Green Steve Turns One – My Best Bits So Far

Green Steve turns one

So it has been just over a year since I went live to the world with my first post and it’s been quite the year since that point. There have been some highlights and some lowlights but generally it’s been a great experience and I am really glad I started blogging because it has opened up my eyes to things I never knew about before and forced me to confront the uncomfortable truths about how I was leading my life and how others lead theirs.

In the first year I managed 85 posts which totalled near enough 100,000 words which makes it many times the length of a postgraduate dissertation but I’d wager it was a lot more enjoyable to write.

How I’ve Changed My Habits

This blog is not only a way for me to share the things I find interesting, it is a learning tool in and of itself and because it has led me to research many things, I have naturally adapted my own habits and behaviour to reflect what I have found.

A More Sustainable Diet

The most noticeable changes so far have been to my diet. I eat cereal for breakfast every single day come rain or shine but after realising the size of the carbon footprint of cow’s milk, I decided to investigate alternatives that have a lower impact on the environment.

At first I decided that oat milk was the one for me and I do still drink it but it gets rotated alongside almond milk these days which is also a delicious and healthy option. I really want to get more people switched over from cow’s milk to one of the alternatives so this is something I am going to push in my next year of existence.

A second change I made to my diet came after I realised the huge impact of meat on the environment. The carbon footprint of meat is quite extraordinary (possibly as much as 51% of man made emissions) and this discovery led me to question the amount of meat I eat, particularly beef and lamb which are the most polluting.

I now eat far more vegetarian meals than I used to and when I do eat meat, it tends to be chicken. I still eat a similar amount of fish but again I am avoiding things like tuna steaks that have to be flown in for freshness and have started incorporating things like mackerel into my meals as this is a far more sustainable fish.

I actually spent a week trying to eat vegetarian every day and it opened up my eyes to the variety on offer. I am now expanding my repertoire on a regular basis and have come to enjoy the process of trying to cook new and different things.

I would like to push this issue a bit more but you do get a lot of resistance from people who really enjoy their meat. What I want them to realise is that eating meat every day could well be a lot worse than them driving their car every day in terms of carbon footprints.

I also found out that my 1 glass a day of fresh Tropicana orange juice might have been contributing as much as 2.1% of my carbon footprint so I cut it out altogether. After researching the carbon footprint of other drinks too, I now mainly drink water.

While I don’t drink hot drinks, I really enjoyed researching and producing my one and only infographic (so far) which shows just how big a difference coffee and tea drinkers could make if they took their drinks black or just cut down a little bit.

Finally, I will now always try to buy organic whenever and wherever possible regardless of price because of the problems with pesticides that I found out about while researching farming.

Waste Not Want Not

I’ll admit that I wasn’t one to focus too much on waste before I started Green Steve. Like many people, I was recycling whatever I could but I was less concerned about the stuff I was throwing in the bin whether it was food waste or material waste.

After thinking about ways to become a more waste conscious shopper, I now buy concentrated products such as Method laundry detergent (which also happens to have refill packs) and try to avoid packaging wherever possible (it frustrates me when my little Waitrose nearby does not have loose vegetables and insists you buy a large pack wrapped in plastic). I will also now reject items in a supermarket if their packaging is not clearly labelled as being recyclable.

After deliberating on the ethical stand point of reduced items, I now think buying them up is a far better outcome than them going to landfill so if the opportunity arises I do look for those little red stickers.

I got some worms to eat up some of my food waste but unfortunately they all died. I have tried again since but it’s still a bit dicey as to whether they are going to survive or not – here’s the latest.

Curbing The Consumer In Me

On a couple of occasions, I have found that writing a post has revealed things about my basic consumerist habits and this has helped me to question any and every purchase I make now.

Firstly I looked at mobile phones and just what their environmental impact is after turning down a free upgrade from my network and while it isn’t spectacular, considering more than 1.5 billion phones were sold in 2011, there are still enough reasons to consider sticking with your current handset for that bit longer, not least that you can negotiate a lower monthly fee like I did.

I moved flat in the summer and this opened my eyes to the sheer amount of “stuff” that I owned and didn’t use. So I made it my mission to find new homes for the things I no longer needed either through recycling them or selling them. I don’t want to fill my new flat back up with unnecessary items which might make birthdays and Christmas a bit awkward for my friends and family.

Things I Have Passed Judgement On

While some of my focus was on my personal habits, I have also turned my attention to some of the companies and products that other people use and buy and in general these have been some of my longest posts.

By far and away my most lengthy investigation was into green banking where I took a look at the big 7 financial institutions on the UK high street and scored them based on how green their investments were. It may not seem like a particularly big issue but given the huge amounts of money we are talking about, banks can choose to be a help or a hindrance to the environment based on whether they invest in fossil fuel industries of renewable energy for example.

I have also looked at UK supermarkets and their sustainability practices and rated them based on their performance so far and their future plans. Unsurprisingly The Co-operative came out on top with Morrisons firmly in last place. I probably do need to update the post though because many supermarkets have implemented changes since I first wrote it.

A significant proportion of our carbon footprint comes within the home so I decided to check out some of the most popular green products for the home and try to work out whether or not I, or my readers, should bother spending money on them. One product that I did buy based on my research was a heated mattress protector and it was one of the best investments I have made.

What The Blog Has Allowed Me To Experience

When I first started Green Steve I had hoped that I might one day build up a good following of readers and that this would allow me to spread my message far and wide by becoming a bit like a green Martin Lewis. Little did I know that my blog would present opportunities far sooner than I would have imagined.

In January, less than 3 months after starting out, I was invited to visit the European Parliament in Strasbourg to get a sense of how the big decisions are made and set into law. It was an enlightening experience and one that gave me reasons to be both cheerful and sceptical but the highlight was getting to interview the two Green Party MEPs; here were two people who had spent much of their lives pushing the green agenda and being able to speak to them really motivated me to make Green Steve a success.

Later on in the year I decided to get a stall at the London Green Fair to try and drum up a bit more interest in the blog and in the upcoming Green Steve Shop. Over 2 long, hard days, I spoke to the public and other green businesses/causes until my voice almost gave up on me but it was a fun weekend and I think it was well worth doing (hopefully I’ll be proved right when my shop launches and I ask those people I met to sign up!).

Posts I Think Deserve A Mention

Ok so other than the 18 posts I have already linked to above, if I were to go through all my posts and highlight some of the ones I think you should read if you haven’t already, I’d pick:

  1. Stay Warm This Winter Without Burning Cash – this was my very first post and one of the most popular at this time of year but it probably doesn’t get the attention it deserves because it was so early on. It gives loads of advice on how to heat your home and keep it warmer for longer.
  2. Quotes About The Environment, Nature & Climate Change – I have put this on the “must read” list because if you ever need some motivation, these quotes can bring it to you in abundance.
  3. 7 Easy Ways To Curb Your Carbon Habit – I believe even the smallest changes can make a difference and they needn’t be difficult. I compiled this short list of things that are quick and easy to do so take a look and see if you can find something on the list to put into action.
  4. Reconciling Sustainability & Experiences Of A Lifetime – I do worry about my generation and their insatiable appetite for travel. I know so many young people who have travelled half way around the world on more than one occasion for holidays or to experience other cultures. I get the appeal, I wouldn’t mind doing it myself but can we really justify the emissions generated?
  5. Countering The “We Will Adapt” Argument Against Action On Climate Change – I have written on the psychology of climate change on a few occasions but I feel that this article was closest to my heart. I don’t like the way people assume that everything will be fine in the future because the human species is amazingly good at adapting. This attitude is selfish and potentially unrealistic; yes science will solve many of the problems but will everyone see the benefits?

What Does Year 2 Hold For Green Steve?

Green Steve is still very much a work in progress, I have plenty of ideas and things that I want to do but let’s take things one step at a time shall we?

The most pressing issue for me is getting the Green Steve Shop ready before everyone finishes their Christmas shopping. If you don’t already know, the shop will act as a way for you to offset your carbon footprint by simply shopping online at many of your favourite stores.

Once that is ready to go (just putting the finishing touches to it now), I want to get out there and promote it and this ideally means national press coverage. I don’t know how I am going to go about it but I want the masses to read about the Shop and see its potential for funding clean development in poorer parts of the world.

While the shop is important, I want to build upon my existing blog readership – this is going to mean more social chatter, infographics, guest posts on other green blogs and hopefully an online column at somewhere like the Guardian or Treehugger.

I want to start getting some videos made, some with me talking into camera and some more visual ones to make various green topics more easily digestible.

I also want to take this opportunity to ask you, the person reading this, what topics you feel I should be writing about. What do you want me to investigate? Do you want me to show you how to do something in particular?

So there you have it; my first year went by very quickly but it was very enjoyable. Here’s to an even more exciting year two.

Steve (156 Posts)

I am chief writer and editor on Green Steve. Blogging since 2011, I like to delve into a wide number of topics to help people reduce their carbon footprint. You should follow me on Twitter here. And add me to your Google+ circles here.

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