Hello my lovelies and welcome to my first proper post, exciting times!

Today we are going to be talking about sustainability, what its defined as, its purpose and importance.

This is very important to me and something I feel very passionate about since an early age, so be prepared my little bees I can get on my soap box about these things!

In my little head I define sustainability as a means of using products that are grown or made in a way where it does not hurt or harm the environment, making simple changes to my own habits and respecting the Earth to avoid damaging and using all it’s resources. In other words use what you need, live within your means and be respectful to the environment whether it’s at home, in the workplace or if you’re out and about.

 

 

 

 

Importance and purpose.

To avoid the depletion of our natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance we must reduce our carbon footprint. Our environment is exhausted with an ever increasing population and it’s resources being used dramatically to accomodate for it. Sustainability is a concept that recognises this and we must put things into place to help protect it for future generations. It’s all for the greater good of all living things.

It is not just the environment but social and economic developers also have responsibilities to adhere to. As a human race, that is suppose to be intelligent, we are far from that! We are killing our Planet left right and centre and bleeding every type of resource available from it.

Developers have to recognise this and put things into place. Just because there’s space to build doesn’t necessarily mean they have to build there. If they do then they should take notice of the surroundings and try to incorporate it into their designs or go somewhere else. When new bulids are proposed they should also take into consideration how they use natural light, solar panels etc to help reduce the cost of using energy suppliers. This would then change the social aspect by not paying expensive energy bills and thus reducing carbon footprint.

Socially, we need to change our habits. We are just so use to running the tap when brushing our teeth or buying items already bagged up because it’s a means of convenience. We need to make small simple changes that will benefit ourselves and the Planet. We are sucked into buying products because the packaging looks pretty or the box looks good because that’s what product marketers do, and they’re bloody good at it too especially when targeting children. Parents get caught in a web where they have to feel that they have to buy a certain item otherwise their child will throw a temper tantrum! We’ve all been there as parents, myself included is guilty. You want to keep the peace and so just end up buying it. But then what happens? It ends up going in the bin and it’s all mainly plastic toys and the paper is glossy printed so you can’t recycle it.

So, habits like that need to change. In an ideal world we should all be respecting the natural environment, reduce energy levels in the home/ workplace and changing our habits for the sake of our Planet and future generations.

Without one, we simply cannot have the other and Mother Nature is screaming at us to change.

 

 

 

 

How can we change and do our bit to help?

Well, my little bees. Changing our habits is an obligation we must do. Think of it as providing for your children. You want the best for them. You buy them good quality clothes, keep them clean and healthy by providing nourishing meals. Helping the Planet is no different.

It has nothing to do with where we live or who we are as we can all make the simplest of changes to our everyday lives.

Here’s a few ideas:

• turning the tap off whilst brushing your teeth, mentioned above
• turn lights/equipment off when not needed.
• install sensor lights, solar panels to reduce energy bills
• compostable/biodegradable bags
• go for paperless billing and use email for receipts, if you can
• chose brands that have a low carbon footprint like recyclable plastics/materials
• take unwanted/old clothes to a local charity shop or homeless shelter
• use food scraps to make a base stock for soups or stews
• Get the children involved! Encourage them to grow something. Say to them ” hey, let’s grow our own pumpkin for Halloween this year instead of buying it” this will also help to encourage a sense of achievement.

These are just a few ideas and there’s also more and more companies now that are recognising the importance of reducing carbon footprint and trying to be sustainable. Here in the UK we have Milk and More, Riverford and also Able and Cole where they use sustainable meat, fruit, vegetable and dairy products from local farmers and are also seasonal.

 

 

 

 

 

Have you heard of the ripple/domino effect?

I’m sorry to say my little bees but I’m not talking about the chocolate bar or the take-away chain! Even though they both sound good at this moment in time.

When you stand dominoes next to each other in a line you risk of one falling on to the other and knocking them all down. Well, it’s like this with the environment, although there’s a lot at stake.

Over fishing for an example. Now fishing is a traditional way of hunting in water, whether it be fresh or seawater and has been used for hundreds of years. 40-50 years ago our Planet was less populated and so it could cope with the demand. Now because of the ever growing population and changing of diets for one reason or another it is struggling to sustain enough. Fish is the ‘ meat ‘ equivalent for vegetarians, if they chose to eat it, being rich in protein and omega oils. This is putting pressure on the ocean’s eco system to supply and, if we’re not careful, will lead to the food chain being broken. This can have a devastating effect. Fish eat fish, it’s natural in that food chain. You have the apex predator like a shark dining on other fish, they also eat smaller fish, they feed off zooplankton and the phytoplankton which lives close to the water’s surface. Take one of those fish away after the apex….. boom! food chain broken, ripple/domino effect.

So everything has it’s own way of doing things. We have an eco- system, but there are other eco- systems within that that change depending on where you are in the world. I hope that all makes sense, it did to me in my own little head!

As Albert Einstein said, ” Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better ”

 

 

 

The good old days!

Right my little bees, thank you for staying with me. Let’s do a little reminicing shall we?

Who can remember having milk at school? My mum recalls it when I asked her and said in the summer it use to curdle and go sour because they didn’t have fridges and in the winter it was frozen solid and use to have the foil lid pecked at by the birds. When going shopping it was to the local green grocers or butchers with their own canvas like bags and paper bags for the fruit and vegetables. Walking or riding a bike to school and back, which used to be miles for some people as not many could afford a car. Rationing of foods, growing their own seasonal fruits and vegetables in the garden or allotment and eating fish and chips out of newspaper or even going scrumpy picking!

These were the days when we were most sustainable. We lived off the land and were at our healthiest because we didn’t have anything convenient and appreciated what we had and what was given to us. Now we are the complete opposite. It’s so easy to just pick up the phone and order a takeaway or to buy a ready microwave meal or to get in the car when your destination is only a ten minute walk away. We take everything for granted.

For some of these Millenials that accuse us oldies of ruining the Planet for them, maybe they should delve in to the past, take it all in and then re think for a minute. It is this generation that has been making it more of a problem.

 

 

Final thoughts.

Well, thank you so much for sticking with me my little bees, I did warn you I’m very passionate about these topics and it was a reason why I wanted to build this site so I could share my thoughts and views and to also get yours. You’ve probably been thinking oh my goodness she does go on a lot! I’m not here to try and preach to you, convert you to being a vegan or join PETA, Friends of the Earth, or Extinction Rebellion and cover yourselves in fake blood and cause a riot, save the fake blood for Halloween! I’m simply saying we need to change things for the better.

So what have we learnt? Hopefully, that if we can all make small simple changes in our every day lives it can have a huge impact on our Planet for the better and for future generations. Try to reduce your own carbon footprint by recycling, saving energy, buying locally and making use of what you have.

I will leave you with a quote from Charles Darwin,

” It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change ”

 

 

Thank you all so much my little bees. Stay well and most importantly be happy to bee yourself.

All my love,

your Queen Bee, Wendy x