Lifestyle – The Green Tau

Counting on 2026 …. Day 31

28th April

One bit of advertising that did influence me was a small booklet picked up in a Lush store about zero waste. That prompted me to steer our household towards a zero waste lifestyle – and gave me an aversion to plastic. I will routinely not purchase a product – greetings card, pen, sandwich, chocolate bar, packet of biscuits, etc – if it comes wrapped in plastic. Sometimes I do have to give way – eg screws that tend to come in plastic packs. But my general aim of avoiding plastic does change the way I shop and consume things. I will pay more for the unpackaged item.

Read more about our household approach to zero waste – https://greentau.org/2026/04/27/zero-waste/

Zero Waste

27th January 2022 Reposted 27th April 2026

“One summer we set ourselves a zero waste challenge – we would try and live

for two weeks without producing any waste – i.e. nothing that goes into the dustbin. Whether it be food stuffs we used in the kitchen, cleaning materials around the house or tubes of toothpaste, the aim was to only use things that do not produce any non-recyclable waste. No bought bread unless the bag it came in could be recycled; no pre-packed fruit and vegetables unless all the packaging – including the film around the recyclable plastic box could be recycled – no mouthwash unless all the packaging including the plastic wrapper around the lid could be recycled.

In preparation we had reviewed how many things we bought were packaged and what things usually went into our dustbin. Some things that were not waste free we decided we could do without for a couple of weeks. For things we did want we hunted for alternatives. The latter in itself proved a rewarding experience.

Tea whether bags or loose, often comes with an inner plastic wrapper. Seeking alternatives sources of tea we came across a tea shop, My Cup of Tea, where without blinking an eyelid, they weighed out the tea and tip it into our tea caddy. A number of coffee roasters are similarly happy to pour their beans into our tin. Each time there is an interesting conversation about waste free living. (It has been one harder to source coffee beans in this way).

Where we couldn’t find a waste free alternative, we learnt to make our own. Pasta almost invariably comes in plastic or plastic-lined packaging, so had fun we brushing up our pasta making skills. (We can now buy packaging free UK sourced pasta from a local refill shop).

Week one and our un-recyclable waste was limited to: the plastic seal from under the milk bottle top, a blister packs from medication, a sticking plaster, the plastic film from a pack of pate, several mars bar wrappers, the plastic seal from a jar of instant coffee, a plastic envelope from a greeting card, and a plastic lined bag for coffee beans. (Our milk – dairy and oat – now comes in refillable bottles delivered to the door).

To achieve this level of zero waste we had had to make compromises on other principles. Whilst supermarkets do sell some loose fruit and vegetables, their organic produce is nearly always is pre-packed in plastic. Whole Food sells loose nuts, dried fruits, grains and pulses but not from fair trade sources. (Our vegetables now come from Riverford Farm in a recycled box. Nuts and dried fruit come from the refill shop, but I buy Palestinian dates from Oxfam which do have some plastic packaging).

The zero waste experiment prompted us to look at the life cycle of daily objects such as toothbrushes which routinely go into landfill. We bought bamboo ones which can be composted. It is made us think about the costs of recyclable waste. Is the single use of a bottle that will then be recycled – taken by lorry to a separating plant and the possibly shipped across to Asia for reprocessing before being made into a new container – really good for the environment? Should we instead look for reusable packaging? A durable bottle filled from the tap instead of a plastic bottle of water from the shop, a washing up liquid bottle that can be refilled, refillable ink cartridges, a fountain pens…..?”

The above is a reflection of my family’s experiment with zero waste some four years ago. It is interesting to note that some of the things that were going into our refuse bin then, we would now recycle. Blister packs for pills go to the recycling collection point at Superdrug, and the plastic film and wrappers now go to the soft plastic recycling point at Waitrose. Only the sticking plaster would still go into the refuse bin.

More important has been how the experiment changed the way shopped. We discovered that with the zero waste experiment, not only did we put less in our refuse bin, but we also put less in our recycling bins too. We had been actively looking for unpackaged goods, and that mindset continues with us today.

All packaging incurs a cost financially and with respect to the environment, and a further cost when it is either thrown away as refuse or is recycled as new sources of raw material. Consuming less packaging is almost invariably a good thing!

Tips for swopping to a zero waste lifestyle:-

Make a commitment to trying the zero waste approach for a fixed short term period.
Plan for the time period in advance: Do a survey of your refuse bin: what things are you routinely throwing away?
What things might you have to do without for your agreed fortnight/ month?
What alternatives could you buy instead? Check out local markets and smaller independent shops – often they are are more flexible in what they expect of customers.
Search for local bulk stores – also known as refill stores – where you decant from large dispensers the ingredients you want to buy, filling up your own containers or paper bags etc. The range of items on sale is quite surprising, from powder turmeric to pasta, from olive oil to chick peas, from oats to cocoa nibs, from ground almonds to hair shampoo.
Ready made foods often have more packaging to protect them in their finished status: could you buy the raw ingredients with less packaging and make your own? Have a go at making your own biscuits, bread, pastry etc?
Buying in bulk may reduce the proportionate amount of packaging. I bake bread and buy flour in 6kg sacks. A 500ml pot of yogurt has less packaging than 4 individual tubs – or make your own in reusable glass jars.
Fruit and vegetable box schemes often use minimal packaging.
Change your mind set: if you normally reach for plastic snack bar to keep you going, get the habit of having a banana or a handful of nuts instead. If you need a packed lunch, make a sandwich to take or buy a bread roll rather than opting for the plastic-packed ready made sandwich. If you’re going out for an ice-cream look for one that is served fresh in a cornet rather than one that’s pre-packed in plastic. Develop an aversion for crisps and individually packed biscuits.
And if you feel that something you buy is over packaged, send the packaging back to the manufacturer with a query about its necessity.

These tips focus primarily on food, but the same issues apply to other things too – roles of sticky tape and sticks of glue that come in plastic packaging; paper, cards and note books wrapped in plastic; pants and socks in individual plastic bags etc.

Advocates of zero waste lifestyles are often as keenly focused on following a plastic free lifestyle too. Friends of the Earth have list of ideas to change to a zero plastic waste lifestyle – https://friendsoftheearth.uk/plastics/living-without-plastic

Counting on 2026 …. Day 30

27th April

Thinking more about greenwashing, in my twenties I used to subscribe to magazines such a Good Housekeeping and Country Living. After some years I realised that they were selling me an unachievable and unsustainable lifestyle. I stopped subscribing and was no longer sucked into the consumerist trap they represented.

I now subscribe to the Ethical Consumer!

Green Tau: issue 98

Walking the Talk

24th November 2024

A few weeks ago, whilst I and others were holding our weekly Earth Vigil outside Parliament, a passerby stopped to quiz us. In transpired that he was not interested in the wellbeing of the environment and rather wanted to justify his position by proving that we were hypocrites.

His line was that we could not be taken seriously in calling for a rescinding of the Rosebank licence whilst possessing shoes, clothes, rucksacks etc made from plastics/ ie oil. He would not listen to our response that we were constrained by what one could buy in a world that is still heavily embedded in using oil. Even as our economies transitions away from oil, it is still going to take a while before sufficient alternatives take over from plastic. As one person interjected, “When Edison was designing the lightbulb he had to rely on candle light!” (Or possibly gas).

But what really incensed me was that I do try and do everything I can to live ecologically. I wear second hand clothes, darn my socks, patch my rucksack and my trainers, shop at a refill shop, avoid buying anything in a plastic wrapper, don’t fly, eat a vegan diet that includes wonky and unwanted fruit and vegetables, source beans and pulses grown in the UK. And flour for my bread is milled in a proper windmill in Cambridgeshire!

I do do all I can to walk the talk!

And it’s not easy especially when you feel your are a minority of one. When we are away from our normal locality – and especially so when on holiday in Switzerland (we go by train) – it feels as if everyone else is saying, why are you so awkward? What difference can it make whether or not you eat a little cheese, eat a cake made with butter, an ice cream made with milk? Will eating a croissant make any difference to the world?

When I stay with family and they make a special dish just for me, I feel I awkward and think I must seem very pedantic.

Or when others are discussing their past and future holidays, a quick (and let’s agree in the present tax regime, cheap) flight to Italy/ Turkey/Spain, or a leisurely holiday exploring Japan, Korea and Malaysia, or a winter trip to sunny Oz. Am I grouch or a kill joy because I won’t fly? And this is where I do feel guilty: am I being really selfish as I know my husband would love for us to travel the world?

So why is it important to tread this lonely path?

Firstly because unless someone starts, no one will ever start. I maybe the first not to fly amongst our friends but hopefully I won’t be the last.

Secondly because the more people take these steps the easier it will be for other to follow. If I always ask for a vegan cake when I’m buying a coffee, then hopefully in a few years time, vegan cakes will be the norm on cafes. Plant based milks are pretty much standard nowadays! (But why then current trend of charging extra?)

Thirdly because the more people are seen to be travelling by train not plane, or eating humous not cheese, or carrying a keep cup rather than using a single use throw away cup, the more normal such behaviour becomes.

Fourth as such patterns of behaviour become normalised – even popular – so businesses and governments will change their thinking.

Fifthly because eventually the world could change for the better!

Yet I am not hopeful that any of this will happen fast enough to prevent the huge catastrophe that the climate crisis is forming. And that makes it a very hard path to tread. I am making life awkward for myself and my husband and my friends and family with only a very small chance that it will make life better for them. But equally I know that not trying would be even more hurtful.

And finally, yes I do it because it makes me feel just a little bit better; that I am at least doing something rather than nothing.

Counting on day 220

22nd November 2024

Whilst the Prime Minister said that the new NDC target would not impact daily life, we will have to make adjustments – but these need not necessarily be uncomfortable, or expensive or impractical adjustments. We will be important parts of the process of change; we will need to count on ourselves and each other in making them.

Here is an interesting thought about making repairs: “There is the planet to consider. The sociologist Pierre Bourdieu might have considered mending my socks to be an act of resistance against the culture of fast-moving consumer goods; the environmental catastrophe of high capitalism” (1)

(1) https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/04/in-finding-beauty-in-the-broken-we-can-form-a-bridge-between-the-mundane-and-the-divine?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Counting on … day 201

28th October 2024

From the foreword to Ethical Consumer’s ‘Closing the Gap 2024’, “This report acknowledges the millions of small changes individuals are making which collectively yield bigger benefits. That can be tweaks to your diet or transport choices, reducing food waste or changing how you heat your home – there’s a cumulative power of many small actions!

“Another small action lies in the power we all hold to ask companies about their climate obligations. And if you’re not satisfied with their answers, you have the power to take your customers elsewhere.”

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/sites/default/files/media-file/2024-10/Climate-Gap-2024 -report-Ethical-Consumer-2.pdf

Proper 16, 13th Sunday after Trinity

25th August 2024

Reflection with readings below

Many fashion chains that originally began by selling women’s clothes, have gone on to sell men’s and children’s wear, and household goods. They aim to sell you a whole Life Style look. You can be a Next household, an M and S household, a Zara household. Next month Oxfam has its Second Hand September promotion, so maybe you could also be a second hand household – now there’s a challenge that could reduce our environmental footprint.

When I was church warden I worked through the Ecclesiastical Insurance health and safety proforma to create a health and safety policy for our church. The policy focused on the simple principle of accessing and then mitigating risks. It is an approach that has become for me second nature: I need a jar a from the top shelf. Can the stool take my weight? Is the floor flat and the stool stable? Is there a support I can hold into? Risks assessed and minimised: jar safely retrieved.

What else can shape our lifestyle choices? Our politics. Our culture. Our religious faith.
So it is in the first of today’s readings we hear Joshua asking the people if they will choose to follow the God of Israel. This has to be a very clear and definite choice. To follow the God of Israel has to be an absolute commitment – a surrendering of all aspects of their lifestyle choices to that one God. There is no option for a ‘yes but also’ approach, no option for a ‘pick and mix’ approach. On the other hand it is a commitment that is undergirded by their experience that God is the God who cares for them, stands by and protects them.

Jesus is laying out the same challenge, the same invitation in his address to the people in the synagogue. But it is an invitation that offers an even deeper connection with God. It is not just to live a life absolutely committed to do things God’s way, but to live a life in which one internalises God, in which you live eat and breathe God through Jesus, the living – the eternal – word of God.

If we live, breathe and ‘eat’ Jesus, then our lives – our lifestyle – will be shaped completely by that relationship. But that is not to say that we won’t be challenged by alternative or competing choices – by rulers, authorities and cosmic forces as the letter to the Ephesians describes them. We might talk about these distractions as the lure of money, of popularity, of fashion, or as feelings of failure, inadequacy or despondency. Prayer, study, worship, learning, community and fellowship, are in opposition to these, all important ways of maintaining a visceral relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

From psalm 86: 11 “Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; knit my heart to you, that I may fear your name.”

Post script – I write about what I believe to be true but I find it hard to act upon it.

Joshua 24:1-2a,14-18

Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel:

“Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

Psalm 34:15-22

15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, *
and his ears are open to their cry.

16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, *
to root out the remembrance of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears them *
and delivers them from all their troubles.

18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted *
and will save those whose spirits are crushed.

19 Many are the troubles of the righteous, *
but the Lord will deliver him out of them all.

20 He will keep safe all his bones; *
not one of them shall be broken.

21 Evil shall slay the wicked, *
and those who hate the righteous will be punished.

22 The Lord ransoms the life of his servants, *
and none will be punished who trust in him.

Ephesians 6:10-20

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

John 6:56-69

Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.”

Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Counting on … day 1.211

8th November 2023

Repairability and maintainability of things we buy and own is an important part of sustainability. I have previously commented on repairing and mending things around the home – https://greentau.org/tag/repairs/ – and on regular bike maintenance – https://greentau.org/2022/09/03/counting-on-day-298/ Maintenance also includes regularly cleaning shoes, re waterproofing coats, emptying and cleaning vacuum cleaners, servicing boilers etc.

Maintenance may also include reviewing our lives, our daily habits, to check that they still align with our faith values.

Counting on … day 1.106

20th April 2023

Regret

Honest awareness of what is happening in the world may prompt us to consider the part we have been or are playing, and to reassess our response.

Far away and near at hand

The floods were far away

Now there near at hand.

How long before I wet my feet

and take a stand?

The heat was far away.

Now it’s close to home.

How long before I own the fact

and finally begin to act?

Hurricanes were tropical.

Now they’re topical.

How long before I feel my guilt

and understand the world we’ve built?

Our climate is changing –

Far away and near at hand.

Holy God, redeem our failings

and strengthen our resolve:

far away and near at hand.

How long O Lord?

How many heat waves?

How many droughts?

How many floods?

How many lost coast lines?

How many before we admit our error?

Before we recognise the crisis?

How many lost penguins?

How many missing polar bears?

How many extinct butterflies?

How many disappearing swifts?

How many before we admit our error?

Before we recognise the crisis?

How many car journeys?

How many air miles?

How many beef steaks?

How many tonnes of cement?

How many before we admit our error?

Before we recognise the crisis?

Creator God, we admit our error

and recognise the crises we have caused.

Grant us the wisdom and determination to make amends:

To change the way we live,

To change the way we see things,

To have care for the future. Amen.

What can you do about the climate crisis?

17th November 2022

People often comment, ‘I am concerned about the climate crisis but I don’t know what to do!’

There is a whole range of things we can do, from at one end changing our lifestyle, right through to making acts of civil disobedience at the other. To say this is a range is not to say it is a progression and that having started with changes to lifestyle one must then progress down the line to acts of civil disobedience. Nor is it to say that either end of the range is better or more worthwhile. However from the viewpoint of integrity one hopes that those who engage in campaigning and actions are also prepared to adapt their lifestyles.

Within each type of activity there will again be a range of responses. People choosing to change their diet for example may choose to have a meat free day each week or to become fully vegan.

What is the purpose of doing something?

It is to minimise, halt or reverse the adverse effects we humans have on the environment and to help, support or improve, the lives of others (both human and non-human) who are adversely and/or unfairly affected by the crisis.

What can we do?

Change our lifestyle to reduce the impact of our footprint on the earth and its impact on the lives of others.

Whilst it may feel that changing one person’s lifestyle will not make a difference, it does. Each person who makes the change shows that change is possible. This will encourage others to follow suit. And each person making these changes is creating a new – climate friendly – normal. We will only get to net zero when everyone has made changes to their lifestyle and the sooner we started the better.

*Switch to a green energy supplier; reduce energy consumption by turning off appliances, turning down thermostats, using economy programmes, adding home insulation etc. For more info: https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/energy/green-suppliers-energy-crisis-rising-energy-costs

Swop to a largely plant based diet – a plant based diet can reduce your carbon footprint by at least 60%; opt for local, organic, fair trade and animal friendly foods; minimise food waste – https://greentau.org/2021/08/09/eco-tips-4/

Opt for active travel (walking and cycling) and public transport in preference to driving; avoid flying – sign the Flight Free Pledge https://flightfree.co.uk/

Reuse, repair, recycle; minimise single use items; buy good quality long life products – The Ethical Consumer has helpful guides; buy second hand; borrow or hire for occasional use. Don’t buy what you don’t need – enjoy what you have!

Avoid waste by seeking out zero waste options for what you use in and around your home – eg milk that comes in refillable glass bottles, loose fruit and veg, various (numerous) groceries you can get from refill shops, from pasta to raisins, coffee beans to spices. Carry a keep cup for take away drinks and a bottle for water refills.

Green your finances – use banks, insurance and pension providers etc that take an ethical and environmentally responsible approach to their investments – https://makemymoneymatter.co.uk/

* Re wild part of your garden; plant trees or hedges; plant insect friendly plants; install a water butt, a compost heap and maybe a pond.

Support B-corps – companies that undertake to do that bit more for the environment and for society. Avoid supporting companies that disregard the environment, don’t pay all their taxes, and/ or don’t pay their staff a fair or living wage.

Support environmental charities financially and/ or as a volunteer. Support social well being charities.

Read up on climate science, and on the ways and benefits of adapting our lifestyles.

* Find a like minded group of friends for encouragement; set up a green group in your church; join Green Christian.

Campaign for change.

Whilst individuals can make significant changes to their lifestyle, there are somethings they personally cannot change. As an individual you cannot change the tax system that doesn’t tax aviation fuel. As an individual you cannot implement a subsidy scheme that would make public transport cheaper than private car travel. As an individual you cannot change legislation that discourages the building of on-shore wind turbines and solar farms. As an individual you cannot require all local councils to adopt a common recycling policy. And the list goes on – as an individual you might wish to see an expansion of nature reserves, of rewilding landscapes, of implementing nature based flood defences, of ensuring all homes and commercial premises are adequately insulated against extremes of temperature, the provision of safe cycle routes through and between all urban areas, an end to the discharging of sewage into seas and rivers, curbs on industrial farming and fishing etc.

Where we can’t effect changes as an individual, we may find we can as a group – the more people in the group, the stronger their collective voice. As individuals we can address issues of climate, biodiversity and social justice in various ways.

Becoming an active supporter of an action group
Donating to support an action group.
Signing petitions addressed to local and central government, to big business and to multi nationals.
Writing individually to lobby MPs, local councillors, business leaders etc.
Joining organised marches and demonstrations.

As with changing lifestyle, read up on climate science and what changes we can make as a society to safeguard the environment and protect lives.

Non-violent direct action

Martin Luther King Jr wrote that the goal of non-violent direct action was to “create such a crisis and foster such a tension” as to demand a response. Non-violent direct action has come to the fore in climate issues because of the lack of response from, in particular, the government and the oil industry.

Non-violent direct action may include sit-ins, strikes, blocking roads, climbing onto significant structures, and boycotts. It may extend to include damaging property such as graffiti, breaking windows or letting down car tyres. Often these acts of civil disobedience may be classed as criminal acts (and probably increasingly so as the government introduces stricter laws limiting the right to protest) but in court protestors can present the arguments to the judge and jury that there is a legal defence can be made, justifying such action. Other non-violent direct actions, such as strikes and vigils, are lawful.

In terms of the climate crisis, non-violent direct action is being used to demand a response from government, from the oil industry, from banks and financial institutions, from churches (asking them to divest from fossil fuels*), from charities (asking the National Trust to bank with somewhere other than Barclays) to actions that target consumerist products such as private jets and SUVs. (2024 – all but two C of E dioceses have now divested showing that activism is effective).

Within groups that engage in non-violent direct action, there will be different roles for people – some of which will involve the risk of being arrested, whilst others will not.

Climate action groups also focus on educating and informing the wider society about the issues and how they can be addressed, with the hope of increasing the number of supporters. The greater the number of supporters, the louder their voice will be.

Read up on the climate science and what changes we can make as a society to safeguard the environment and protect lives. Be informed about how government, local councils, and businesses work – and the media. Join a group for support and so that your voice becomes part of a greater whole. It is especially important that if you are considering putting yourself in a position where you might be arrested that you fully understand what that entails and are sure that you can cope with the consequences. It is really important to be part of a group that offers advise, training and support. Christian Climate Action would be one such group – https://christianclimateaction.org/

A discussion on Non-Violent Direct Action – Green Christian Workshop

Welcome