The joy of sustainability
9. Find like-minded individuals in groups like Sustainable Illawarr
I still remember where my sustainability journey started. It was in our laundry, off the kitchen in our tiny Sydney apartment, looking into our rubbish bin that was filled with food scraps and soft plastics and thinking, “There has to be a better way.”
That was almost 10 years ago now and learning how to live more responsibly has been an interesting and often unexpected journey.
There have been plenty of overwhelming moments, which I kind of expected from the beginning, but also plenty of moments of joy, which I didn’t see coming. Reading about the scale of the problem of climate change or plastic pollution or soil degradation is overwhelming. Taking action individually or collectively though brings so much connection, energy and joy.
Many of the things we have changed in our household, I’ve assumed will be a sacrifice for the greater good, and turned out to be incredibly rewarding. Composting our food scraps instead of throwing them in the bin, for example, which I thought would be smelly and full of cockroaches like the bin I remember from my Nana’s garden, but worth it for the planet. It turned out to be odourless and insect-free, and comes with a feeling of accomplishment when the worms come and then when that compost is turned out on to our garden and our plants grow exponentially (it turns out Nana didn’t know you had to balance food scraps with dry stuff like leaves or paper).
Buying an electric car was the same. I thought it would be expensive and annoying both to charge and to drive, like a go-kart perhaps. It has been the exact opposite! It costs us far less, charging it is really easy (and quick and free at the fast chargers when we’re on long trips), and it’s so zippy and quiet that it’s an absolute joy to drive.
Many of the changes we’ve made have brought us closer to the community we live in. It has improved our mental and physical health and made for some really fun experiences with the kids.
If there’s something you’ve been thinking of trying, whether it’s cycling to work or the shops once a week or making bread, buying food in bulk or clothes from an op shop, starting a compost bin or switching to an electric car, give it a go! You never know what joy it might bring.
Where to start
1. Put all food scraps in the green bin or a compost bin (that’s about 40% of your landfill fixed already)
2. Take all soft plastics back to the shop (that’s another 40% so your red bin is almost empty!)
3. Buy local produce from growers such as Green Connect, Popes Produce or Dapto Community Farm
4. Buy ethical, package-free food from shops like Flame Tree Community Food Co-op
5. Buy as many things as you can second-hand from op shops like Green Connect (in Unanderra and now on the UOW campus too) or online
6. Join a community garden or group like Thirroul Community Garden, Parkrun or Surfrider
7. Choose to walk, bike, scoot or skate as often as you can – and look into getting an electric bike or electric vehicles for when you can’t
8. Learn new skills like gardening workshops at Green Connect or craft skills at Makeshift
9. Find like-minded individuals in groups like Sustainable Illawarra.
What’s On at Green Connect
Regular Farm Tours at the Green Connect Farm: Alternate Thursdays and Saturdays 9am
Sat 19 March - 9am to 12.30pm - Introduction to Beekeeping workshop
Sat 26 March - 9am to 12.30pm - Edible Australian Native Plants
Sat 2 April – 9am to 4.30pm - Grow Your Own Vegetables and Herbs
Sun 3 April – 9am to 12:30pm - A Taste of Permaculture
