wrapping up

So here I am at the end of my six week blog series. This is my twelfth blog posting, and I would like to reflect on what I’ve learnt over the past while.

• I’ve learnt that sustainable living and the ‘going green’ philosophy are hugely pervasive themes in contemporary culture. This is really great because it means that there is a lot on diversity of topics linking to environmental issues. There is so much to read up on relating to these themes that its obtuse to claim ignorance when there is so much information out there.
• I’ve learnt that making a change can be as little as switching off a light. It’s overwhelming to think of oneself as a single person taking on the global production empires. Instead, just focus on the little bit that you can do to make a difference in your own environment.
• I’ve learnt that ‘going green’ is fashionable. The concept is being endorsed in modern architecture, hip magazines, and fashion and home accessories. It’s also being endorsed by celebrities.

Blogging isn’t as daunting as seems to be at first. It’s a really fun way to express your opinions in a space where there is the potential that someone might comment, but a greater chance that no one will. It’s really easy to set up, and I would recommend it to everyone.

a strange link

I’ve become so obsessed with the concept of sustainable living that I’ve even managed to sniff out solutions to the global environmental problems in the principles of the Bauhaus style movement. Call me crazy, but while I was writing an essay on Bauhaus style recently, I suddenly saw solutions to global crisis! This is my unexpected find:
The Bauhaus movement was spurred on by a need to function, create and produce in ways which were economically proficient. Emphasis was placed on the functional, the appropriate, the efficient and the necessary. Minimal resources were used to satisfy a multitude of needs and desires. There was no waste. There was no squandering. There was no excess. Are there not principles here that we should be applying to contemporary life? The presiding principles of practicality and functionality, which the Bauhaus movement held up in exultation, have been smothered by consumerism and incomprehensible waste. Should we not be reverting to a more needs-based mode of consumption? Perhaps the Bauhaus movement can be blamed in part for its role in reconciling mass production with the individual artist’s spirited works. It just became too easy to overproduce once the mechanics to do so had been set in place by Gropius and his prodigies. Engaging in such debate is a great demonstration of the potential pertinence an age old design movement may still have in contemporary life. Yes, Bauhaus style is still evident in design, architecture, art and typography – but is it more than just that? Has the Bauhaus instilled the merits of mass production to the extent that we are all doomed to die wasting?

Or are its principles the very ones that we should be following to dig ourselves from the rubbish dump that has become our earth? The inherent contradiction in the Bauhaus principles is possibly amusing, but may be a valid way for us to live more sustainably in a society overrun with messages of over consumption.

What do you think?

water wastage

Did you know that a dripping tap – if it drips a single drip per second – could waste up to 30 litres of water per hour? Thirty litres of water is enough water to cook 15 packets of pasta in. It’s enough to wash a couple of children in. It’s terrifying the impact that such minor neglect, like not turning a bathroom tap off properly, can have on the environment. As a student living in digs, I am privy to a lot of water wastage and only recently learnt the positive impact that small changes around the house can have on the global water supply.

My digs has a pool – a beautiful, huge pool – and, from time to time, the water level drops to the extent that the pump makes an annoying gurgling sound. The solution is to fill the pool again. You would think this an easy task! On the contrary, the running tap is often forgotten and hundreds of litres of water are wasted filling the pool to dangerous levels. A simple cell phone reminder or note would solve this problem. Living in digs also means that everyone is cooking different meals and washing up dirty plates at different times. Each time a dinnertime comes around there are six people washing up in fresh sinks of warm water. Running one sink-full of water for everyone to use would solve this problem. Looking for easy ways to reduce our water usage not only helps out with the monthly water bill, but clears our consciences too!

a real difference?

Perhaps I am too much of a sceptic, but I cannot imagine that the united blogging of thousands of privileged people on the subject of poverty would have much of an impact. Yes, it may provoke universal conversation about the horrors of poverty, but really, what is it achieving? A universal awareness about the reality faced daily by the majority of the human race?

I am one of those privileged people, sitting in a warm computer laboratory with a full stomach and shoes on my feet. Did I mention that I have an IPod plugged into my ears too? And that I have a change of clothing in the gym bag at my feet? How do I possibly empathise wholly with someone who has nothing, who is cold and hungry? How can anyone with access to the resources necessary for blogging know what it’s like to wake up under a cardboard box with no possessions to speak of? It’s easy to sit comfortably, with a laptop in bed or at a top-of-the-range computer lab, and philosophise about poverty. It is as easy to sit at a red robot when a starving child begs for money?
Instead of creating awareness about poverty – something we are faced with in abundance daily anyway – should we not be taking action to reduce it? Follow the link to 88 ways that we, the ones with our asses in the butter, can make a real, tangible difference to the live of those affected by poverty.

peer apathy

I have recently awoken to the fact that many of my peers and friends are hugely apathetic towards taking positive action to minimise their impact on the environment. The feeling seems to be that one individual cannot make a significant enough difference by living more sustainably, so really, what is the point? As individuals can we really make a difference in combating global warming?
In reference to an earlier blog post, I debated with a friend the demerits of air travel. She suggested that a single person boycotting a flight would not stop the airplane from filling up with other passengers and taking off. Her point was valid. One person’s attempts to make a global change would probably have minimal impact, but if everyone took the same stance, perhaps one less plane would have to take flight.
One person cannot conquer the world’s production factories. One person cannot go up against multi-billion dollar corporations and fight for a decrease in air pollution. One person cannot solve a global problem. Through education and awareness programmes, maybe the one person will become two, will become four, will become ten. Everything starts with the individual. Everything starts off small. This should not despair us in our attempts to spread the knowledge on how to live sustainably.

celebrity farce

I am really horrified by the way in which many hot-shot celebrities hide their greedy, consumer lifestyles behind a façade of ‘green’ endorsement. I noticed this when I was researching the role that public icons play in popularising and supporting the green living philosophy. I unearthed a very disturbing trend. In the flash of the paparazzi camera, the average celebrity will drive a hybrid car, implement green living and support a worthy ‘earth saving’ cause. Out of the public eye, however, they behave a bit differently.

Paul McCartney recently purchased the latest hybrid car on the market. Great. Awesome. He’s really doing his bit for the struggling environment. On closer inspection the story takes a grim turn. McCartney had the vehicle flown in from Japan for his use. Any decline in carbon emissions, resulting from the use of his hybrid car, will be negated by the single trip it took to get the car to him in the first place. The McCartney farce is one example of many cases in which celebrities due their bit under the public eye, but continue to lead self-indulgent lifestyles behind closed doors. I’m appalled. They should be ashamed.

dressing ‘green’

I stumbled upon some really interesting information regarding dressing in a way which sustains the environment the other day. I must admit that until I read up on dressing ‘green’, the concept meant little else to me besides the hue of green one was dressed in on a particular day.
On the contrary, dressing green means dressing in a way which has a marginal impact on the environment. As it does with food and rubbish, the mantra ‘reuse, recycle and reduce’ can be applied to one’s wardrobe too.

I found an amazing website that gives excellent tips on how to dress more sustainably:

Instead of buying brand new clothing, why not trade in old clothing at a secondhand shop for pre-used clothing? This way you reduce your energy output, minimise consumption and reuse perfectly good clothing.

Instead of throwing away old pairs of non-biodegradable slip-slops, why not shred them and use them as cushion stuffing? You will be avoiding throwing a highly resilient plastic product away and so, minimising your global footprint.

Instead of tumble washing you clothing, why not let it dry in the sun on a washing line? You will save on electricity and reduce your household energy consumption.

living green in the mother city

My favourite Go Green site at the moment is a site which gives tips and ideas on how to live more sustainably in Cape Town. The site gives information on events, restaurants, craft markets and other such outdoor activities which have minimal impact on the environment. The site seeks to find ways to live a more environmentally conscious lifestyle in one of the most bustling cities in South Africa.

Having spent a week in Cape Town earlier this year, living in a backpackers hostel on Long Street, I was particularly struck by how far one has to drive in order to get from location to location. The streets were always buzzing with traffic, noise pollution and hooting taxis, and I think the Mother City Living website provides the perfect escape from the raucous lifestyle of Long Street. Instead of driving for ages to get to a grey cement shopping mall, the website offers a stroll and organic breakfast at the Nitida farmer’s market.

I think this website succeeds in its attempt to portray the green lifestyle as a ‘cool’ and exciting one. It does so by providing a diversity of really exciting and different things to do and try, which promote green living. This is no easy feat in Cape Town where fast-paced living and the consumer lifestyle is easy to become caught up in. The blog has lots of categories and comments which make it an interesting and engaging site. The writing is conversational and easy to read, making the site friendly and appealing.

green diapers

I recently spent some time with my little cousin and was horrified by the number of diapers changes she had in a single day. Hannah went through between six and nine nappies every day. I was absolutely shocked! My first concern was how disposable nappies are recycled; I immediately began prowling the Internet for information about disposable nappies, and started to research their environmental impact.

One single baby goes through 8000 diaper changes – it’s advised to change an infant’s nappy every two to three hours. In a single year, the world uses 18 billion disposable diapers. I’m sure you’ll need a minute to pause and process these staggering numbers. The part that really interested me was the fact that disposable nappies are entirely non-biodegradable. They are made of paper, plastic and the absorptive gel, sodium polyacrylate, and last forever. Brace yourself, because I’m about to put you between a rock and a hard place. People started cottoning onto the fact that their babies’ used diapers were not environmentally friendly and many began using towel nappies. Great. How innovative. The catch lies in the fact that the amount of water and energy used to clean cloth nappies makes using them just as environmentally detrimental as using the disposable diapers. The cloth diapers are made from cotton – a crop that required more pesticide use than any other. The use of such enormous amounts of pesticide has massive long term effects on the environment.

So how do we solve this problem?

A European diaper brand has brought out a diaper with almost zero environmental effects. Nature Boy and Girl is a complete compostable brand of nappies. Although the cost of these diapers is astronomical, not to mention they’re not available in most countries, makes this solution a bit challenging to implement. Hopefully green diapers will make a move down south, and help to solve a massive pollution issue.

green life in digs

Until recently, the only sustainable living I’ve ever done was at home under the strict surveillance of my mother. I’d always thought of the instruction to ‘throw that on the compost heap’ as something to quickly carry out in order to avoid further nagging. Once I moved into digs and began running my own home, I realised all too quickly that I was doing nothing to live sustainably. My mom’s pesters echoed in the back of my mind constantly, and I decided that I would make green living a part of my digs lifestyle.

I took steps to find out how I could minimise my impact on the environment, as a student with minimal resources. I was surprised that doing seemingly insignificant things around the digs could have real and positive effects. I have compiled a list of tips for any student who seeks to live more sustainably. Not only do these tips minimise carbon dioxide emissions, but they also cut down one’s electricity bill significantly at the end of each month. It’s a win-win situation!

1. Turn off light switches and electrical appliances when you leave a room to reduce energy usage.
2. Hang washing out on a line to dry instead of using high powered tumble driers.
3. Cook dinner together so as to reduce the amount of time spent using the stove or oven.
4. Do not keep a fridge open for ages, letting the cold air escape. The fridge will have to cool itself again and this uses unnecessary energy.
5. Unless you’re making tea for the entire digs, only boil half a kettle of water. Boiling a full kettle uses almost double the amount of energy it takes to boil a half filled kettle.