Jerry Townhill's blog

What can I do?

A few weeks ago I posted an article calling for Christians to take seriously environmental issues and the climate crisis facing our planet. You may have been persuaded by my arguments but be left wondering, “What can I do?” Can the actions of an individual make a difference to the huge problems facing the world? The answer is a resounding “Yes”; the actions of many individuals added up, together with publicity and campaigning can really make a difference to the mood of the majority and become something that commercial companies and governments have to take account of.

When Joy and I married nearly 40 years ago we decided that wherever possible, without becoming puritanical about it, we would buy Fairtrade products. Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in growing countries – particularly developing countries – establish fair and sustainable trade relationships. It involves paying higher prices to growers along with improved social provision such as education and healthcare. Along with this there is a concern for environmental standards. Forty years ago, Fairtrade coffee, sugar and chocolate were available but only through specialist suppliers. About twenty years ago we became aware that Fairtrade wines had become available, but they had to be bought by mail order by the case from specialist suppliers. Now a wide range of Fairtrade products – tea, coffee, sugar, wine – are available in pretty much all mainstream supermarkets. There are several certification schemes designed to show that importers and suppliers are dealing fairly with producers and caring for the environment. Food manufacturers are at pains to point out how they are benefitting producers. All this has come about because of consumer demand and the pressure of campaigning over many years. The same thing can happen with the environment and the climate if we are ready to make some changes in our lifestyles, the difference being the urgency of this issue: we haven’t got the luxury of many years; we need to act now.

What can we do?

Shop wisely

Retailers and manufacturers pay a lot of attention to what consumers want. Use the power you have as a consumer by choosing to spend your money ethically. When it comes to shopping in a supermarket, check out the supermarkets online to see which ones share your values. You might want to think about –

• How much packaging is used on food and other products?

• Are food producers and farmers paid a fair price for their products?

• Does the supermarket, through its suppliers, promote sustainable farming and animal welfare?

• Does the supermarket pay its employees a decent wage?

One exception that Joy and I make is that we sometimes buy things at our local ‘convenience’ shop. It scores low on most of these questions but we like to support local businesses.

Recycle, re-use, repair

Recycle as much as you can. We are fortunate because our local council now collect just about anything that can be recycled – paper, plastic, galls bottles, tin cans, foil, batteries, small electrical items. But in the past we have had to store things and take them to the recycling centre from time-to-time. Try to buy food and other goods with as little packaging as possible. When you buy loose fruit and vegetables take small plastic bags with you and re-use them. Try not to throw anything away: repair things whenever possible. It takes valuable resources and energy to make new things.

Water

Water is a valuable resource. Think about how you can reduce your use of water. Here are some ideas –

• Take a shower instead of a bath.

• Only run your washing machine when you have a full load.

• Only run your dishwasher when you have a full load.

• Put “hippo bags” in your cisterns to reduce the amount of water is used each time you use the flush (you can buy them cheaply online or water companies in some areas supply them free on request.)

• Install water butts to catch rain water running off roofs and use the water for watering pot plants or even flushing the toilets.

Toiletries

The world generates 300 million tonnes of plastic waste a year and a lot of this ends up in landfill or in the ocean. Not only do plastics add to a big waste problem, they use up limited resources of oil, and their manufacture contributes to global warming. To reduce your use of plastic, use a bar of soap instead of shower gel and a shampoo bar instead of liquid shampoo. Joy now makes deodorant from coconut oil and bicarbonate of soda, plus a little bit of fragrance, as a low-cost alternative to roll-on deodorants. You can find recipes by searching online.

For most of my adult life I have wet-shaved. About two years ago I decided to try an old-fashioned single-bladed safety razor instead of multi-bladed cassettes which use a lot of plastic. You may feel that you won’t get as smooth a shave this way and therefore prefer to keep using multi-bladed razors. That’s okay but you can still help the environment by using old-fashioned shaving soap and a brush to make a lather instead of an aerosol can of shaving foam or gel.

Use of cars

In Europe, nearly a fifth of green gas emissions come from road transport. The use of cars is a major contributor to global warming so we need to think carefully about our use of cars:-

• Could you use public transport instead of your car for some journeys?

• If you are part of a couple, do you both need a car? About four years ago, my wife and I went down to one car and I bought an electric bicycle which I use to travel to work each day. I know it won’t work for everyone; it works for us because my workplace is just two miles from our home.

• If you live in city could you do without a car altogether, using public transport most of the time and hiring a car for holidays?

• Could your next car be an electric one?

I know that things aren’t always straightforward; it takes energy and resources to manufacture a new car, so it might be better to keep your old petrol car going for a few extra years rather than buy a new electric one. But if you are in the market for a new car, think about an electric one. Also the electricity has to come from somewhere – alongside using our consumer power to buy electric cars we need to be campaigning for green electricity generation.

Flying

Air travel is a major source of greenhouse gases. We have generally taken our holidays in the UK and I can count on my ten fingers the number of times in my lifetime that I have travelled by air, so I am probably not qualified to comment on this one. But if you do fly more regularly think about how you could reduce your flying: for example, does your business meeting need to be face-to-face or could it be done online?

Finally . .

Remember that as Christians we should not deapair about the state of the planet. God will renew the earth as well as renewing humankind. That is not an excuse to be complacent but instead to take seriously the commission that God has given us to care for creation.

Also humankind should not be seen as late interlopers on the earth, an accident of evolution, who are despoiling the plant. Rather humans are the pinnacle of God's creation, created in God's image. As such we are called to work in partnership with God to care for the whole created order.