Changing Traditions

Living in the UK is changing the way we live in more ways than one. The biggest change so far is that it has made us so much more aware of our environmental impact.

The first thing that greeted us when we got to our lodging place in our apartment was a huge poster pinned to the noticeboard at our door. It was a poster on recycling in the halls and how to sort our trash. I have always sorted our trash and recycled whatever I could but the environment here makes it so IN YOUR FACE. They provide divided bags for you to sort your recycling so that you don't even need to find your own recycling storage place, clear posters telling you exactly what goes where and even the packaging themselves have little labels that indicate what parts of the packaging you can and can't recycle. In shops and restaurants, the trash bin also often isn't simply a trash bin. Take the McDonald's trash bin for example. They even provide a place for you to throw liquids into so that they can recycle their cups.

So why is there still so much trash? The trash that litters the street is crazy and I understand now why tourists who come to Singapore always talk about how clean the streets are. There isn't a time when I don't see a pile of trash on the sidewalk here. Even the buses are filled with trash making it sometimes hard to get to the seats, clearly showing that recycling isn't enough. We need to reduce trash in general, whether or not that trash can be recycled. It's so hard, though. SO much of today's products are packaged in plastic film. I try so hard to choose items that have lesser packaging but it makes grocery shopping so depressing because often you are faced with no choice. We have been eating primarily sweet potatoes, aubergines and courgettes because those are the few things that don't come wrapped in plastic 😅. A particular article on the backlash seen from supposedly educated NUS students during the straw ban broke my heart. With reports yelling  telling us we need to change as the planet is dying, you would think more people would be concerned. I mean, people don't touch water for a month after they give birth because some aunty said the 'wind' would go into their body. Why doesn't any one seem to believe these scientists who have proper qualifications? Because of comfort? Inertia?

Earlier this week I ran a poll on Instagram asking if it would be weird to ask that whoever wanted to give gifts to my kids for Christmas and birthdays keep to second hand items. I also indicated that all new toys received would be donated to a toy charity. Only a few people voted but out of the few only 25% of people said it was weird. I talked about it with Q that night and he said some people might be offended that we donate their gifts to a charity and see us as being ungrateful. We went on to talk about how gatherings and parties always end up with a huge surplus of food and sometimes disposables. As averse as I am to social events, I do like to attend SOME parties.. He pointed out that it would be weird if I took out my reusable cutlery to use at a party and definitely if I brought my own plate 😂. I get it, I do. The question then is how do I go about being eco-friendly even when it isn't convenient without coming across as weird or worse make everyone upset and offended? I post a lot about being eco-friendly on Instagram and I'm sure some people roll their eyes whenever they see one of my posts on it. I like all the things that everyone else likes, being able to eat out, eating a good steak, drinking bubble tea, going to weekend markets and trying out all the street food, travelling, meeting up with friends whose company we enjoy, making my kids happy with new toys and definitely SHOPPING 🙆. but the question is 'Is there a more sustainable way to do this?'. Is there a more sustainable way to throw a party? Is there a more sustainable way to celebrate Christmas? Can we gift give more sustainably? At the moment I am just trying to do all the things I love but at the same time think of a more sustainable way to do it. Maybe I'll offend a few people along the way and trigger some eye rolling, but instead of sticking with 'tradition' KNOWING that it's not the right thing I want to change it and make a new tradition. I know my kids will be happy whether or not the toy is brand new from the shop because it is new to them.

K's reaction when she saw her box of second hand dolls which costed less than what one new doll would have.

N enjoying his train set that was bought second hand from a charity shop

I can still hold parties, but not end up trying to stuff a huge trash bag of paper plates and utensils into the tiny chute (side note: Have you wondered why old houses have smaller chutes?) or worrying about finishing the crazy amount of leftovers after the party. Maybe we will have fewer friends who talk to us after this. Maybe we will have no more friends and have to find new ones (I hope not! I love a lot of my friends 😚). But I can't for the sake of not offending someone ignore what is being proven and evidenced to us, especially when it greatly impacts the lives of my children. I don't want my kids and grandkids to have to face a whole lot of issues just because I was too politically correct to refuse that plastic fork or too lazy to bring my own bags to the grocery store.

The year ahead, we are on a mission to change our whole family's way of life to live more sustainably. I'm hoping that if I bring my kids up in an environment where we think about sustainability, they too will go on to make sustainable choices more naturally with their families in the future. So here's to a more sustainable traditions and a better future, starting with my first vegan burger 😋.

A VERY yummy Pulled Jackfruit Burger