Uncategorized

Long #LiveLagom

Washing drying on the line

Over the past few months we have learnt so much and gradually made subtle changes that have made a big difference to our lives.

The #Livelagom approach is a wonderful way to becoming greener: so simple and achievable. Previously, when I have felt motivated to go green I’ve tried to go the whole hog and failed miserably.

Over the last 6 months or so we have made considerable progress in decreasing the amount of waste we produce. This in turn has lead to monetary savings as well, we no longer buy as many disposable nappies, we have cut back on the amount of wet wipes and kitchen roll we use as we opt for “real” cloths now. I think we are also a lot more aware about what we buy and how much waste it will produce.

My favourite part has been sharing the journey with Josh and Kate, they are a lot more aware of recycling and how important it is, Kate is just 2, but understands how to sort the recycling. They both are avid recyclers and one of the highlights of the week is when the recycling is collected.

The product that has made the biggest impact was definitely the washing machine. Having an energy efficient washing machine meant that we could cut down on a lot of the disposable products that we use thus making a huge impact on our waste.

Vincent installed a new washing line, so that we can dry more clothes outside which has been great, especially with the good weather over the last few weeks.

Washing drying on the line

I have also started using the timer function on the washing machine. So when the forecast predicts a good day, I load the washing machine on an evening and program it to finish when I wake up. Meaning I can easily get 2, sometimes even 3 loads of washing dry in one day. I can’t remember the last time I used the tumble dryer.  

I re-purposed some old pillow cases into a peg bag, I wanted a bag that was easy to carry on my arm but also one that I could hang on the line. It works really well and is much better than any I saw for sale, it’s great when I need to rush out to save the washing from the rain.

Peg bag from re-purposed pillow cases

Our lettuce is thriving and we won’t be buying any more lettuce till winter……Unless I can convince Vincent we need an Ikea Hydroponics kit so we can grow our own all year. I planted our celery in the back left corner, its quite well camouflaged with the lettuce though, so not sure if you can see it.

Home grown lettuce

 

How does your garden grow

 

Josh and Kate have enjoyed being outdoors helping, they have planted some sunflower seeds, every morning they both have a look in utter amazement and how big the sunflower has gotten.

 

 

The only product that hasn’t really worked for us, were the PLUGGIS waste sorting bins, that was our fault though as we didn’t measure properly. I’ve repurposed them to store Josh and Kate’s shoes, so all is not lost. I think we need to consider getting some SORTERA bins, they will look a lot neater. Or possibly getting something smaller and placing it under the sink as we first intended.

Following on from the project, I think our next goal is to replace all the bulbs with LED as I can’t believe the savings others on the #livelagom project have had with such a simple change.

Slowly we are altering our meals and the way we prepare food, I am using the pressure cooker often, its great for really quick, tasty meals. I’ve been making more of an effort to use my steamer. So both have been cutting down the amount of energy we use to make meals.

#LiveLagom is a project everyone can learn from, there are so many things that can be done, everyone can make a difference. I would like to challenge my brothers to #livelagom and see what ideas they can come up with. I’m quite sure they would have a very different approach and we would have lots to teach each other.

Thanks to Ikea for inviting us to partake in the project. It may be the end of the project, but its certainly not the end of our journey.

Long #livelagom

See my other blogs: http://www.catchingupwiththeclarkes.co.uk and http://www.playasyoulearn.com

 

Previous Post Next Post

You may also like