I recently forgot to take my ‘green’ bags to the supermarket.
A few years ago, it wouldn’t have been a big deal. But these days, given our increasing emphasis on all things green and good, I felt like I was committing check-out crimes against the environment.
Forced to use the dull grey plastic bags, I stuffed cold meat in with shampoo, accidentally squished the bread with a tin of dog food and ignored the supermarket assistant’s protest that the bags were about to split.
On my way to the car I passed good global citizens — people with calico, canvas and string bags — and promised that next time I’d do better. For me, living sustainably is a collection
of small things: like crushing the plastic milk
bottles before they go in the recycling bin, switching the lights off and washing with
cold water.
On a larger scale, building a rain garden, whacking up solar panels or buying an electric car can help counter our carbon footprint.
Of course, there are always new ways of doing our little bit to save the planet, all of which can be discovered at the Wyndham Sustainability Festival. It will feature op-shop tours, sustainable storytelling and a movie marathon, among many other events.
For revheads , the Western Region Environment Centre has organised an electric car display, giving us a glimpse into the future of motoring, including information on how ‘charging stations’ will replace the petrol pump over the next decade.
So if you’ve ever felt like a checkout criminal, check out the sustainability festival and see how to top up your green credits.
The festival is from Wednesday to Sunday at locations across the city. Details: wyndham.vic.gov.au.
Emma Sutcliffe is a freelance writer on
Facebook at ‘Little River Emma’.
