To ask what sacrifices you make for the environment

[HarryElephante]

So, do you make any? And I mean actual sacrifices. Not just putting recycling outside your front door or re-using old shopping bags.

And for the sake of this question, I will assume you agree we are harming the planet. If you don't agree that is for another thread!

I make annoyingly few sacrifices but am going to start.

Getting some great ideas here.

We’ve been doing plenty on this thread, but some I haven’t thought of!

The only thing I’m not prepared to sacrifice is flights every couple of years (to see family) and san pro

@italianearthenware - because our kids face a hellish life on a ruined plant.

The thing is the majority of people can't afford to cut down on cars and planes as they can't afford it in the first place.

The world needs the people who CAN afford it to cut down - if you're richer you consume more

Life is short, why make it harder on yourself?

I guess the thinking is we make sacrifices to make life easier for our children and their's. I am not sure they will have the choices we have. It will be forced upon them.

We choose locally grown produce. Anything with a Union Flag goes in the basket and we try to buy seasonal if possible.

Plastic bags - we're loads better nowadays, no plastic bags for life. Hessian, recycled bottle bags by Emma Bridgewater, Sainsbo Orla Kealy last a long time and look nicer than plastic bags.

Compost as much as possible.

Reusable cups. If we forget them, we don't have coffee (sacrifice!) so I put spares in the car now.

Veggie. Nothing with a face.

No takeaways, such a massive waste of resources, all those boxes and plastic for one meal!

I feel guilty even picking up a stirrer in Costa, I carry a spoon in my handbag.

Just the thought of how much waste we generate in our family (and we aren't consumer mad folks) makes me feel scared about "that times x billions of people on the planet" and how things will end.

I don't do nearly enough!!!!!! I know that.

No takeaways, such a massive waste of resources, all those boxes and plastic for one meal!

We take our own containers! (Which are in fact from the takeaway previously and we use for loads!)

It makes me all the millionaire celebrities (yes Emma Thompson, and you, Bono) pontificating about saving the planet when their double standards are appalling.

I’ve given up dairy (I’m already vegetarian) and thinking about giving up eggs.
Not flying.
Starting to save up for external house insulation.

Tbh the government have to show more leadership on this. Our crappily insulated housing stock is the cause of most of the UK’s carbon emissions, but it seems prohibitively expensive to insulate properly. Green grants must be provided, and lower income families should have this done for free.
The government have just declared a climate emergency, they need to step up to the challenge.

Given up coffee, have a reusable cup if I ever do what something, carry water bottle around which isn’t a sacrifice per se but is annoying. Have also started trying to buy locally sourced food instead, which means i only get strawberries when they’re in season in the uk (but hard to do for everything). Tend to go without rather than buy something which seems too wasteful ie excessive packaging.

It's true that a lot of the things listed are expensive enough to be prohibitive.

But it's also been pointed out that buying things second hand makes a difference too so expense on its own isn't a reason not to try.

Oh and eat mostly plant based

Hey Jacques nice one!

I remembered another one - I've started using one of those microwaveable pots for my porridge at work, instead of buying single portions of YoMoMa. Saves 2-3 plastic pots every 10 days, as I did reuse them but was getting worried about multiple microwave usage, creating deposits in the food.

We bought a car that was more environmentally friendly but cost more because of it. Unfortunately it spent a lot of time at the garage because the thing that made it more environmentally friendly didn't work properly.
We take reusable cups and plates with us ( instead of using paper ones at national trust properties and similar).
We don't fly or travel abroad but that wouldn't be possible anyway.
We use incontinence pads, wipes and have a lot of plastic in the house including artificial grass but that gives us and our son ( he is severely disabled) a reasonable quality of life and I wouldn't sacrifice that.

We got rid of the car. It was easy though because it was ancient and we live in London.

I eat less meat now (about 3 or 4 times a week) and the kids are now being fed less beef and lamb.

I buy less stuff (clothes, house stuff) but that is as much for the environment as it is for other reasons (hate shopping, better for my budget and because the house is already a tip).

Many of the things I do are things I have always done but not for environmental reasons and are not really sacrifices, e.g., not driving much, if at all, turning the heating down (the government wants us all on 19 degrees, which is the highest ours has ever gone to!) and switching things off where appropriate (sometimes it’s not more efficient). I would have liked to go to reusable sanpro but unfortunately I didn’t get on with the one I tried (ouch! on the way out - was a sacrifice too far for me). I have made conscious efforts to reduce food waste and now got DH on side with that, even though it requires more planning from us both. I will also be installing thermostatic radiator valves and not buying a wood burner even though I would really like one. Again, not really sacrifices. I have imposed a moratorium on clothes buying indefinitely, which is a sacrifice for me as I love fashion and clothes, but I have lots of clothes and they are good quality, so that’s really okay. My hobby is also sewing, so if I want something badly I can make it and improve my skill level at the same time. I already use bar soap and always have. I am trying to reduce water waste by not flushing for a number 1. I keep meaning to have fewer baths or use the wastewater for the toilet, but I keep forgetting, even though we are on a water meter. I need to reduce my use of packaging whilst out and about and would have liked to reduce my use of wet wipes, but the current toilet situation at my workplace does not make this easy. I know some people don’t understand this, but I do like a nice clean bum if I do have to do a number 2 at work - unfortunately the toilet paper is so thin and scratchy it can’t be presoaked to achieve this and it’s a bit embarrassing doing that when there’s a lot of “traffic” through the loos!

I forgot to say that we got our cavity wall insulation done very cheaply when the government was paying utility companies grants to do it or something.

Our crappily insulated housing stock is the cause of most of the UK’s carbon emissions

That’s simply incorrect. Transport is responsible for most of the UK’s carbon emissions.

Stopped at two children. :(

Resisting the temptation to learn to drive, even though it would turn my 40 minute commute into a 15 minute one (and save me and dc from all the vileness on the buses)

Not using the dishwasher.

Not buying new clothes for me.

Buying fruit & veg that can be grown in Britain/W Europe only when in season.

but that gives us and our son ( he is severely disabled) a reasonable quality of life and I wouldn't sacrifice that.

The thing is, as Daniel Dorling has said in his books sometimes - if we saved these kind of items for those who NEED them, and those of us who don't NEED them cut back - there would be enough to go round for those who genuinely need it. It is the overconsumption of the unnecessary that is killing us all.

Diaturbed by climate change and the impact on the harvest on the small Scottish Island where i live, i am going to sacrifice Edward Woodward to appease the 'old gods.'

I'm another where I could see other people thinking these are sacrifices, but generally don't to me as it's either just my lifestyle or things I would do anyways.

I haven't flown since I was 18 which does mean I can't see my family that are overseas, but we were never close. I don't drive, but I medically can't and never have been able to so it's not like I miss it - I just live where I can use pretty good public transport and walk when I can. Other than my spouse, we all use eco-non-plastic-toothbrushes, but it's also the only ones I found that are soft enough that one of my kids will happily use it. We use heaters very infrequently and only in a couple rooms. I use reusable menstrual and stress incontinence products, but that was originally inspired by discomfort from using disposables (I do love my close pads though). I started using refillable cleaners last year and this year added hand wash and body wash to that and it's been great so not really feeling any sacrifice there. Honestly, the most awkward environment one has been recycling batteries and electronics because a lot of the places on the recycling website for batteries have no idea what I'm talking about when I try to do so and the nearest electronic recycling place is so awkwardly placed for those not driving.

I am working, step-by-step, on tweaking my diet to line up more with the EAT-Lancet 'planetary diet'. I think will likely be more of a sacrifice once I'm farther into it (just working on lowering red meat and raising vegetables at the moment). I'm kinda focusing more on 'I can eat [whatever], I just have to enjoy it responsibly' and working out what those amounts/frequencies are so it doesn't yet feel like sacrifice. It is a bit of guesswork, especially with already made foods (had some 'fun' the other day with maths and trying to figure out how many grams of beef are in a pukka beef and onion pie) and we don't really eat out that much so haven't really thought of restaurants yet.

I live rurally so a car is essential but we only have one and use cycles for local journeys.

I also wfh so have reduced commute. My DH cycles to local station for his commute to work.

I switch off shower between shampoo applications to reduce water use, and have water butts in the garden for my plants. Also have solar water tubes.

I keep bees and salvage beeswax to make candles after honey extraction.

I grow my own fruit and veg and shop locally when my garden isn’t producing anything and for meat, cheese, eggs and milk. 3-4 meat free days per week. Compost all peelings etc. Eat all the food made or bought, even if that means not eating something we fancy. Bulk cooking to reduce energy usage. Bake own bread and cakes.

Dry washing outside but I do iron as I hate creased clothes. I also sew and knit and if something can’t be mended, the fabric gets used for something else. Men’s shirts produce great baby and toddler clothes and the buttons match.

I do have wood burner as power supply to house is dodgy and I have a health condition which means I can’t be cold. But I keep central heating turned to 18c - when it works. And the wood for the burner is from our land.

I don’t need sanpro any more but would have used reusable if I’d known about it when younger. I did use terry nappies with my DCs when they were little.

We try not to fly much but our jobs require it from time to time. Now my DD has moved back to UK, my personal flights will be kept to a minimum - perhaps one every two years to visit other relatives.

My hobby is playing in a brass band. So we use old music and never require amps to ensure our audiences hear us.

Only things I won’t give up is my highlights and good shampoo. My preferred one doesn’t come in a shampoo bar.

I don’t think of it as a sacrifice. I guess what is sacrificed is my time as doing it all does all add up to a lot.

Not using the dishwasher.

Nowadays, dishwashers are more efficient than washing the same amount by hand

I recycle everything I can. I’ve got my main bin collection down to once every seven weeks.
I don’t use bin bags in the kitchen anymore. I use whatever food packing is available, so maybe a bag from a 6-pack of crisps which goes in the wheelybin every night. It seems daft adding 6 black bin liners to land full.

I live rurally with a wood burner, so the gas heating is off whenever it isn’t freezing. I prune all year and stack the pruning so this is 6th year I haven’t needed to order any wood.
If I go to the butcher I take Tupperware tubs so he doesn’t need to give me sausages or bacon in plastic bags.