I'm dreaming of a green Christmas...

(Terrible title  I know, but I simply couldn't resist and it fits!)

So we find ourselves in December, which of course heralds the time of sharing and goodwill. And yet, Christmas is possibly the worst time of year for staying ethical, eco-friendly and non-consumerist. We are, needlessly, expected to post hundreds of cards out to people which will end up in the bin (or hopefully in recycling) in a month's time, we use metres of wrapping paper which usually stay on the presents for a matter of days before being ripped beyond any kind of future use and discarded (and wrapping paper can't be recycled, which is even worse!) and of course we buy all matter of presents for friends and family simply because we are expected to, usually things they do not even need or want. Christmas is the epitome of wasteful consumerism, ensuring the continuation of corporate businesses' rule and the suffering of the planet and its less well off people. And climate change fits into this, with all that waste and the holidays, many people travell distances great and small to visit their families. I am sure our carbon footprints are much bigger at this time of year.

However, despite the world of doom I have just described, I am no Scrooge! I love Christmas just as much as the next person, even if I am wholly against the existence of Christmas trees in November. And it is a brilliant time of year for charities as people are far more generous and considerate.  I just wanted to highlight that humanity's issues often come to a head at Christmas, and it is possible that nature and people suffer more as a result. We should not forget this (though if you have been at the mulled wine, I fully understand!). Also we can still try to be ethical and green at Christmas. We can still reduce our negative impact and show corporate unethical business this is not the direction we should be travelling in. Every action we take, however small, can make a difference. So please consider making this year's Christmas a much fairer and greener one.

I shall be, if you will, your green Christmas fairy and guide you to a greener Christmas shopping experience which will not just benefit you, family and friends but the world too! So please read on.

Oxfam

Oxfam have many ethical and eco-friendly gifts to choose from. They have a wide range of presents from fashion to experience days at a wide range of prices. Also, which I think is brilliant, you can give an 'Oxfam Unwrapped' gift to some one who is less well off as a Christmas present for your friend or relative. So you could buy a chicken for a poor family or a water pump. A perfect present for that person who already has everything and also cares for the less fortunate. I would be much happier knowing money is going towards helping people than receiving another random stuffed toy that I definitely have no use for (I'm not bitter at all). As a  member of Oxfam, (technically I am an employee) I encourage you to do all your shopping at Oxfam! But, if not, check out the great shops below.

The Eden Project

The Eden Project also has a great online shop with many great gifts to choose from. If you have food and drink lovers to buy for (well mostly drink, I'll be honest) this is the perfect place. They have a wide range of alcohols to choose from, mostly brewed by local sustainable breweries in Cornwall. As a student in Cornwall I practically live off Cornish Rattler, so I highly recommend it. The Eden Project are very keen to promote sustainable and organic plant growing so it is also a great place to get gifts for any keen gardeners you know.     Need new Christmas decorations? Check out their Christmas flowers. They also provide a brilliant alternative to the evil that is wrapping paper. You can order personalised, decorative reusable jute gift bags to go with your Christmas gift which are much nicer, more useful and less wasteful than wrapping paper. They also have a lot of toys and books for kids. My favourite is a den making kit for children, I would have loved that as a kid! You can also "offset" the greenhouse emissions caused by the delivery by donating (and gift aiding) to the Eden Project's Climate Fund.

Lush

I absolutely love Lush products (hint, hint ... though no bars of soap!) They sell  handmade fresh cosmetics which are all ethically made, eco-friendly and include no nasty chemicals. They  smell amazing! The best shampoo I have ever used comes from Lush (it's called I Love Juicy). Also Lush campaign against animal testing and the use of plastic bags as well as donating to charity. It's the perfect place to buy green presents, you should be able to find something for everyone. They even have vegan products. There is a wide variety of gift sets to choose from and they have Christmas scented products too. Lush is probably the only cosmetics shop I can get all girly and excited about, which says a lot! Lush is a high street store so you don't necessarily have to shop online, I recommend you go and check it out. 

Ethical Superstore

As the name suggests they basically have everything you can think of (and more) and it is all eco-friendly, ethical and fair trade. They also have a Christmas gift guide and a wide range of presents, whatever your budget. So you should be able to find a green Christmas present here, if the sites above have not helped!

So there we go, I hope that has helped and I hope I have persuaded you to have a greener Christmas this year! If I discover any more great places for green shopping, I will let you know. And if you have any tips on staying green this Christmas, please let me know, it would be great to hear from you.

And finally, don't do any shopping at Waitrose this Christmas. They claim to be a company that follows ethical and sustainable values yet they have gone into partnership with Shell. This completely contradicts their promises to their customers. Shell plan to exploit the Arctic for unsustainable fossil fuels which is likely to cause harm to people and wildlife alike as well as contributing to climate change. Waitrose is very naive if they believe Shell will not harm the environment. Let them know this is unacceptable by telling them to dump Shell.

Merry Christmas!

Cultural Implications of Climate Change

Check out this interesting article from my university website (below). It highlights the importance of being aware of all possible impacts of anthropogenic climate change and maybe changing our approach.

Cultural dimensions of climate change are underestimated, overlooked and misunderstood

The impact of climate change on many aspects of cultural life for people all over the world is not being sufficiently accounted for by scientists and policy-makers. University of Exeter-led research by an international team shows that cultural factors are key to making climate change real to people and to motivating their responses.

The impact of climate change on many aspects of cultural life for people all over the world is not being sufficiently accounted for by scientists and policy-makers. Experts at the University of Exeter led an international team in a study which shows that cultural factors are key to making climate change real to people and to motivating their responses.

From enjoying beaches or winter sports and visiting iconic natural spaces to using traditional methods of agriculture and construction in our daily lives, the research highlights the cultural experiences that bind our communities and are under threat as a result of climate change. The paper argues that governments’ programmes for dealing with the consequences of climate change do not give enough consideration to what really matters to individuals and communities.

Culture binds people together and helps them overcome threats to their environments and livelihoods. Some are already experiencing such threats and profound changes to their lives. For example, the Polynesian Island of Niue, which experiences cyclones, has a population of 1,500 with four times as many Niueans now living in New Zealand. The research shows that most people remaining on the island resist migrating because of a strong attachment to the island. There is strong evidence to suggest that it is important for people’s emotional well-being to have control over whether and where they move. The researchers argue that these psychological factors have not been addressed.

Lead researcher Professor Neil Adger, of the University of Exeter's Geography department, said: “Governments have not yet addressed the cultural losses we are all facing as a result of global climate change and this could have catastrophic consequences. If the cultural dimensions of climate change continue to be ignored, it is likely that responses will fail to be effective because they simply do not connect with what matters to individuals and communities. It is vital that the cultural impact of climate change is considered, alongside plans to adapt our physical spaces to the changing environment.”

Professor Katrina Brown, from the University of Exeter’s Environment and Sustainability Institute at the Cornwall Campus, adds: “The evidence is clear; when people experience the impacts of climate change in places that matter to them, the problems become real and they are motivated to make their futures more sustainable. This is as true in coastal Cornwall as in Pacific Islands.”

This work was funded by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, UK Economic and Social Research Council (K Brown Professorial Fellowship) and the Australian Government through CSIRO Adaptation Flagship and Australian Research Council.

Date: 9 November 2012

Source: University of Exeter website, Featured News 

I have not really thought about the cultural implications of climate change in much detail before. I always felt they were of course an issue, however, other seemingly more serious affects always take up more of my consideration which is evidently what has happened with scientists and policy-makers. For example, the threats of death, starvation, famine, economic recession, to name but a few. I think the key point has been made here that the protection of unique ways of life need to be considered further and methods of adapting to change developed that also protect the culture of people's individual lives. Imagine the culture that makes up your life and society, the skills you have developed to exist in this society, the hobbies and places you enjoy, were all taken from you or made irrelevant because climate change had rendered them impossible? How can people easily adapt to this psychologically as well as physically? Wouldn't you find it to difficult to accept that this was happening and that those causing climate change hadn't even considered it?  Global warming will not just affect the earth's climate but our own personal climates that make up our lives and identities. It is unlikely that our lives will go untouched and, for me, adapting our lives to combat climate change and other environmental problems seems far more preferable to losing everything we hold dear.

Vital questions here we can consider. What do you think?

It's time we opened our eyes...

Here are some interesting images that really got me thinking, I hope they get you thinking too.

Consumerism - are we not just needlessly damaging our world, its people and it animals with this way of thinking?

We can make a difference if we work together

The U.S.A. leads the way in many aspects of Western culture, let's not follow its extreme consumerism

I know which one I'd rather be, how about you?

Perhaps it's time to work with nature and not against it before time runs out?

Can we not see the foolishness ad selfishness of our arguments against clean power? I personally think wind turbines are very attractive and quite serene in their own way

It's time we stopped being so naive, wouldn't you agree? 

How can one species cause so much destruction? 

The Climate Paradox. I already knew some of the issues this video depicts. However, I was mainly shocked and horrified. How are these actions justified in any way?

The Climate Paradox from Watson Institute on Vimeo.

And, finally, a wonderful quote that I discovered on the internet which I think people need to remember (no idea who came up with, please let me know if you do!)

"We often forget that WE ARE NATURE. Nature is not something separate from us. So when we say we have lost our connection with nature, we've lost our connection with ourselves."

Going Green Update #1

Here is my first update on my attempts to be eco-friendly!

Firstly, I have made a vow to myself to not buy any more clothes for the next year (and longer if possible). I have plenty of clothes (my wardrobe has considerably grown since starting uni!) and many have been hardly worn even though I still like them. When I do buy clothes it's just because I think I have to have them because they look so nice and to satisfy the ridiculous desire of society to constantly have new things. By doing this I am contributing to the mass consumerist society which is a big factor in the exploitation of the environment. This is something that we need to stop. It is just wasting the world's limited resources and following consumerist ways doesn't make me (or you) any happier or any more satisfied. In fact it just increases our dissatisfaction with our lives and makes us more stressed. So what is the point to following this rat race? If we all did the small thing of cutting down on the amount of clothes we buy it would make a big difference and show corporate companies and government that consumerism and exploitation are not the way society should be run.

So from now on I will try to limit myself to buying absolute essentials, pre-owned clothes or clothes from eco-friendly sources (and perhaps the odd dress or two for going out). A great place to get good quality pre-owned clothes from is ASOS Marketplace. Check it out and join me in trying a greener approach to buying clothes!

Secondly, I shall attempt to spend less time on the internet. This will be much more difficult! We all do it, sitting on the internet procrastinating from things we should be doing, looking up Youtube videos that are just so funny that we don't even change our facial expressions, and hunting down pictures of cats doing bizarre and cute things that our own cats never seem to do. This addiction to the internet uses excess electricity and therefore produces more greenhouse gas emissions. I intend to spend less of my spare time on the internet and more time doing productive things such as reading and drawing. Go on join me, next time you're staring gormlessly at a meme, shut down your laptop and read a book!

On a different topic, check out this article 'This 17-Second Video Explains Why the Political Media is Failing Us on Climate Change' . Anthropogenic climate change is a worldwide problem that will negatively impact everyone, yet it's still treated by politicians as a slightly irritating issue. For example, they compare it with rising petrol prices.  If we do not take rapid action soon, I'm pretty sure petrol prices are going to be the last thing we worry about!

Let me know what you think, I would love to get some debates going!

KillTheTrade

WWF are doing a campaign to stop poaching and wildlife trade of some of the most unique, beautiful, charismatic and intelligent animals in the world.

So far this year around 430 rhinos have been killed in South Africa. Thousands of elephants are killed just for their ivory. This could never be a justifiable reason for them to die. There are only as little as 3,200 wild tigers left. These are unacceptable facts that are only going to get worse if government action isn't taken. Please show your support and help WWF.

Show your support on Twitter or Facebook here

Find out more here

Turn off the lights when you leave the room, how would you like it if someone turned you on and then left?

Perhaps, not the most original, awe-inspiring blog post title but it makes me laugh.

I'm back (and welcome to my first follower, Annie, thanks for following me!)

Sorry for the lack of activity lately, I've been busy coming back to uni and getting back into the flow of things. Also, I've had no internet at home until now so it has been difficult to keep up with my many internet pursuits. Which is a good thing really as it means I've used far less electricity in the past few weeks. However, it has meant I've used more energy on extra trips to uni to get internet, so perhaps it has balanced out. Though I do believe my campus (University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus) is mainly run by renewable power, so that's a bonus.

However, now I'm settled back into uni life I am determined to be as green and eco-friendly as possible. So I will keep you updated on how I do and I hope I can encourage you to do the same! Also, if you are a fellow student committed to being green, please let me know your attempts and methods of being eco-friendly as I would love to know and maybe use your ideas. Let's all get committed!

My new house at uni is a good starting point for going green as it has a washing line (which I intend to use as much as possible!) and we have a few energy saving lightbulbs. We also do a lot of recyling. So it's a start for now!

Join me in trying to reduce your carbon footprint and helping the environment, here are some useful tips:

Green Tips For Around The Home

Recyclebank Tips 1-7

25 Beauty Tips Reusing Household Items

Save The Arctic

Please help Greenpeace in their current campaign Save The Arctic. The Arctic is vital to our planet and us. It will be even more difficult to combat climate change without it. On August 28th 2012, a new record for the amount of Arctic ice melt was announced and it has beaten the record three weeks before sea ice will reach its minimum extent this year. This shows that climate change is occurring for more rapidly than climate scientists predicted. This is possibly one of the most significant events of our lifetime and yet it was barely mentioned in the news and people continue to deny global warming is a serious problem. Just as George Monbiot writes (I have used information from his article in this post, link below at the bottom of this post) the date 28/08/2012 "marks the day when the world went raving mad."

There are 3 crucial reasons why we need to save the Arctic:



1.It is the home to many amazing species that exist in few other places in the world. It is also home for many people. We have no right to take this home from them just because we refuse to stop our reliance on fossil fuels.

2. Melting Arctic sea ice is going to increase the already rising sea level. Islands have already been lost, such as the Locahara Island that used to be near India. Low lying land will continue to be lost, for example Bangladesh, displacing thousands of people and species with it. These are major problems that the world's future governments will have to deal with. And those most affected are likely to be those with the least resources to manage the disaster.

3. The Arctic's survival is vital in helping us slow down global warming. The ice reflects the sun's light and sends it back into space. Where there is land without ice, far less light is reflected and it is instead caught by greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, and contributes to heating the world's atmosphere. The more ice that melts the less sunlight is reflected back and the more heat is retained and therefore the more ice melts. Basically it's a downward spiral that we need to stop if we have any hope of combating further climate change.

Find out more about the campaign on the website Save The Arctic and please sign the petition, help us try to make a difference.

Also, check out George Monbiot's interesting article 'The Day the World went Mad'.

“I think having land and not ruining it is the most beautiful art that anybody could ever want.”

(Andy Warhol quote)

I found this artwork on StumbleUpon (unfortunately don't know who created it, please let me know if it's yours!) depicting the pollution we're doing to our planet. Interesting take on it I think, and pretty horrifying too. I feel it portrays humanity sitting idly by whilst seeing this pollution and destruction in front of us. Also it's evident this dark encroaching mass of industry and pollution is going to have a big impact on us soon. Humankind is literally on the edge of disaster. We have wrought and twisted the world into something unnatural and dirty. What do you think? Comments and debate welcome!

On a slightly lighter note, this was also on Twitter today, whatever your views on the environment and world issues you'll agree with these things, check it out (also I'm loving the Games of Thrones references!): 26 Things We Can All Agree On

Being a good shopper

I think one of the main problems with our society today (if not the biggest problem, see the Story of Stuff video in my first blog post) is our consumerism. We have this need to buy lots of new things we don't need and it all ends up as waste, it wastes resources and energy to make, transport and to dispose of. These are resources that we desperately need. We need to try to conserve as much as we can not only to bring down greenhouse emissions that cause global warming but because most of these resources are finite and could run out in our lifetime! Also the people making these things right at the beginning of the chain usually lose out and we are making their suffering continue by continuing to follow this ridiculous obsession with buying new things and having the latest update. Our parents and grandparents didn't live like this so why do we? And they were probably a lot happier too. How can we ever be satisfied with our lives if we are constantly wanting to get something newer and better?

I'll admit I'm a guilty of this as we all are but here are my attempts at becoming a good shopper!

I've found this amazing website Folksy. It only sells handmade goods from small British businesses (usually just one person who enjoys making crafty things at home!) and many try to be as eco-friendly and organic as they possibly can. Many things are recycled or upcycled. Buying from businesses like these supports small local businesses rather than international corporate chains that create huge amounts of emissions and exploit third world countries. We can show these big businesses that we don't agree with their ethics by changing our shopping habits. It also saves money and resources wasted on shipping goods all over the world and avoids waste by reusing stuff! As you can probably tell I love this website!

Here is some jewellery I recently bought from Folksy (A fashion blog post for you, enjoy!):

Owl Necklace £7.50, Ring £3,  Varnished Wooden Book Necklace (Laser Cut by Hand) £11,  Japanese Bird Necklace £7.50. I felt I needed to update my jewellery collection as I haven't bought anything new for a long time.  I love the unique vintage look of these, exactly my kind of style and the handmade touch makes them far more special I think.

This is an vintage button turned into a ring. It's so cute! Waste not, want not!

There are also many other ways I try to be a greener shopper when I feel I do HAVE to buy something. Charity shops are actually brilliant. I get really excited when I see one! You can get really good quality things, sometimes almost new for a cheap price. You are reusing unwanted things, being eco friendly and giving money to charity. What more could you ask for?

Also remember to take your unwanted stuff to a charity shop instead of throwing it away!

I found these converses in an RSPCA charity shop earlier this year. I happened to want some new converses and there they were! They were basically unworn and in my size. Got them for £3.50. Brand new they would be about £25 or more.

Car boot sales are also brilliant places to go, another thing that gets me very excited! I have got so many things from car boot sales and sold stuff too. We need to reuse as much stuff as we can and avoid throwing things away. What's one man's rubbish may be another man's treasure!

I got all these DVDs from charity shops and car boot sales (I do have more but I left them at uni). The Wii game was pre-owned , there are so many used games, books and DVDs out there it makes no sense buying brand new. They work just as well as new and nobody's going to know you didn't get it new! My mobile phone is also secondhand so I thought I'd include that. It's old owner found it too complicated so I took it off their hands instead of buying a new phone! I should have included my ipod too as that is also secondhand from a friend who didn't need it anymore.

There we go my attempts at being greener and I hope I've encouraged you to follow suit. Try to go for green local small businesses or secondhand whenever you can whether it's car boot sales, charity shops or online. Ebay and Preloved are great secondhand websites and you can even get free stuff on Preloved. Now no excuses about not being able cutting down on your unethical consumerist ways!

Want to know more about being less of a mass consumerist? Check out the Postconsumers website.

Our Glorious English Summer

So yeah we've been having some pretty terrible and confusing weather this summer, even for Britain's standards! I immediately thought, as I listened in dismay to the pounding of rain on my bedroom roof in July, that these were likely to be the effects of human caused global warming and look who agrees with me! Read here

Scientists have explained that one of the likely effects of anthropogenic climate change is that dryer places will get dryer (hence why global warming is such an issue for Africa) and wetter places will get wetter. This could already be happening in the UK. It's easy for us not to think about climate change or the future problems it will cause because it seems so distant and unlikely to ever effect us. But it seems to me that we are already being very much affected by it. It isn't an invisible issue even though w continue to treat it as one.

"Where we are would be Paradise to me, if you would only make it so."

Welcome to my blog, and this is my first ever post so here's wishing me luck!

So here's a bit about why I decided to start this blog:

If you only do one constructive thing today let it be watching this video, it's what made me realise that we have to change our ways and inspired me to set up this blog.




I have always loved and enjoyed nature but it wasn't until I studied a university module on Climate Change for history that I became really passionate about making a difference, however small. I want to be able to say to my grandchildren, when we can really see the negative effects of our actions on this world, that I tried to make a difference and that I wanted to bring change. In this blog I want to share with you my own personal experiences with trying to become a greener, better person and hopefully encourage you to attempt this also!  Also I'm going to explore all kinds of issues surrounding the environment, wildlife and other world problems and examine the various ways we (individually and as group) can address these. I want to show to you that Anthropogenic Climate Change (man made climate change) is a real and very serious problem and like all the issues illustrated in the video needs to be addressed by us now. If I can convince just one other person that climate change is real and that action needs to be taken I will be satisfied!

I'll try not to be too serious though, I want this to be a fun, personal, educational and interesting blog!

P.S. The quotes are from Thomas Hardy, one of my all time favourite authors. He had an appreciation of nature and I felt these quotes (my blog title and this post title) fitted quite well.