G R E E N PA R E N T I N G
How to be
SUSTAINABLE-ISH A NEW GUIDE GIVES US THE TIPS WE NEED TO BE GREENER PARENTS In London, we’re all tripping over cycle lanes, street calming measures and LTNs, but it’s not just the traffic we need to address if we want to save the planet. From nappies and toys to food and bedding, parents have more choice than ever. But where to start is often the stumbling block. JEN GALE, a self-confessed, ordinary, knackered mum spent a year not buying anything new, and the result is The Sustainable(ish) Guide to Green Parenting: Guiltfree eco ideas for raising your kids, out this month.
When did you realise you wanted to make a change? We spent a year buying nothing new in 2012/13 and what started as a fairly naive ‘fun’ challenge was a real eye opener and made me realise that we needed to make more changes. What did you decide to do first? The year buying nothing new was a decision made not really from a particularly eco perspective but taught me so much. One of the first changes I think we made aside from that was switching to a renewable energy provider. How did your family respond? The kids were only four and two when we did our year buying nothing new, so they weren’t really all that aware. I think my husband fully expected me to get distracted quite soon with another more exciting idea, and his biggest concern was whether he would be able to buy a newspaper! Did you find it difficult? I think the first steps of any change are often the hardest. The gap between wanting to change or feeling like we ‘should’ and actually doing it can feel huge. But once you’ve made that first step, no matter how small, it becomes easier and easier 22 CITYKIDSMAGAZINE.CO.UK
to keep going, and all the changes you make very quickly become your new normal. Have you become an evangelical tree hugger? Not at all! I’m a big fan of the ‘ish’ in Sustainable(ish). I’m very aware that in the same way that there’s very little in life that is black and white, there’s very little green and white too - more like lots of different shades of green in between, and it’s all about working out what works for you and your family. Any step in the right direction is cause for celebration! During your make do and mend year, what did you give people for birthdays and Christmas? I made the vast majority of gifts during that year, and I’m pretty embarrassed now when I look back on them! Some of them were ok, but I attempted to make my brother a cricket ball hat that I’d seen on Pinterest, and I’m sure it went straight in the bin. As the year wore on I came to the conclusion that my talents probably lay more with baking than sewing, and edible gifts seemed to be pretty well received! What were your biggest learnings? I learned loads of practical skills, like darning and patching jeans, but my biggest takeaway was that we absolutely can make a difference, even as just one person or just one family. I realised that all of the choices I was making everyday, many of them pretty unconsciously about what to eat, buy, and wear all had an impact. And that I had to take responsibility for that impact and make changes where I could.
