My year of green - will you join me?
This year I've found that January has flown by, have you? I ask because it feels like it was just yesterday that I shared on social media that my family and I would be committing in 2022 to try and be even more green in our choices, and now it's almost the end of the month! Surely I can't be the only person bemused by this?
Anyway, my decision with my family to up our focus of living 'greener' and more sustainably is driven by a combination of wanting to but also because I firmly believe that anyone who seeks to be an MP or any elected political role should lead by example. It feels particularly important that we do this when it comes to anything relating to how our lives impact the environment because the changes we all need to make are pretty significant and so many of us feel a real sense of anxiety and pressure when it comes to the future of our world.
So over the next year, I plan to focus each month on greening an aspect of my life and share publicly about some of my experiences, successes and even failures (I'm human too). I hope that this will both inspire others and show that when I say that I'm committed to tackling the climate crisis it is on a personal basis as well as politically in terms of policy. This month, though I've been fairly quiet about it on social media due to some unforeseen family challenges, I've been focussing on greening our household products. I will confess I've been really happy with the changes we've made - smol dishwasher tablets, silicone mats for baking instead of tinfoil and Fill laundry liquid on top of the eco products we were already using. I also took my first trip to Solar Sisters to refill my laundry liquid bottles and made quite a saving on the price by refilling. Plus, I was so impressed by the wide range of refillable and eco products that they stock at their shop at the top of North Street - if you've never been I encourage you to go and visit. I'm heading back there later today for a cuppa and catch up with Guildford Borough Council Lib Dem group leader and Westborough Councillor, Julia McShane and to refill my laundry liquid - with a family of four including two football-mad boys, we do a lot of washing! Alongside my personal journey, from February I will also be sharing about Lib Dem policy, local initiatives and more relating to the green topic of the month. I also hope, now that covid restrictions are easing and infection rates are going down, I will be able to do visits to see how local groups and businesses are leading on environmental issues - I know so much is happening locally. I do hope that you will join me in my environmental adventure and learning process this year and if you do please let me know on social media and share your experiences with me. Also, if you think there's an aspect of environmental action that I should be looking into (I have 12 months to fill and there are still empty slots), or you are a local group or business who would like me to come and see what you're doing to help tackle the climate crisis then let me know by emailing office@guildfordlibdems.org.uk. |
Finally, if you're not already following me on social media make sure you do and like, retweet and tag me in your tweets about living more sustainably by using the hashtags #Guildford, #Cranleigh #YearofGreen. Together let's go greener together in 2022!