All this information can seem a lot, and the practices involved might seem out of your hands. Nevertheless, every person who acts has their impact added to the whole, and much like any ecosystem the individual actions create a greater, unstoppable movement.
Below are four small ways that the Permaculture Association recommends you can make a big change.
Eat Local, Seasonal Food
Food transport, packaging and processing make up 6% of CO2 emissions from rich countries. Local, seasonal food means lower emissions, so find a source near to home - a farmers’ market, community supported agriculture or your garden. Avoid air-freighted fruit and veg; use frozen or tinned instead.
Eat Less Meat and Dairy
One of the most powerful actions you can take to reduce your climate impact. Meat and dairy have a very high carbon footprint, especially beef and lamb. Globally, the spread of beef farming is causing huge deforestation. Reduce your meat consumption, and consider vegetarian or vegan options.
Study Permaculture
Permaculture is an approach to designing healthy, productive, wildlife-friendly places that can be applied from a personal to bioregion level. It combines ethics, understanding of nature and design principles to create a model for low-carbon living, thinking differently and climate adaptation.
Make Compost
Dumping garden refuse and food waste into landfills produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Composting it, when done properly, produces none. Compost also enriches the soil with nutrients and helps it absorb carbon. Composting can be done in many ways, from a domestic to industrial scale.