As we approach COP27, we're considering the eco-consciousness of our everyday decisions
Our November Book Club read 'Is it really green?' by Georgina Wilson-Powell
by Tiffany @ The BIB Wine Company, using examples from Georgina Wilson Powell's 'Is it really green?' Heads of State, ministers and negotiators are preparing to gather in Sharm El Sheikh for COP27, the UN's climate change conference. Last year, a target of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5°C was set. But the world is currently on course for around 2.4°C warming, with every fraction of a degree fuelling worse impacts.
It's kind of scary stuff, with the change in weather patterns and natural disasters that we're seeing all too often now. We got to thinking about the thousands of decisions we make every day and how we can play our own part in tackling the climate emergency. Our November Book Club read 'Is it really green?' by Georgina Wilson-Powell is an excellent guide, answering many of the eco-dilemmas that we face daily. We've picked out a few highlights here, but can't recommend the book highly enough if you're looking for an uncomplicated green-living guide.
Source: 'Green shopping' from Georgina Wilson Powell's 'Is it really green?'
Let's talk about carrier bags. We're often told to avoid single-use plastic bags, but are the alternatives really better? If we take paper bags, for example. Their manufacture leads to deforestation, and uses four times the energy needed to produce a plastic carrier bag. Cotton tote bags also use an incredible amount of energy and resource to produce, so need to be used at least 130 times in order to be more efficient than plastic. So what's the best plan? Use the bag you already have (whatever material it's made of) and remember to take your reusable bag when you go out shopping!
Here's one we loved: standby mode is thought to be responsible for a staggering 1% of global CO2 emissions. So switching off TVs, radios, laptops etc. at night time can save a load of energy usage. Oh and foods to avoid? Avocados! It can take up to 320 litres of water to grow a single one.
With packaging, there's a lot to think about too and different materials have their pros and cons. We know that glass bottles and jars can be recycled endlessly for example, but the emissions from producing and recycling them are significantly higher than for other materials. Plus they take more energy to transport. Aluminium or tin cans made from recycled materials can therefore make a good alternative. Boxed wines stay fresh for up to six weeks once opened
One of the great things about buying boxed wine is that the boxes are super easy to recycle, plus as the wine stays fresh for up to six weeks once opened there's less wastage. However at BIB Wine we also needed to come up with a solution for our plastic bags, taps and taster pouches. Which is where our partnership with specialist recycler Enval comes in. Enval's recycling technique uses pyrolysis to break these plastics down into base feedstock products that can be used to make brand new plastic goods. This negates the requirement to use fossil fuel based feedstocks and creates a closed loop (no negative environmental impact).
You can pick up a free recycling bag here - each bag can fit up to 10 bags and taps.
Buy a copy of 'Is it really green?' here, or read about BIB Wine's commitment to sustainability here.
