It's Not Easy Being Green

Dick Strawbridge, the guy with the funny tash, has demonstrated that it is possible to harness the wind and create biodiesel reactors in the name of sustainable living. Hats off to him. Clever bloke.

But I am not clever. I don’t even think I’m particularly Green. Perhaps more a khaki. I shamelessly became interested in Green matters and sustainable living through necessity, rather than conscience; because of the problems with the restaurant which cost us hugely financially, we inadvertently became Green. We had to save money.

I became very aware of how much we were spending on petrol each month (at this point I didn’t care that I was damaging the environment, just that I was spending money that I thought could be better spent on alcohol), so I traded our 4.2 litre Jag in for a 698cc Smart car.

I was incredibly wasteful in the kitchen. Even though as a chef I was used to having to make the most of every single ingredient in the kitchen and work to incredibly tight budgets, on a personal level, probably because I loved cooking so much, I would waste so much food. One night I would cook a chicken dish and the next I’d try a beef recipe, regardless that I still had chicken left over. But now I was utilizing every thing. Instead of buying chicken pieces I bought whole chickens which I learnt to joint – in true ‘Mum’ fashion I learned how to make a whole chicken last nearly the entire week.

We have a wood burner. Previously at best this was used to display candles. At worse we would burn those artificial ‘logs’ from the supermarket purely to create an ambiance whilst the radiators on full provided the heat. But now I was up early of a weekend collecting firewood. I even invested in an axe.

To save electricity I became adept at knowing at exactly which point to turn of the electric hob so as still leaving enough heat to continue cooking my dinner.

It should not have been surprising, but it was, and pleasantly so, but we did start saving money.

And this is when the obsession set in.

I decided that I was in fact Green. I wanted to save the universe. Hell, I might even grow a big moustache. Everything I do, I now question if it’s Green. If I need a pan of boiling water to cook pasta; is it better to boil the water first in a kettle which uses a lot of electricity, but only for a few minutes, or boil it on the hob, which presumably uses less electricity, but takes forever?

And worse.

I recycle. We have recycling bins provided by the council which is fantastic. But they request that cans are cleaned first. But now I am using precious water to clean the cans. Which is worse?

The water from our tap is warm and murky at first so I need to run the tap for a minute or so to clear and cool it. Very wasteful. So I bought a filter jug which I fill and keep in the ‘fridge. But is opening the ‘fridge several times a day more of a drain on resources than running a tap?

I drink wine and I of course recycle my bottles. But the bottle bank is 3 miles away. My very Green Smart car doesn’t have a lot of space for empty wine bottles (not the amount I get through in a week). So am I polluting the environment making several trips a month to the bottle bank? We do have a Land Rover (yes, I know having two cars is not at all Green, but when one is a two seater and you live in the country with a dog, you do need a second option, and it is purely used for essential purposes). So what’s best for the environment? Several trips in the Smart or one trip in the Land Rover?

And then there’s Fair Trade. I’ve spent a fair time in South Africa and I want to support this fantastic initiative. But what about food miles?

I tried to work it all out, but it made my head hurt and I had to drive to the shops to buy aspirin. And I’m still not sure if the tin foil they were packaged in is recyclable.

So now I reckon that all I can really do is my bit. And if everyone does the same, maybe we can make a difference. We can certainly all save some money.

And I believe I have the ideal solution: Not everyone recycles bottles. And that is wrong. So I reckon the more wine bottles I buy, drink and subsequently recycle must surely mean some kind of saving on the universe than if I left the bottles on the shelf of my local off license for someone else to buy that doesn’t recycle? And if I buy Fair Trade wine that must be a good thing too?

I think I’ve got it right….