Monday 17 March 2014

Lent: Day 11 // Go Green for St Patrick's Day


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{Lent} Day 11:


40 acts // One green thing // Most of us aren’t eco-warriors all of the time, but we can take time to educate ourselves on the best ways to preserve God’s creation, and we can commit to doing one green thing. Change something simple, like switching from plastic bags to reusable ones, or walking to work a few days per week instead of using the car. Today is St Patrick’s Day and green is everywhere, so use that as a reminder! And if you’ve got any other simple green ideas, feel free to post them on the Facebook page.


{photo credit: http://www.abelandcole.co.uk/news/shoes}

I am very much pro living an eco-friendly, green lifestyle, so was thrilled with this challenge! I took the opportunity today to use my reach at the school where I work to send out a letter to parents about this initiative by Abel & Cole in association with Starfish Malawi. From 17th - 28th March, Abel & Cole will be collecting pre-loved (or new) children's shoes at the same time as delivering their local, ethically sourced, organic produce. My Abel & Cole delivery day is a Wednesday, so I have two Wednesdays to collect as many pairs of shoes as possible! Last year, they managed to send 5,000 pairs of shoes to African orphanages and this year, I want to be involved in making that number even more impressive! 

So a few more tips for living green (by no means exhaustive, but just throwing out ideas):

1) Eat as local and as organic as you can: I get an Abel & Cole delivery, which is amazing and very reasonably priced! They even schedule your delivery day in a way that makes it as eco-friendly as possible :) 

2) Use eco-friendly cleaning products: I currently use a lot of Method and Ecover products (also available through Abel & Cole), but there are even more eco-friendly products out there! I also have an amazing cleaning service called Bright & Beautiful that comes in to clean my flat some weeks that only uses eco- friendly products.

3) Use organic beauty products: In my quest to discover new organic, natural beauty products, I came across two brands I love: Dr Organic at Holland and Barrett (I can highly recommend their organic cotton wool), and, my absolute favourite, Neal's Yard Organics. I loved Neal's Yard Organics so much that even became an Independent Consultant for them and now sell their products! 

4) Using reusable bags made of natural fibres, rather than plastic bags is a must!

5) Buying ethically: ignorance is not an excuse! You can now easily identify products that are Fairtrade or through the Rainforest Alliance for example. But everything, including clothing, has the example of making you a part of the slave trade (which is far bigger now than it has ever been!) if you don't do your homework and make wise, ethical choices!

6) Using re-usable packaging: rather than buying a new water bottle daily, get one (preferably glass or BPA free plastic if you must have plastic) that you can wash and reuse. Same goes for lunch boxes, cutlery, etc - reusable, not disposable! The small effort of having to wash something up is far outweighed by the good that you are doing for the environment or so many levels! You can get some great bkr bottles from one of my absolute favourite organisations, Sevenly, which is not only good for the environment, but also donates to the cause of the week! (Also, check out their clothing, etc for point 5 above).

7) Passing on what you know to others: I blog and post through social media a lot, but recently I have also started using my role as a teacher to get people (my class in particular) to be passionate about making a difference in the world that we live in and, I tell you what, it has been incredible to see the ripple effect! I teach 4-5 year olds and people  might think they are too small to do anything, but if you can inspire a child that age to have a heart for changing the world, you are going to end up with a pretty incredible, world-changing adult! Can't wait to see how that turns out! :)


Live Free // Go through your possessions and give the stuff you no longer need to your local charity shop. Furniture, gadgets, DVDs, and books; give those things you’re never going to use again #BeFree #LiveFree.


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Hope your Lent efforts are still going strong!

Blessings!

Ronell x




"Around me when I look, His handiwork I see; This world 
is a picture book to teach His love to me"

{Jane E. Leeson}



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