July 2021: Reduce & Reuse Challenge
One of the biggest parts of our carbon footprint is the stuff we buy - fossil fuels are involved in producing the raw materials that go into them, in the manufacturing process, and then in transporting the goods.
We can tackle that by reducing our purchases and reusing where we can. So, as ever, pick one of more of the following challenges to do this month – or make up your own.
One of the biggest parts of our carbon footprint is the stuff we buy - fossil fuels are involved in producing the raw materials that go into them, in the manufacturing process, and then in transporting the goods.
We can tackle that by reducing our purchases and reusing where we can. So, as ever, pick one of more of the following challenges to do this month – or make up your own.
- ACTION: Take an inventory in your kitchen and/or bathroom of the products that come in single-use packaging and investigate how many could instead be refilled or swapped for packaging-free alternatives.
- ACTION: Have a discussion with family, friends, and/or neighbours about tools that you could potentially share rather than each owning separately, such as drills, paper-shredders, camping tents, surfboards and so on. Or hire tools from Hire Station.
- ACTION: Go the month without buying a coffee in a single-use cup. In Britain alone, 2.5 billion are used per year with only 0.25% recycled.
- ACTION: Join the Bristol Repair Café Group on FaceBook.
- ACTION: Check out Community RePaint to save yourself or someone else from wasting what would otherwise be excess paint:
- ACTION: Organise a clothes-swap event with your friends.
- ACTION: Around 20,000 plastic bottles are used every second! We can’t fix that but we can decide not to contribute to that obscene figure – go the month without acquiring a new plastic bottle.
- ACTION: Reduce your water consumption by limiting your shower to two minutes.
- ACTION: Make a list of ten things your workplace could do to reduce its consumption and make some suggestions.
- ACTION: Keep in mind that when we can finally host large events again, tableware can be hired, rather than bought (for instance, from here, here and here).
- RESEARCH: Watch Bristol Waste’s video about their reuse shop in Avonmouth.
- AMPLIFY: Tell your friends and family about the challenges you’re taking this month and ask them to join in.
