I don’t know about you but I’m fretting about the environment; I’m fretting about the little things and the big things; I’m fretting that I’m not doing enough and I’m fretting about what I can do about it.
I feel guilty when my children ask why I’m not doing more to solve the problem and when I try to explain the things that I do the sum total sounds so paltry. I am one person and I’m not a bold or outgoing one at that, what little improvements I make within my own sphere are so small as to make little impact and I feel it’s not enough.
This has been the situation for some time but recently I’ve been talking to people about it and listening to people who know a bit more than I do and do a bit more than I do. And what I’m hearing is that for the majority of people so much is in the thinking and in the talking itself…. Bear with me I’ll explain what I mean….
We can’t all be leaders, thankfully there are people who’ll take up that baton but the rest of us need to spread the word. We all need to be in this together.
The thinking part: I was heading off to the launch of the new edition of The Window Magazine last week - this edition’s theme is ‘eco lux’ ie how to have your cake and eat it sustainably.
Knowing I was going to spend the afternoon talking to a roomful of people about how to have a sustainable lifestyle without compromising on the ‘style’ element I pondered whether I did anything environmentally positive within my own lifestyle.
The list I came up with surprised me as most of the things are just how my life has naturally evolved and haven’t been a conscious environmental effort.
The talking part: So I went and chatted to a roomful of strangers - not something I usually enjoy but made easier thanks to a well timed welcome glass of bubbly. What I came away with was a sense that these things we each do aren’t necessarily universal and if we all talk to each other (and listen to each other!) about the things we do that make a difference then we help each other live better; so the small things an individual does can become big things if we help other people do them too.
Now the things on the list I came up with aren’t rocket science and they’re nothing new - I’m sure lots of other people are doing them too - but it’s good to be part of the conversation.
The things on my list were all linked to sustainability in interiors, creativity, fashion and lifestyle because those are my areas of speciality.
I’m often asked about my style and how I put it together - well the answers aren’t a trade secret, the answers happen to be largely the same as the list of environmentally positive things that I do. So I figure I’m going to try to share them - I’ll start with how I create my interiors and go from there.
I’ll put it on Instagram @ridge_and_furrow - on my feed and in stories so that it’s as easily shared as possible but if I need to explain something in detail I’ll probably head over here to the blog for that.
Obviously I’m going to continue to listen and absorb the ideas of others with their own speciality subjects in order to try to improve in many other areas of my life but I’m going to try to do my bit in the area I know about to share what I can in the hope that together we can make a greater impact.
Thanks for reading
x Elle
A few things I intend to share/discuss:
- The making of my style and the elements within it
- Sourcing vintage - the ‘what’ and the ‘where’
- How to get the most out of ebay
- Making/Mending/Altering (clothing)
- Capsule wardrobes and making the most of what you already have
This list is just for starters and along the way there’ll be lots of opportunity for discussion about practicalities and philosophical debate.
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