Changing habits to meet changing society

MissAdventure you are definitely the winner of this thread!!
No one can top that!
I’m afraid my mind was running along similar lines!

Planning to give up our rural (semi-rural for the few years) life, with its dependence on cars, for high density urban life, walkability, and public transport.

I waver between ‘can’t wait’ and ‘this is the worst idea ever’ on a daily basis.

MissAdventure

I boil myself in a bucket with some pieces of old cloth, then throw in some lentils to turn it into a nutritious soup when I've finished.

I do avoid buying anything in plastic if there’s a glass or metal alternative - all too often there isn’t, though. I stopped buying plastic boxes of laundry pods a few years ago - back to good old powder in cardboard - mind you that was at least partly because I’d read of how they gunge up the washing machine, not to mention that they were an absolute bugger to open.

If doing the shopping dh has to be told not to buy the plastic squeezy bottle of mayonnaise/honey/golden syrup, etc. - I think it’s finally sinking in. I now only buy cooking oil in glass - British rapeseed oil from Asda.

Re food waste, hardly anything ever gets wasted in this house, but that’s not a new thing at all - I am Queen of Leftovers and Using Up.

We still have two cars, but I hardly use mine any more - I take the bus - we are lucky to have very good public transport - or walk. Dh uses it rather more - for trips to the tip, or heavier/more awkward DIY stuff. His is a lot older but rather bigger and used largely for longer journeys - e.g. the 7 hour one to France we’ll be doing soon.

Tumble drier is used far less now but still necessary for the odd thing - e.g. pillows and my down-filled gilet.

We do still fly, inc. recently to a friend in Majorca. And will in September, to visit my sister in Cape Cod. So I’m not claiming any kind of eco-virtue.

Miss A- I hope that you heated the water with solar panels....

Living with things until they are beyond repair is probably something that our generation does. My children think nothing of replacing furniture, electricals etc just because they are out of fashion or they fancy a change.
If there was less demand there would be less waste.

MissAdventure

I boil myself in a bucket with some pieces of old cloth, then throw in some lentils to turn it into a nutritious soup when I've finished.

Made me laugh this morning MissA

Good post MOnica: I agree with you 100% about "preloved" furniture. Most of mine is second hand, and my children have followed my thrifty ways. As I posted elsewhere, one of the positive leftovers from lockdown is the acceptance that you put outside of your house items you no longer want for passers by to take. My daughter and son in law have emptied a garage, a loft, and garden, from their bought-from-a-hoarder house by using the pavement outside their house with a sign " help yourself ".
Most of it has gone- just a couple of trips to the tip. Happy new owners, loads saved from landfill, fewer things bought ?

Last night there was a programme about Warburton's.

I didn't see it all but the presenter reported from a charity food depot where the chap said that charities can't deal with the tons, yes tons, of bread that are leftover at the end of each day in supermarkets. Seems it's all do with company rivalries; the expectations of the supermarkets wanting fresh bread daily; and consumer demand.

Sliced wrapped bread lasts a good few days - why does there need to be fresh deliveries every single day, and a huge over-supply? Going on what the charity worker said I presume that tons of the stuff is simply wasted as there's too much to even give away.

So a massive waste of raw materials, energy, and fuel for the juggernauts that deliver the stuff nationwide, plus the resources needed to recycle/dispose. Never mind the pollution!

Ditto most of your list GagaJo. I turn off kitchen appliances and welcome the reminder about chargers. Could do better.
I’ve become my grandmother. Vinegar, bicarb and soda crystals hold greater appeal for me than dedicated cleaning products. Someone will probably come along to point out the disadvantages of them, though.
Years ago I worked with someone who disregarded dry clean only instructions. If something didn’t survive a low temperature wash she had no truck with it. Very, very seldom did she have a problem.

Thankyou Monica that was a really balanced post.

Dishwashers use less water than washing up by hand, so not having one is a false economy. www.which.co.uk/news/article/which-research-reveals-how-little-water-dishwashers-use-compared-to-hand-washing-aGVXG4M9NInY

I have a full size dishwasher and run it once every two days.

You do not need to unplug devices all the time. Just turn them off or switch off at the wall. We have never had our televission on standby.

Our heating is 'on' 24/7/365, but we have a thermostat with different settings for different times of day and night, so it may be on, but it isn't operating, so is not using any fuel - except for the thermostat.

I have never had a tumble dryer, but I have always lived in houses where there is drying space indoors. If I was living in a small flat with no outddor space and posibly with a child, I would probably need one. Especially if they had any respiratory problems as damp breeds mould and that can aggravate respiratory problems. This would apply to older people with respiratory problems living in small flats without outdoor space.

I am with Rosie51 many green measures are greenwash, and many measures are dependent on your living circumstances. The same flatdweller who needs a tumble dryer, is unlikely to have any space or use for composted vegetable matter.

No one has mentioned buying second hand furniture. We have always furnished our homes with secondhand furniture. The only furniture in our house that was bought new is the mattresses and sofa. Every few weeks we browse our local aution rooms and it almost makes me cry to see the price good quality furniture sells for, if it can be sold at all. Much of it goes to landfill after remaining unsold.

We recently struck a deal, after the auction, for a modern 6 foot pine book case. For sale in pine shops everywhere for £300. We paid £20 and no extra trees were cut down, beyond those for the original owner.

No one has mentioned ebay or Freecycle/Freegle as a means of rexycling goods. I use both extensively.

Like Bluebelle most of the items on *gagajo's list I have always done. I ceased using single use plastic bags in the 1970s. Have never thrown food away unless completely rotten. giving up the car etc is fine when you live in an urban area, but not in a rural area. But I plan each outing so tat i do as much as possible on every outing.

We all live in different places in different circumstances and one person's necessity is another person's luxury. We also have to balance , for example, energy saving versus environmental issues. For example, washing your clothes aat 30 requires the use of harsh and environmentally damaging detergents, also, as 30 degrees does not kill bacteria, you then need to use more chemicals to make sure your washing is properly sanitised. I wash at 60, but use less environmentally damaging washing liquids. I also only use the washing machine once or twice a week.

I think most people these days are thinking hard about what they can afford or what they consider most environmentally friendly, but we all make our decisions based on our circumstances.

I am always amazed when food waste is discussed on tv, and the average family apparently wastes several hundred pounds worth a year.

How? Do they overbuy, leave half of it on their plates, chuck out stuff that is a day beyond its ‘best before’ date?

There’s only DH and me at home now, but I buy and cook what I know we will eat. The remains of yesterday’s small beef joint will be eaten today, along with the spare veg and gravy.

8 ounces of fresh mince makes two lasagnes, bulked out with mushrooms, peppers, whatever, one eaten, one frozen.

I buy fresh loaves from the local baker, far more expensive than a supermarket one, but much nicer, and all gets eaten, no crust thrown away.

Can honestly say we hardly ever discard any food.

Enjoy!

I boil myself in a bucket with some pieces of old cloth, then throw in some lentils to turn it into a nutritious soup when I've finished.

No one has mentioned cutting down on meat and dairy , which is the biggest contributor to carbon emissions.

No one mentions saving water much…
I have been recycling and doing all of the above for as long as I can remember. I rarely shop online - especially loathe Am****n! Difficult to do any more.

I have been doing your list for always gagajo except I shower every day and will continue to do so I couldn’t not …
I wash my hair and clean my teeth in the shower so utilise one lot of water
I use all my peelings and uncooked food waste for the garden and allotment
I wash everything on 30* have for years
I don’t have a car l cycle or walk and use public transport
I ve always re used any carriers that come my way I ve always shopped in charity shops
I never leave chargers plugged in because of safety but am trying hard to remember to turn the tv off at the main at night
I don’t have central heating and use hot water bottles or my heat lap blanket in spring/ autumn

I still have a way to go though I can’t not buy online as most shops here have gone and that means unnecessary plastic and packing I do reuse them but it’s still there isn’t it

I think the thought of people not travelling to other countries quite frightening to be honest. I think there would be some interesting unintended consequences to that.

I think you need a healthy degree of scepticism about many 'Green' alternatives. Take electric cars for instance, there's controversy about whether they are actually better for the environment. Their daily use may well be better, but is their production really an improvement? The carbon footprint is huge! If you use water usage as a guide cotton isn't green, but do we really think polyester is the saviour of the world? Nothing is as simple as some would try to assert. Definitely cut down on waste, reuse in preference to recycle, but recycle in preference to land fill. We can all make a difference and as the advert says 'every little helps' but ultimately it's governments that will decide the future, not the individual.

This is an interesting thread. My dishcloths used to be a t shirt and I throw them in with every wash. I can't remember the last time I bought dishcloths or floor cloths, (old towelling bathrobe cut up and stitched round with a zig zag).
At a WI committee meeting we were discussing eco tips and I said I didn't shower every day as it's perfectly simple to have a good wash. They were all horrified! I'm sure most of them didn't grow up having daily showers. It is so wasteful of water and power.

Thought of another one. Wash and reuse plastic bags. Been doing this particular one for 20 years.

Ah no. Boil, as in a pan on the hob. I used to do it too when I had hand knitted dish cloths (loved them!).

Would that be better or worse than a small amount of bleach, as it would use energy? I almost never have the machine higher than 40 degrees, so I'd have to do a special load or use a pan of some kind. I have no clue about these things.