use and enjoy
in our daily lives.
We all have a part to play
Using non-renewable resources to make the never ending flow of
products that are bought and sold is causing increasingly severe
environmental damage. We then cause further damage when we throw
these resources away. And, if you think about it,
much of what we throw away could be used again.
As the saying goes, there is no away. All this rubbish is just
lying somewhere and most of it will still be lying there hundreds
of years from now. What a waste!
It's up to us to adapt our lifestyles in order to change this
system of living and we need to do it within our lifetimes.
Each of us has a part to play. Government and large corporates
must change fundamentally but we at Start believe that the small
and simple things we can all are just as important. We want to
share with you some of the solutions that people have tried so that
you can be inspired to find your own.
Simple steps
Part of the challenge in reducing our environmental impact is in
using products and services more sustainably, and buying wisely.
Here at Start, living more sustainably means giving a different way
of doing something a go and discovering new ways of having the
things we like (doing it ourselves, reusing, cooking rather than
convenience shopping, keeping rather than replacing, sharing not
buying things we'll only use once by the shed-load).
We like to keep it simple and happily lots of sustainable living
steps are pretty straightforward and lots of fun too. Here are ten
we've tried, tested and think you'd like to have a go at:
Start buying local, in season produce
Start walking or cycling for short journeys
Start recycling more
Start lowering your thermostat
Start borrowing instead of buying
Start drinking tap water instead of bottled
Start reusing things you can't recycle
Start holidaying by train
Start shortening your shower
Start washing at lower temperatures
Keep your eyes peeled
We'd like to be with you every step of the way. Just keep your
eyes on Start's Facebook and Twitter
profile and check out our website.
Plus, be sure to
sign up to the Start List - our monthly newsletter, which
shines a light on the most inspirational things we've spotted to
give you a helping hand in living more sustainably.
A way to start is do the easy things first, then do a few more
challenging things that you really believe in a enjoy - if you're a
home repair buff, then have fun greening your home; if you're a
fashion fan, show the world exactly how stylish dressing green can
be; if you're a gardening god make your patch of land thrive with
life.
What you choose to embrace may be comparatively simple (say,
deciding to buy clean energy from you power company or to eat local
foods) or they may be more far-reaching (getting together with your
neighbours to change your community).
You're the best judge of how to apply the ideas we find in your
own life.