Counting On … – Page 68

Counting on … day 1.143

18th June 2023

We can sometimes underestimate the cumulative effect of small steps. The Earth Overshoot Day website notes that If we move the date 6 days each year, humanity can be out of overshoot before 2050.

‘Halving our Ecological Footprint of clothing would move the date of Earth Overshoot Day 5 days …If we can double the lifetime use of our clothes, we can reduce the resource demand by half. Maintaining our existing wardrobe by buying pre-owned, repairing, and upcycling increases the lifespan of clothing.’ https://www.overshootday.org/portfolio/giving-clothing-a-longer-life/

Counting on … day 1.142

17th June 2023

Refill Day, Zero Waste, Plastic Free all link round the idea that we cannot afford to waste the earth’s resources. In the repairing and reliability are relevant. The following article comes from a recent article in the Guardian:-

Timpson bemoaned the fact that shoe repairs had not bounced back because of a surge in trainer wearing during the pandemic. The service has been in long-term decline because of competition from cheap footwear and the switch to more casual dressing. It now only makes up a “modest part” of the group’s trade. “Look at what people are wearing,” he said. “I was at a concert on Sunday and 100% people were wearing trainers or some sort of leisure shoe and they don’t get those repaired. The best part of the shoe repair business is people wearing really nice shoes to go the City and that’s still not back as it should be.” https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/11/timpson-group-dividend-lockdown-effect-recedes?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Why are we choosing to buy non repairable shoes?

Why do manufacturers design non repairable shoes?

Counting on … day 1.141

16th June 2023

Refill stores also supply dry goods for which you can take your own container or paper bags, or use the bags they provide. Goods available include spices (whole and ground), sugars and flours, rice, seeds, pulses, nuts, dried fruit, pasta, oats and other cereals, cocoa, etc.

Shopping in this way cuts down on most or all packaging and allows us to pursue the ideal of zero waste. Refill stores often stock unpackaged bars of soap, deodorant etc. They equally often sell zero plastic options such as copper wire pan scrubbers, bamboo tooth brushes, rubber gloves, wooden dish mops etc.

Counting on …. day 1.140

15th June 2023

Refill stores offer more than just refills of detergents. At the Source I regularly take jars and bottles to fill up with peanut butter, tahini, maple syrup, soy sauce, and olive oil. (I’m still hoping that this will extend to yeast extract!) And as previously mentioned, I can now buy coffee beans from a refill point at the local Artisan café.

Refilling reduces the cost – financial and ecological – of packaging. It is interesting to reflect in why we need packaging.

Counting on … day 1.139

14th June 2023

Milk and More are supply “Fill” laundry and washing liquids in return and refill bottles. There are an increasing number of shops that offer a refill service for soapy liquids for laundry, dishes and bodies – just take along an empty bottle to fill. Locally we have Apple and Bees in Sheen Lane and the Source Store in Richmond. And if it’s bikes you are cleaning, the London Cycle Workshop has a refill point for bike wash detergent.

Why not find out where or what are your local refill options?

Counting on … day 1.139

14th June 2023

Why not find out where your local refill outlets are?

Counting on … day 1.138

13th June 2023

From the Guardian – “Plastic bottled water is a scar on our society,” said David Hall, the UK managing director of Brita. “Plastic bottled water takes about five seconds to make, five minutes to use, and a staggering 500 years to break down in landfill. It’s one of the main culprits of the worldwide plastic pollution crisis.”

Using refilled glass bottles has to be a better solution. The delivery service, Milk and More, includes in its range of products still and sparkling bottled water in bottles that you return to be refilled. They also provide Belvour Farm ginger beer and non alcoholic peach Bellini, and Coca Cola Zero sugar, in return and refill bottles.

Counting on … day 1.137

12th June 2023

Compostable plates, cups and cutlery is a convenient option for parties, church events etc but disposal is a problem. They don’t go in the paper recycling – although they are similar to paper -but need to be composted at a commercial site where high, controlled temperatures can be maintained. Our garden compost heaps do not get hot enough for long enough.

For small scale applications, waste companies do offer a collection service eg First Mile provided bags and boxes for four separate (precooked) collections for £140 (say £35 per event) – https://www.thefirstmile.co.uk/online-waste-services/business-waste-and-recycling/return-and-recycle-bin-pack

Counting on … day 1.137

11th June 2023

Now and then something will make us stop and marvel.

On the window sill in the spare room we have a growing number of cacti, all the offspring of a large cactus that belonged to my grandmother.
As I walked past the door a waft of strongly perfumed scent alerted me that they were blooming. The larger ones may produce one or two blooms a year. They are short lived flowers but make up for that by their vibrancy of the pink petal, their elongated neck, and their overwhelming perfume.

Counting on … day 1.136

10th June 2023

Carry a keep-cup or re-usable coffee (or tea) cup and guard against the waste of single use cups. Whilst many cafes do serve their drinks in reusable, ceramic cups or glasses, others offs single use cups instead.

A typical single use cup requires 0.58 litres of water to produce and has a carbon footprint equivalent to up to 60.9 grammes of carbon dioxide ( https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/26/why-britains-25-billion-paper-coffee-cups-are-an-eco-disaster) and as few as 1 in 400 are actually recycled with most ending up,in landfill sites.

NB cups etc labelled as ‘compostable’ will not rot down in a garden compost bin – they need to be recycled via an industrial composting site.

Items labelled as biodegradable will break down but the process may take years and may leave a residue of harmful chemicals. (https://www.biffa.co.uk/biffablog/2021/january/recyclable-compostable-and-biodegradable-what-do-these-mean-for-our-planet)