To be confused about how to live more sustainably?

[twolittleboysonetiredmum]

Can anyone please help me understand how to pick apart information on the internet about trying to live a more sustainable life?!
I’d really like to take some steps at home to improve how we are living to have less of an impact on the environment.
We should eat less meat? How do people do that with fussy small children? (I did think replacements eg qourn but then they’re equally bad I think?!)
Recycle - we do, how can we use less plastic/packaging in the first place?
We only run one car and buy lots of second hand clothes and toys than new.
I’m just bewildered by all the information and can’t pick it apart.
We work full time and have little spare time so it needs to be achieveable. Any blogs that people could direct me to?
Thanks!

We eat very little meat. I make spag bol without meat....my DC aren't vegetarian and have eaten it both ways happily. We also make homemade pizza with the veg they like...lots of cheese! Curries...soups etc. If you don't offer an alternative, they eat it...might take a while with DC who;ve been used to a meat and two veg type of diet but they get there.

Use less packaging by buying your food from the producers...so farmer's markets.

Actively seek to purchase things which are made with sustainability in mind. So....get some bamboo toothbrushes, use cleaning pads made of coconut matting....

There's no need to pick the information apart. If something comes in a shit tonne of plastic, don't buy it.

Reduce, reuse, recycle - in that order. Live minimally, buy things that you can reuse instead of single use - reusable baby wipes for example. Buy fruit/veg in season, eat less meat

Refuse reduce reuse rot and recycle. In that order.

This looks interesting, not a vegan myself.

theminimalistvegan.com/live-a-more-sustainable-lifestyle/

Thanks - farmers markets aren’t an option here. The only time I could get to one would be a Saturday with 3 chn under 6 and I can’t do that. We rely on Tesco online shopping currently - is there a way to make sure I’m buying more sustainably through there? (Eg a certain brand or a way to figure out if it comes without packaging?)
It’s funny as the kids aren’t massive meat eaters but I do cook with meat eg mince in spag Bol or chicken curry. Could definitely sort that out with veg. I just worry about where they’d get protein from as ultimately they’d end up eating the sauce and carbohydrate whereas at least now some meat gets through.
Christmas packaging has horrified me into wanting to make some changes - I think it’s mainly food packaging where we struggle as they don’t get bought toys regularly

I would say don't get overwhelmed by it all because no-one can do it all. Pick one thing every week or month to improve and give it a chance to bed in. So, if you use a lot of bottled drinks for example, switch to taking your own from home. Once that's second nature maybe try a car free day once a week or find out where you can recycle more obscure items like bread bags or crisp packets that won't go in your recycling bin.

Pick stuff that means something to your family and let it snowball.

On the meat thing, don't worry too much about protein. It's not as big a problem as it seems. Do they eat beans, lentils, mushrooms? Tofu is really tasty if you learn a few good recipes.

Thanks submariner - that’s a sensible approach. I have tried in the past and have become overwhelmed by it.
Lentils and beans generally no, I’d guess there must be a tipping point where eventually they’ll eat it?!

So often I think it is about small decisions. 'Can I re-use X or should I recycle it?'. A plastic bottle which has been re-used to water hanging baskets then finally ends its days as a cloche for small plants in the garden before eventually going for recycling will have a far lower environmental impact than a bottle which goes straight into the recycling.

I have an allotment and allotmenteers are total wombles. We are an elephants' graveyard for old swings and climbing frames being used as supports for climbing beans. Plant pots get re-used many times over. Seed gets saved. Sheds get patched up from the remnants of older sheds. Everything which can be composted is composted. We are all resistant to taking rubbish away from the allotment if it can possibly be re-used.

As far as possible eat seasonally. This means that you will be supporting more locally produced food plus you get the benefit of eating things when they are at their natural best. Those little tubs of berries bought in winter may look the part but they are imposters when compared to the fruit bought in their proper season.

Try growing your own. This doesnt have to mean growing fields of potatoes. Grow some of your own herbs in pots (which you will re-use of course). If you have a garden try giving over space to some fruiting bushes and annuals such as tomatoes. Let it be known in your neighbourhood/at work that you are looking to try this and you will find someone who has cuttings/seedlings/unwanted plants they are trying to find a home for (see? re-using rather than composting!).

Don't fly anywhere on holiday. Flying has a massive impact and is easy to avoid.

Writhing - that’s an interesting point. We’ve not been abroad since having the children but have our first European holiday booked this summer. We’ve been debating flying/channel tunnel/ferry. Which would have the least impact environmentally?

Don't have any more children. Anything else is just pissing in the wind.

No more planned. Not much I can do about the current 3

Most of our rubbish is food wrap. We're going to try getting milk delivered and a veg box.

I went to a lecture once by a climate change expert (I appreciate this thread isn’t specifically about climate change) I asked him what we could do personally to help prevent all the terrible future issues he was talking about. I expected him to say “turn off lights, fly less, drive less...” but he said anything we do personally - although makes us feel virtuous - is just a tiny drop in the ocean and won’t really help much. He said you’re better off using your time/energy to lobby against governments/ big companies. Thought that was interesting.

The biggest difference you can make yourself is to eat no / less meat, and to reduce your dairy. It will take an adjustment, but you and your kids will get used to it. And you don’t have to switch to quorn if you don’t like it - there are billions of brilliant veggie recipes that don’t use meat substitutes.

You don’t have to give up dairy totally, but can you reduce? Most cereal and coffee is nice with a non-dairy milk alternative (coconut / almond / soy) and you could try having 2 days a week where you consume no dairy.

Only using products which have no palm oil or only sustainable palm oil is also a good thing. There are lists online which will tell you products to avoid.

The truth is there is only so much you can do when the vast majority of pollution and environmental damage is caused by industry, but it’s still a good thing to do whatever you can.

Have a look at the Moral Fibres website, it’s written by a woman called Wendy who has 2 kids I believe and she also works in a ‘traditional’ job too (ie. is not a full time blogger so doesn’t seem to have acres of time to do lots of elaborate things) so it’s quite accessible for families. She has good suggestions which are realistic and achievable I feel.

As a pp said one of the things she recommends/practices is holidaying in the UK and hence not flying.

Do you have a self serve milk machine anywhere near you? We go every weekend and top up with our glass bottles. With a small DC who loves her milk the amount of plastic we've saved is astronomical. And we have gorgeous creamy milk and often fresh bread, cakes and other bits not wrapped in plastic.

We make it a trip out, walk the dog and DC gets to see the cows too.

I’m sure I read in another of these threads that drinking almond/soy milk was more damaging to the environment that normal dairy milk?? I saw an article a few weeks ago about Morrison’s trialing a serve yourself cereal and lentil option, I think that would be a great idea there are lots of things in supermarkets we could help ourselves to without it being packaged up

Population growth is far more complex than a simple too many babies. If anything, one of the issues being faced is that of an aging population.

While personal changes are only a drop in the ocean, what is an ocean if not lots of drops?

If you can't do farmers' markets, have you thought about a veg box scheme? Also, getting milk delivered in glass bottles. I've recently started going to a local farm shop for meat, but some places do deliveries as well.

Lots of good advice on this thread. But don’t ignore the machinery and technology in your life. It all used energy.

Buy LED lightbulbs. Just as good and use 1/5 the electricity and last 10 times longer.

Make sure fridge / freezer / washing machine / dishwasher are low energy rating ones. They all have a sticker on them in the shop eating them from A+ (Good) down to F (bad) so it’s dead easy.

Run a car with a smaller engine and better fuel consumption or better still buy an electric car. Or take the bus if you can.

Make sure you wear a jumper and keep the heating turned down to a perfectly comfortable 20 degrees Centigrade. Don’t have it at 24 degrees. Don’t heat rooms you are not using.

Buy an electric lawnmower not a petrol one.

I think ferry and drive rather than fly. Better again, train and ferry. Assuming a normal family car not some weird gas guzzling thing.

Think local and seasonal.

Locally produced meat in smaller quantities and seasonal, local veg is better, environment wise, than a meal made of veg and protein replacement tofu type things flown halfway round the world. Look on the packet where good cones from. Fresh, local, seasonal is the mantra, as much as you can.

Better for your local economy too. Find a good local butcher who knows where their meat comes from. Use farmers markets.

Have 2/3 meat free days.

Otherwise, there is lots you can do to reduce, reuse and recycle outlined above.

I use oat milk

Walk short trips

AND as someone said, keep the heating down

Replace things, especially electronics, only when absolutely necessary, dont upgrade

Don’t worry about perfection. Many choices have a tiny impact. Millions of tiny will add up but millions of big add up quicker

Travel Home heating and beef farming are probably the biggest 3 things.

Dont eat less meat, thats completely arbitrary as it simply swaps it for more environmentally degrading commercial veg/processed products which of course is what the food biz wants as you get warm feelz and it still gets your money. Eat different meat. And veg. Many suppliers exist which will post it direct to you. Your meat can come from conservation projects and dirrctly fund and help habitat conservation. All i can say is, good luck doing the same with veg!

A bigger impact would be gained from not wearing plastic clothes, not partaking in fast fashion, not using a car so much, not flying, cutting down energy usage and considering which chemicals you are buying and how much goes down the drain. Animals have been grazing in vast numvers since forever, it's all the other junk we do for easy convenient lives that is new and damaging, we just dont want to face up to it and use "meat" as the whipping boy.