#ClimateWeek

I have been so inspired to see all the hype around #climatestrike and #climateweek this year! And all this talk about the state of our environment has got me thinking. I often this about this actually, and it is so overwhelming. The problems seem so huge…can what I do really make a difference? But Greta Thunberg is proof that it can! What we ALL do counts.

Do politicians need to take urgent action? Absolutely.
Do companies need to think differently and place a value on the environment instead of only focusing on money? Absolutely.
But what can we do? Can what I do make a difference? And what is the environmental cost of travelling around the world?

Travelling the world for the past 15 months or so has given me a different perspective on the environment. I was always relatively conscious, but it’s fair to say that I didn’t really go out of my way to help either. But spending so much more time in some of nature’s most spectacular beauty than I ever did in my “regular” life, has opened my eyes. Also seeing the way different cultures appreciate the environment (or don’t) is eye-opening. In some places, it is totally acceptable to throw a plastic wrapper out the window of the bus..but for me this is totally unthinkable. Seeing these things has made me realise that the problem has so many elements. In some places, the first step really is just having public rubbish bins available so people can put their rubbish there instead of on the street to be eventually washed into the ocean.

The environmental cost of travelling

The cost of travelling – the physical moving around the globe – is definitely a real one. Planes, buses, cars all add to the CO2 levels in the air, but clearly at different levels. Partly due to this (but I’d be lying if I said this was the whole reason), I travel slowly. Avoid planes as much as possible, and go overland splitting up long journeys where possible and enjoying whatever random town happens to be there for a day or two. I definitely love travelling this way because you also see much more of the “real” place when you don’t just stick to the tourist hot spots. So, tick, that’s an actionable choice that can help minimise my impact on the planet.

But on the flip side, I wonder how many clothes, gadgets and other things I would have purchased in the last 15 months if I wasn’t living out of my backpack? There were certainly many things I wanted to buy, but chose not to because carrying them with didn’t make sense. More than that though, living with only the things I can carry has reminded me how little we really need. And the simplicity of living this way is incredible.

Living with less

The Minimalists have been telling us this for years. Personally, I think they do an amazing job of inspiring us to live with less, and reminding us of the joy with that. Reminding us that when you surround yourself with less “stuff”, you are somehow more able to appreciate what is important in life and spend your time and energy on those things instead. Monthly challenges, push us to let go of the material things we are holding on to. But more than letting go and de-cluttering, we need to consider also buying less.

In the western world, we have become almost obsessive consumers, frantically buying up each new thing thrown in front of us. No-one is 100% guilt-free here I don’t think. Consider the past week. How much food did you buy that you haven’t eaten? What about clothes that you already have other versions of in the cupboard? How many other things purchased that you just don’t really need? And if you like a minimalist home, then how many things did you throw out to accommodate these new things? Retail therapy has actual physiological basis – it feels great when you buy the perfect new whatever it is. And I am by no means saying that we shouldn’t ever indulge..but perhaps take a moment to consider not only the price to your bank account, but also to the planet.

Upcyle, save money, save the planet & support charity

My favourite solution – the thrift stores run by charities such as Oxfam. Here you can get your retail fix, give a new lease of life to a pre-loved item saving it from landfill, and support a worthwhile charity at the same time. I did this when I arrived in Belgium to zero degrees after months in Africa in 30-35 degree heat. I was totally unprepared for the cold, and felt completely out of place in my hiking gear so I hit up the local Oxfam store and bought a wool coat for 10 Euros. With my other layers, it kept me warm in the European winter, and I simply donated it to another Oxfam store in London before I leaving for Central America.

Do politicians need to take urgent action? Absolutely.
Do companies need to think differently and place a value on the environment instead of only focusing on money? Absolutely.
But we have control over what and how much we consume, and these actions make a difference.