The Environment

This is both terrifying and encouraging:

https://youtu.be/9XKTA1cSu1E

I’m not sure what they (ER) are actually doing yet but rallying people on the scale of WW2 seems like a good plan.

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/332429/

Some movement in those cases of environmental activists being spied on by police:

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/aug/28/police-investigate-officer-who-infiltrated-environmental-groups

While the spying in itself is wrong (and ridiculous), I really hope the courts create some clarity around the issue of deceiving those spied on into intimate relationships--it's unbelievable that that doesn't get immediately and wholly condemned by the police, and indeed wasn't acted on.

It is amazing how quiet this thread is. Do people not care, or is it a case of ignoring it in the hope it'll go away?

I started using a keep cup about 5 years ago. My colleagues at the time made fun of me. Admittedly I was much less aware of the impact of disposable cups at the time and it was more of a means of having my own cup to drink from most of the time. More recently I refuse to buy a coffee if I've forgotten my keepcup. I need to get a cheap collapsible one to keep in my mtb trail pack for train station coffee.

I went veggie 5 years ago, more for health reasons at the time, and this year have slipped into eating a little meat again (6-12 times a year), however I've gone back to avoiding it again in recent months as I become more aware of the impacts of livestock farming.

I only buy fruit and veg loose, and don't put it in small plastic bags. This is annoying as loose stock is inconsistent in my local sainsburys but we won't go hungry. A refill shop has opened near me in peckham which has been a major help. It costs more but if there is a choice we buy everything in glass bottles rather than plastic so that we can reuse them. We get our milk delivered in glass bottles.

One of my neighbours battled with the council for some time which resulted in 6 composters being installed in our cul de sac, which makes recycling food waste dead easy.

Last night I tried baking bread which worked a treat. It worked out at 25p a loaf, tastes banging, and is one less thing i need to buy in plastic packaging. The missus loves baking and has been using one of those reusable baking sheets rather than foil or parchment for the past 2 years.

Admittedly I am a petrol head, and have just bought a car that's not light on petrol, but my mileage is low (3000 miles a year max), we cycle and walk as much as possible, and very rarely fly.

I've just bought some of those wax paper things to replace clingfilm, and a nut milk making bag to try making our own oat milk.

Clothes is a big one. I usually wear stuff til it literally falls apart on me. Partly out of an unwillingness to shop, partly out of being a tight arse and not wanting to buy cheap crap.

I'm aware that one household changing habits in a country that doesn't contribute much to the problem isn't a big deal, but I guess we have to start somewhere. If nothing else it means we're making less trips to the refuse bin...

good stuff.

go veggie, ideally vegan, consume far less, ride a bike

join extinction rebellion

lobby your MP

plant a tree

It is amazing how quiet this thread is. Do people not care, or is it a case of ignoring it in the hope it'll go away?

I know people say "pics or it didn't happen" but really, just cos it's not in here doesn't mean people don't care.
The vegan thread is pretty busy. There's a bread thread, I believe.
And it's just not that thrilling writing about, but there's a great refill shop in Lee (mostly organic too) and a small one in Hither Green.

Last night I tried baking bread which worked a treat.

I've been baking bread for the last year or so since we struggled to find pre-packaged stuff that didn't contain palm oil. So hopefully saving some orangutans too. :)

I could do a lot more. Dark times...

Bump for joining Extinction Rebellion :)

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/332429/?offset=550#comment14914332

Yeah, I've been changing some stuff, but it's slow progress. I don't have time for a lot of 'fixes' and changing diets/habits isn't an instant thing.

At least I feel guilty about all those flights I took this year so it's in my head to do something more about it - I did get to one race using trains but the others required multiple days extra travel time to use a ferry instead of planes - time I didn't have.

I don't buy small drinks any more and I've basically cut out fizzy drinks from my life but I do buy salads most days that come in plastic tubs - no I'm not going to make my own salads and bring them in. Definitely less meat intake - moving towards veggie but won't quit meat totally I don't think and definitely still like milk and eggs so veganism would be very unlikely.

We use that beeswax stuff and reuseable containers. I do bring in my breakfast nowadays because it's quick, easy and keeps well (unlike my salads which I like fresh and different every day).

I've always been a tightarse so have a habit of turning electronics/lights off when not in use. Idiots at work run the aircon and leave windows open so I'm constantly sorting that out. I'd rather be cold than run heating, etc.

We recycle but we could do better by buying more loose stuff - again the problem is the greengrocer opening hours are far less suited to our lives than the supermarkets. I have been complaining to the supermarkets though to get less packaging for stuff.

We own a car, but it's basically a garden shed where I store stuff in. It gets used once a month maybe to transport a bike for work/fitting/race.

I planted trees in Oz but where can I plant them in the UK? I live in London innit.

We/I buy too much 'stuff' but having a small place means that's self-limiting. It's not like it's gimmicky shit, it's still stuff I use, mostly bike related. Neither of us are fashion idiots so we don't buy clothes until they're needed.

Stopped buying anything with palm oil in it (so we have very runny peanut butter).

We have reusable straws :)

#csb #atleastweareawareofsomeproblems

I’m definitely not doing my best here - would like to see this thread come to life with good suggestions on what we can all do.

For me, good:
No car, v rarely use taxis, ride bike mostly
Living on boat has minimised emissions/electric use/space to put any purchases
Vegan
Try not to use stuff with plastics
Carry a water bottle everywhere
Far too unstylish to buy new clothes regularly
Boycotting companies where I’m aware of particular evils

Bad
Flying - way too much with work and taking my bike places - fortunately, I’m starting a new job next month with no air travel. But I’ve already been to 70-odd countries and still have massive wanderlust.

How much cycle commuting do you think I need to do to offset a flight to Oz? I guessing it's going to be a fair bit :S

And the calories you’d need to consume to do it... it’s a false economy really

I planted trees in Oz but where can I plant them in the UK? I live in London innit.

LB Ealing has a strong record of supporting Local Groups planting Community Orchards.
You might have to travel as far as Hanwell or Southall though.

I don't mean cycling to Oz (although that would be rad if I didn't have to work).
I mean, cycle to work vs. driving to work in say CO2 vs. flying to Oz CO2.

LB Ealing

What's that? Oh, you mean the council?

They never reply when I hassle them about parking on bus routes.

This GLA webpage it a good start for anyone in London who wants to help green their city.

We don't have a garden and already grow stuff in windows, etc.

I'm talking about big trees in parks and shit.

EDIT: This kind of thing - https://www.treesforcities.org/stories/londons-largest-ever-planting-event Are they doing another one?

Joined their mailing list.

Just leaving this here...

https://www.flightfree.co.uk/pledge

My reply may possibly have been flippant.

I appreciate that there's a vegan thread and a bread baking thread, but if there was someone curious, but totally clueless of where to start, it would be nice to have a thread where people discuss small steps they've taken to clean up their act a bit, rather than reading multiple threads. Of course they can then progress to those for more specific discussions on aspects.

EDIT: @kl beat me to it

Stopped buying anything with palm oil in it (so we have very runny peanut butter).

Sun-Pat crunchy!

I'm still getting over my races. My ability to take things other than literally is at about 17% normal service.

Fuck that noise. We only buy the huge 1kg tubs of Pip & Nut. It's just nuts, no sugar, no salt, no palm oil.

Tree planting is not really a solution, it is slow, time consuming, expensive an prone to failure.
I reckon through my work over 25 years I've planted a few thousand, but where I have had far more success is letting trees grow.
All the major forests woodlands and jungles and mangroves are naturally occurring.
The best thing we can do is get our councils to identify bits of their land (unless we own some space ourselves) and ask them to leave it to nature. (i.e. stop mowing the grass)
Trees quickly grow, but the councils are worried about public perception. So if we all just keep asking we could make a huge difference. At the moment most councillors get letters about the grass not being cut.
By way of illustration heres a photo and a story. The massive tree was diseased and over a few years it died. The council planted a replacement in the shadow of the old one, and it immediately succumbed to the same disease. But 22 seedlings of 6 different species sprung up where the tree had shaded the ground before. They have needed no watering, no intervention, are disease resistant and completely free.

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It's not difficult to make your own in a food processor, using nuts bought loose from a refill shop.

The refill shop near me even has a processor they let customers use!