Photo by Catch/Compose Photography
About ten years ago, I used to think that anyone who bought recycled toilet paper was a bit of a hippy.
The extent of my interest in sustainability was putting out my recycling bin each week, and even then I didn’t separate paper from plastic. I was living in a bit of bubble, where I didn’t really think about the world around me but all the while was wondering why my life wasn’t much fun and I didn’t seem to be all that happy. I spent most weekends inside, watching DVDs with the blinds shut, and a couple of blocks of chocolate for company. It was an unconscious life, in every sense of the word.
To cut a long story short (but you can find out more here), it took a little while for the fog to lift but when it became obvious that my messy, uncaring ways of living were not getting me anywhere, I decided things needed to change. I lost weight. I got fitter. I started growing my own vegetables. I adopted a 99% vegetarian diet (with the very occasional bit of fish, consciously eaten when necessary). I became more aware of my carbon footprint. I started buying recyclable, green products wherever possible. I learned more about why doing these things matters so much and how it makes more of a difference than you realise.
And it was surprisingly easy. Because, underneath it all, I cared. And I felt fantastic.
These changes all happened gradually, over a couple of years. I lost weight and maintained it while living in Melbourne, got interested in endurance sport and competed in several triathlons. It was when I left Australia to live overseas that the other changes crept in.
En route to London, I was visiting friends in Vancouver, Canada, who are passionate environmentalists. We had many long discussions over very delicious vegetarian food, and everything they said made so much sense. It struck me that it was all very well for me to have made changes to make my life better, but what about the wider world? I was enjoying a healthy and active lifestyle, but what about my ethics and values? How was I living those? If there were food production practices that were harming the planet and that I didn’t agree with….why was I still supporting them by giving them my money and consuming the product? The power of the consumer is so, so underrated.
I didn’t want to be an unconscious consumer any more. I wanted to be doing my bit.
It’s been a fantastically rewarding and interesting journey as I’ve worked to live a fulfilling, sustainable life. These days, my husband and I keep a vegetarian home, where we’re currently experimenting with going dairy free (we’ll see how that goes, I do still love [vegetarian] cheese!). We have an organic vegetable box delivered each week; we support a local farm in our area by buying their eggs; we have energy saving lightbulbs and appliances; we recycle everything; and yes, I’ve even got recycled toilet paper. I can’t tell the difference.
I’m an endurance athlete, having completed the London Marathon last year, and still compete in half marathons and 10ks, and a plant based diet has seen me thrive!
Having said all that, I’m not sitting here polishing my halo. I know there are areas of my life that could do with a sustainability overhaul – I do love beautiful things, and don’t always take the trouble to find out how they’ve been made – not all my cosmetics and beauty products are natural, for example – and I recently discovered that my favourite organic chocolate brand is in fact owned by Mars (gasp!).
But you know what, that’s part of the fun. I’m excited about making new discoveries and finding new favourite products that are good for me and for the planet. After all, this is a journey. Like my health and fitness life overhaul, it doesn’t happen overnight and it takes time for new habits to become a part of your everyday.
But never think that anything is too hard, or impossible. The life we want, and the practices we want to see flourishing in the wider world, can happen. Nobody expects you to be perfect. But there truly is a wealth of knowledge and a host of amazing companies doing incredible things out there, and it’s never been easier to give your life a bit of a sustainability makeover. All it takes is a few changes, and a few different decisions, to get you on your way.
Because when you’re living mindfully, with drive and passion, it really is easy to be good.
- Phil. x
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We are 100% thrilled and honoured to have Philippa on board as a new edition to the Superéthique team – she’ll be writing here once a fortnight! Lucky us! You can read Phil’s full SÉ biography, here.
