Climate report - what can the little man do?

[SGChome20]

After reading in the news about the climate report and that we are running head on into disaster it’s got me thinking. I strongly believe the big businesses need to step up and do more but I can’t practically affect that change. Yes I can sign petitions etc etc but it’s not making the changes.

I wondered what I/we as a small family can do? I mean I do the standard recycling, try to reduce single use plastics where possible. I’ve pretty much stopped buying new clothes unless they really need something and wear things till they are done. What do you do that you think is helping the environment? Bonus points if it actually also makes life easier/more enjoyable.

If you want to make a difference turn down your heating

Stored emails take up very little
Disks are spun down when not in use
Many uk email providers use green electricity

Drive a smaller more fuel efficient car or EV, very few people actually NEED a 4x4, in fact I think we are getting to a point people need to start and be embarrassed to actually admit they drive one of the most polluting/ fuel consuming type of vehicles out there.

Take fewer flights.

I boycott any place with outdoor heaters.

Was coming on to say don't invest in crypto currency but someone beat me to it (as usual ).

This is an interesting article:
www.ft.com/content/1aecb2db-8f61-427c-a413-3b929291c8ac

Climate change is a natural phenomenon that has been happening since day one. The only way humans can help is with population control. The green agenda is a tax raising con.

There’s some really good ideas on this thread and I definitely have some things in my back pocket now that I’m going off to look into. Thanks for everyone’s ideas.

I was a bit worried about it descending into a ‘don’t have kids’ thread argument which while a valid point isn’t really what I was asking. Happy that people have come up with practical ideas that we can all take part in to really be part of the change.

I buy all my children’s school uniform second hand, except for socks.

I don’t need to - I can afford new. But choose to purchase donated stock from the PTA. They ALWAYS have lots of stock available throughout the year. It seems that I’m in the minority purchasing second hand.

I think it’s still got a stigma attached- “only povvy families buy second hand uniform”.

I am child free (and plan to stay that way) but I do have one medium sized dog. I’ve only ever owned two cars (neither of them new) and keep my phones as long as the battery is still working fairly well.

These days having a child requires a certain amount of denial as to the state of the world I think

There is huge ignorance on this thread about what the government and business are doing in the U.K. Ok it might not be enough/ fast enough. But it’s completely ignorant to suggest there has been no progress!

That’s a real kick in the stomach to the millions of people inside govt and the private sector who are playing a part in building the green economy. I personally know lots of people in these types of roles and they do make a difference.

Take Aldi for example, they reduced their plastic use by 42% last year. That’s down to people working in Aldi and their supply chain.

Let’s not denigrate people who work in government and business please. Lots of people are playing their part through their jobs.

My large private sector company has committed to hybrid working and is discouraging business travel, which used to cost a significant amount of money. Obviously due to the pandemic demonstrating that we don’t need as much f2f for effective business. I haven’t seen evidence of the carbon savings yet, but I imagine they will be huge.

Following on from my example above, the best performing supermarkets for plastics reduction are...

1. Waitrose
2. Aldi
3. M&S
4. Lidl
5. Sainsbury’s

So you could switch to shopping in one of these stores. Obviously there are other considerations besides plastics, but it will send a message that customers care.

Here is the report

www.greenpeace.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Checking-Out-on-Plastics-III-FINAL.pdf

You need to read report to understand which are the Best performers as the league table is only for last full year (2019). It shows change, rather than absolute performance.

Waitrose is the strongest performer as they are committed to fastest change and are going to delist suppliers who do not comply with plastic reduction targets. But Waitrose is not an accessible supermarket for those on lower budgets.

I am one of those shoppers on a lower budget, so really pleased to see that Aldi are doing their bit as that’s where I do my main shop. I am going to speak to DH about getting more of our meat and veg locally though. I have signed up to a veg box scheme on an adhoc basis, and I see that they also offer local meat, so I’m going to look into that.

Insulation. Loft being easiest and thick curtains.

Dry washing outdoors/ on an airer ( if you can, if not try to make your house less damp)

Only boil the water you need in the kettle

Empty car of all extra stuff

Drive at 60 on the motorway not 70.

Reduce: try to use less stuff
Reuse
Repair
All before
Recycle

Perhaps shutters and blinds before Aircon.

Grow your own as much as possible but watch which compost you use.

Make your own compost

@Lapsidasicle great list surprised tesco isn't there as they've stopped those ridiculous plastic wrappings on 4 packs of tuna beans etc. Lots of people forget the plastic involved behind the scenes wrapping pallets etc. But that's really visible

Stop eating meat.
Ease yourself into it by eating vegetarian/vegan food a couple of times per week and go from there
Don’t buy products that have animal products in them.

I think going vegan can reduce your emissions by about 40%

I am going to write to our flats board of directors and suggest solar panels to run communal electricity and shutters of a standardized design.

We reduced beef consumption by reducing beef and adding lentils. Gradually switched proportions as going from beef to lentils was a big jump in one go. We upped the veg content as well. We try and bulk meals out with British seasonal veg.

Trying to reduce food waste.

I am going to cut back on cheese as I need to lose weight again as well.

@Spudlet Fantastic... good on you I say, it’s so much more difficult to make sustainable choices when money is tight. I know environmentally beneficial choices should be cheaper, but they’re often not. We need more people like you - the environmental movement is dominated by the left leaning middle classes (of which I’m probably one, despite having a WC background).

Honestly the BEST thing you can do is speak to your friends and family / colleagues about your changes and reasons why. Start conversations. I’m making assumptions here, but you’re probably not the only one in your circle that hasn’t made many changes already? You can have a huge impact just by speaking about out and normalising sustainable choices.

IMO the environmental movement has really failed to engage vast swathes of people because they haven’t taken diversity seriously. They have failed to engage the everyman/ woman. The angry environmentalist shows an extreme version of what is wrong with the movement- little understanding or compassion for the worries of ordinary folk.

I’m far from perfect and can be doing more and have found this thread helpful, so thank you to the original OP.

Mainly I’d like to say be kind to people who are at different starting points / have different capacity for change. We need to bring EVERYONE along.

I'll believe big business is doing it bit when it stops greenwashing and puts its back into not flying and shipping pointless crap made in sweat shops halfway round the world.

'll believe big business is doing it bit when it stops greenwashing and puts its back into not flying and shipping pointless crap made in sweat shops halfway round the world

That is true, but it’s also the consumers fault for demanding out of seasons produce.

That’s an oversimplification Keflavik

You’re ignoring the fact that we have a global economic system. If for example, Sainsbury’s unilaterally decided 30 years ago to remove all plastic waste, implement lots of other sustainable policies because it’s the right thing to do... their products would increase in price, there would be less product choice and the customer experience would be different ... meanwhile their competitors continued on the environmentally damaging course and undercut them on price/ choice etc. I can guarantee in this scenario Sainsbury’s wouldn’t exist today. Or they’d have been taken over by another supermarket.

In order to change, business and economies need to be confident that everyone is signing up to the same conditions. That it is a level playing field. No one wants to act first - unless they are niche and environmental is important to their customer base.

Without extensive far reaching international agreements (and that includes China) we have no hope because competitors operating outside the new framework will just undercut businesses and gain the competitive advantage.

Like it or not the majority of consumers are driven by the utility to price ratio. Because many people do not have the luxury to choose otherwise.

In addition, there is the impact of economies of scale. More environmentally friendly packaging is reducing in price as more companies use it. As environmentally friendly products become scaleable, the price will reduce opening up their consumption to more people.

Eg the price of paper straws has decreased dramatically due to policy change and greater production of paper v plastic straws. I remember paying £5 for a small pack, now they’re more like £2 (I rarely buy them btw - only use them for iced drinks, as they’re not necessary, but I’ve noticed the price reduction).

Well if I was in charge, we would have a completely different economic system, so there's that

Why make paper straws for general consumption at all? Who needs them on a daily basis, other than a tiny minority of people with disabilities?

I like straws in my Aperol Spritz, probably 5 times a year. Shoot me now!

I appreciate your wish to have a different economic structure. But we don’t have this. We need to work within the parameters of what we’ve got, even if you don’t like it.

A better system can be built in future. A revolution at this point would be even more of a disaster. We need cooperation and peace to deal with the challenges that lie ahead.

In order to change, business and economies need to be confident that everyone is signing up to the same conditions. That it is a level playing field. No one wants to act first - unless they are niche and environmental is important to their customer base.

And we all we be fucked, because no one in big business wants to to blink first.

And to add to that, people can't live without their almond latte and avocado on toast shipped from across the globe and the latest skin option that's generally full of palm oil and big business is happy to provide.

But! Paper straws! Down in price! What a stunning victory for mankind.