5 ways to reduce waste.

No 1: Ditch that plastic water bottle.

I know what you'll say: But it's so wonderfully convenient to just walk into a shop and pick up a water bottle from a fridge! Hands up if you recycle every single plastic bottle that you use. No? I wouldn't be able to do it either. Apparently the majority of plastic bottles are not recycled. This is why I have a glass water bottle that I carry around with me everywhere. I used to have a stainless steel one before, it worked really well and was lighter, so that might be a better option for you. If you are worried about availability of drinking water when you are out an about and you have run out of water in your reusable bottle, most cafes are quite happy to fill it up and I've also become really knowledgeable about water fountains at London airports to avoid buying bottled water after security. And yes, I can take an empty water bottle through security even if it is over 100 ml. Just make sure there is no liquid in there.

No 2: Leave your car on the driveway (and walk to work)

This one might not be an option for everybody, but can be easily changed into leaver your car on the driveway and take public transport/car pool. Ever since I've bought a car last year, I've driven a few thousands of miles, producing so much pollution and also drastically lowered the amount of exercise I get each week. Now I have a resolution to walk to work at least a couple of times a week, which takes me about 30 minutes both ways. Not a lot of time (though it does seem so at 6:45 in the morning), but, given my persistent failure to turn up at exercise classes, a brisk walk is what my body gets to keep relatively fit. Also, having this extra time to get ready for the day, calm down and think things through is so beneficial for mental health. By the time I get to work I am in a better state of mind and the exercises releases all those good hormones that I need to face a difficult way.

No 3: Peruse the depths of your fridge before it's too late

Food waste is a massive issue and I am so guilty of that one. I love cooking and sometimes I get far too excited while shopping, buying all these wonderful, fresh ingredients that I am simply not able to use up quickly enough in my little single person household. I used to to one big food shop a week, but now I'm considering doing more smaller shopping trips to use up the food more efficiently than I am at the moment. It won't be as time efficient, but sometimes my eating schedule gets amended and all of a sudden I am not able to make that french lentil salad that I've planned, even if the carrots and the cheese are begging to get used up. So definitely, think about the food you are buying and check your fridge before buying new items. And make friends with your freezer: you can freeze pretty much everything except things like tomatoes or lettuce. In general you can use up fresh produce to make a big batch of food and the freeze it in smaller portions. Your dinners for busy days are sorted.

No 4: Sort out your junk mail

I don't know about you, but I get so much stuff though my letter box. Literally almost every day something arrives that is not an important letter. It drives me crazy, because I read most of the things online, so all the leaflets, magazines etc. end up straight in my recycling bin anyway. Dealing with this might take some time, because you might need to send a few emails to the customer services of the companies/charities/clubs that send you traditional mail. It might be that you already receive emails from them anyway, so there is no reason to receive information in two different ways. And if you are not, but would like to, just say so in the email, these people really want to stay in touch, because then you are more likely to purchase their products or services.

No 5: BYOB

Get your own lovely shopping bag and don't buy those plastic ones from the store each time, even if they are long life or can be replaced for free. There are so many pretty designs available, made from a variety of materials including recycled plastic and cotton. Think you will forget to pack it up? Well, have a shopping bag always at hand. I keep one in my glove compartment in the car just in case I stop by a store to pick some little bits and bobs up. Another one is always in my bag, I just never leave it at home and after being used it goes straight back ready for the next day. My big shop bags are at the top of the fridge, not the most glamorous of places, but I can see them when I do my shopping list (and every time I'm getting anything from the fridge). Your canvas bag can double up as a book bag, an organiser when packing a suitcase or a temporary storage when you are cleaning up the house.

This beauty unfolds into a shopping bag.

Gift from my mum, so cute and useful.

Sunday Special: Christianty is eco.

I've heard somebody say that Catholicism is slow, eco and vintage. Today we celebrate World Earth Day and it could not be more apt to discuss the interaction between my faith and caring for our common home.

The story of creation from Genesis is the story of God entrusting the Earth to us. The relationship between a man and the creation should mirror the relationship between God and the world which is one of deep care for both the present and the future. 

As a Christian, I feel particularly responsible for God's creation. Looking around at all the beauty of this world, I cannot separate my faith for a duty to do my best to make sure that my negative impact on the planet is minimised. It's so clear to me that a failure to make changes that help the environment just because using certain resources or acting in certain ways makes our lives more convenient is a sin. Christians generally agree that destroying your body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, is  sin, but somehow destroying the world created by God for our benefit escapes our attention.

Just as conversion from any kind of sin, even sins that encompass whole institutions, must start with our own personal conversion, so does the conversion that is needed to stop the insane speed of degradation of our surroundings. As Pope Benedict wrote back in 2008:

“In fact, it’s not just a question of finding techniques that can prevent environmental harms, even if it’s important to find alternative sources of energy and so on. But all this won’t be enough if we ourselves don’t find a new style of life, a discipline which is made up in part of renunciations: a discipline of recognition of others, to whom Creation belongs just as much as those of us who can make use of it more easily; a discipline of responsibility to the future for others and for ourselves. It’s a question of responsibility before Our Lord who is our Judge, and as Judge our Redeemer, but nonetheless our Judge.”

I was so pleased that Pope Francis wrote Laudato Si as his first encyclical* "On Care For Our Common Home", linking environmental change with the impact it has on the most poor in the society. It's not only about the water, trees or the amount of oxygen in the air: what we do to the environment has an immediate moral dimension. Francis writes:

95. The natural environment is a collective good, the patrimony of all humanity and the responsibility of everyone. If we make something our own, it is only to administer it for the good of all. If we do not, we burden our consciences with the weight of having denied the existence of others. That is why the New Zealand bishops asked what the commandment “Thou shall not kill” means when “twenty percent of the world’s population consumes resources at a rate that robs the poor nations and future generations of what they need to survive”

So let's start this week with this deep awareness that we are all responsible for the world around us so that it can serve us and other people, especially these most vulnerable, today and also future generations. Love of our neighbour needs to be see the big picture as well. And there are so many ways in which we can reduce our environmental impact, live more simply and really glorify God in his creation. 

On Tuesday I am going to post about little changes to your lifestyle that can make a difference to the environment. If we all decide to really approach the issues of environmental degradation with attitude of personal responsibility and actually act on it, the world can still change. We won't be able to undo a lot of damage, but we can make the world more beautiful, much fairer and closer to what God intended it to be: a beautiful home for all of us.

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* Lumen Fidei from 2013 was largely the work of Benedict XVI

More than an organic carrot.

Praised be You my Lord with all Your creatures,

especially Sir Brother Sun,

Who is the day through whom You give us light.

And he is beautiful and radiant with great splendour,

Of You Most High, he bears the likeness.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars,

In the heavens you have made them bright, precious and fair.

Praised be You, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,

And fair and stormy, all weather's moods,

by which You cherish all that You have made.

Praised be You my Lord through Sister Water,

So useful, humble, precious and pure.

Praised be You my Lord through Brother Fire,

through whom You light the night and he is beautiful and playful and robust and strong.

Praised be You my Lord through our Sister,

Mother Earth

who sustains and governs us,

producing varied fruits with coloured flowers and herbs.

Praise be You my Lord through those who grant pardon for love of You and bear sickness and trial.

St Francis of Assissi

It's hard not to realise that we've made a mess out of this planet. I can experience it first hand in Krakow, where smog is a huge problem, especially in winter when people still burn all sort of rubbish to heat their houses. Oxford's air is one of the worst in the country as well.

Looking after the environment is one of my values, God has created the Earth for us and we should respect this creation as an expression of his love, so I'm trying to make small changes in my life to reduce my impact on the environment. I'm crazy about switching lights off when not needed, having a bit of a struggle with my housemates about it. Shorter showers (around 4 mins tops) are my second challenge. I'm trying to buy organic veg boxes or buy veggies at the farmer's market. Being a more aware consumer is not easy, you need to read labels and sometimes pay more for fairtrade products, but this seems like a tiniest inconvenience when I think about what the future must be like if we don't change anything. I bike a lot or use public transport (partly due to lack of the car, but I don't foresee buying it any time soon, it's too much of a burden and also would contribute to CO2 emission). Meat is off the menu now as well.

My major environmental sin is definitely flying. I fly a lot, because this is the quickest and most effective way to get home for all holidays. I've checked my train options (again), but with a prospect of over 25 hours of travel and 4-5 train changes, it's really not going to work. But there'll be less going home in the future, that's for sure.

I think we really need an attitude of St Francis. An attitude of respect and awe at how wonderful this world is. How ideally it has been set up. We need to appreciate the Sun, the water, the trees, the birds... It's sort of like with your relationships in life. If you value someone, you take care of that person. So should be the case with our planet. Let's take care of it. At last.