Sustainability During a Pandemic

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Let me start off by saying I am so lucky to have a roof over my head, food in the pantry and an income coming in. My partner and I aren’t essential workers so we’ve been nice and safe in our little bubble during the lockdown. I haven’t had to be worried about my basic needs during this time, so I’ve been trying to up my sustainability game as much as possible. These are some of the wins I’ve made.

Less Packaging

The lockdown has meant no takeaways, including coffee. Which has meant a huge reduction in waste. No plastic containers, utensils or the dreaded coffee cups have been added to landfill. Even now, when takeaways have reopened we’ve been more selective and less reliant on the quick and easy food which I hope is a habit we’ll continue.

Flavourful Herbs

The extra cooking has also come with a lot of new recipes, which each seemed to call for some new herb. This did require a lot of those little plastic containers from the supermarket for a start. But we ended up buying some fresh plants, caring for them until we could get some pots for them and now they’re healthy, tasty additions to our deck and dinners.

Chemical Cleaning

Our sink blocked up. Gross, I know. Rather than grab a bottle of drain cleaner I did a little research and found a natural remedy — baking soda and white vinegar. It was like a science experiment. Froth everywhere and I didn’t think it actually got down into the pipe. Turns out it did and our sink is back to normal. With no toxic chemicals being washed down into the system.

Decluttering

I had some boxes of stuff. You know the kind where you can’t even count how many times they’ve moved house with you, without being opened and emptied. I actually had the time to go through them, reminisce, throw out a bunch of old stuff, prepare some stuff to give to charity (don’t just dump it outside under lockdown! It’ll be ruined before they can get to it) and feel generally organised. I highly recommend it.

Less Driving

Obviously, during the strictest period of our lockdown, we were barely in the car, except to get groceries. We’ve done a couple of little trips to the ocean in the last couple of weeks, to stretch our legs and get some fresh air. But I’m loving spending less time behind the wheel.

Food Waste

One thing about cooking at home all. the. time. You are more aware of what’s in the fridge. I’ve made a conscious effort to keep an eye on the veggies and use them up before they end up in the compost. One thing that has been helping this is not being able to order takeaways or sneak out for a meal with friends. Living next to a busy strip of fantastic restaurants does draw you out of the house and away from those salad greens that are starting to wilt. Staying on top of our supplies and reducing the amount we send to the compost is definitely something I want to maintain as we are allowed to leave the house more often.

Buy Less Stuff

One of the outcomes from my income dropping is I started taking a long, hard look at my bank statements. Why am I shopping? Do I really need another dress? Is there another (cheaper) option that works just as well? Could I thrift it? There is so much stuff already in the world. Already created and existing. Purchasing more drives more to be created. Putting more thought into purchases makes them more special and better thought out. Aside from what we’re spending on food and fixed costs like insurance, our expenses have dropped dramatically. And we’re doing just fine.

Time

I’ve definitely had a lot more time on my hands with less work, no commute, no yoga classes and no time with friends. It’s led me to plant a herb garden, make sourdough from scratch, declutter, sell some items, clean, cook more… I’ve really loved slowing down and living a more sustainable life. It’s also got me more focused on what really matters and got me thinking about where I want to spend my time and energy.

Final Note

I believe there are always lessons we can take from any period of our lives and it’s important to observe how we are reacting to circumstances. If you’re lucky enough to have food, shelter and income, you can make the most of whatever circumstance you find yourself in. And you need to because this too will pass and you’ll be faced with new circumstances soon enough.