#I’m not entirely sold that cardboard will add anything of benefit

[foldingfittedsheets]

Slight adjustment but if you can’t get a bed frame top your bed up onto its side when you get up. It’ll ventilate during the day when you’re not using it.

Oh man! This hasn’t come up in any of the bed asks but: DO NOT KEEP YOUR MATTRESS FLAT ON THE GROUND. DON’T.

Get a flat ikea frame. Get a cheap Craigslist frame. Fortify yourself and get that fucker some ventilation by getting it off the ground.

Your humid human body creates the perfect conditions for mold and mildew growth, even in dry climates. You wouldn’t believe how many people mold up their bed by leaving it flat on the ground. It’s about airflow. It’s about heat dissipation. If you must have it on the ground at least put it in box springs.

Don’t have a moldy bed. Get a bed frame.

[9point81mpers-2-blog-blog]

A calendar year of life-changing habits

I like to begin the year with some New Year’s Resolutions and whilst I very often veer off track quite quickly and crumple into a pile of guilt, I’ve learnt over the years that it’s not the quantity of my resolutions, but the quality, that counts. I need to make resolutions that resonate with me, become part of my day, my community. This year I’ve decided to incorporate one new habit at a time into my life. Despite being one rather fallible individual, I am extremely passionate about small change leading to big impact and here I’m setting out twelve life-changing habits that I believe are possible to make throughout the course of one calendar year. The order is not extremely important as each habit holds power on its own. The important thing is to adopt each habit fully and unconditionally before moving onto the next. You need to love each habit, make it work for you and only then will you start to see just how tangible and powerful these small changes can be.

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January – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (and compost?!)

An easy (but addictive) habit to start off with – recycling. Start now if you don’t already. Make reduce, reuse, recycle your life motto. Get a recycling container that’s bigger than your waste bin. Check the packaging of the things you buy. Check your local recycling.  Locate recycling points in your area and loop them in to shopping trips to save time and energy. You’ll quickly become that colleague in the office that polices the rubbish bins for plastic bottles. Many councils also offer a food waste stream, which is used to generate green energy or you can compost the waste at home.

February – Reduce Meat and Dairy Intake

We don’t really need as much meat and dairy as the world (or our stomachs) tell us. If going vegan is one step too far (my husband is nodding), try meat-free-Mondays or skip dairy for a few weeks each year. It’s good for you and for the planet. With more and more veggie options available out there, you won’t be lacking choice, flavour and nutrients.

March – Shop Cruelty-Free

Whilst we’re on the topic of animals, my next step was to go cruelty-free and leather-free. It’s easy to reduce our meat and dairy intake to prevent animal suffering without considering the bigger picture. Leather is not a by-product of the meat industry. And just because bunnies don’t wash up or brush their teeth doesn’t mean our kitchen and bathroom cupboards are necessarily cruelty-free.  Although I was extremely shocked by the number of products in my house that did not sport the leaping bunny logo or claim to be free from animal testing, it only took a couple of swaps and a bit of googling to restock my cosmetics and cleaning equipment. And shopping cruelty-free doesn’t necessarily mean breaking the bank with outrageously priced hipster products hand-crafted in someone’s yurt. Since animal testing is actually illegal in the UK, many supermarkets’ own brands will be cruelty-free (hello Tesco) and there are some great low-cost cosmetics out there like Superdrug’s own range, BWC and Sainsbury’s Purify. Some personal favourites include Ecover, Lush, The Body Shop, Faith in Nature and Original Source.

April – Grow Your Own Veggies

Spring is the time to start planting, or so I’ve heard. Unfortunately, I’ve never had much luck with growing anything (indoors or outdoors) but I’m keen to make 2018 the year I successfully nurture something edible. A good friend of mine recently purchased an allotment and now has tomatoes and courgettes for all eternity. Other possible options include local farmer’s markets or organic alternatives.

May – Buy Fair-Trade (Food)

There are some foods, however, that we cannot grow in our backyard or indoor greenhouse. One thing that strikes me again and again in this ever-more-globalised world is that I (really) have no idea where my food comes from. Although I reluctantly have to put a proportionate amount of trust in my supermarkets, there are a few choices that I know will definitely benefit those who grow and pack the food I buy. After being introduced to STOP THE TRAFFIK many years ago, I’ve learnt a well-kept secret of the industry that the foods most susceptible to child slavery are chocolate, bananas, tea and coffee. If you only make one swap to Fairtrade this month, make it count. Sure it may cost a few pennies more, but it’s more than worth it when you know that your cupboard basics are not fuelling the international slave trade.

June – Buy Fair-Trade (Clothing)

I’m sure we are all well aware (or “blissfully ignorant”) that sweat shops and child labour are still very much present in today’s clothing industry. And thanks to the increasing demand for fast fashion and cheap clothes, this trend isn’t declining any time soon. Although there are many brands that are fair-trade and sweatshop free, my main advice is to start in charity shops for the wardrobe basics and put pressure on big brands to change their production practices. Ethical consumer provides an excellent visual guide to shopping.

July – Cut Out Non-Recyclable Plastic

We’re already half-way through the year and I feel we’ve made some big changes to our buying habits. It also makes us more mindful of our connection to those around us and how each small choice can have a global impact. This month is the most challenging habit yet: cutting out non-recyclable plastics. My husband and I took on this “fast” from single-use plastics for Lent and it was the longest 46 days of my entire life. I was prepared for having to cut out crisps and biscuits and ready meals etc. But I was not ready for the extra time spent checking all of the packets of spinach in four different supermarkets until I found one that was recyclable (after two weeks of searching!). And with all good intentions of making our own bread and pasta, it’s incredible to think how much of the grub, gadgets and gifts we buy is coated with metres upon metres of non-recyclable plastic – plastic that will stay on this planet for the rest of eternity (or add to global warming during incineration). After the initial trauma of not being able to pick up a quick coffee and sandwich on the go and having to plan and prepare every single meal in advance, we settled into a rhythm of buying all of our fruit and veg loose (much to the cashiers dismay), stocking up on frozen goods in cardboard packaging and going without cheese for a couple of weeks. My top tips would be:

-          Bio-degradable cling-film made from plants

-          Bamboo tooth-brushes (some are better than others!)

-          OraCare toothpaste (cruelty-free and in partnership with TerraCycle)

-          Join a local zero-waste Facebook group for daily tips and encouragement

August – Reduce Single-Use Recyclable Packaging

Now we’ve cut our waste right down and we’re recycling the majority of packaging and composting food-waste, it’s time to reduce the amount of single-use products we buy. Time to purchase that pretty Ecoffee Cup (and get discounts on hot drinks out!), make use of re-fill facilities and buy in bulk where possible.

My husband and I recently visited U-Weigh in Hythe, a beautiful and typically English town on the Kent coast. Here you can bring you own containers and fill them up with pasta, rice, lentils, sultanas, popping corn, nuts, seeds, flour… you name it, they’ve got it – loose and in bulk. The owner laughed when I asked how long they’d been there. “Thirty years!” he said, although back then the shop served a very different purpose: mainly offering basic everyday products locally and at a reasonable price. Now they have a new kind of clientele: the zero-waste generation. Shops like this, as well as Ethos in Maidstone that offer refills of washing and cleaning liquids are the start (or rather the return) of a waste-not-want-not attitude to consumerism. And it’s up to us to support the movement.

September – Cut out Palm Oil

I wasn’t really aware that non-sustainable palm oil was still creeping into a large number of food products and cosmetics sold in the UK. A French friend of mine mentioned to me recently that she hasn’t eaten Nutella for years as her stand against palm oil – a French person abstaining from Nutella?! She must have good reason. It struck me that I always looked for the words in bold on packaging, checked for the little vegan symbol and then headed straight to the recycling possibilities; I completely glossed over this little ingredient. Nevertheless, after a quick bit of research I discovered that the palm oil industry is linked to major issues such as deforestation, habitat degradation, climate change, animal cruelty and indigenous rights abuses. Huge areas of rainforest are cleared to make way for palm oil production, land which could then remain infertile for years. There are, however many happy alternatives such as rapeseed oil and sustainable palm oil – just check for the RSPO label. After another round of packaging checking and research, I began to famliarise myself with products to avoid and the alternatives. Spoiler alert – you’re probably going to have to get a new favourite biscuit!

October – Speak up and get writing

By now I’m feeling a lot more aware about the ingredients of the products that I buy and the food that I eat. However, I can’t avoid the occasional snack on the go or an emergency purchase when we run out of toilet roll. It helps to remember that some changes are outside of my control. For bigger changes such as urging cafes to stop offering plastic straws and cutlery, asking councils to provide better recycling facilities or encouraging snack companies to re-think their packaging, we’re going to have to get writing, tweeting and petitioning. This year I’ve got a new found respect for Twitter and the ability to hold corporations to account publically and force them to respond regarding the ethos of their products, the recyclability of the packaging and the traceability of the ingredients. I’m sure my local MP is fed up of the emails I send but until we have Tetrapack recycling facilities in this borough I will not stop! This month I’m encouraging you to contact your MP or local council, sign a petition for an issue close to your heart and write to your favourite snack company and push for change.

November – Switch to Ecotricity

A nice easy one for the end of the year as we head back into the cold season. Switch to Ecotricity. The only UK supplier of 100% green electricity from renewable energy sources and 100% frack-free green gas. Although their customer service leaves a lot to be desired, the switch was quick and easy and they even gave us a free £25 Luch voucher – what’s not to love?

December – Start Volunteering

Finally, we’ve reached December. Christmas is coming, we’re feeling great about our life choices and the new habits we’ve incorporated into our lives. Now it’s time to give something back. Use those spare hours on a weekday evening to help at a local homeless shelter. Research active charities in your local area. Find something you’re passionate about and invest time and money into something worthwhile that gets you out of that work, gym, sleep repeat cycle. Helping others has been proven to fight depression, improve confidence and self-esteem and build community. Doing good does you good.

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Let’s support each other on our calendar years of life-changing habits. Comment, share and encourage.