Counting On … – Page 44

Counting on … day 112

22nd May 2024

Some years ago, I took the decision not to fly and Paul has fallen in with this, even though he still regrets the places he may not now visit, and listens with a bit of envy when others tell of their latest overseas holiday.

What we do do is to travel by train, both here in the UK and across Europe – and have done for many years, both with all three children from when they were young, to now when it is just two of us. You can, from London, reach Berlin and the Swiss Alps within the day – alternatively there are now a growing number of sleep services across Europe.

Counting on … day 111

21st May 2024

We no longer have a car. The one we had received little use in recent years – its main function being to take Paul’s model railway to exhibitions. We had very much decided that the car was only there for when there was no alternative means of getting from A to B – a decision that became a habit. Being both non ULEZ and increasingly prone to developing faults, Paul finally took the offer of scrapage for the car.

Living in London we have the advantage of a good public transport network which gets us most places and if need be we can take a taxi. Most of day to day travel is on foot or by cycle.

Counting on … day 110

20th May 2024

Being as green as we can with energy includes not boiling more water than we need for drinks, turning off appliances and lights when not in use, replacing lightbulbs with LEDs, and opting for energy efficient appliances when buying new ones. In the garden we don’t use power tools – cutting the grass (infrequently) by hand. In the kitchen we have an electric stick blender which is a real boon but otherwise use hand powered tools for cooking such as balloon whisks and a hand cranked coffee grinder. Elbow grease is an undervalued source of energy! And there is also the energy saving component that comes from not buying the electrical item in the first place.

As previously mentioned, we are also able to save energy by showering less often, washing clothes – and therefore ironing – less often.

With cooking, we use primarily the hot plates and microwave, and when using the oven (usually bread making day) cook several items to maximise use the energy.

Further reading – https://greentau.org/2021/09/10/the-green-tau-issue-16/

Counting on … day 109

17th May 2024

When setting out to live a green lifestyle, energy features large – particularly energy with a large carbon footprint. When we had a lump sum on my husband’s retirement, we invested in solar panels, double glazing and cavity wall insulation which have all been worthwhile. Having solar panels encourages us to do the laundry when the sun is shining so that the power we generate directly powers the washing machine.

We also invested in two clean-burn woodburning stoves for winter warmth. These used wood we collected locally – pallets from skips and trees that have been cut down locally by a friendly tree surgeon (cutting them into short manageable sections). We have a shed where the wood can be dried and stored. One stove on its own can warm much of the living space in the house. However we are now reluctant to use them as current research suggests that the harmful particulates produced are significant.

We tend to keep the thermostat low (gas boiler) around 16-18C, and instead to wear extra layers, and use a small fan heater to heat one room rather than the house. We are currently planning to replace the boiler with an air to air heat pump. By cutting back on showers and using the kettle for washing water, we obviate the need to use the boiler for heating water – instead running the emersion for a weekly shower.

Further readings – https://greentau.org/2022/06/22/eco-tips-living-sustainably-with-electricity/

Counting On … day 108

16th May 2024

With dry summers and water shortages, we have cut back on our use of water. We boil water for dish washing – one kettle is sufficient per wash – as this saves drawing several kettle’s worth of water from the hot water cylinder to get to the hot water. We boil water likewise for a daily body wash and then only need to heat the hot water cylinder when we shower which we typically do once a week. Showering once a week doesn’t leave us smelly or dirty! Realising this, also makes us less likely to put clothes in the laundry basket after one or two uses (although my running shirt does need regular washing). Laundering less often again reduces water – and energy – consumption.

We collect dish washing water for use on the garden when the ground is dry. Hand washing water we collect and use to quickly flush the loo – using the cistern flush as necessary.

Rain water is collected for watering the garden and for keeping the pond topped up.

Although our water is metered we have yet to have a bill based on how much we use as opposed to an estimate!

Counting on … day 107

15th May 2024

Maintenance is linked to repair. Good maintenance reduces the need for emergency repairs.

The things we maintain most – now that we no longer have a car – are our bicycles. Cleaning, checking tyres and brakes, and twice a year a thorough service at the local cycle shop.

Waterproof coats and trousers, walking boots and shoes, all benefit from regular cleaning and rewaterproofing.

Counting on … day 106

14th May 2024

Repairing and mending things is another way in which we reduce the need to recycle and replace things. I darn socks and jumpers, patch worn pants and trousers, restitch seems and hems, cut worn sheets and resew them edges to the middle, patch old towels or reform them as hand towels, etc. One of the local repair cafes was able to repair a broken electric kettle, whilst glue, and self hardening putty have been used to mend broken China, worn recharging cables, pan lid handles etc.

Shoes get reheeled or resoled at the cobblers. We mend bike punctures, replace brake blocks etc.

Counting on … day 105

13th May 2024

We buy many things second hand – clothes, books and jigsaws – via our local charity shops. Buying second hand/ pre-loved is a good way of making best use of limited resources and cuts out recycling costs. (I could put my unwanted books in the paper recycling and buy new books printed on recycled paper but the better option is to use the loop offered by the charity shops to swop books with others. The same can be true for clothes etc). Charity/ second hand shops have also turned up surprises. When needing a new pan, one the exact right size turned up in Oxfam!

We also use second hand sources such as Music Magpie, eBay etc to buy mobile phones, a coffee kettle etc. Second hand/ pre-loved is a good way of making better use of valuable resources without damaging the environment.

Counting on … day 104

10th May 2024

Having said that we try to minimise waste, should what we recycle be seen as recycled waste? Flour and oats both come in large paper sacks. The sacks are single use which arguable might seem wasteful but they can be recycled. They are good for collecting all the other paper that goes out for recycling. Margerine comes in plastic tubs – again single use but recyclable.

One reason that our dustbin fills slowly is because we can recycle much of the ‘waste’ that comes into the house. We recycle paper and card, aluminium foil, tins, glass and standard plastics via the Council’s kerb side collection. We take soft plastics to the Coop for recycling, toothpaste tubes to Boots, medical blister packs to Superdrug. There is a recycling bin for small electrical goods at the library and for batteries at Robert Dyas.

Recycling is good and worth doing but it comes with its own consumption of resources and production of emissions. And we know that in reality many things that are labelled as recyclable are not recycled – often because they are not put into the appropriate recycling bin. Greater thought needs to be given by designers and producers to reduce what needs to be recycled and how often.

The aim becomes not consuming more than you need to consume, buying less and ensuring the best and most efficient use of what we do consume.

Counting on … day 103

9th May 2024

One of the main ways we minimise waste is through using refill services. Our milk, including oat milk, is delivered to the door in refilled glass bottles. Apple and Bees – a local health food shop – has a refill service for laundry and washing up liquids – whilst from The Source store in Richmond we buy most of our groceries – sugar, dried fruit, grains, yeast flakes, salt and spices, as well as items such as nut butters (ground/ processed direct into your jar) olive oil, tahini and tamari – all into the refillable jars/ bottles and bags that we bring from home. And our local cafe and coffee roastery has a refill service for coffee beans. This means that there is very little that we need to buy that comes with additional packaging – typically items such as vegan butter and margerine, tin tomatoes, tofu, miso and yeast extract.