Rise Up like our Rising Seas

September 22, 2019 Berenice Howard-Smith

Rise Up like our Rising Seas

My Plan B was a dog. Tick
My Plan B was travelling. Well, the above put pay to that when I realised the best fun is to be had running on a beach with my afore mentioned dog.
My Plan B was a funky car. Well, a dog comes with balls, blankets and toys. Then there’s towels. So… it’s a practical car!
My Plan B was to be more environmentally aware. And goodness, I had a lot to learn.

This is my story about how I changed from someone who didn't care about the world and woke up to the impact of my Plan B.

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When you own a dog, you can be forgiven for viewing dog beach bans as ironic. On the beaches where I walk my dog, we collect litter. I take a bag and, in between throwing a ball and diligently picking up after her as all dog owners should, I fill a bag or box with plastic. Bottles, fishing netting, beads, toys (human and dog) … all sorts of human rubbish.

In June, I signed up to plastic free July. I have been doing my best to reduce excess plastic in our house and felt like I needed more help. The advice meant that I’ve changed my habits, gaining new insights on alternatives and best practice (buying in bulk to save on wrappers), that it’s powerful to say no to plastic. Whilst we may feel victorious about recycling, it’s our rubbish which is sat in illegal dumps in Malaysia, festering and causing as much damage as landfill does. The best way to stop plastic is to avoid it.

It got me thinking about childlessness and our impact.

Since school children have been on climate strike (and good on them), there is a new generation coming forward stating they feel they have no choice to but to be childless due to our unstable planet. You may also be aware of BirthStrike where ‘people refusing to have kids, because of the ecological crisis.’ This is a troubling view that sits heavy on my mind. You and I, my World Childless Week friend, we know the pain of not having children and I’d never wish this on anyone.

There’s two other views. Parents who do all they can for the next generation as they should, but ignore that we all have a part to play. Wajahat Ali, author and contributor to the New York Times, celebrates his children in his TED talk whilst berating declining fertility rates, citing that it’s people choosing to be childless and we all need to have kids to ‘balance the system’ (he needs to read the World Childless Week website).

Conversely, I’ve read conversations in our own community where childless-not-by-choice feel excused of eco crimes because we have no next generation. More disturbing is the idea that we’re doing our bit because we’re not having children albeit involuntarily so.

If you’ve endured the heatwave that’s spread across Europe this year, watched water levels drop last summer or seen heartbreaking photos of polar bears stranded on melting ice flows, then be certain that this isn’t about the next generation.

This is us, right now. You, me and all the parents too.

In a great article on taking responsibility, Nell Frizell wrote in The Guardian says ‘You may want to deny the climate emergency, you may want to hang on to the luxury and irresponsibility that denial allows.’

Climate change is not a pronatal problem, it’s everyone’s problem.

For me that means looking at my Plan B. Like many of us, I put travel on my list. I also put great food after years of being a low fat guru thanks to IVF. I thought about a second home too and a vintage car.

I am now seriously evaluating this plan and I wanted to explain why our global climate breakdown means we all need to take responsibility for our carbon footprints. I promise I won’t mention quinoa or hemp.

I’ve got a lot to learn, my current bug bear is my car, a 4 x 4. I’m baffled by battery disposal of electric cars which doesn’t seem very eco. I feel thwarted by old habits and fear. Then there’s the cynical observations of my husband who is critical of our new loo roll supplier ( Cheeky Panda) but I still want a happy life on this Earth, and with that in mind, I hope you will be inspired to read on.

Reducing food miles

I have increased my vegan days but that alone is not enough since vegan food can have an impact on food miles. I look at the ingredients and check their source, read about their local impact (in 2018, Kenya banned the export of avocados as Western demand put supply at risk and out priced it for those living in the country). A local, seasonal veg box delivered by an electric van helps us get back in touch with the seasons (seasons that are becoming more confused). I’ve always supported local growing thanks to my dad having an allotment and there’s nothing more rewarding than a glut of veggies. Sharing with neighbours or friends brings connections I’d never make otherwise.

I’ve mostly avoided supermarkets in the past as I find them miserably busy, loud and anonymous places. Fortunately, I can cycle to local shops and a market for good quality food in paper bags. It may take longer but.. and I say this with caution… being childless I have a little more time to do that. With two of us, a bike basket is more than enough and there’s space for refill cleaning products if I need them.

By far the biggest impact you can make if you aren’t keen on going completely veggie is to avoid waste. According to the Years Project, if food waste was a country, it would be the third biggest polluter. Look for a community fridge if you have excess food.

Yes it sounds like a big deal. It is. It feels tedious but I’m engaging with food, and cooking meals that taste all the better for the ingredients not being stuck in a supermarket cold store for weeks on end, after they’ve travelled half the planet to get there. It’s rather good to know that the apples I eat come 4 miles from my home (or my back garden), the leeks from the patch by the door) and I’ve become more confident in the kitchen. I feel I’ve earned the right to say I created a meal, not threw it at the stove and hoped for the best. Even better, the food bill has halved. Yes, you read that right. Halved.

Changing Plan B for Flight Free (and cruise free)

One long haul return flight can produce more carbon dioxide per passenger than the average UK motorist in one year. (The Responsible Traveller)

A tonne of shipping fuel contains 0.85 tonnes of carbon, which produces 3.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide when it is burnt. Every passenger is responsible for 9.1 tonnes of emissions. (Guardian, 2006)

By 2050 we need to reduce our personal carbon footprint to 1.5 per person to make an impact on global warming. (Shrink that Footprint, 2019)

It may be tempting to look at travel as a reward for the freedom that childlessness not by choice brings. I know I have. I see so many status updates and bucket lists about booking retreats in far flung places.

We maybe deserving because of our backstory but I feel intense sadness. Sad for our planet and the inability to connect our plans with the carbon impact of travel. What we may wish could be closer to home. We might conclude that it’s okay to ‘spend’ 9.1 tonnes to ease the heartbreak by exploring the world.

Cruises actually do a lot more damage than 9.1 tonnes of carbon, many have been found lapsing on other areas of ecological welfare from dumping dangerous plastic at sea, which is often fatal to sea life, and pay scan regard to investing in local tourism.

We are no longer living in a world where we can exchange grief for freedom to travel and not consider the impact that we have on our planet. When I’ve seen another thread about travel, or holidays in far flung places I might well query it. My personal view is that it’s better to have productive conversations in our online platforms so we can learn from each other. I’ve often cited carbon offsetting as a compromise (the idea is that we can buy trees or plants to offset our carbon load through different schemes) as a way to give back to the planet, but I’ve realised I’m wrong to do so. This useful article is a great rundown of the schemes that work and those that do not.

A physicist at Cambridge University explained to me that carbon offsetting isn’t working. He said that ‘the emissions emitted by a flight will remain for generations and offsetting schemes do not generally offset for the same amount of time. By far the best solution is to only travel by plane or ship when there is no alternative.’

I’m looking forward to train trips (my quest is to travel on as many overnight sleeper trains as I can), enjoy my daily cycle rides and explore the hidden wonders of my own country. We have much on our doorstep, so let’s celebrate it. And as for that bucket list, wouldn’t it be good to have a planet on which to have those dreams?

Being fashion eco-conscious

Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned. If nothing changes, by 2050 the fashion industry will use up a quarter of the world’s carbon budget. (Unenvironment)

That scary stat got me to dig out my sewing machine. I’m hopeless to be honest but I’ve found a few classes (and yes, encountered some mums but it’s amazing how loud a sewing machine is!) I started rag rug making to use up scraps of material (you can adapt rag rugs to make snuffle mats for pets) . I also donate clothes, go swishing, buy second hand and saved well over £1k over two years by doing all this which was as rewarding as it was horrific. I realised that I bought clothes to feel better but the changes to my diet and my health made a bigger impact than yet another pair of shoes.

My choices have to change because I don’t have an entitlement to those things by virtue of my loss. Nobody does. The biggest loss is that of our planet and quality of life for all. I mentioned earlier that we may stick with old habits. We might want to turn off the news too but we’ve faced so much as a community. Our tribe has been through so much heartbreak and we’ve brought change already, from podcasts, to books, articles in the media that invoke thought. We can do this again and we’re in a great place to show that we, just like parents, have an important place in the future of our planet.

Let’s take a bit more responsibility in how we travel to retreats, craft our bucket list and claim this climate change back from parents and pronatalism.

It is one crisis we all need to share.

Berenice Smith

Designer, Artist, speaker and World Childless Week Champion and The Full Stop podcast presenter. This article was originally published on her website, Walk In Our Shoes. Edited 7th September 2019.