What can I do to combat climate change?

Obviously climate change and man’s impact on the environment are hot topics. After the BBC’s programme “Climate Change – The Facts” and with the Extinction Rebellion events around the world there is a lot of focus on this subject and many people are asking about what they can do to change their lives around for the better.

At Taste of Self Sufficiency we have been active for over 10 years changing our lives to be low carbon, low consumption and more in tune with nature, nurturing it rather than exploiting it. So what is it we are doing which may ring a chord with your own direction?

1. We use very little energy. Firstly we generate our own energy and do not burn fossil fuels. We have solar panels for generating electricity and we have an electricity bill of around £150 per year. We gather wood from local sources and run our whole house heating system solely using this wood. We do not spend a penny on house heating. We also do not use a freezer and only use a fridge in summer because we always have food in the garden and we do not waste any food, we eat it all before it can go off. We like to cycle rather than use vehicles, but we do have a motor scooter to reduce carbon usage.
2. We grow our own foods. We have a garden where we grow all our own vegetables and fruits and we use organic, permaculture and biodynamic methods to grow these. We therefore avoid a lot of carbon generation because there is no transport element to production. We also work within the Dean Forest Food Hub selling our surplus and buying from other local producers and ethical, local suppliers of foods we cannot grow ourselves. We also forage throughout the year.
3. We make many of our products from basic materials. One of the points in the BBC programme was about palm oil and how it is found in so many of our foods and household products including soap for instance. We have learnt so many skills and recipes for making our own. We bake our own bread with only basic ingredients, we make our own jams, preserves, beers, wines, liqueurs pickles, sauerkraut etc. We also make some of our own soaps, including shampoos and conditioners, house cleaning products etc. All avoiding the dreaded palm oil.
4. We are basically vegetarians, going on vegans so we do not contribute to the impact of meat production. We have an extensive array of recipes we have devised and collected over the years and we do grow our own proteins in our garden. Our food is well balanced to provide all our our nutritional needs and our garden also reflects this approach in what we grow. We basically design our garden in alignment with our dietary needs.
5. We consume very little. Some would say that we live a very frugal life but actually we live a very rich and wealthy life without much money. We are perfecting the art of “The less we have the greater the experience” and are really living life to the full.
6. We regenerate our environment in tune with nature’s need. We are building natural diversity and natural habitats on our land. We have a wild flower meadow which is cut by hand each year and has over 70 different wild flower species. We have built a wildlife pond and are growing a small woodland.

All of the above we do on 1.5 acres, we live in a nice modern looking house with plenty of space and comforts. We are normal people and don’t wear weird clothes or pierce our bodies. We eat very well and like to socialise.

To inspire your own journey towards carbon neutral and natural harmony come and visit on one of our half day sessions or come and stay for a few days. Check it out here.