Yesterday, we highlighted two of the winners’ stories from our recent ‘How Green is Your Household’ internal competition, showing how committed many of our homeworkers are to protecting the environment and reducing their carbon footprint.
Here are two more. These are Victoria and Jasmine’s stories….
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“When I think about how green my home is I think about all the small things that make a difference.
We recycle our paper, plastic, glass and tins, we use reusable glass containers which we take to the fill station at our local supermarket for things like sugar, flour and rice.
We upcycle our old furniture instead of buying new to match our rooms. Furniture manufacturing is one of the planet’s biggest causes of greenhouse gas omissions so just simply painting old furniture can make such a difference.
I have chosen not to drive and I can’t justify the impact on my carbon footprint. And of course working from home has a huge benefit on our environment. Using smart meters to manage my energy consumption is not only saving money but lowering carbon footprints – every little thing adds up.
I am at heart an environmentalist. I believe education is worth its weight in gold, so during the first lockdown I started and ran a local wildlife group, the Rossendale Wildlife Group which now has over 2000 members. We share images of our amazing wildlife to educate people on why it is so important to care for the world we live in.
We work in conjunction with our local civic pride group to provide street cleaning services where volunteers pick up rubbish, maintain community gardens, install bird nesting boxes and much more. The group brings attention to environmental issues locally and on a global scale and we provide information for our members to do their bit for the world.
Wildlife photography is big part of my life capturing the amazing flora and fauna we have to inspire people to get out and about and see what they can see themselves. I am very lucky to live in a beautiful part of the country and I want it to stay beautiful.”
Victoria
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“I have actively been trying to live a more sustainable life and have made both small and big changes. I:
- Drive less and walk more
- Consciously consider purchases if they contain single use plastic and make sure to try and re-use packaging if I don’t have any other option
- Don’t buy plastic containers and opt for glass options, when out I make sure I always have my bamboo cutlery as well as reusable bags
- Make my own body soaps, creams and shampoos to help reduce the number of plastic bottles within our household and also gift this to friends and family
- Frequent beaches quiet often and also take my gloves and do a cleanup, this started when I once was on holiday and shocked at the litter, after filling up 2 bags very quickly I made it a habit to clean areas I visit
- Am part of a local community group where you can exchange and offer items you no longer need. I also post items I no longer need and offer them on to someone else who might (as this may save them purchasing new and stops an item reaching landfill so quickly)
- Have recently started growing my own vegetables, starting with tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, chillis and peppers
- As a rule of thumb I try really hard to follow this rule: reduce, reuse, recycle…. with each decision I make”
Jasmine