Counting On … – Page 42

Counting on … day 131

23rd July 2024

Affordable

Things we buy have to be affordable financially otherwise we can’t buy them! (But equally if essential items are more than people can afford we need to ask questions – are people being overcharged or are they being underpaid?) However things also need to affordable in terms of cost to the environment. And they need to affordable in terms of a fair price being paid to the producer and other people in the supply chain, and fair taxes being paid

There are schemes such as the fair trade mark and the fair tax mark that can help us make better choices when we’re buying.

Counting on … day 131

22nd July 2024

Waste free

Waste implies something not wanted, not needed. Ideally we any to buy and use things waste free – eg apples that come loose and not in a plastic bag, a pen that doesn’t come in a cardboard box inside another plastic box. Such excess packaging unnecessarily uses materials and energy and may result in a residue that cannot even be recycled.

Some packaging is necessary – butter without a wrapper would be hard to take home! – but even then there may be alternative solutions. There are an increasing number of refill shops for groceries, loose fruits and vegetables in supermarkets, and milk delivery services that often deliver more than just milk in refillable containers.

At other times we may be able to make a conscious choices to not buy things in unnecessary and wasteful packaging.

Counting on … day 130

22nd July 2024

Wanted

There is no point in buying something you don’t want! Buying something on a whim and then discarding it is a waste of resources. It is not a sustainable approach.

Equally there is not much point in buying something for someone else (say as a Christmas present) if it’s something they don’t want. One solution might be to agree within your family/ circle of friends that you will buy presents from charity shops with the premise that no one should feel guilty about returning something unwanted back to the charity shop.

Counting on day …. 129

19th July 2024

Efficient

The things we buy and use should perform their task without the need for disproportionate amounts of time or energy. Some products – eg washing machines and fridges – come with a rating that tells you how efficient they are in their use of energy.

Equally there are some things that we are sold that use electrical or other power where ‘elbow grease’ would be as – if not – more effective. For example leaf blowers which blow leaves around as a way of clearing them, whereas a brush would do the same task with no additional energy other that our own muscles.

Counting on … day 128

18th July 2024

Nature friendly

The products we buy and consumer should not harm nature – and rather enhance the natural environment. They should be produced without use of herbicides and pesticides, without adding pollutants to the air of water systems, and not involve cruelty to animals including sea creatures and birds etc. Nor should production damage the soils or involve widespread destruction of forests.

Counting on … day 127

17th July 2024

Ethical

The things we buy and use should be ethically produced – that those who produce the raw materials, manufacture, transport and sell the product be fairly paid, have a safe and harmonious working environment, and that at all stages the due amount of taxes are paid.

Counting on … day 126

16th July 2024

Robust and repairable

If our lives are to be sustainable, we need to ensure that the things we buy are fit for purpose, that they will be robust for use throughout their life – and should they be breakdown, be easily repairable.

Some manufacturers have a reputation for producing goods that are durable and repairable – for example Dualit toasters, Stanley vacuum flasks, Fairphones and, from my experience, iPhones – which are readily available second hand.

In terms of repairability, ‘right to repair’ legislation and practice is evolving with the aim of both designing, and allowing, products to be repairable. For further reading – https://www.wired.com/story/right-to-repair-uk/

Counting on … day 125

15th August 2024

Part of reducing our environmental footprint is about being sustainable and being able to make and use things that are renewable. To explore this I have created a nemonic which I will explore over the next couple of weeks:-

Robust/ reliable

Ethical

Nature friendly

Efficient

Wanted

Affordable

Beneficial

Life long

Ergonomic

Counting on … day 124

12th July 2024

To reduce our global footprint we need to live much more sustainably. Whilst Earth Overshoot Day for the whole world will this year be 1st August, we passed the UK’s Overshoot Day last month – 1st June. In other words we in the UK would need two earths to support our current lifestyles!

Earth Overshoot day has a ecological footprint calculator which you might want to try out – http://footprintcalculator.org/home/en – it is not very refined but points out areas we might want to think about as we try and reduce our negative impact on the environment.

Counting on … day 123

11th July 2024

It is easy to see how plant and animal/ fish resources can be regenerated. But what about metals?

The iron ore that is mined from the earth was typically formed millions of years ago – the exception being where recent volcanic eruptions release iron-containing magma. So rather than talking about regenerating metals, we should talk about recycling metals.

Do we recycle as much – indeed all – the metal we discard?

The FT reports “The UK produces 10mn-11mn tonnes of scrap steel each year of which less than 3mn is recycled. The rest is exported as there is not enough demand from domestic steelmakers.” https://www.ft.com/content/1e273a6d-2683-419c-9567-91281df3c648 However as the UK switches from coal burning blast furnaces to green electric furnaces, which smelt 100% recycled steel, that demand will grow.

What about newer metals such as lithium, which we have only recently begun to exploit? Even if we did recycle all that we discard, growing demand for lithium still means more raw ore will be mined. Can this be sustained – and sustained in a way that does it exploit people nor damage their land and ecosystems?

“Q. How can I recycle my lithium-ion batteries?

You can take your used batteries to designated collection points such as local authorities, civic amenity sites, retailers, and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling sites that hold an ABTO license.” https://www.cellcycle.co.uk/a-guide-to-lithium-ion-battery-recycling-in-the-uk/