5 Easy Steps: Lower Your Eco Footprint!

"EVERY GOOD DEED IS ITS OWN ADVERTISEMENT"

-Gandhi

Our ecological footprint accounts for all of the things we do that use energy. Any action or factor that impacts the interconnected system of which we are apart - from home-base to community to country to globe - is included to calculate how much we are taking. Here are 5 things you can do to lessen what you take and increase what you give back!

1. Urban Garden

Urban gardening is largely about using the space you have to create a highly sustainable turnout with limited resources. While supporting a food justice ethic, it also aesthetically beautifies the community while bringing people together!

-volunteer at community garden. Check out the London Community Resource Centre for locations, how to get involved and tips for your own plot!

-plant a front yard urban garden - it’s easier than you think! Our veggies have already started to grow! Such a raw green space puts smiles on passers-by. Check out my blog Eco Veg Footprint for photos and suggestions! If you have limited space, use as many planters possible and think vertical gardening!

2. Compost

The composting process is a regenerative one! Watch nature’s cycle of decay and rebirth as new healthy soil emerges.

-year round way to make kitchen waste sustainable
-cuts down drastically on the amount of household garbage!
-creates nutrient rich soil that can be used in planters and in the garden
-if you cant make use of what is regenerated, chances are there is someone close by who can make use of your dirty deeds!
-see Thames Region Ecological Assoc (TREA) for composting advice!

3. Water Ways

Need Less, Use Less!

-shower less! It is entirely UNsustainable for an individual to take a shower daily…can you imagine how much water would be used up in everyone in the world stood under a showerhead everyday?
-remember fun folk trio Sharon, Lois and Bram? Take their advice: turn the water off when your brushing your teeth!
-yes its easier to let the kitchen sink run through the course of a dish washing session! It may even be a soothing comfort we are used to - hearing the sound of running water during this chore. Fill up the sink half way, breath deeply and wash in the silence
-put a bucket in the shower with you, see how much collects that is usually wasted! This can be used afterwards for any purpose.

4. Ride Your Bike!

Take Back The Streets

-practice safety rules of the road such as wearing a helmet and signalling to traffic
-ride in the lanes and become a road vehicle! Take back the streets and foster sharing transportation space
-Save money and the air from being polluted! Oil is not sustainable. Public or independent transit is the sustainable way to go - and don’t forget about those feet!

5. Swap Meet!

Gather with friends and family to exchange unwanted items! Since our healthy survival depends on reducing and eliminating consumer habits, get a whole new wardrobe without having to spend a cent. A fun way to do this is to gather at someone’s place and make a big pile of your old stuff! With five to fifteen people, diving into a giant mound of things that are new to you is fun and environmentally friendly. Don’t limit exchanges to clothing, bring along anything you don’t use - someone else will! Walking away with a bunch of new stuff for free. Sounds good doesn’t it? Don’t forget to donate the rest to one of the many formidable charity organizations in London.