How to Live Simply

We have a date for the presentation of the Live Simply Award by CAFOD . It is on Tuesday May 30th. More details later.

‘Live Simply, Sustainably and in Solidarity’

As you will probably know already, the parish has been given the LiveSimply Award by CAFOD.. If you want to know more about the award and how we obtained it, please see this page. We have shown that, as a community, we can move towards living more simply.

However, individuals and families in the parish should try to make their own lifestyle contributions.

Most of the hints below are simple. Of course you do have free will and you do not have to tell us whether you are on board of not!! If you are, then it is recommended that you choose a couple that you do not follow at present and make a promise to yourself that you will try to follow the chosen applications. You could write them on a card as follows:

Listening and responding to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, I pledge to

Please keep this card visible at home and update to include more every few months.

Many of the tips on this page have been provided by the Laudato Si Circle and their efforts are appreciated.

If anyone wants to share their own tips on recycling etc or share their comments etc about this page, please contact the Webmaster

The Latest Tips

Here is an incentive: Pope Francis writes " Purchasing is always a moral - and not simply an economic act." What does he mean? In practical terms when we buy something that seems incredibly good value such as a T shirt for £2.50, who actually is "paying the price". In buying this article of clothing we are, perhaps unknowingly, supporting an economic system that allows the exploitation of people who are paid less than 1/3rd of a living wage in their country. We should be angry about the impact of low wages anywhere in the world. People are being exploitated and this is immoral. So think twice!!

Did you know Superdrug Pharmacies recycle empty blister packs? A box will be provided in each of our churches for you to recycle yours.

A few Hints for Transport

Walk or cycle to work. You could start by doing this just one day a week. If you are on your own, then you could pray for your parish etc
Walk with your children to school.
Car share to work or school
Reduce flying
Use low-emission vehicles

A few Hints for Energy Reduction

Turn off electric gadgets that you are not using
Install efficient lighting
Reduce use of heating and air conditioning
Install low-flow fixtures

A few Hints for Food

If you have a garden, try growing vegetables and fruits. Encourage children to take an interest
Create your own compost heap
Buy food from local producers whenever possible and choose seasonal foods
Have less meals which are meat-based by having a few vegetarian or vegan meals every week instead.
Reduce food waste. The UK throws away over 9 ½ billion tonnes of food waste a year... That’s a total of each household throwing away nearly 2kg of food each day. Think of people at home or abroad.living in poverty and going hungry - their numbers are increasing. There’s enough food to go around

A few Hints for Fashion

Try second hand shops for clothes . Look at your wardrobe and ask yourself if you really need more clothes.
NB a warning that the following two documents in the next paragraphe are not to be read by people who have a sensitive disposition They are both quite detailed as well.
Read the short form of a document about why we should aim to live simply as far as fashions are concerned. You may now wish for more details about how you can live up to this aim

A few Hints for Recycling

Remember the 3 R’s – refuse, re-use, recycle.

For instance, you can reduce plastic use in toiletries by buying bars of soap and bars of shampoo, instead of bottles of handwash and shampoo. You will find a wide range of green toiletries (plastic free / ethically sourced / organic / vegan) on offer online, and some high street shops sell shampoo bars, for instance Lush and Superdrug.
Eliminate the use of disposable plastic and styrofoam
Reduce purchases of new consumer goods. Go to auctions for furniture etc.
Recyclable food pots and containers which cannot be put in our blue waste bins can be recycled at Sainsburys and other supermarkets. Hard plastic (old buckets, washing up bowls etc) can be recycled at household waste centres.
Google “Recyclenow” for excellent information on what can be done locally for all types of household recycling including Christmas Cards and wrapping paper.)

A few Hints for Christmas

Have a Merry Sustainable Christmas

The bishops of England and Wales, following the Pope’s lead, are encouraging us to change our lifestyles so as to help reverse climate change. Here are some tips for Christmas.

NB The following himts are from 2021 but are still useful.

Don’t buy unnecessary presents. Find out what people need before you buy. Offer home-baked treats. Arrange a spending limit with family and friends. Check that the items you buy are green and ethical –workers properly paid, not tested on animals, sustainably sourced, local if possible. Lists of ethical companies can be found by looking online. Best of all, make reciprocal arrangements with family and friends to not buy each other presents. They may be relieved!

Half of the paper America consumes each year is used to wrap and decorate consumer products! In Britain every Xmas we throw away 226,800 miles of wrapping paper. There is no need to throw it away. It can be re-used many times. And you can buy wrapping paper made from hemp, or from recycled paper. How about using attractive and re-usable cloth material instead of paper? Use ribbon instead of tape for sealing, so that the paper can be more easily re-used or re-cycled. The ribbon can be re-used as well, as can the bows.

Do you need to buy cards for people you see regularly? If you decide not to, explain that you are trying to reduce consumerism. Home-made cards are a great idea – people like the thought and effort that goes into them. You can use up leftover resources – cards, calendars, things around the house etc… A much better idea is to send a Happy Xmas email. If you receive cards, recycle don’t bin them. It’s estimated that each year we bin 1 billion cards instead of recycling them.

Millions of Xmas trees both real and artificial are discarded every year in the UK. To cut down on plastic dependence and to offset carbon emissions, buy a living tree, and keep it in the pot in the house or garden when not being used. They can be used year after year. Norfolk pines are suitable, as they don’t grow large. Many Local Councils will collect and compost your tree when you’ve finished with it. Or you can take it to the local recycling centre, or compost it yourself in your garden. Decorations can be home-made or home baked. Use LED lights, as they use up to 95% less energy than traditional bulbs.

You’ve probably seen headlines like “Tackling the world’s most urgent problem: meat” (UN Environment Programme). Try to eat less meat and include some vegan or vegetarian meals over the Xmas period. Vegan meal recipes can be found online – at Veganuary.com for instance - and there are plenty of vegan ready meals in the shops. However, vegan meals are not for everyone (eg young children) so offer non-vegan meals as alternatives.

A few Ethical Hints

Support good jobs with livable wages and benefits
Support cooperative management practices
Ensure that those who perform 'care labour' are well supported, with special attention to the girls and women who often perform it
Choose an ethical banking company
Choose an ethical insurance company
Purchase from businesses with ethical wages and a commitment to sustainability

Useful Links

For more infiormation about the community aspect of the LiveSimply Parish award look at LiveSimply CAFOD Campaign

More information on the CADOD Livesimply award

CAFOD also has a page to help individuals and families live simply- CAFOD LiveSimply Ideas for individuals

You can read about why the food system is unjust at this CAFOD webpage .

Have a read of this very helpful set of hints from the Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle to save energy and money.

There are many websites for tips on growing fruit and vegetables eg How to Grow Fruit & Vegtables | Wickes.co.uk

Some more hints for Christmas 2022 -Christmas packaging facts: the definitive list (updated for 2022) (gwp.co.uk)