Every day I’m inspired by the brilliant people on my newsfeeds and the dynamic changemakers who we are lucky enough to feature in this very magazine – the ones making a big difference to the environment by going zero-waste, those seeking out the yellow sticker bargains and turning them into gourmet meals, and those looking gorgeous dressed head to toe in charity shop buys. There is a sentiment that connects most people I admire – they want to have as little impact on the planet as possible. These people hold me accountable, they make me examine my behaviour and try to be better, but an area I continually fail at is consumption. I’ll shamefully raise my hand and admit I am a consumer. I can be faddy and I follow fashion; I buy the tickets, make the reservations and order the food. And as terrible as my activity is for my bank balance, does it cause more sinister consequences for the environment? To find out I’m closing my purse for a week, giving the credit cards a rest and getting my thrift on.
I’m as guilty as the next person of a weekend takeaway, often ordered when there’s perfectly edible and good food to eat in the fridge. This food then gets ignored in favour of its flashy door-delivered counterpart and then potentially wasted. Last weekend, after a long Sunday out and about, I succumbed and ordered myself a veggie curry. Unsurprisingly, there were leftovers which I thought to myself I would save for the next day. However, after a discussion at work on a very bleak and grey Monday about the comforting power of baked beans and a humble jacket potato,