Southampton Sustainability Forum

September 19, 2008
4:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Whether it’s lapsang souchong or a mug of builders’, it’s hard to beat a nice cup of tea. Unless it’s a nice cup of tea that could help make a fairer world.

On Friday 19th September from 4pm to 6pm please pop in and enjoy a cuppa and some cake (and make a donation at your discretion) to help raise funds for Christian Aid at St Alburns Church, Community Room Tulip Road (Off Burgess Road) in Swaythling, Southampton.

Christian Aid this year on 19th September are asking people across the world to get together, put the kettle on and help give poor communities the chance of a better future.
For more information about Christian Aid and their commitment to challenge the causes of poverty visit here.

Also take the Pledge
Next year, world leaders  meet in Copenhagen to agree how to combat climate change for the next decade and beyond.
It’s vital an effective deal is done, for the sake of the planet and for the millions in the poorest countries who are suffering from the effects of climate change right now.

For more information on the Copenhagen Pledge click here.

Christine Jeavens set herself the goal of living one month without buying any new plastic. Over the month of August she had to find alternatives to various products such as plastic bags, packaged food, nappies, toothbrushes, and deodorant. Her efforts saw a reduction in 80% of the amount of plastic waste she emitted.

The goal was not to discourage the use of plastic, but rather reduce the emission of plastic waste to as close to zero as possible. Although many plastics claim to be recyclable, the UK’s waste management infrastructure is not yet prepared to sort and process the many different types of plastic waste we produce.

Christine’s blog features various challenges and problems she encountered whilst trying to cut down the amount of plastic waste she produced. It contains many interesting tips, solutions and alternative products for those who wish to avoid using plastic.

Using plastic bags can be avoided at the supermarket by buying loose fruit and veg and of course bringing reusable shopping bags. Visits to local butchers for meat and curry houses with reusable containers also avoided further plastic packaging that would otherwise go straight to the bin.

Many products can actually be homemade. Bread is surprisingly easy to make, even more so with a bread maker. Homemade shampoo and conditioner (using bicarbonate soda for shampoo and a vinegar rinse for conditioner) has also encountered considerable success – not only does it avoid the use of haircare bottles but avoids exposure to potentially toxic chemicals often contained in such products.

On the other hand, Christine found that it was best to steer clear of homemade toothpaste recipes, and was not convinced by wooden toothbrushes.

Some small investments can help avoid plastic waste as well as cut significant costs. The purchase of a stainless steel water bottle refilled with tap water avoided having to buy plastic water bottles and avoided significant amounts of waste. Similiarly, menstrual cups or re-useable pads also save costs and drastically reduce plastic waste.

Christine reports her biggest challenge was using real nappies. She had to co-ordinate the laundry so that there is a constant supply – this can be tricky and sometimes she had to resort to disposable nappies for her toddler son. This composed most of the 116 items of plastic waste she had at the end of the month – compared with over 800 before starting the challenge.

Her blog Not My Bag explains the day-to-day challenges of living with minimum plastic usage.

Many people are now offsetting their CO2 emissions by funding projects or companies who reduce CO2 emissions in another part of the country or the world.

Why do we do it?
Climate change has been recognised as an urgent environmental problem for which humans are partially responsible for, and we need to take immediate action to reduce [...]