affordable eco-living

[Baby's Best]

Hi UKBF friends and members!
I have a question for you: I have started a Campaign for Affordable Organic Living. The idea is basic: we all want to promote green living, yet most "normal" customers still cannot afford the more expensive greener alternative (http://www.babysbest.co.uk/Articles/Campaign-for-Affordable-Organic-Living/11-01-08/30/)! The idea is to reduce the price, increase sales volume and as a result, to be able to put pressure on the wholesaler/manufacturer to reduce their sales prices.
The big problem is that manufacturers and wholesalers have to increase their sales prices because of increase in cost of transport, material, logistics, packaging, staff, etc. This is a big dilemma! I am well aware of the fact that most retailers/wholesalers and manufacturers on this forum must think that I'm mad. All I want to do is raise awareness of the paradox that we want to help our environment and our future generations yet, we are unwilling to compromise.
Well, to get back to my question: Who do you think should help make eco-living affordable?

Thanks to all for your interest!
Tina

 

[Jenni384]

Well, to get back to my question: Who do you think should help make eco-living affordable?

Short answer: Everyone.

Long answer: I have trouble with this. I know the people 'at the top', be they politicians or multinationals or the global elite/ illuminati or whoever you believe to be at the top... I know they have the power to change. And cynical as I am I believe they won't as it won't make them more money.

I also believe we the people have the power to change. While I want to believe otherwise, I think the majority are too apathetic to get up and do something about it. But I believe the minority are growing, and we just have to continue doing our best.

A lot of 'greener' living is less expensive than many people think, but is more time-intensive (think growing your own veg or cooking meals from scratch instead of buying ready-meals to stick in the nuke machine). A lot of the things we are publically encouraged to do (eg recycle, turn off phone chargers) are very small and, while they are important, we should look elsewhere to see what else we can do.

I'm kind-of digressing here. I suppose my answer is we can't rely on anyone to make these things affordable but ourselves. Whether that's through local co-operatives or lobbying local businesses and councils, untimately we can't expect someone else to do something for us if we aren't willing to accept some responsibiliy ourselves.

Urk, that sounds kinda preachy. Not my intention. Just having a brain-fart

 

[Baby's Best]

Hi Jenni
I thought my question would never get any interest
So thanks for your reply!
And yes, you're right: we have to start at the bottom and work our way up.
I don't know what kind of answer I was hoping for, tbh. It seems like a strange question to ask anyway.
I'll let you know if I get some kind of enlightenment.

Tina

 

[Jenni384]

Thanks Tina for the insight into your asking!! Makes me feel less foolish for my random ramblings

I want to know if there is a way all the people who feel the same way can team up in one decisive action. You know, there's some people boycotting E$$o, others Te$co, others who have their own shopping habits with regards some products, and some who write lots of letters and sign petitions.

I saw a drive a few years ago for a global "stay at home day". The idea being that EVERYONE would stay at home, spend time with family, not go to work, not spend anything.
The knock on effect to the economy could be huge... the only problem was co-ordination (would enough people do it) and the action plan after the event. Yes, potentially we could demonstrate that we the people have a lot of power. But would we know what to do with that power once some powers-that-be stood up and listened? *more pondering*

 

[Baby's Best]

I remember vaguely a stay-at-home day movement but I remember the don-t-spend-any-money day better. There are probably still too many people afraid of authority to stay at home!
Personally, I don't go shopping at Te$co - I hate them! Did you know that they lobbied the Bank of England to drop the rate last time they were reduced? Outrageous !!! It's outrageous that any company can lobby the Bank of England!
I think the best way to make it work would be in the community, for instance, get lots of bikes for one day (from bike companies etc.) and ask people who'd normally take the car to ride their bike! I think that's a good idea.
Any more?

 

[Miranda]

I think we all have to make a conscious effort to do a little bit more very day. It gets quite hard if you do it anyway to do that bit more but it's refreshing that so many more people are beginning to make an effort in this direction.
(I was quite shocked on becoming a parent 8 1/2 years ago to have the time to discover how ungreen many families are, even when working full time my 'ready meals' were always half of some I cooked earlier from scratch that I'd popped in the freezer)

 

[Jenni384]

I was quite shocked on becoming a parent 8 1/2 years ago to have the time to discover how ungreen many families are, even when working full time my 'ready meals' were always half of some I cooked earlier from scratch that I'd popped in the freezer

This is a comparatively easy way of doing things. I love making a big batch of stew or whatever from scratch, and freezing loads of portions down. Instant healthy ready meals, and they taste better, too!

I had an instant lasagne the other day. Utterly disgusting, tasted like cardboard.

 

[garethkane]

I don't buy this argument that sustainability is for the rich. Much of eco-living is about spending less rather than more. Rich people have a larger carbon footprint than the rest of us (unless they sit in a single room all day and night counting their money by candlelight) as they buy more.

I agree on the food thing - I never scrimp on groceries, no matter what, after encountering a 9p jar of mixed fruit jam when I was jobless for a while (by choice). Urh!

 

[SenditOver]

its all very well and good asking people to be greener. but if youve just pulled 2 12hr shifts in a row, you're hardly likely to want to go out and tend to a carden, cook a meal from scratch, and then make your own toilet roll etc.

eco-change should start from the top, and then filter down.

time is valuable to most people, and i'd rather spend 3hrs with my kids, than down the local dump sorting between 5000 different types of plastic.

just my 2p

 

[KidsBeeHappy]

Talk to the people at Findhorn. They seem to have managed it well enough (well apart from the weekly trip to Tescos!). But there are loads of people there willing to talk and advise.

 

[Jenni384]

its all very well and good asking people to be greener. but if youve just pulled 2 12hr shifts in a row, you're hardly likely to want to go out and tend to a carden, cook a meal from scratch, and then make your own toilet roll etc.

eco-change should start from the top, and then filter down.

time is valuable to most people, and i'd rather spend 3hrs with my kids, than down the local dump sorting between 5000 different types of plastic.

just my 2p

I completely understand that sometimes you are just too tired and busy to want to do the things we know we "should" do. SendItOver, this next paragraph is not directed at you, but at society in general.

This attitude of 'someone else should do it first' is, I believe, one of the reasons this society is the way it is. This society passes the buck and shirks responsibility. Look at the prevalence of No Win No Fee Accident claims. I'm sure many of them are valid, but when you read stories of the mother who successfuly sued for thousands when an out-of-control toddler tripped her over in a supermarket... and then find out it was her toddler, you can see this society has become a 'what can I get out of it' culture. 'Someone else should provide eco-friendly living for us, we shouldn't have to do it ourselves.' The people at the top aren't doing it! They are not leading by good example. That doesn't mean we shouldn't do the right thing either.

When time is precious, I certainly don't think it should be spent 'sorting 5000 types of plastic' at the local dump over spending that time your children. But there are a lot of little things that can be easily built into everyday life that don't need to impact on your time.

I think it's really important not to throw the baby out with the bathwater here. Yes, a full-on grow-your-own-veggies, rear-your-own-chickens lifestyle is not going to suit everyone. But there are a lot of things folk can and should do, and should keep sight of that.