| We can simply choose to buy less. - Patrick Grant, interviewed in The Guardian | Although small actions might not solve the climate crisis, they remind us that we are intrinsic parts of the world and its ecosystems. - Kimberley Miner, in I’m a climate scientist. Here’s how I’m handling climate grief (paywall) |
| One nanokelvin at a time. - John Baxter | If everyone does a little, we’ll achieve only a little. - David MacKay, in Without the Hot Air |
I've long been wary of getting into the hints-and-tips business because I don't want to push the idea that all we need to do is recycle a bit more and the climate will be sorted. However on reading Michael Mosley's book Just One Thing, a set of often small things that we can all do to improve our health and wellbeing, replacing bad habits with better ones, I thought that here is a format that I can steal.
A psychologist quoted in The Conversation says that our choices can change what others consider normal: in a survey, half of the respondents who knew someone who has given up flying because of climate change said they fly less because of this example. They explained that the bold and unusual position to give up flying had: conveyed the seriousness of climate change and flying’s contribution to it; crystallised the link between values and actions; and even reduced feelings of isolation that flying less was a valid and sensible response to climate change.
Click on any '____' separator to return here.
- Buy from a reselling platform (or a charity shop)
- Buy sustainable and Fairtrade flowers
- Declutter
- Don't buy wrapping paper
- Indulge in grains, vegetables and dips twice a week
- Nudge
- Plant a tredge
- Pick up plastic
- Support your refill shops
- Take the consumer's victory pledge
- Try toilet towels
- Use a repair cafe
- Use the NESO app
- Write to your MP
Buy clothes from a reselling platform (or a charity shop)
A vow to “buy nothing” is hard to keep. A vow to “buy second hand” gives you a treasure hunt. A garment spends 2.2 years on average in a UK wardrobe, while fashion remains one of the biggest polluters – that’s why buying lots of outfits from the high street is problematic. Resellers such as Vinted, Depop and eBay, or charity shops, can provide a guilt-free solution to the endless consumption encouraged by the fashion media and influencers.
- Anastasia Denisova in The Conversation (edited)
Buy sustainable and Fairtrade flowers
General Synod of the Church of England has approved a motion to use sustainable flowers - flowers that they have travelled less distance, used less packaging and have been grown without chemicals, high energy inputs or an excessive amount of water. It may seem a small thing, but there are 12,000 churches and that means a lot of services, weddings, funerals, and christenings. This article explains where to find them.
All things bright and beautiful need to be sustainable as well | Jill Timms in The Conversation, 13 February
Declutter!
No need to go full-on Marie Kondo, but look around your house for the things that you don't use any more, and remember that everything comes with a cost of ownership. Half a dozen paperback fiction books in good condition are worth £10-£20 to a charity shop, and you get back some shelf space and have less dusting to do.
Using something else instead may test your ingenuity but the results can be entertaining. And switch to paper parcel tape - it's easier to use than plastic, and doesn't do that thing where the end of the tape welds itself invisibly back to the roll.
Indulge in grains, vegetables and dips twice a week
Numerous studies warn about the harmful effects of a meat-heavy diet. But for “meat-attached” eaters, going cold turkey (or cold tofu) rarely works. Instead, use positive framing. Not “eat less of this”, but “eat more of this”. Change “meat-free Monday” to “hummus-heavy Mondays”. Research shows that the most unshakeable burger enthusiasts can still be convinced to reduce their meat intake through the argument of food purity (avoiding hormones and factory farming) and the health benefits (weight control, cholesterol). Frame the resolution as indulging in grains, vegetables and dips, rather than restricting meat.
- Anastasia Denisova in The Conversation (edited)
Companies spend thousands on market research to find out what we think - so why don't we tell them?
See also: Write to your MP.
A 'tredge' is a plant that works either as a standalone tree or as part of a hedge. Let's hope that this word does not catch on. The idea however has merit.
Plastic waste in the gutter is on its way to becoming microplastics. Please pick it up and put it in a bin.
____
Support your Refill Shops
Almost the refill shops that I know of have gone now or have had to move to a corner of a garden centre; those that remain are an endangered species and they need our support. While the benefits of carrying lentils home in a jam jar are pretty marginal, buying shampoo and laundry liquids from these places can avoid the purchase of a lot of plastic bottles. When our local refill shop had a closing down sale we filled the bathroom windowsill with jam jars full of shampoo - great for starting those 'just one green thing' conversations with visitors.
Take the Consumer's Victory Pledge
The pledge was published in the US during World War II. We could do worse than adopt it now.
People are either interested or turned off by the idea.
Use a repair cafe
An item repaired (for free by volunteers) reduces waste to landfill, and saves carbon emissions from making etc a new one. It can also save you money.
- Dave Kyles, Furness U3A, Chair of Ulverston Repair Cafe
The UK has 446 repair cafes.
I volunteer in a repair cafe | Stuart Walker in The Conversation, 30 December 2025
The repair cafes offering 'joy' fixing treasured items | BBC News 28 December 2025
The NESO app gives a near-real-time view of where GB's electricity is coming from and a forward view of its carbon intensity. Use it to align your demand with low-carbon supply.
Write to your MP
Influencing policy is a stronger action than adjusting your individual behaviour. A letter written to your local MP can echo in the higher echelons of power. Imagine your representative telling the Prime Minister: “my constituents are demanding greener energy and transport”. It takes 15 minutes. Charities such as Friends of the Earth provide templates. It’s low-effort, high-impact.
- Anastasia Denisova in The Conversation (edited)
You might want to include this graphic in your letter:
MPs underestimate support for green policies | Damian Carrington in the Guardian, 5 January 2026
Most MPs don't understand how urgent climate action is | John Kenny and Lucas Geese in The Conversation, 6 October 2025
Page owner: John Baxter