Charity begins at home?

Charity begins at home?
Think Global, act local?
Bloom where you’re planted?

In a world where over-consumption leaves our society in danger of ultimate collapse, it makes sense to work as far as possible in my local area. After all, if I do not reduce my ecological footprint, it is ultimately someone living in Kiribati who is likely to pay.

Living in a rich country, I can do a lot locally for the environment by reducing my eco-footprint:

• look for a job that I can reach by bike and train
• buy green power, and investigate cost of solar power
• install water tanks
• eat chickweed from my garden instead of buying lettuce
• grow edible instead of ornamental plants
• switch off lights
• reduce, reuse, recycle obsessively (I drive the cashiers crazy when I bring loose carrots and apples to weigh rather than use plastic bags – but I do use a bag for beans!)
• buy fair trade chocolate and coffee for home consumption and gifts
• buy kangaroo instead of beef (Red meat = 18- 34% of your eco-footprint; 150g less per week saves 10,000 litres of water, 300kg of greenhouse gas per year; not eating 0.5kg of beef saves as much water as not showering for an entire year).