Be The Change

Being the Change you Seek – The Micro vs Macro solutions. 

At GoodFor, we’re always thinking about our impact on the environment, and we know our customers do too. A lot of the time the challenges we face seem like they are so great that there is nothing we can really do, and this can deter you from taking any action at all. However, we believe when a great number of people come together to make smarter choices and are more considerate about their footprint, they can create significant change that makes a real difference. GoodFor exists to make it easier for busy people living busy lives, to make these changes day to day which can considerably decrease their impact on the environment. To help show you what you can do to make change today, we’ve created the below list of tips and tricks.

Buy reusable products

It’s estimated that on average, we all use and dispose of 168 plastic bottles each per year. There’s also the daily coffee drinkers who can go through up to 250 disposable coffee cups each per year. Currently in NZ it’s very rare that any of this waste will be recycled and reused. There is a very simple fix to this, which will instantly have a major impact on the level of waste you are creating. Get your own reusable coffee cup & reusable water bottle. We like to use a Keep Cup, these are super easy and look great. We also have our own range of Stainless Steel drink bottles. These will replace your daily water bottle but also act as a thermos to keep you drinks cold or hot. Both of these products are available here.

Make it yourself

It might seem an odd concept to many, but creating your own household products instead of buying pre-packaged products (full of unknown chemicals) from the supermarket is really easy! For some inspiration and know-how on this idea, have a look at what Lauren Singer from the USA is doing. She is a superstar, and her blog www.trashisfortossers.com is a great source of info.

Compost your food & paper waste

This is a super easy way to take care of the majority of the waste in your household. A worm farm like these ones from Hungry Bin is the easiest way to achieve this, and you’ll score yourself some amazing fertilizer from it!

Think about who you are buying from

There are some companies out there that are really trying their best to become more sustainable, and there are some that are not. With our wallets, we can all force companies to make sustainability a priority. If you think a product you’re using is being sourced unethically, look into the company and find out for yourself. Ask the questions – Where do they source their goods from? What do they stand for? If you don’t like the answers, find a substitute product from an alternative company who has positive answers to those questions. Here is a great write up from The Guardian explaining the power of the conscious consumer.

 

These small actions can make a huge difference if they become the norm in society, as opposed to being isolated to the “committed few”. However, on top of this, we do rely on our politicians and big businesses investing in a more sustainable energy infrastructure, and far more efficient waste management services. In order to make sure they prioritise this, we need to be demanding it of them! We need to be informed when we’re going to vote, to engage with our public servants and pressure them, and we need to be selective with which companies we decide to buy products from. This is the way to effect the big changes, whilst we continue to make the small changes in our everyday lives. The best part about it is it’s not that hard once you get started. Be optimistic, get busy and be persistent.

Published by Paul Denton @pauldentonnz.