Can we have a thread about what we have done this week to help with the climate crisis?

[Everylittlehelpsalittle]

I read over and over and over again about how dire things are, can we have a space to celebrate what we are doing to help?

I've continued not to give birth nor own or drive a car.

I didn't spit out 20 children this week

@Pyewackect

The UK only accounts for 1% of global emissions so you could close down the entire country and it wouldn't make the slightest difference. Oh, and did you realise that all those windfarm, windmill power generators we are importing from China ( where are all those green jobs ? ) were manufactured using coal fired power stations !.

I guess you never buy anything? Because pretty much everything we use here was made in China. Getting so bored of people trotting out this line!

I bought a heated throw to keep me warm when working from home, instead of putting the heating on. It’s actually made me quite look forward to another winter home working

We are quite good on the environment front

Grow food
Have wild areas in the garden
Do our recycling
One car between two adults (rural so partner uses it to get to work and the odd family day out but that's it)

Still room for improvement though and I think there always will be

This week- I created a no dig flower bed on my front lawn - cardboard down as a weed membrane, compost delivered by a pickup and dumped on. Planted perennials in it (science now shows these are much better than annual bedding plants as they store carbon and keep it in the soil- annual flowers remove while growing but then the carbon is released as they die. Perennials keep the carbon trapped in the soil, so if you can't have trees, have long lived perennials in your beds)
Being no dig, the soil health will be much better, using mulch that breaks down to top up the soil to feed plants and adding more goodness on without disturbing animals, insect or and microorganisms that live in the soil doing their thing

@justnorthofsanity

I haven't washed all week

😂

Circle jerk, the climate version

What I normally do. Ie, I am continuing to not have a car while I work from home. I am continuing not to fly anywhere for the moment. I am continuing not to have children (!) Other than that nothing really, as Scotland is a small country and it makes no difference in relation to what China, or America, for example, do..

I've not been out in my car this week, but will have to on Friday to get my 'flu jab, I can't walk to town and whilst there is a bus service, it is so hit and miss I would have to take a whole day off work to use it. So I will make sure I use the journey to pick up fresh food and supplies.
I haven't flown since early 2020, use the train when going long distance and an electric car for medium distance, unfortunately short distance is still a diesel for now (the electric car commutes with DH).
We always recycle and eat a low meat diet.
Heating is off for now, I have moved my desk to the warmest/sunniest room in the house and I will be ordering a heated throw so I can get through a winter WFH without heating the whole house to then spend all day in 1 room.

I vowed two years ago to not buy bananas or avocados again.
Stuck to it.

I haven't used a private jet at all this year.

AT ALL.

And I will continue to fly commercial.

I’ve remain as childfree.

I have no children firstly. I walked to the station yesterday, I made my own sandwiches and wrapped them in paper. I’m wfh today so I’ve put on socks and a jumper rather than the heating and I have clothes outside on the line to dry as I don’t have a tumble dried

@cloudyrain your heated throw will become your favourite ever thing. If I come home on a cold evening (I walk 15 minutes from the station) I pop it on as soon as I get in for 10 minutes!

Maybe I'm thick, but how is using an electric heated throw good for the environment? Surely it would be better to wear appropriate layers of clothing? (Not just cotton)

Sorry to dampen the mood, but China announced that they are opening more coal power stations. Well done for the small wins, but they make 0 difference to the climate.

I don't have a car.

I bought a Gudrun Sjoden dress second hand rather than buying a new one.

I do fly but mostly to visit family as I was born abroad. I limit myself to 1 social visit + 1 leisure holiday per year and often combine the two. Just returned from munich which was part holiday (we stayed in a hotel for 3 days and DH's grandfather's house for 1 night), part visit to see my DH's 88 year old grandpa (who then sustained a fall while we were visiting him so he definitely needs more visits from his daughter and grandchildren who are all based in the UK). I myself have a 90 year old grandma and 50 family members in Southeast Asia which is many hours away but it is either fly once a year or never see them again. But it means that my obligations to my family mean that I rarely do leisure travel

I am also planning to have only 1 child so we can minimize our carbon footprint as a fairly international family. My parents and sister and extended family in Asia, DH's grandparents in Germany, DH's 2 sisters in Israel

@starfro

Meanwhile, China are revising their plans. They had planned for their emissions to rise for another ten years, peaking in 2030.

This is now seen as too ambitious and they are building huge numbers of new coal-fired power stations.

Only the seriously naive thought otherwise.

That said, why not let them have their fun on this thread? I’m usually here on climate change threads to give people a dose of reality but why make them feel bad or ineffectual here?

(As long as they don’t try to limit MY consumption, that is ….)

@poshme I just turn it on for 10 minutes and I can stay warm for hours under it. Better than turning on the heating and ad I have circulation issues extra clothing doesn’t always cut it when it’s really cold.

@BashfulClam totally understand about circulation issue as my brother has that problem. I just think sometimes people don't wear the right clothing and then spend on electricity to warm up... cotton jumpers really aren't warm.

And my contribution- I line dried my washing today.
As I do everyday unless actually raining.

I’m trying really hard to change my ways of doing things. Am recycling more as I’ve started collecting the plastic bags etc that have to go to the big supermarkets as they can’t go in recycling bin.

Looking to switch to bar shampoo/for use in shower instead of bottles

Hoping to do a couple of veggie days every week.

Going to try and buy better when I shop regarding packaging etc

RE the heated throw it is an upgrade for me - I currently use a heat pack (1m30s in microwave) and always wear layers including thermals as needed but I also have to be able to work and not look like the Michelin man on zoom calls.
A whizz in the microwave or a short burst with the throw has to be better than a gas boiler heating a 4 bed detached house just because I am sitting still, in fact even with the heating on (20c max) I can feel the cold.
House has got double glazing and insulation in walls and loft plus thick lined curtains on large window and door

@poshme you do raise a good point… I do layer up including thermal under layers and have a blanket over my knees. I do feel the cold though and on a cold winters day it gets pretty uncomfortable sitting working all day with no heat source.

The heated throws use minimal electricity, especially if as PP said you only have them on for a short amount of time. Also I am on a 100% renewable electricity tariff, so it’s a lot better option than using gas which can never be renewable.