Welcome to Local Impact!
I have always had an interest in sustainability, and have done things throughout my life to reduce my impact on the planet. However, after having children, I looked more closely at my family’s lifestyle choices and began to analyse how we could do things better. I care deeply about the environment, but it was hard to know where to start. Bit-by-bit, I found ways in my daily life to live a little greener (and save a few dollars!). I researched online, listened to podcasts, read articles and reports, and even enrolled into (and now completed) a Diploma of Sustainable Living. However, despite much searching, I could not find an all-encompassing guide to help me on my journey. So, I am starting this blog to share the tips that I have learned along the way, and to inspire others to make their own ‘Local Impact’.
You may be wondering, how much difference can one person make? It may not seem like an individual contribution will make a large difference. However, if every person makes one simple change to their lifestyle, this adds up to massive change. If these same people make many changes in their sustainability journey, this impact is multiplied.
Before we begin, it is important to remember to be realistic. As much as we’d love to, we can’t change the world in a day. You need to start small and build on early wins. Picking a small number of realistic and achievable sustainability goals to begin your journey will make success more likely. It also gives you the chance to celebrate small achievements before moving onto your next goal.
I invite you to browse my posts and encourage you to pick and choose ideas that will suit your family and lifestyle. My aim is to help you find inspiration to make your own ‘Local Impact’.
I’d love to hear your suggestions for new topics and will provide information on popular requests. If you want to get in touch, email me at localimpactsustainability@gmail.com.
A Sustainable Christmas
The festive season is almost upon us! We will soon be busily organising Christmas parties, family events, gifts and more. Although Christmas is a time of joy and celebration, it is also a time of waste, with excess food, packaging, decorations and gifts galore! This waste comes from a place of generosity, culture and kindness,…
A Guide to Recycling
I love recycling. It is a great way to reduce your impact on the environment as it saves resources being thrown into landfill, and enables materials to be remade into something new. However, it is a minefield to navigate what can and can’t be recycled. I have spent countless hours researching this and I sincerely…
Hidden Energy
When I used to think about energy use, what came to mind was using energy directly in the forms of electricity, natural gas and oil (petrol). To reduce my energy consumption, I employed simple techniques such as turning down the heater, driving less and taking shorter showers. However, I knew that there was more to…
How to Keep Plastic out of your Bathroom
Common bathroom essentials usually come packaged in plastic. The majority of this packaging is intended to be used once and thrown away when your product is finished. This practice causes harm to our environment for several reasons. The key issues include that plastic: is energy intensive to manufacture (see my article on Hidden Energy);is often…
How to Reduce Plastic in your Kitchen and Laundry
Once I got started on reducing plastic in my bathroom (see my previous article), I was keen to expand the project to other areas in the house. So began my journey of reducing plastic in my kitchen and laundry. I have experimented with several products to reduce my reliance on plastic and make my own…
Meat and the Environment
Before I kick-off this topic, I will say up front that I do eat meat and I am not trying to convince anyone to become a vegetarian! Rather I will discuss the impacts of meat production on the environment, and ways that we can all make our own ‘Local Impact’ while still enjoying meat, should…
Guest Blog Post: Material World
I was invited to write a guest article on a sustainability topic for the ‘Something to Ponder About’ blog. My chosen topic is about the impacts of overconsumption of material items on the environment and how we can make small changes to reduce our reliance on things. Click here to read the full article and…
Plant Trees while Surfing the Net!
I recently stumbled across an absolute gem called Ecosia! Essentially, it is a search engine with a twist. Each time you click on an advertised search result, the money generated from these ads is used to plant trees. Trees are planted across the world in areas that have previously succumbed to deforestation to restore the…
Book Review – The Story of Climate Change
Title: The Story of Climate Change Authors: Catherine Barr and Steve Williams Illustrators: Amy Husband and Mike Love Age range: Pre-School – Primary School Type: Non-Fiction Picture Book We recently borrowed a copy of ‘The Story of Climate Change’ from our local library. It is safe to say that my four year old loves it,…
Sustainable Toys
Toys are a fundamental part of children’s learning and development. They give children joy and teach them an array of skills and concepts including object permanence, colours, numbers, problem solving and fine motor skills. However toys can also contribute to environmental damage. They use resources and energy to create, are often produced using plastic, and…
Book Review – Michael Recycle Meets Borat the Space Cat
Title: Michael Recycle Meets Borat the Space Cat Author: Ellie Patterson Illustrator: Alexandra Colombo Age range: Pre-School – Primary School Type: Picture Book – fiction Michael Recycle Meets Borat the Space Cat has become a favorite in our household, and we have borrowed it on a few different occasions from our local library. The book…
Podcast Review – Bottle Ship Adventures
Title: Bottle Ship Adventures Written and Narrated By: Charly Conquest and Ben Mullins Podcast Producer: Bedtime FM Age Range: Pre-school – Primary School Type: Fiction Bottle Ship Adventures is a favourite Podcast story with my children. We listen to the stories multiple times each week. The fantasy tales in the podcast all have a waste…
Eight Ways to Reuse Paper Shopping Bags
If you are like my family and have your groceries delivered, you are likely to have a mountainous pile of reusable shopping bags at home! We always request paper shopping bags to cut down on our plastic use, but the sheer number of paper bags that we acquire is a little scary from a sustainability…
Zero Waste Festival
The Zero Waste Revolution recently held their Zero Waste Festival in Canberra. The theme of the event was ‘One Person, a World of Difference’. Upon hearing about the festival, I was excited to book a ticket. The theme aligns nicely with the concept of my blog, in that I strongly believe individual sustainability action makes…
Energy Saving Tips
The Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has set their final ‘Default Market Offer’(DMO) price for the 2022-2023 financial year, and it doesn’t look pretty. The AER’s role is to ensure secure, reliable and affordable energy for Australian’s. One of the ways in which they do this is to set a maximum electricity price for energy retailers…
Sustainable Schools in Action: Bonython Primary School
Schools are an ideal environment in which to strive for sustainable practices. Schools use an abundance of resources, including water and energy. The hundreds of people that use the facilities generate large amounts of waste each week. By implementing sustainable solutions, schools can save money by using less resources and importantly, reduce the impacts of…
Sustainable Holiday Solutions
My family recently enjoyed a road trip through regional NSW for a couple of weeks. It was a much-needed break to get away from the general craziness of work and home life. I now have a lot of tricks up my sleeve to reduce my impact on the planet when at home, however travelling adds…
Sustainable Clothing
I have discovered many techniques to improve the sustainability of my clothing purchases over the past few years. Clothing and textiles are a massive contributor to environmental issues. According to the United Nations, the fashion industry generates ‘8-10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions’! [1] The fashion industry uses copious amounts of water, and many…
Book and Podcast Recommendations
It’s been a while since my last post! I have been a busy bookworm, reading a variety of books on all thing’s climate change, as well as working my way through various podcasts on the drive to work. I have compiled a list of books and podcasts for adults and children interested in learning more…
Ditch The Waste At Your Next Party With Five Hot Tips!
Kids parties are full of wonder and excitement. It is amazing watching the kids run around full of energy and laughter. Fun aside, you may have noticed the elephant in the room at these wonderful events; the waste. Waste is prevalent throughout parties. Whether it is for convenience or entertainment purposes, it is becoming increasingly…
The Ultimate Sustainable Toilet Paper
When you walk down the toilet paper aisle at the supermarket, it is a gloomy site. Row upon row of plastic wrapped toilet paper. It is particularly disturbing now that there is currently no Australian soft plastic recycling program to responsibly dispose of the wrapping, following the collapse of Redcycle. Instead, the plastic wrapping will…
Waste Not Want Not – How to Become a Repair Champion!
It is always disappointing when a favourite pair of jeans gets a hole in it, your kid’s toy stops working, or in a more alarming situation, your washing machine stops spinning leading to dreaded handwashing! Should this nightmare scenario eventuate, what can you do? In general, our society is organised around a throw-away culture. We…
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