Perhaps because as the years go by I have more respect for my body and for nature, I am becoming increasingly aware of my actions and how they affect everything around me. The planet provides us with everything we need and it deserves our respect and care. We are part of nature, we are one with it, and that is how we should experience it, don’t you think?
I don’t remember growing up with as much information as today about sustainability, ecology, the environment… and maybe if I had, we would have established habits towards this effort in our house a long time ago; actions to look after the environment, starting with our closest surroundings. It is never too late to adopt new routines at home or to preach by example to my daughters so that they grow up with awareness and respect towards our planet, and towards nature.
I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I am aware that there are still many things that I do that are not optimal for the environment. I still use a car run on diesel, I don’t have a sustainable house, I probably eat too much animal protein and not enough local produce, and all the products in my house are not environment-friendly, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try to make small changes to what is within my reach. That is why nearly all my food is based on organic products, I’d like to change my diesel car for an electric one, we don’t leave rubbish behind us when we’re out at sea, at the beach or in the mountains, and I try to establish environment-friendly habits in my home, educating my daughters so that they feel this consciousness from a very young age. Everything starts from within, and big changes start with little things, even more so if you want to involve small children.
Below I share some of the habits we have adopted at home, which my daughters have also taken on board.
– Recycling waste. At home we separate organic waste, cans and cartons, glass, and paper, and my eldest daughter Manuela is beginning to identify some cartons and of course any organic waste. Even when we throw something in the bin on the street, she asks me: “Mummy, does this go here?”
– Reducing our water consumption. I always tell my two daughters that water is a very prized resource and they repeat that phrase already. That is why at home we always turn off the tap when we are brushing our teeth and shampooing our hair, and I always bathe my daughters together, using the least amount of water possible.
– Using reusable cloth bags for shopping. I’m sure you also have some cloth bags, baskets or reusable bags at home that you can take shopping and thereby avoid the unnecessary use of plastic bags. I like buying food with my daughters and often I don’t even take my cloth bag because I use the basket of my daughters’ buggy instead, or my own bag for small purchases, like from the chemist.
– Collecting rainwater to water the plants. If you have a small garden or balcony and you can afford to have a small basin to collect rainwater, not only will you use less water, but you will also be looking after your plants in the best way possible, just as nature itself does: with chlorine-free water.
As you can see, they are small actions that are very easy to introduce as habits in the home. I encourage you to do everything within your power to leave a better planet to the next generations. Let’s move away from the rigidity of placing the blame on others (“What’s the point in recycling, if everything ends up in the same place anyway, if my neighbour doesn’t bother either, if companies are doing the most damage?”…).
It is never too late to adopt an activist attitude, even if it is not perfect. Who or what is perfect anyway?
V
