Sunshine’s finally here, and South London is buzzing!
But while we’re all about enjoying those long summer days, let’s not forget about keeping our corner of the city vibrant and sustainable.
Here are our five favourite tips for a summer that’s light for the environment (and your wallet!), and heavy on good vibes:
1. Two Wheels, Zero Emissions: Embrace Cycling in South London
South London’s streets are alive with sunshine, and what better way to soak it all in than by exploring on two wheels?
Forget the crowded buses and stuffy tubes!
Cycling is a fantastic way to get around South London.
Breathe in the fresh air, feel the sun on your face, and enjoy the sights as you whizz past.
Plus, cycling is a great way to stay healthy and active – perfect for those summer ice cream indulgences!
Don’t have a bike?
No worries! Bike rental are readily available for rent all over the city, making exploring different neighbourhoods a breeze.
Even better if you have your own bike, so you can park where and when you want, without paying extras.
Cycling routes are spread all around London.
We have tried from Battersea to Richmond, most of it across the river themes, and was very magical. so green and beautiful!
A must do for any London summer!
2. Pack a Sustainable Picnic
South London boasts some amazing parks and green spaces – think Southwark Park, Peckham Rye Park, or even your local hidden gem.
But please skip the wasteful disposable plates and cutlery.
If we love our outdoors and spending time in them, we really should make sure we leave them green and clean.
It’s so sad to walk in the park and see so much trash.
So pack your bag with containers, plates, and cutlery from home.
The normal cutlery and plates we use at home are more than enough, easy to clean after and zero cost.
Why should we buy new stuff (even the reusable one), when we already have reusable, free things at home?
This, combined with some fresh food made at home (Spanish frittata, sandwiches, pies, cakes – the list of easily transportable picnic food is endless), some fruit and drinks in can or glass bottle, makes the perfect, sustainable picnic.
And believe us when we say the we do love (love!) picnics.
3. From Farm to Fork: Feast on Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables
Speaking of delicious food, why not embrace the bounty that summer gives us in term of fruits and vegetables?
Luckily, June and July are bursting with seasonal goodness, easily accessible in the many groceries and markets in South London.
Think juicy strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries for a sweet treat.
They can even been picked, package free (and price free!) from the huge and very widespread berry bushes present in most green areas of London.
We picked so many blackberry in Brockwell park last year and made jam for the whole winter!
Savoury options include vibrant courgettes, aubergines and peppers
Very popular among our Mediterranean team members (Marco’s aubergine parmigiana is a common talk at lunchtime these days!), they are versatile vegetable that go well on a BBQ, as a sauce for pasta, deep fried, baked…every excuse is good to eat them plenty!
And don’t forget the peas, green beans and broad beans, for a good source of summer proteins.
By opting for local produce at farmers’ markets or greengrocers, you’re supporting local growers, reducing food miles, and getting the freshest flavours possible.
There will be plenty of time to eat those pumpkin and broccoli later on!
4. Stay Hydrated for Free: Refill on the Go
Staying hydrated is crucial in the summer but there’s no need to rely on single-use plastic bottles.
London has a growing network of free public water fountains!
This website provided by london.gov show a map of london with the location of some refill stations.
Even better, the handy “Refill” app [downloadable here] tell you where to find your nearest fountain, so you can refill your reusable water bottle throughout the day.
And, most bar and café will be happy to offer you a refill of your own water bottle or even just a glass of tap water.
We really have no excuses for buy those expensive (it’s just water!!!) plastic water bottles.
5. Escape to the Seaside Sustainably:
Waterloo? London Bridge? Clapham Junction? Denmark Hill? You name it!
South London boasts fantastic connections to the beautiful English coastline, especially in the south coast of England.
Popular options include the vibrant city of Brighton , the historic town of Hastings or Folkestone, or the charming seaside resort of Broadstairs, Ramsgate or Margate.
Most our team is from countries with a real attachment to seaside summers, so we take all possible occasion to go and smell the sea salt and have the breeze in our hair.
And guess what? We don’t even have cars!
And we don’t need them.
Did you know there are often great deals on train travel from London to popular seaside destinations?
Websites like Trainline or National Rail can help you find budget-friendly and eco-friendly train journeys.
And with a railcard, things can get really cheap (check here).
If you are students, under 30, a family, a senior, disable, or even simply have a best friend to travel your summer out with (we have the travel together card, for example), railcards can offers real deals and make your summers cheap, sunny and sustainable.
Conclusion
There you have it!
With a little creativity and planning, you can have a fantastic summer that’s kind to the environment, your wallet, and your South London community.
So, dust off your bike, grab your reusable water bottle, and get ready to explore all that South London has to offer in a sustainable way.
Remember, even small changes can make a big difference.
Here’s to a happy, healthy, and eco-friendly South London summer for everyone!
It happens to everyone: we decide to be committed and mindful about our effort to recycle, making our communities cleaner and contribute to making our planet a better place.
We pick up our rubbish, start sorting it out and then…there is no indication if something is recyclable or not!
How are we meant to know now what to do?
If you have ever found yourself in this position, you are not alone.
Despite the WRAP’s October 2022 Recycling Tracker report, found that 89% of us are committed to recycling, the same report also found that 54% of people admit that they often don’t know where to put certain items and then end up throwing things in the general rubbish bin that could have been recycled instead.
Or, placing non recyclable material in the recycling bin “because is plastic!” that is in fact not recyclable (not all plastic are, for example).
What makes recycling difficult?
I don’t know for you (and we would love to know!), but for us, there are quite a few reasons that make recycling now sure easy:
We have been speaking around our friends and people in our community and found that many people are not aware of what can and cannot be recycled, or how to properly prepare materials for recycling.
Yes, there is information on the package, but what about when there isn’t?
Many products we import from other country hare in different language and they may not clearly write how to dispose the material.
More often than not, those material then end up in the wrong bin.
We totally understand if after a long day you don’t have the mind capacity of sorting out recycling.
Some materials do take effort, such as when they are required to be separated, cleaned and disposed of in a certain way.
Some of the people we spoke to also think things will be much easier if they are given recyclable materials by society. If everything was recyclable, we wouldn’t need to make the effort (the dream!)
So why are the big names, brand, supermarkets, companies not doing this?
Well, all those point are totally understandable and we are not here to comment on the need for societal changes.
However, we can support you in making recycling easy for us, the individuals, which can make a tiny but significant (because we are many) difference.
Our tips to recycle better in less time
Print out the universal symbols for recycling material
Did you know that packaging, regardless of where they come from, often do not have universal symbols that tell us what materials they are made from?
For example, most plastic items will have a little symbol with an arrow, a number in the middle and often an acronym. For example, 1 PET(E) (Polyethylene Terephtalate) or 3 PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride).
Those material are generally either non recyclable or recyclable, so even if they come from China or the USA, if something has the symbol for PET, it will be recyclable no matter where you live.
This makes recycling so much easier!
You can use our guide (at the end of the post) for the most common type of plastic.
Have recycling bins in different location
Most of us probably have a recycling bin in the kitchen.
But what about bathroom products? They are more often than not the most confusing and a mixture of recycling and rubbish.
And the studio?
Having a pair of bins for each room we use the most of our materials in can massively increase recycling rates without having to pile everything in one place, only to separate things again.
Reduce the non-recyclable we buy
Reducing waste starts with what we buy.
When we go shopping, we often search for the products that have the most recyclable packaging.
Honey in glass instead than in plastic, for example, or fruit in paper instead of plastic bags, or pasta in a cardboard box.
This make recycling so much easier because you will know that most of the things you need to throw away are recyclable anyways!
Yes, we know that sometimes those items are more expensive but they really shouldn’t be, and as consumers we can push the market promoting and buying those products, so that as demand increases, the more they will become common things (and decrease the cost).
Make It a Ritual
It is very easy to mindlessly (because we are in a rush or distracted) just toss something in the bin without thinking about where it should go.
If this is your case, there is a very good strategy to avoid this: having a “I-will-sort-it-out-later” bin.
Toss everything in the same bin and then set a morning to revisit your trash and separate.
So that you don’t need to do it at the moment or if you just had a long day and you don’t feel like it.
It’s like cleaning the house: do we need to clean everything everyday?
Make it a habit to incorporate in your weekend housekeeping schedule.
Like this, you will probably become more focus on it and it will feel less like a burden.
Now we need you
We hope that you will take some of those tips and try them out.
Most of all, we would love to hear about your experience with recycling:
what are your struggles?
do you have any tips for us?
what do you struggle with?
what do you find easy?
By talking to each other and making recycling a communal point of discussion, we can help each other making our community, our planet, a much more cleaner and stress free place
Free Resources: our guide to the most common packaging symbols
I’ll be honest with you: at home we were counting the days to to put up our Christmas decorations and playing those cheesy christmas pop songs!
There is really something magical about Christmas and even if we don’t celebrate the religious aspect of it, the winter holidays are truly times for joy, celebration, and togetherness.
However, especially those days of consumerism, sales and trends, Christmas can also be a time of excessive consumption and waste.
Themed mugs, plastic decorations, fake Christmas trees, a billion different jumpers, perfumes, toys, etc.
Christmas could easily turn in a disaster for our planet and for our pockets.
Is it possible to have a more intentional, mindful and sustainable winter celebration in our beloved London?
Of course it is.
These are few of our best experiences to save money while nurturing our souls, families, friends and the environment:
1. Gift an experience!
“Oh no, not another hat!”
I have said this sentence many times! Every Christmas I used to receive essentially the same objects: pyjamas, hats, socks, jumpers.
Two months later, they were living in the drawer and to sadly only come out the following Christmas, just in time to be replaced by next ones.
Most gifted object are really not needed and they end up creating clutter and/or being disposed and contribute to environmental pollution. Objects are not forever.
So, instead of buying material gifts that will just end up in landfill, consider giving the gift of experience.
This could be a voucher for a cooking class, a ticket to a theatre show, or a donation to a charity in their name.
Shared memories last for a lifetime, and cannot be lost.
So, go and plan an experience to share with your loved ones!
2. Explore a Christmas market!
If you really need to buy that winter decoration, then local Christmas markets are the perfect place. Not only do they often sell handmade and tailored products, made with intentionality and with care for the environment, but these markets are also a great way to support local businesses.
We have explored a bunch of South London markets and our favourites are “Southbank Centre Winter Market“, “Brixton Market” and “Greenwich Christmas Market”.
They are all with free admission and lots to see! Stroll through the lights and take in some sights together.
The markets are a perfect match if you, like us, go just for the experience without buying objects, as they always provide great local food, music, and amazing winter vibes!
For more on the South London Christmas Market, you can follow this amazing guide provided by the South London Club.
3. Take in a movie together at the cinema!
Christmas movies are a great classic and we have been watching a few in the cosiness of our home.
But isn’t even more magical to wrap up in warm clothes, buy some popcorn and immerse ourselves in an actual cinema?
What a great experience that is! And it makes it a perfect sustainable winter gift!
A cinema ticket, carefully tucked inside a festive envelope, is more than a ticket to a film; it’s an invitation to laughter, tears, and unforgettable moments.
Whether it’s a timeless classic, a blockbuster hit, or an indie gem, this thoughtful gesture allows your loved ones to immerse themselves in a world of storytelling, where the memories linger long after the credits roll.
Yes, yes, I can see you thinking that cinemas are not really low cost.
Well, if you live in South London, they are!
Peckhamplex in Peckham and Odeon in Streatham, Surrey Quays, Wimbledon and Greenwich, for example, offer films for £6 and under!
They are cute, old school, local cinemas which are not just low budget, but also super cosy (we managed to bring in our own food too!)
If you haven’t been yet, this is the season.
4. Host an event!
If you know us by now, you know that we truly love two things: food and people.
There is nothing more magical than spending time with your loved ones around the table eating, drinking, laughing and telling stories.
Yes, we don’t really need a festivity to invite people over, but we take any excuse to do so.
Hosting an event is a great way to celebrate the winter season without spending an enormous amount of money eating out, and also gives the chance to try some low-cost, low-waste recipes (you will find a few on our blog).
You can also try to organize a potluck!
Make a few main dishes, and invite each of your friends to bring a dish!
And what about picking a theme?
Choose a fun theme to add the festivity of your holiday dinner!
You can also create mementos and send your guests home with something to remember the night, like a Polaroid picture or a personalised placecard!
Food and social makes a long lasting gift for the memories.
5. D.I.Y.
Not sold on gifting an experience? Wanting to show up with something tangible?
Well, then the most sustainable thing you can do is to create something with your own two hands!
You can gift some homemade treats for example.
Since the holidays are the time for indulgence, do make use of the time off, and learn to make something yummy to bring to that friend or family dinner.
Or if you are hosting, the end of the year is the perfect time to reinvent your space, and with DIY methods, you can do so on a budget!
You can still create a festive atmosphere at home without using excessive amounts of plastic and disposable items.
Re-use decorations from previous years, or make your own from natural materials.
And when it comes to wrapping paper, opt for reusable or recyclable alternatives.
If you really feel creative, you can even try to craft some Christmas decorations to gift.
The internet is full of ideas and tutorials. Find one and start moving your hands!
6. Donate your time
If you are looking to spend zero pennies but still gift something valuable, you can donate your time.
Volunteer at a local charity, donate food to a food bank, or simply smile and say hello to your neighbours.
South London is full of charities and food banks you can volunteer or donate, and the homeless people are struggling in winter more than ever (here for a list of London’s food banks)
Small acts of kindness can make a big difference.
This Winter Holiday, donate experiences, memories, handcrafts or your time instead of objects.
This month is Black History Month, and if you live in a city like London, which has a strong black community, you’ll likely enjoy the array of events occurring that celebrate the important contribution of Black people in building, shaping and culturally developing London.
If you want to know more, you can visit the Black History Month website here.
A topic that is often a bit neglected is the relationship between black communities and sustainability.
Black communities and sustainability: there is more than meets the eye
Sustainability is often depicted in popular media as a European-centric idea, particularly through the rise of sustainable influencers, and also as a result of companies and people maintaining a “sustainable lifestyle” primarily through specifically tailored and publicised products, like “eco-friendly” and “green” products that typically carry a high price and are thus inaccessible to many.
This has led to two major problems: a perceived imbalance of black voices in the sustainability debate and media panorama, and the underestimation of the impact that pollution and high-impact-living is having in black communities across the globe.
It is important to note that many black communities are already living sustainable following their cultural roots, through affordable means and old times practices, but don’t consider themselves as part of the sustainability movement, or are not included in the conversation, because the means through which they do this are not always necessarily aesthetically pleasing.
Examples of this include decreasing food waste by reusing items frequently, sharing resources among each other, sharing transportation, home made repairs and an overall positive attitude towards making use of the things already possessed.
The first problem has recently been tackled thanks to movements such as the Climate Reframe, a U.K. project with the aim of giving voice to environmental activists from minority backgrounds.
The black sustainable movement in London is really growing, thanks to this and other initiatives (you can read more about Black British Climate Activism here).
The second is a much wider issue: many countries are struggling with the plastic wastage that we produce here in the U.K. (second only to the U.S., but take into account the different dimensions of the country), and often these are countries with a high percentage of ethnic minorities, including Black populations, etc.
Here are a few links if you want to dive in the problem of environmental inequality, environmental racism and global plastic pollution:
Ultimately, all of the plastic waste that we make, whether we abandoned it on the streets or don’t recycled properly, ends up polluting someone else’s life, and we need to keep in mind the communities that are disproportionately affected by this.
We can do our part individually, regardless of what community you are in, by making small but consistent efforts to reduce your impact.
By doing something seemingly meaningless, like throwing a plastic bottle of water into the trash can, we are sending plastic pollution and toxins to our own native countries.
Although small, the effort it takes to recycle your bottle, or use a reusable one, goes a huge way in limiting the effect we are having on the environment, and further more, on those we share the planet with.
Let’s then support and celebrate Black history and the Black community by making this effort to be more mindful, and support our neighbours in these efforts as well.
A few ways you can do this are by supporting sustainable black-owned businesses and products, searching for products that are not contributing to creating social injustice, like products made by communities in Africa for not much and sold at exorbitant rates here, without the primary producers being honoured and paid their fair amount, and by being a part of the conversation in your own community.
Take note of sustainable leaders and foundations; you can support just by attending events, listening, and sharing your ideas too!
Celebrating Black History Month Sustainably in London in 2023
While there are many Black History Month events that are focused on celebrating history, music, literature and social activism (and we’ll be sharing our picks in a separate post!), there are few events you can attend that are directly related to sustainability and the black community.
Black History Markets
Brixton Farmers Market, on Sunday 8th of October, promises a spectacular selection of black fresh products, black-own small businesses, street music and celebration.
To make it a sustainable experience, bring your reusable bag, cup and bottle, and enjoy an array of homemade and freshly produced products and food.
inIlford Black History Month food fair is a three day (!) festival and celebration taking place in North-East London, with live performances, food stalls, dance, music and community joy.
Other black history markets are popping up this month in several locations, including the South-London based pop market at West Norwood and Crystal Palace
Black History Book and Community Events
We can sustain ourselves, our young minds and our inner soul by supporting books and creative writing from Black artists and creators at black book festivals, two of which are in South London.
Check out the famous Black British Book Festival at Southbank Centre the 27 and 28th of October, and the Black Book Festival at Goldsmiths, University of London, Lewisham, on Saturday 21st October.
A similar event is taking place in South Lambeth Library on Saturday 21th of October, with Black History Month Community Day. A day for families to enjoy, with activities from story-time, book reading and market stall.
Least but not last, check out the amazing work that Sustainable Merton is doing in promoting environmental consciousness in the local communities in their South London borough of Merton.
They will meet with BAME voice on Saturday 28th of October for a day of talks, performances and discussions around local environmental problems and solution
Here at Southstainable, sustainability means connecting your soul, mind, body and love for the planet, with yourself and your community.Events like Black History Month are invaluable occasions to embrace personal and global sustainability and learn to love each other and the places that we all share.
The word sustainable is often associated with a way of living that require a lot of no.
No to waste, no to certain product, no to certain food, no to certain habits.
This is all very good but it’s not necessarily what sustainable mean.
At least for us.
The word Sustainable come from Latin sub “from below” and tenere “to hold”, in the sense of support.
During the centuries its meaning has been transformed into different shades of meaning, but all revolving around the idea of “providing the necessities of life“, “giving support“, “enduring“, “holding from falling“, “keeping things in a good way“, “to nourish“.
That’s really what sustainable means for us and what we want to advocate.
Sustainability for us means being able to hold and maintain and provide not only for the wellbeing of the planet but also for the wellbeing of ourselves and our community.
It is often difficult to find a balance between doing actions that are sustainable for the planet but also sustainable for ourselves, our health, our mental well-being, our money and personal needs.
Embedded in our ethos is a belief in the power of “yes.”
We are all about promoting the habit of saying yes to sustainable alternatives doesn’t mean renouncing your pleasures, your roots, your traditions, and all of the things that make you feel good, for the sake of the environment.
This extreme approach, aside from not making for a very enjoyable life, is not very sustainable.
Thus, our goal here at Southstainable is to find the balance between what is good for you, and good for the environment.
Reaching this equilibrium is about saying yes to the least impactful actions you can take for the environment.
For example, sometimes instead of committing to being zero-waste, you can take steps towards less waste.
Instead of eliminating use of a product that comes in plastic, which is a restrictive approach, you can opt to use another product that is similar, but with less plastic, or one that can be recycled.
It all comes down to being at peace with the environment and with ourselves.
Sustainability starts within ourselves.
It is much harder to sustain something big as the planet than it is to sustain ourselves or our community.
Sustaining ourselves means being able to fulfil our basic physical and emotional needs, and so the first step to sustainability is identifying those individual needs and ensuring we are able to afford to sustain them, and then to find ways to continue fulfilling needs on a larger aspect, such as with your family, your community, and then the whole planet.
“Thinkglobal act local” is a common phrase repeated in the sustainability movement, and what is more local than your own selves?
Sometimes when we think about sustainability, we think about complicated and overpriced brands or items, and because of marketing, many have come to associate the words “sustainable living” with wealthy people that are able to afford the organic, expensive vegetables, or overpriced bamboo devices, or working while traveling.
But a sustainable lifestyle doesn’t mean that, or at least doesn’t have to!
None of these are things that are necessary for fulfilling those basic individual needs.
A sustainable lifestyle may mean that for some people but everyone’s journey should be tailored to themselves, which includes taking into account your own budget and the stage of life that you are in.
We can support something as big as the planet only if we can support ourselves.
