I have always been interested in the environment, but I think my awareness about the plight of our planet became heightened after watching the shocking scenes of marine animals affected by ocean plastic on the BBC’s Blue Planet. I began making small changes; cutting down on meat, switching to washable menstrual pads and cosmetic wipes, buying my clothes second-hand, learning more about waste, recycling and the effect mass production and distribution of the things we buy has an effect on our planet.
This July, our family took up the #PlasticfreeJuly challenge and decided to document our adventures on my Mummanmore Instagram feed to show how hard it actually is to cut out single-use plastic from our lives. We have had some successes and some HUGE failures (mascara gate!) but I think we have definitely found some things that we can continue doing and will fit in with our lifestyle as a family.
I know that every family is different and time is never on our side, but hopefully my adventures and disasters will give you some ideas about how to make small changes to your life that will help to protect the earth for our children’s generation. As Greta Thunberg says ‘You are never too small to make a difference’
So here are my top tips on how to make small changes and begin to go Plastic-Free with the kids this Summer Holiday-
Tip #1 Use Charity Shops as a resource for toys, craft items and messy play clothes to keep the children entertained when you are stuck in the house. Your local charity shop is an absolute treasure trove of surprisingly good quality items that you can repurpose and re-love.
Tip #2 When going out for the day, take a packed lunch and a refillable bottle. Freeze bottles of squash to take on hot days. This will stop the temptation to eat on the go and purchase pre-packaged food and drink.
Tip #3 Do a litter pick at the beach or at your local park whilst you are there. Educate your children and raise awareness of how to look after our natural spaces and talk about what happens to our waste when we no longer need it.
Tip #4 Slow down! Avoid the big parks and attractions that tend to involve buying plastic and single use items plus long car journeys. Stay local. Explore your own garden, library, local parks and walks. Cook and grow things with your children. Routes for Little Boots and Norwich Mumbler are a great source of ideas on how to explore our local areas.
You may have noticed that these tips are also great for your budget too!
For more tips and ideas on how to lead a sustainable and eco-friendly life, follow our Facebook and Instagram feed and come along to our Mumma Earth Market on September 21st where you will be able to shop from eco-friendly businesses, join in with activities and learn more about how to help save our planet.
