Is a sustainable lifestyle possible for young families? (yes it is).

It’s fair to say that most people know what action they must take to be greener, from how they get from A to B, to what they buy and how they eat. But is it always easy to make the most environmentally-friendly choices with a young family??

Our company founder, Andrew Cameron, dad to three young children, is committed to reducing his carbon footprint, both through the way he runs the business and at home. Here he gives his frank and honest account of how he and his wife, Helen, have approached the most common ‘carbon reducing’ lifestyle changes, sharing some top tips on making sustainable lifestyle work for families.?

Trains not planes?

“For a while, the pandemic put a stop to overseas holidays for everyone, but since then, I’ve travelled by train to go skiing, to a trade show in The Netherlands, and we’ve even planned this year’s family summer holiday to a destination we can get to by rail.?

By traveling this way, we’ve enjoyed having more space, and taking our time, not to mention avoiding the dreaded airport queues -? overall it’s been a lovely experience and not too costly. That said, it’s not always practical. We have family in Portugal and it’s impossible to get there and back in any reasonable time with a family of five, so we’ve had reluctantly fly on some occasions.?

I don’t believe in flight shaming, but I do think it’s important to realise that there is an enjoyable alternative. I am fortunate to be in a privileged position in life where we can actually go on holidays, so we have nothing to complain about.”

Ditching the car?

“Other changes I have made include cycling to work a lot more. We have been measuring as a team and reporting on this in our company sustainability report, so that has encouraged everyone to do their bit.”?

Considering electric?

“The biggest issue for us in our mission to live a greener family lifestyle has been switching to an electric vehicle. We don’t have the budget to get the size of vehicle we need and live in a terrace house, so having cables trailing across the street is not currently practical.”

Cutting down on meat and dairy products?

“We have also started avoiding red meat on menus and eating more meat substitutes at home. I haven’t gone the full way to vegetarianism, but I learned, whilst undertaking the Carbon Literacy Project, where I can make the biggest impact and reconciled that with changes I feel comfortable I can maintain. I have also switched to oat milk, as dairy was a surprisingly significant contributor to my carbon footprint.

Two of my kids only have oat milk. Getting used to things at a young age is easy, so that wasn’t a challenge at all. They have also got used to meat substitutes without ever questioning it.”

Heating down?

“As a family, we are comfortable with cooler temperatures so we don’t heat the house much.”

Eat seasonally?

“Not buying fruit or vegetables due to seasonality has been a challenge as we were used to having whatever food we wanted all year round. Again, we don’t totally sacrifice, we just try and buy the best option in the shop. The Carbon Literacy Project and the ‘How Bad Are Bananas’ book by Mike Berners-Lee helped to simplify this for me.”

Environmental appreciation?

“It’s important to talk to young people about caring for the world in a non-threatening way. Getting out in nature and letting children appreciate our world, I think, helps to generate a greater sense of appreciation, so you can then talk about reasons for your decisions to be more environmentally friendly.? We live near the Peak District, so it's easy for us, but most people in the UK aren’t too far from parks or the countryside.?

My family also comes on litter picks with me from time to time. Litter picking is a great way to get them thinking about human impact as it's something they see.”

Be realistic?

“I want my family to have gratitude for the privileges they have as human beings. We live on a remarkable planet and being alive is amazing. Respecting that gift and feeling grateful for it also improves mental health and reduces the desire for ‘pointless possessions’.?

It’s a nice dream, but the kids still beg me for pointless plastic stuff and consumer items, which can make me feel like a killjoy, but little by little they get it. I think.”

Discover more:

The Carbon Literacy Project: www.carbonliteracy.com

How Bad Are Bananas: www.carbonliteracy.com/mike-berners-lee/