What do we mean by ‘ethical gifts’? A chat with ethical small business owner Nahir.

[This was originally published in my climate action newsletter The Green Fix]

Who else is being bombarded with articles called ’10 tips for an eco-friendly Christmas?’ lately.

Call it a 2020 thing but somehow I haven’t been seized by the festive spirit or crafting skills to make a handmade wreath or my ‘sustainable gift ideas’ don’t include one single artisanal Fairtrade candle holder.

Overconsumption, this mentality of must-have and its close cousin, must-dos for a ‘proper Christmas’ is as present in many sustainable campaigns as…

[This was originally published in the October 2020 edition of my climate action newsletter The Green Fix]

So. Energy. Could do with some of that today.

But we’re powering through (appreciate my puns please).

I was a little apprehensive about writing about clean energy for a whole newsletter. Because I automatically associate it with ‘science’ which my brain reads as ‘complicated’.

I’ve noticed that sometimes the conversation about individual sustainability veers in the direction of the small, everyday lifestyle changes that are the easiest, the most accessible, and probably not coincidentally — the most aesthetically pleasing.

This is fine. It’s…

What does greenwashing actually mean? An explanation and a roundup of climate action resources.

[This was originally published in the October 2020 edition of my climate action newsletter The Green Fix]

So. I left preparing this newsletter a little late this week.

Call it a personal failing. Work was busy, life was busy, and my ability to write coherently drops dramatically after about 8pm.

Anyway, it’s 10pm at the time of writing. I thought about delaying the Green Fix a day or two. Nobody is monitoring when I send it out. It’s just in the early days, I can get…

Do you know what your clothing tags mean? Sustainable textile resources and a chat with sustainable fashion brand Mareco.

[This was originally published in the September 2020 edition of my climate action newsletter The Green Fix]

Hello! It’s 7pm and I’ve just had another cup of coffee so let’s get rolling.

(What does that actually mean?)

For those of you who are new subscribers, a short introduction: The Green Fix rounds up concise advice and resources for people who want to do more about the climate crisis. You don’t need money, time or expertise, you just need to care.

OK…

I read the news headlines with my mouse ready to click off the page. I never do — I feel too guilty. I should know what atrocities are happening around the world.

You want to make a difference, I mutter to myself as I scroll through an Instagram feed of neverending ‘unrecognised crises.’ Don’t look away.

But I wasn’t making a difference. Reading about icecaps melting and then staring at my own sad reflection in the kettle as I stress-boil the fifth cup of tea rather than work doesn’t do anything. What I was craving was solutions.

Reusable bags and…

The other day I was in line at the supermarket. In front of me, a mother was hauling an enormous number of plastic-wrapped items onto the conveyor belt. Fruit, vegetables, water bottles, a variety of meat products… And in a kneejerk reflex, I thought wow she really doesn’t care about the planet, does she?

She paid and left, and I rocked up to the till with my vegan and environmentally-conscious shopping selection, feeling a bit smug and morally superior for buying beans and Alpro rather than meat and dairy milk.

I knew what products had a lower carbon footprint. I…

“When people believe they can make a difference, they achieve remarkable things.”

But how do you make people believe they can make a difference? What makes me, you, or anyone else decide that today they’ll ditch the plastic bags, or change to a sustainable bank, or start sharing Instagram posts about climate activism?

Earlier this year, representatives from the European Commission, Oatly, and the International Festival for Social Collaboration gathered online to discuss this question: how do we get individuals actively involved in sustainable development?

Brought together by Think.Act.Change digital debates, a series of webinar discussions between people working in…

Travel is cheap. Apparently.

If, like me, you grew up in a comfortably privileged middle-class background with access to cheap Ryanair flights to random European cities, you probably are used to hearing the message that travel is essential.

Without travel, we were told, we wouldn’t fully broaden our minds or ‘find ourselves.’ Classmates saved up for gap years volunteering in Thailand or weekend trips to Ibiza with The Girls. Instagrammers on sunny balconies in Milan or Bali told us anyone can travel and how transformational it is.

And if you only had about £5 in savings? Apparently all that was…