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