Daily eco warrior actions Chapter 1

These are some of things that I’ve been trying to do lately. The bottom line is that over consumption and the throw away culture in our society is adding to climate change.

The good news is that each and every one of us can make small changes in our daily lives to mitigate the detrimental effects that fast fashion, single use and over consumption has on the planet.

In my next few blogs I shall talk more about what I’m doing in my daily life. Easy solutions that I hope you will try and love. If we are all eco warriors we can really make a difference! Since starting my new Instagram @Sustainable_ chill I’ve been overwhelmed with how many awesome people are out there doing the same sort of things! Litter picking, trying to live with less, live more sustainably and spreading awareness, which I know is imperative for change!

We are the change when we work together, each and every one of us. #bethechange

CHAPTER ONE. Eco bricks

I was apprehensive about these at first, as they are not the solution for plastic pollution or the over consumption of single use plastics that are thrown away. The plastic industry is literally fueling climate change, depleting the earth’s natural resources and causing all kinds of pollution including air pollution and ocean plastic pollution. Parley TV reported that on top of the oil consumption…

“New research shows that plastics emit powerful greenhouse gases as they degrade”

To summarise, there is a lot of plastic in the ocean, over time it breaks up, and under certain conditions ie. UV light from the sun it produces methane. BIG PROBLEM.

Lets be clear, we can’t recycle our way out of the problem, just 4% of the plastic thrown away in the UK is currently recycled.

AND

It is estimated that 63% of the plastic packaging collected for recycling is exported overseas.

These stats come from Everyday Plastic, a report from Daniel Webb from who stored all the plastic waste he threw in the bin for 12 months. Check it out @everydayplastic.

BUT, we can do something TODAY.

All that unrecyclable plastic rubbish we can keep out of landfill, or worse the ocean. Keep it, cut it up and stuff it in an empty plastic drinks bottle.

Basically everything that isn’t a plastic bottle can go in a plastic bottle. Food packaging, biscuit wrappers, sweet wrapper, foil, cling film, plastic food trays. Anything that is big or tough you can cut into smaller pieces. And a wooden spoon handle is perfect for stuffing it down!

What can you build?

They are literally bricks! The website, ecobricks.org states “ecobricks are about taking personal and local responsibility for one’s plastic” – so build something for your local community.

The bricks I am currently working on are to be made into a raised bed for a colleagues Scout group. Search around for something near you, or make something yourself.

They advise against using concrete, as this doesn’t bode well for the end of life of the plastic bottles, as the bottles will split when the concrete is demolished. Instead they suggest the use of cob mortar.

“The easiest earth and ecobrick applications are benches, gardens and playgrounds. Ecobricks are laid horizontally in cob mortar. The result is a thick, sturdy construction with the cob mortar completing encasing the ecobricks to protect them from UV sunlight (with the optional exception of the coloured bottom of the Ecobrick). Thus protected from UV rays and the elements the brick will last pretty much forever in the cob.  Because cob is relatively easy to crumble (as compared to concrete) ecobricks can be extricated from the cob 5 years or 100 years into the future — and then be reused!”

Check out https://www.ecobricks.org/cradle-to-cradle/ and https://www.ecobricks.org/build-2/ for ideas on what to build with your eco bricks!

How to make an eco brick

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