Waste

Heather Gorringe
Wiggly Wigglers

I feel guilty. There we are, I've said it. It’s flying that’s really done it. Having had the opportunity (and in some cases the necessity) to fly more this year than usual, I am left feeling uncomfortable, and thinking hard about how to adapt and make a positive difference to my carbon footprint. In fact, I suspect many of us are struggling with how to modify our behaviour and do our bit to reduce the speed of Climate Change. 

I hate being told what to do (as do most of us) and so its up to us to find a balance where we can live life to the full with minimum negative impact. So far we have improved three aspects of daily life here at Lower Blakemere Farm.

1. I have altered my family's diet.
Did you know that as a nation we actually throw away about 50% of the food that we buy. Add that waste to the fact that as a nation we are overeating by between 10 and 30% and you get to realise that the excuse that we cant afford to buy fresh meat and vegetables produced locally is literally rubbish!

I had definitely been conditioned to think that packaged foods, takeaways and chocolate were treats! Madness for me and my family. Looking back I cannot believe that I gave my 10 year old son regular crisps and coke regularly. I actually thought that it wasn't fair to deny him these foods (!)if I was trying to eat more and more fresh foods as part of my diet!

2. I compost all my kitchen waste

I think we all agree there is a critical need to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill. Many of us recycle our bottles and cans but if you are still throwing away any organic waste - maybe its time for a rethink. There are now  practical solutions to deal with all types of household organic waste - from fish skins through to grass cuttings; and paper waste through to dog hair. As over 30% of the waste we produce is compostable imagine the difference we could make to take all that of the waste stream.

For kitchen waste there are two methods which I use here to compost kitchen waste - Worms (of course) and EM's (Effective microOrganisms). Between them I produce my own liquid plant feed and worm casts (fertiliser), as well as my own natural drain cleaner. Mt Can-O-Worms composts all our regularly produced leftovers and paper waste and the Ems (Bokashi Bins) are used when we have a glut of waste or really challenging waste like fish skin etc.

3. I have planted a native hedge in the garden.

You often hear about carbon offsetting..You'll hear about the popstar who paid for a forest to be planted to offset their daily flight in a private jet(!) Whatever the politics of this particular idea, if you want to make a major difference on a personal, local and global scale - plant a native hedge in your garden. Your hedge is one of the most constructive things you can do to help your garden's wildlife. It will provide flowers in the Spring, with nectar and pollen for bees and butterflies, fruits in the autumn for thrushes and blackbirds, shelter for nesting and hibernation for a whole range of creatures throughout the year. On top of all these benefits for you and your garden of course they also soak up CO2.

I doubt these changes have managed to offset all my carbon emissions from flying, but small changes do add up.

My New Years Resolution is:  Reduce comes first! Recycling is a last resort- it doesn’t compensate for unnecessary consumerism or packaging.

I would like to hear about the beneficial changes you are making and the impact they have had. Please comment on my blog at
wigglywigglers.blogspot.com

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