I must admit I never thought I would get this far. So how are we doing as a family on our sustainability challenge?
Transport
In terms of transport, the children still take the bus or the train, my husband and I still work from home and there have been no major trips abroad or to other parts of France. We have also tried to focus on a weekly shop rather than lots of tiny visits, with the aim of doing just a monthly food shop by the time we reach September. For perishables, we have a small grocery nearby, and the village market.
Rien de Neuf
The challenge of not buying anything new is more complicated. Whatever happens, my husband and I are definitely still focused on this principle. The teens in the house, although seeing the benefits in this idea, find it hard through peer-pressure to choose clothes (or anything at all to do with their social or academic life) that are second-hand. It will be more a journey of discovery for them, as to what is available now in terms of choice and the quality of second-hand articles available. I know I have convinced my daughter as to the advantages of second-hand clothes, as the originality of designs can be inspiring and suits her personality down to the ground.
Vegetarian
Becoming vegetarian has been a pleasure, and a complete surprise to both me and the rest of the family. I haven’t had a single slip-up day yet. It has made me think more about what goes past my lips, and has motivated me to try out new menus from different countries as well as changing my familiar meals. Through me becoming vegetarian, the family have become more exposed to that lifestyle choice, and our meat consumption as a family has vastly reduced. Not all of my recipes have met with success, but this is a time of learning rather than criticism!
Water and Wildlife
Saving water and creating habitats for wildlife has been complicated, as we are presently living in rental accommodation where nothing can be touched or changed. So that part of the challenge will have to wait until September when we will finally have time to tackle it at our new permanent home in the mountains.
Zero-Waste
Lastly the challenge of becoming as zero-waste as possible is ongoing, and is the most complicated. Through practising the 8Rs, we are on a journey towards getting closer to that objective. One week we even had just one bag of waste, a huge change from the days when the bin has been full to the brim. four times a week. Food waste is an area where we can improve, and the compost scheme in our local village is something we will start to use from this week. The information points are in French, but you can get the idea. Each year the community gets together for a meal, and to share the produce from their large “potagers”. It is an idea that I will definitely take with me as we travel to a new department in the coming months.
Finally
My personal challenge of stopping consuming chocolate and related products, and eating dairy products from cows, has been difficult as we are fans of grated cheese, I still haven’t found a hard goat’s cheese alternative. Chocolate is still a “go-to” in times of stress and a bunch of carrots just doesn’t seem to have the same effect. Some habits are hard to break, however my overall consumption of chocolate has reduced to perhaps 20%, of what it was, a vast improvement. We are not in sandals or horse-hair shirts yet, but there are still 9 months left before the end of the year! Anything can happen…
MidLife Crisis In France
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