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!
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.
Last year when I was a full time teacher I once did a little workshop about how to bake.
I thought that only few students (16-18) would be interested, given that we live in a society of take aways, ready meals, deliveries.
To my surprise, 150 students signed up…150!
I was pleasantly surprised.
Young people needs that no one talk about:
When I asked them what made them sign up for a baking lesson in school, they all had pretty much the same answer: “no one ever taught us this!”
After the workshop, which features nearly adult people cracking an egg for the first time in their life, they all asked for more.
“It is such a shame that school doesn’t teach us the skills of our grandparents.”
“I have no idea how to change a lightbulb”
“My family calls the handyman when something breaks so I have no idea what to do myself in those situations”.
It was very inspiring.
These nearly adults were craving something we didn’t think they would: real life skills!
Skill to sustain themselves and finally leap into independent adulthood!
This is one of the very reasons why Southstainable was born. To inspire curiosity and educate people about the good old skill that gives us the ability to sustain ourselves, our household and everybody’s household (a.k.a. Planet Earth).
The Sustainable Skills for Life
There are many useful household skills that can contribute to a more organized, efficient, and sustainable life.
Here are what we think are the most valuable household skills (ok random order-ish) that we should consider learning:
1. Cooking
This is our personal core value.
Being able to prepare nutritious meals, knowing where to buy the ingredients low waste and how to dispose of them, can save money, improve health, and massively help being in harmony with ourselves and the planet.
A conscious relationship with food is indeed one of the pillars of sustainable living,.
2. Basic Sewing
Being able to mend clothing or make simple repairs can extend the life of your garments and save money on alterations.
In a world of fast fashion or expensive brands, repairing socks or patch broken clothes, for example can really be a money and planet saver.
3. Energy Conservation
Do you know how much your house consumes?
How much does a 15Kw electric heater consume and cost to run?
When is the best time to run the washing machine?
With energy bills being a very costly part of our life now, learning to be mindful of energy usage and adopting energy-saving practices can contribute to a more sustainable living and really build a cost-effective home.
4. Budgeting and Financial Management
Even grown up adults struggle to fully understanding how to pay bills, taxes, claims, pensions, etc.
To be fair, we are on the same boat and are putting in a good effort to become more financially literate.
And let’s remember that the more we can sustain ourselves financially, the less of a burden and worry becomes to sustain others.
5. Laundry and Cleaning Skills
Understanding how to properly sort, wash, and care for your clothing can help them last longer and maintain their quality.
Knowing how to use alternative sustainable products such as soda bicarbonate or vinegar, can make a real difference not only for the environment but also for our pockets!
The more we know how to use every day products, the less we need to buy them!
6. Basic Home Repairs
When is the last time you change a light bulb?
Can you use a drill?
Can you fix a toilet pipe?
Knowing basic home repairs save tons of money and time and it by far one of the most important thing to learn.
Back in the days most people knew how to take care of their own home without having to spend money or wait for a technician to come.
How freeing would it be to go back to this?
7. Gardening
Today is all about house plants.
We are told that green is calming, that plants clean air, that makes our mind feel more happy.
Apart from that, learning how to take care of plants can provide great help to a sustainable living.
Cultivating a small garden, even if it’s just a few potted plants, can provide fresh herbs, vegetables, or flowers. It can light up your indoor space.
It can teach us how to pay attention to the slow but steady rythm of nature.
And if we are joining a community garden, it can really foster belonging and kindness.
8. First Aid
Basic first aid skills can be crucial in handling minor injuries or emergencies that may arise at home.
Some of these are taught in school and at CPD or private courses.
We feel it is very important that everyone has at least a basic understanding of how to deal with healthy issues.
It can really save lives.
9. Waste Management
you know how much we care about this. It breaks our heart to see how dirty and full of trash our streets and garden are sometimes.
Properly recycling and disposing of waste materials is not only environmentally responsible but also contributes to a cleaner and safer living space.
Not only in our house but also in our communities.
10. Communication Skills
Lastly, probably the most important skills of all.
The art of being humans, of being kind, of being a family.
Effective communication is key to maintaining healthy relationships within the household.
This includes active listening, expressing oneself clearly, and resolving conflicts peacefully.
Sometimes we see people on the street shouting at each other, even at children, or treating other people with anger and rudeness.
Everyone can have bad days, worries or stress, so it is a fundamental skill to learn to navigate ourselves through our emotions in a safe and nurturing way.
When I started my sustainable journey, the first action I focussed on was trying to shop zero waste.
I was fully committed to buying as little packaging as possible.
I discovered a couple of bulk stores, zero waste shops and local markets around me and only shopped at those places.
I became obsessed with it.
Problem was, they were not always near me, and often reachable only by at least half an hour bus.
But I was adamant about either shopping there or not at all.
Sometimes, this meant that I was either not eating certain foods for weeks because they were not available plastic-free in the shops near me, or I would wait ages for restocking, for example on coffee, because I only wanted to buy it zero waste.
That became unsustainable.
And more expensive too.
My housemates started complaining that our house couldn’t be dependent on if we had the time to shop zero waste or not.
Days with no coffee or no pasta hit us.
So, upon reflection, I decided to change.
I reflected on balance and on the real meaning of sustainability.
I asked myself: is zero waste sustainable for my soul and the people around me?
The answer was, clearly, no.
I began a journey of discovery. A journey to find balance.
The balance between not dropping my values of buying the least amount of packaging and the essential needs of my household and me.
The truth was, the prospect of waiting weeks without being able to make my morning coffee with my Italian percolator (we call it Moka) was really not sustainable for my mind.
And nor could sustain the sanity of my housemates.
The journey leads to discovery, and discovery leads to knowledge.
I discovered that the key is knowing where to shop for what, because there is always an alternative to what is around.
And by around I mean even sometimes at the corner shop or the Tesco down the road.
Sure, those places also have a ludicrous amount of unnecessary plastic, but this is the point. I knew that I didn’t need to buy lemons in plastic net in a shop because I explored enough to know that the shop next to it had lemons without plastic.
And this shop hopping started saving me money.
Why should I buy something at this corner store if I know that the next one sells it for less?
So, if I have to give you the most sustainable tip, here is it: know the shops near you and visit them all by buying what is cheaper and more sustainable in each shop.
Sustainability is really about learning about your community, what it has to offer and how you can make your life easier by knowing it.
I discovered that sustainability is to find your most sustainable way.
There isn’t a most sustainable way.
If everything that is plastic would cost double, would this be sustainable? For many people, it would not.
But the alternative is not to give up, or even worse, not try, the alternative is to find a way that includes both goals of living as sustainably as possible, the least stressful life as possible and as much financially doable as possible.
And it’s okay to start small, it’s okay to buy some plastic every now and then, with no guilt because that doesn’t make us horrible, or hypocritical or unsustainable.
It is a journey, and a journey is never linear.
Sustainability is embracing imperfection, embracing that it’s always a journey, that the more we try, the more we know, and the more we will learn how to sustain ourselves with peace and intention.
Often when we start our journey into a sustainable life, we start by focusing on buying new eco-friendly items, eco-substitutions, eco-swaps, bamboo-made items, etc.
More often than not, by doing this we end up paying lots more.
For the sake of buying green products, eco-friendly products, tailored branded alternative, sometimes we even buy thing when we really don’t need to.
This happens even to long-term sustainability champions.
However, by doing this we forget what sustainability really means.
Here at Southstainable we want to invite you to rethink what having a sustainable lifestyle really means.
For us, a sustainable life means a different way of sustaining your community, a way that starts from yourself, to your sustainance, so that we can be able to sustain something bigger without feeling it as a burden or something unachievable for everyone.
When it comes to making our lives more sustainable, this means ditching the expensive eco-friendly branded alternatives, which too often are not wallet friendly and not inclusive.
We can achieve this by just learning how to use what we have.
So here is for you 5 Eco-friendly but not budget-friendly objects that we really don’t need to buy and what to use instead as sustainable, low cost and easy to implement alternatives.
1# Expensive resuable water bottles
If you are still buying water in plastic, please stop. Really
Why would you do that?
And the main reason for that is not what you think.
Yes, plastic bottles represent one of the major pollutant on the planet, threatening not only biodiversity but also entire countries, communities and urban landscapes. That should be enough to stop.
But if it isn’t, let’s think about that.
Let’s think about it. Water. The basic the primordial needs of all biological beings.
Water is free.
No one is making water for us, it is naturally already there.
So why should be paying someone that to provide us something that already exist for free?
Madness.
And then, in the name of saving ocean from plastic, another madness appeared.
I am talking about “eco-friendly” refillable bottle that cost 20/30 pounds (and sometimes even more)
I am talking about those branded bottle that promise you to keep the water cool for 48 hours or so.
20 pounds for a piece of metal that contain some water.
Our ancestor are probably laughing now.
What we are buying is essentially a trendy fashion item, masqueraded as sustainable (for who? Not for us, certainly)
A way more sustainable solution for your pocket and the planet is to buy a normal bottle made of metal or glass.
And by normal I mean one that doesn’t cost a fortune.
Or even keep reusing a plastic bottle, which is one of the essential points of sustainability!
I’ve seen people use the same 1 pound bottle of coke for a year (it is sturdy and has a nice design).
So in the name of sustainability, when you think about buying a reusable bottle of water, think about what you are actually buying and what it’s for
Remember, water is free and the most natural thing to do is to keep it free and accessible for all, container included
#2 Fancy lunch box.
I love lunch boxes.
We have many lunch boxes of different shapes and materials, and we use them for various functions: storage, baking trays, plant beds and of course picnic lunch boxes.
However, none of them were originally a lunch box.
Again, why should I spend money (and often lots of) on something that I have already obtained and paid for?
You can obtain a free lunchbox from everywhere!
An example? Those take away plastic boxes that we obtain when we get our absolutely fantastic Jerk Chicken from our local carribean.
And we keep them.
And we bring them back to the shop and load them again with delicious jerk chicken.
Other example?
Glass oven trays, yogurt pots, jam or pickled jar.
Yes but they are not really for carrying lunch around, right?
Well, you will be surprise to know that they work even better!
Especially glass jars are amazing at avoid leakages. They are built for it!
Big olives or beetroot or pickled jar are the optimal solution if you want to carry your lunch with you and be absolutely sure that there will be no leakage.
They have a large capacity, are easy to clean after and cost almost nothing (you pay for what is inside, really!)
Go glass, sustain your pockets while sustaining the environment.
#3 Expensive “eco-friendly” cutleries
This is something I have been doing since the beginning and I really don’t understand why its not the universal solution.
Why should we buy fancy and expensive cutleries for your lunch box, sometimes even in plastic, when you can use your own home aluminium cutleries?
Ok, bamboo and reusable plastic is better than single use plastic.
I always carry my normal, home-looking but still very functional aluminium fork and spoon with me in my bag.
They are easily cleanable and guess what? They cost zero!
#4 Reusable coffee cups.
That’s another example of something that doesn’t need to be fancy and doesn’t need to be hyper expensive.
I believe the old purpose of reusable takeaway coffee cup is not only to reuse them and not send single use container to either landfill or to recycling, but also to enjoy a coffee on the go in a happy and uplifting way.
So, really, if I have to pay 15, 20 pounds for our usable coffee cup, plus coffee on top, I think it becomes quite unsustainable.
And that is, again, down to branding. Brands cost a lot with no porpose.
I do have a coffee cup, but despite being not branded, and with the sign of time (I have break it a few times and repaired as best as I can with glue) it is big enough and does the job of containing coffee.
And it costed 5 pounds.
Even better? Find a friend, order two coffee in ceramic cups, sit down, slow down, have a chat and enjoy the moment.
