Sustainability Challenge
Simply put, sustainability means changing the way we live now to make sure that our grandchildren, and their grandchildren, inherit the kind of world we’d want to live in.
There are 6.6 billion people on Earth, with an expected increase to 9 billion by 2050, and collectively we’re making quite a mess of the planet. We need to start changing how we live to halt climate change, pollution and over consumption.
Sustainability isn’t just for the dedicated few – we all need to change our ways. If not, our children’s children will have to deal with the consequences.
The Nelmes Family Diary 2009
Ecover Products
I was given given lots of products to try out, washing up liquid, toilet cleaner, fabric softner and washing liquid
Washing up liquid
This producy was very nic to use, it doesn't have much of smell, but it is very gentle on the skin not like my previous brand, it was economical as you only need to use a little drop, however if there was a big load to do then i found I had to change the water as it became very greasy. I have purchased this product again and will continue to use it.
Toilet Cleaner
This product smells lovely and keeps smelling for a long time, however it was not great at cutting through limescale but it was a good cleanerand left a nice sparkle.
Washing Liquid
This product was very good, it got the marks off clothes and was only used on a low temperature wash, you only need a capful which is great as it lasts a long time, however there was no fragrance to it.
Fabric Conditioner
I found the yellow one to be the best and kept our clothes smelling nice.
Recycled Toilet Rolls
I tried different brands of recycled toilet rolls and found they were all very similar , they are quite thin which meant we were having to use a little more than I would with my normal brand.
Fair Trade Products
I have purchased a lot of fair trade products (sugar, tea, coffee, banana's, dishcloths and many more) I found there was no taste difference and I have continued to buy fair trade products as I have found that they are no more expensive than normal products.
Green Dog Loo
This is a fantastic product, with having a dog and constantly picking up mess within the garden it's not always nice using bags to dispose of the waste so instead you place the dog mess into the dog loo and once a week add the chemicals which breaks down the mess and then you just flush it out with water and it all disappears into the ground, it does not smell at all, you have to dig it into the ground and make sure that nothing can get in to block vents etc, I would recommend this to anyone who has dogs and it has certainly cut down on nappy bags etc.
Replacing the Car
This challenge was the most difficult I replaced the car by walking to the shops or anywhere that was less than 2 miles, I walked to work and with the amount of time I had I found this a real struggle, but I did manage it, by trying different routes to find the quickest, I managed to get this down, taking me only 25 minutes to get to work and walking extremely fast.
There was one problem I had and that I found impossible, was walking to collect the children from nursery and school, getting from one side of Kenilworth to the other in only 10 mins, so the only time i could walk to collect the children is when my son does after school activities as it actually takes between 30 - 40 minutes to get from home/nursery to his school, during doing these exercises I felt more energetic and the exercise too, also I had a little more money as I managed to get my petrol down to just £5 a week this was a great money saving exercise. I can honestly say I was cooking up between 6,000 - 12,000 steps on each occasion especially at work, I work a kitchen I'm constantly running around I was surprised when my pedometer said I had clocked up over 12,000 steps.
I can honestly say we have enjoyed the challenge, my son Jordan does the recycling every day when he comes home from school, Ellie has started putting all yoghurt pots in the sink ready to wash and recycle
Would you like to try The Challenge?
If you would like to undertake the challenge download a copy of the 15 Challenges (PDF - 104 KB)
For more information please email climatechange@warwickshire.gov.uk