Rather than bombarding you all with several changes in one go, I'm going to walk you through some of the little things we've altered in recent months in the hope that you'll see they are all manageable, one small step at a time. And remember, we don't need a handful of people doing it perfectly. We need the whole world to be doing it imperfectly if we want to stand an outside chance of there being a world for future generations.
Over the next few weeks, I'll be riffling through our bathroom cabinet before moving on to another room in the house.
So first up is cotton buds. I know some people consider these to be evil things and if used excessively or aggressively, they can cause serious damage to sensitive ear canal skin and/or eardrums. That being said, I've always had them close at hand and use them every now and then.
The UK government has recently announced that from 2020, plastic cotton buds will be banned completely - hurrah! But what's all the fuss, I hear you cry? Paper cotton buds have been available for donkey's ears - why not just use those instead?!
They are, of course, an option - but I've found they are usually packaged in a plastic box that isn't much use for anything other than storing cotton buds. Plus the paper used isn't certifiably eco-friendly, so may in fact be contributing to deforestation, too. And the paper is often bound with non-recyclable glue meaning that 'harmless' paper may not be so harmless after all. So what's the alternative alternative?
Beautiful bamboo! When it comes to the manufacturing process, bamboo sticks need fewer resources than paper ones, and bamboo is a sustainable wood product. What's more, these organic cotton buds from Bambaw are 100% compostable. Hurrah!
Credit: Bambaw