An Eco Epiphany.

Over the last year I have very suddenly become aware of how much actual waste our household produces. Everyone knows when you have a baby (or two or three or four) your life suddenly becomes infiltrated by “stuff”. The “stuff” is everywhere; no one knows what it all is, why you need it or where it comes from but suddenly your house is bursting at the seams. For the last 3 years I have been wading through all the stuff, and most of it seems to be going in the bin.

Then came an announcement the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which issued a stark warning that if climate change wasn’t addressed in 12 years, the world could not continue as we know it. I am ashamed to say that it wasn’t even this shocking headline that was my call to action. It was a meme that was going round about the news which said 12 years ago Saddam Hussein was executed, Casino Royale was on at the cinema and Rhianna released SOS (loved that song), and it was that which finally made the penny drop. I feel like those events happened yesterday, 12 years is no time at all. If we are to provide any sort of future for the planet we need to make changes now.

In my usual fashion I became an environmental zealot overnight; I despaired when I opened our dishwasher tablets to find they were individually wrapped in plastic, I realised I had been recycling pretty much everything wrong and I heard my husband telling several people — we aren’t allowed to use baby wipes anymore (generally as he was saying this he would be wiping a childs face with a handful of 5 or 6 wipes). I ordered cloth nappies, I did a weeks food shop without a single trace of meat despite us not being vegetarian and predictably it tailed off. The wipes sneaked back in as did the spaghetti bolognese (a staple with three toddlers).

Making changes to your lifestyle and habits is hard, life is so hectic and busy for everyone that even those with the best intentions can find it difficult. The subject, problem and solution seems so vast and unachievable that it becomes overwhelming. But my commitment to do my bit is still there and I am firmly in the camp that whatever you can do is better than doing nothing at all; every little helps.

At Down to Earth I am hoping to inspire the people of North Yorkshire and Teesside (and anyone further afield is of course welcome!) to make small and manageable changes to their daily lives to reduce their impact on the planet. I am by no means an expert and am only just adopting lots of these changes myself so I am hoping we can support and inspire each other along the way! Along the way I will be shouting out to local services and businesses who are already doing their bit and can help you do yours.

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