Families take action

Supermarket sweep

The week began with a trip to Sainsbury’s where Cara was surprised by how much eco-swag they managed to pick up for £40. The biggest success was the biodegradable nappies by Nature Boy & Girl (naty.com). Instead of the plastic surface common in disposables, they use tree pulp and non-GM, natural maize, to make 70 per cent of their content biodegradable. Although they still end up in landfill sites, they breakdown more easily, producing less methane, one of the gases that contributes to global warming. “Most mothers stick faithfully to whatever type of nappy doesn’t leak and doesn’t dare change, but these ones work just as well,” says Cara.

At home, delicacies such as potato and carrot mash and butternut squash were prepared for Finnian, to last for six weeks. “You put them in ice trays in the freezer and then mix and match meals in plastic bags. Although it was time consuming initially, now it’s saving me time and money. Best of all, Finnian likes the food.”

Green cleaning

Throughout the week, they used Ecover cleaning products - all made from natural ingredients, such as plant-based starches which breakdown easily in waterways, instead of the petrochemical derivatives that harm marine life. Only the bathroom cream cleanser disappointed. The rest, especially the washing powder, Cara plans to carry on using. “I’m also going to stick with the biodegradable nappies and wipes. I may end up returning to jars of baby food if I’m out and about, but I’ll still do the cook-up every six weeks.

The verdict?

“When I told friends I was going green, they said I’d never manage it. But it’s easy. Apart from initial effort to get you started, it takes no time at all. You have to make the mental shift and change your habits initially, then you’re up and running.

“It has hit home that this is our son’s future being affected. We don’t want him living on a mountain of rubbish,” says Cara. After one week, James hauled a pink bag stashed full of recyclable items onto the street for the first time; it was a turning point. “I nearly took a photo,” says Cara. “We felt as if we were doing something right at last.”

In the north of England, Sharon Flicker, 34, and her husband Darren, 33, had already dabbled in living the green life. They were spurred into action by their son, thanks to his primary school in a village outside York, which gives parents as well pupils an understanding of how to treat the environment. “For one assembly, the children had to bring in something that could be recycled,” says Sharon. “We gave Thomas my old birthday cards.”

North Duffield Community Primary School also provides an afterlife for the family’s yoghurt pots and milk cartons, an important step given that we generate 3 million tonnes of plastic waste every year in the UK, of which only 7 per cent is recycled. Five year-old Thomas accumulates stars on a school chart for taking them in to use as building materials. He’s already earned a prize for his efforts.

Stepping up commitment

In the week that the family went green, Sharon, a part-time nurse, set up a hospital recycling point for cans and cardboard. Meanwhile her father made the family a water butt, which collects water from drainpipes on the roof to put on the garden.

They struggled to cut back on car use - something that has a significant impact on a family’s green status since transport contributes 21 per cent of the UK’s total carbon dioxide output. The couple already walk Thomas to school in the village, but living ten miles from the nearest town, they say it’s hard to cope without the car. Sharon says she’d like to walk more, but ditching the car is a step too far, especially with one year-old Libby to carry around.

However, by the end of week, she decided that it is a misconception that going green is time-consuming. “Most of it’s just logical. We have started saving all our carrier bags, sticking them in the car and then reusing them at the supermarket. No one could complain that this is time-consuming,” she says.

The verdict?

There are moments of doubt. When there was a drought this summer, the family were using old washing up water on their plants. They noticed that down the road, there was a water leak and it was pouring onto the streets. “That’s the point when you doubt if your efforts are worth it,” says Sharon.

But Thomas now understands about turning the tap off when he’s cleaning his teeth. He’s had a pep talk about countries in the world where people don’t have running water. Whether at home or in the playground, he’s becoming an enthusiastic eco-worrier.

Should you wish to comment on any of the issues raised in the article please email gogreen@timesonline.co.uk or go to Anna Shepard’s blog.

Reader comments so far:

It always seems to me when going to the supermarket (any of them) that they should stop providing the dreadful plastic bags they dish out by the thousand. Surely they have a responsibility to show the way, saving themselves money in the process. They have done so in France, initially with great resistance from consumers, but once they (myself amongst them) forgot their shopping bag and had to carry the lot by hand to their car, they soon learn to remember it next time they went shopping!

Fabienne W-Jones

In all the articles I have read about going-green, nobody has mentioned e-cloths, www.e-cloth.com. This wonderful product has changed my buying habits completely, not only do I now clean the house including the kitchen and a very messy cooker with nothing more than a damp e-cloth, the window cleaning cloths are amazingly simple to use and very efficient. Even my teenage son was impressed with the car-cleaning kit. No more detergents needed, no more chemicals dispersed into the environment, no more packing to dispose of. Even if we do re-cycle more than 50% of our household waste, not generating it in the first place must be a bonus.

Sharon Sharpe

I am a 16 year old A-Level student living on the Wirral, and I am shocked at the lack of recycling opportunities available where I live. I believe that the Wirral counts as part of the County of Cheshire, yet we do not have recycling bins as those in other parts of Cheshire do. Although I admit there are a few glass recycling units to be found on some main Wirral streets, and we have received brown bins for garden waste (of which my particular household has little as my father uses most of it in the garden and allotment) we still do not have the same chances to recycle as others simply because of where we live.

If the government is serious about recycling - as I dearly think it is - then a nation-wide scheme, in ALL areas, would surely be the next logical step. Though I am at a loss as to why it isn’t already in place. I have also noticed plastic carrier bag recycling units in some areas, and wonder why these are not wider spread, especially as plastic waste is a huge part of the problem. Basically, I do not see why we, as Wirralonians, do not receive equal opportunities to recycle as all other areas of the Country or even the county. Even as I type I am looking for the email of my local MP to deliver the same argument.

Olivia Stone