How we as individuals can make a difference

It’s fair to say that humanity and the natural environment face a huge task to return to a place of coexistence. But we know it is the right thing to do both for us and for the planet.

As an individual it can seem an overwhelming proposition to take action that will have a meaningful impact on the environmental crises we face. The truth is though, we as individuals, both as citizens and consumers, wield a lot of influence over governments and corporations and can encourage them to move away from business as usual to a new way of doing things. We can use our democratic voice and our purchasing power to show governments and corporations our expectations in terms of how we want them to act - we can tell our elected representatives that they won’t get our vote unless they promise real reform, we can show corporations through the purchases we make that they will not get our custom without a demonstrable commitment to sustainability, we can tell our bank that we won’t keep our money with them if they continue to invest in fossil fuels, and we can choose an energy supplier that uses renewable energy.

If enough of us do those things then we can make change happen. The flip side is many of us are currently struggling with the cost of living and sustainability is not always front of mind. There are times when the sustainable option is more expensive, but there are times when it can save you money.

In our guides to coexistence at home and how to take a stand we’ll make some suggestions for things you can do, and we’ll be honest about where it might cost a bit more to take the sustainable option so that you can make the choices you can afford.