I’ve been feeling very upset and angry about some of the events of this year and instead of burying my head in the sand and whinging, I’ve decided to try and do something about it. In particular, environmental issues and local issues. There are many worthy causes out there but I think just choosing two as a main focus is enough for one person.
I accept that my efforts may be futile and a drop in the ocean of what’s needed but I hope that in conjunction with other people and their efforts, our societies will start to swing to a more sustainable model. So I’m just going to detail here the changes I’m making, the causes I’m supporting, the petitions I’m signing etc. If you’re not interested, these are links to all video game posts / MMO only posts / single player only posts. I’ll be sorting these action posts under ‘hope’.
Christmas related actions:
I’m going to be buying as many presents as I can from Etsy, Notonthehighstreet and our local second hand toy shop. I want to support individuals and small businesses as well as the big global companies. Buying some toys / items second hand will at least give more use to the plastic as a toy before it ends up in the food chain. (thanks to sylversyl for the link)
Re-use our fake Christmas tree for at least 10 years / until it falls apart (as that brings the environmental cost down). Environmentally, it’s better to have a real tree which is then chipped or burnt but not if it ends up as landfill. (check your local council services – most will have facilities for this or may even provide a free pickup in the new year). This BBC article goes into a bit more detail.
Buying wrapping paper that doesn’t have glitter or foil or a plastic coating. I’m hoping to find some recycled wrapping paper even though part of me is a bit resistant to this (sparkles and glitter!) but honestly, it’s just ripped off and thrown away…
Donating items weekly to our local food bank collection points. We are lucky as these are conveniently found in our local Co-Ops and Tescos (probably other major supermarkets as well).
How about you? what are your tips?
*edit* and obviously Tolkien quotes are perfect for this sort of thing ;) image found here
