What it is

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.

What it isn't

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.

Why?

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.

Examples of what we've been doing

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.

Want to learn more?

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