Tag Archives: damage to the environment

Self-care, Sustainable Living ideas

How to Overcome Barriers to Sustainable Living

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As we are learning more and more about the effects humans are having on climate change, the number of individuals opting to live sustainably is steadily growing. Making conscious changes to your lifestyle is key. However, in a world where we are reliant on the things that are bad for the environment and sustainable alternatives aren’t always readily available, it’s not as easy as it should be. These barriers can be difficult to overcome.

I think back about when I started sustainable living and tried making so many changes in one go. I ended up becoming overwhelmed and I did everything badly – it starts with changing habits. After failing miserably, I starting again but this time I tackled one habit at a time.

Old Habits

This was the biggest barrier for me to overcome. It starts with habits. Have you ever tried to give up something you’ve been doing for a long time? Smoking? Drinking? It’s like that. You will do things automatically because that’s how you’ve done it and that’s how your brain and learnt that habit. The great thing is habits can be broken and new ones learnt.

Apparently, it takes between 20 – 30 days to break a habit and starting with one thing is key (don’t make my mistake!). Start with something small like switching your plastic razor to a safety razor. I’ve written blogs about using safety razors and they’re my favourite place to start. Once you get used to the safety razor, make another change.

Once you decide to want to start doing something different and you worry that you may forget. A handy tip is to write it down somewhere just to remind yourself, before you know it, you won’t need the reminder.

Row of barriers on empty track - overcome barriers
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/row-of-barriers-on-empty-track-3763878/

Cost

I’m not going to pretend this isn’t an issue for many people – it’s a genuine barrier. This is one of the biggest challenges I found to sustainable living and can really take a chunk out of your budget.

My advice is to speak to friends and family and see what they do. Have a look at social media for sustainable living ideas. There are little brands as well as the big brands who can offer great products. Second-hand shops are a great habit to create as these clothing items have already been made and you can find some real gems.

A few more examples are swapping from menstrual pads and tampons to menstrual cup/period pants or swapping to a safety razor. Just these eco swaps can help you save money in the long run.

Availability

This is another barrier that really gets to me and it’s hard to overcome. Not all shops offer a decent range of sustainable products. Some don’t offer any at all, so it’s understandable that people will buy from the options available to them. This is where shops need to do better.

Plastic is low cost and therefore, cheaper and they’re convenient but single-use plastic is the problem. Once you’re done with your roll-on deodorant, you’ll throw the who thing away (or recycle it, if you can) and get another one.

Do what you can – if you regularly get a takeaway coffee, use a reusable cup. keep a plastic bag folded in your bag so you don’t need to buy another one, walk (if you can) rather than taking your car.

It’s OK to be different

If anything, I embrace being different but I appreciate that isn’t the case for everyone else. When you’re with a group of friends, it’s OK to refuse a straw, if you’re at someone’s house and you need to throw something away, it’s OK to ask where the recycling bin is. It takes time to overcome this barrier.

I posted this on my Instagram page a while back and it made me chuckle

I wear odd socks because when there’s a hole in one sock, sadly, both pairs tend to be thrown away and I feel that’s a real waste, It’s a great conversation starter too!

Where to start

This was where I fell down at the start. I would highly suggest trying to make one change at a time and start with something small.

What got me started was lemons! I wanted to buy a single lemon but the only option available to me to me was a plastic net bag of about 4/5 lemons, which was way more than I needed. So I starting looking at what fruit and veg I could buy loose.

People are starting to think about sustainable living so some of your friends may have already started – swap ideas!

Something I created so people don’t make the same mistake I did was the 30-Day Eco Swap Challenge – I created this challenge for anyone who wants to adopt sustainable living practices for their home and families without stress, overwhelm or judgement.

Over 30 days, there are 30 different ways to become eco-friendly and live more sustainably. There will be some things you may not have even thought about and one that is a bit of a wildcard!


The path to sustainable living isn’t smooth but it is rewarding and there’s no such thing is a ‘perfect environmentalist’. It’s a myth. Sustainable living looks different for everyone.

Something I always say in my social media is – Start small, Do what you can, build from there!

These are some ideas that work for me but may not work for everyone. Here are my terms & conditions for further reading

Sustainable Living ideas

Explaining Climate Change to Children

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As a parent, I want my child to have a care-free childhood but also teach her about the dangers that can be found in the world without scaring her.

She’s 7 and she learnt about Stranger Danger quite early on in her school life; she knows what to look out for and we talked out it quite a bit. Thankfully, it didn’t appear to scare her and she seemed to be happy being armed with this information.

But there are other dangers, one of which is climate change.

Let’s be honest, having children doesn’t come with a manual. I, for one, try to learn from other parents and think about what I say and how I act because they are sponges when they are young. We’re all just trying our best and hope we don’t screw them up!

As an eco-blogger (and an imperfect environmentalist), I’m well aware of how the planet is changing and studying towards a degree in Environmental Science has given me an insight into the science of climate change and it’s contributing factors; looking at articles, questioning sources and the ability to determine whether the author of the article has an agenda. Some of it is a little scary, even for me.

So how do I explain climate change to my child? After all, her generation are going to inherit the planet from us.

Climate change refers to the changes in temperatures and weather patterns around our planet and one of the main causes of this is human activity and this what we talk about; human activity.

I talk to her about the smaller stuff like litter-picking and reducing plastic. We go litter-picking and she knows about turning the lights off when they aren’t needed. She enjoys watching Blue Peter who talk about climate activism in a really thoughtful and sensitive way. She’s even got a green Blue Peter badge (something I told everyone who would listen!).

A while back, she heard someone said that they hated the rain – it wasn’t even heavy rain. She later said to me “the rain helps the environment, it’s just nature doing its thing”. I have to say, that really made me smile because that’s exactly what it’s doing.

The rain helps the environment, it’s just nature doing it’s thing

When I talk to her about what’s happening to the environment, I tell her bits of what’s going on but I offer solutions too.

We’ve taught her about recycling and she knows which bin to use for an item and why recycling is important, turning off the tap when she’s not using the water and the issues of wasting it, she has no problem wearing second-hand clothing, and we go litter-picking too.

Recently, the final episode of Frozen Planet II aired on the BBC and I noticed quite a few posts on Twitter where people thought it was terrifying and questioned whether it’s something young children should be watching. Some said kids should know about it and others thought it’s best to shield them from it. I haven’t let my daughter watch it, as a parent, we should do what we think is best for our own children.

I recently wrote a post about coping with eco-anxiety and I do adopt some of these practices when talking to her about the environment.

I think the key is helping them to find solutions and being able to action them. Even as adults we can sometimes feel quite powerless but, in my opinion, doing something is always better than not doing anything at all.

Ultimately, I want to be able to look her in the eye and tell her that I tried my best with what I had.

These are some ideas that work for me but may not work for everyone. Here are my terms & conditions for further reading

Self-care, Sustainable Living ideas

What is Imperfect Environmentalism?

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Since I’ve become more aware of my actions and how they affect the environment, I’ve joined many online groups: listening, reading and learning from others. I think it’s important to take part in discussions and debates, it allows us to understand a subject from a different perspective. Social media is a great place for this.

I quickly realised that when we talk about climate change, climate action, and individual action to achieve a sustainable lifestyle, it’s not a one solution answer. There are a lot of moving parts to the climate crisis issue. In my opinion, we don’t see the way the world is, we see the world based on our own experiences and while we ride this rollercoaster called life, we will all encounter different experiences. 

I absolutely love the collaboration and meeting like minded individuals with the same goal. The one thing I find unhelpful is when individuals are shamed for not doing things the ‘right way’. In my opinion, this is counterproductive and holds some people back.

I don’t believe there is only one way to live sustainably.

Being an imperfect environmentalist means you care about the environment and want to do what you can adapt your habits to reduce your impact – ‘do what you can’ this is the key and this will be different for everyone.

Where you live, finances, availability, convenience, trust in companies are some factors when it comes to wanting to live sustainably. Some people have options of a variety or limited resources. 

There is a quote I remember reading a while back, I think it was by Anne Marie Bonneau who said

We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly

This sums it up perfectly!

Where do I start?

In our daily lives, we have the capacity to create change, every plastic straw you refuse is doing something, every plastic bottle you don’t buy, every time you walk instead of using the car, buy loose instead of pre-packed fruit and vegetables – they all make a difference. I’m not saying get rid of your car, for a lot of people this isn’t possible but using it less still makes a difference to your overall environmental impact. Small changes do make a difference. 

There are areas I don’t do well; I still eat meat – although it’s not as much as I used to – and other areas I know I am making a difference by swapping my plastic razor to a safety razor. Break Free From Plastic produced a Global Brand Audit Report in 2020 which stated Coca Cola was the top worst polluter and I still drink coke (In the cans, I refuse to buy plastic bottles). I try to buy things in glass bottles as they’re widely recycled instead of plastic but, for some, the price is a factor. That’s OK. I look at these as my action steps on my sustainability journey. 

Don’t be so hard on yourself

Being ‘perfect’ is only going to lead to overwhelm, that’s how I started and I wouldn’t recommend it. When I tried to do everything, I did nothing well, I found it stressful and I burned myself out, I had to reset and start again – didn’t help my mental health either because I kept feeling like I was failing.

There are many bloggers, influencers who will say ‘do this, do that’, but I don’t hear from many when they screw up. It’s not about being the perfect environmentalist, but better environmentalists, ones who want to make a meaningful impact without, possibly, having the option for radical changes. After all, our infrastructure around us hasn’t been created with the environment in mind. 

So many things are sold in plastic, it’s hard to avoid it. 

Start on one area in your home – bathroom is usually a good place to start – take shorter showers, shampoo bars, safety razors, bamboo toothbrush. Once you’re happy with the changes, move to the next area in your home. It’s about small modifications in your daily routine. 

If you’re unsure of where to start, I created a 30-day Eco Swap Challenge, a practical guide, it’s £7 and will help you get started. In my opinion, it’s a comprehensive manual of creative tips. 

Do what works for you and don’t forget to keep learning. 

Most of us didn’t learn about sustainable living at school or self-sufficiency, we’re all trying to figure it out as adults. 

Join local litter-picking groups, be part of the environmental movement, maybe join global environmental campaigns, hold the largest companies who are polluters to account, try out plant-based meals, learn from people who educate others, listen to the science, write to your MP, if you have an outside space – start with learning to grow potatoes, switch off lights when you don’t need them.

If there is no leading voice around you, be the voice for others. 

We need to stop shaming people for not doing things ‘our way’ and remember that progress, in whatever form, is always better than nothing. We’re doing it for a better planet. 

Above all, be kind to yourself – start small, do what you can, build from there

These are some ideas that work for me but may not work for everyone. Here are my terms & conditions for further reading

Sustainable Living ideas

The Climate and Ecological Emergency Bill

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In 2019, the UK became the first country to declare a climate emergency renewing a sense of urgency to tackle climate change. However, despite this emergency, not much has happened since.

This is why the Climate & Ecological Emergency Bill is needed if we are to fight climate change.

What is the Climate & Ecological Emergency Bill?

The Climate & Ecological Emergency Bill (CEE Bill) is a bill drafted by experts; scientists, ecological economists, legal experts and environmentalists. Individuals who know what they are talking about in terms of climate emergency and aren’t interested in scoring political points – unlike politicians.

This Climate & Ecological Emergency Bill is designed to get the UK government do more to reduce the greenhouse gases we produce, which is fueling climate change, create a Citizen’s Assembly, restore and protect biodiversity.

This Bill is sponsored by Caroline Lucas MP of the Green Party and has already achieved cross-party backing. You see if your MP is one of its supporters.

At the time of writing this, my MP, Damian Green, is not listed as a supporter of the Bill and neither is my local council, Ashford Borough Council.

Here’s a video by one of the contributors of the Bill Dr Charlie Gardner, conservation scientist and expert.

We are in a climate emergency, and the scientists are the ONLY ones I will listen to.

Where is the Bill now?

This bill, a private members bill, had its first reading on 2nd September 2020 and has been re-introduced by Caroline Lucas MP last month.

What can you do?

You can sign up to the campaign, where you will get updates on the Bill, and how to lobby your MP and local council to show their support. My local council nor my local MP are listed on the supporters page, so this is something I’m interested in changing.

There is a wealth of resources on how you can lobby your MP, visual tools including social media graphics and posters. There’s even a FAQ. One of my favourite parts in the resources is the ability to check whether you’ve received a standard response from your MP. Whoever came up with that is a genius!

The key to achieving great things with this Bill is to gather as much support as possible so it passes with an overwhelming majority.

We can all be part of the solution to make change and these big changes can only happen in Parliament.

You can find more information about the bill here and if reading the bill is your thing, you can do so here.