Headspace-
Walk on the beach to get some fresh air - with a litter pick collecting 4.3kg
My Green Hour is an initiative Märraum have introduced to encourage staff to take an hour out of their week to do something ‘green’.
That might be a litter pick, making something using recycled materials, doing research into a product or food, switching energy suppliers, or simply enjoying time in nature.
Whatever the activity is, it should encourage us to step out of our day-to-day, think differently about our environment and how we choose to live in and interact with it.
Preachy. This is about doing what you can and making a small change to improve your environmental impact and knowledge.
It’s not about imposing our views or lecturing, but about sharing positive steps, however small they may seem, to educate and improve ourselves and, hopefully, inspire others.
There’s no use hiding from it – we’re in a climate emergency. Temperatures are rising, our oceans are packed with plastic and as a species we’re consuming too much, too fast.
Half of UK local authorities have now declared it, and 11,000 scientists worldwide recently warned of untold suffering without urgent action.
It can be overwhelming but we believe we all have the power to make even small choices to make a difference.
DAISY - regularly does a litter pick on her way to work, recording how much she is collecting. So far her total is over 20kg! My Green Hour has made her more aware of our 'stuff' culture and of plastic packaging - it has encouraged her to look at her own consumption of packaging.
ADAM - along with Daisy, does a litter pick. He is also very aware of how he travels, opting to use his own two feet or his bike. Ever keen to learn more about how to help, Adam has been listening to audiobooks on the climate and how to impact it less.
JULIAN - has been consciously 'green' for a while, choosing to live a vegan lifestyle. A lover of the ocean, Julian often does a beach clean (even when it's not My Green Hour) on his way back from a surf.
NICK - a keen surfer, Nick has used his green hour to delve into the world of Yoga for Surfers, getting back to nature and adjusting his recycling habits.
OLI - having cut out unnecessary waste from his life (his waste is almost zero!) Oli has been researching how we can impact the world even less, by looking into the processes used within the building industry.
LUCY - moving into a new home is tricky, especially when you want to create a life that is more conscious of the planet. Lucy has spent her My Green Hours building a new bin store and recycling system in order to help her reduce her waste.
We don't just carry out My Green Hour: we are always striving to educate ourselves about what is happening to the climate, new ways to reduce our carbon footprints, and how to reduce our waste. Here are a selection of resources that we have found interesting and insightful:
https://www.ethicalconsumer.org
https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/climate-emergency/
https://yallahcoffee.co.uk/blogs/news/2019-carbon-calculations
https://moralfibres.co.uk/category/homegarden/natural-cleaning/
https://theartofsimple.net/tips-to-go-green-at-home/
https://www.goodenergy.co.uk/blog/2017/08/22/ultimate-guide-eco-friendly-living/
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/environmental-sustainability
Headspace-
Walk on the beach to get some fresh air - with a litter pick collecting 4.3kg
Education-
Listening to audiobook - Turning the tide on plastic
Headspace-
A walk to Osaka Castle to view the surroundings
Reducing footprint-
Unregistering from unnecessary mail wrapped in plastic
Delete unwanted email - over 10K (on a server somewhere)
Environment-
Litter picking on the walk to work
Headspace-
Fresh air and a walk in the snow
Education-
Listening to audiobook - The responsible Company
Headspace/Environmental-
Walk on the beach and a beach clean
Decluttering-
Clearing out a wardrobe - taking it all to the charity shop for a new life
Decluttering-
After a spot of kitchen cleaning started to find old spectacles. search the whole house and found 10 pairs which are now going to charity - VisionCare
Environmental-
Joint walk to work resulting in biggest litter pick yet - 5.25kg
Meditation -
Time to get a yoga session in and find some calm on the mad waters.
Headspace -
Time to reflect on the beach.
Reuse -
Instead of buying gifts, I made wall hangings from left over wool and foraged wood.
Nature -
Finding moments of beauty in the natural world.
Reduce -
Adam and Daisy made me some delicious vegan goodies for Christmas! Home made gifts are the best.