"You may think that just by you - one person, or one family - changing your daily habits to a more sustainable lifestyle won't make a difference to our planet. It will."
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These are the opening lines of Ballan resident Liz O'Dwyer's book Switch on Sustainability.
Ms O'Dwyer first started her journey to a greener lifestyle 17 years ago.
Now she wants her book to be a vote of confidence for all people to join the growing movement to a more sustainable way of life.
The book, released mid-2018, shares tips and tricks with a focus on embedding small changes into daily routine to make lasting impact.
A sustainable lifestyle isn’t a nice lifestyle to have, it is a necessary lifestyle.
- Liz O'Dwyer, Switch on Sustainability
Ideas fall under the themes of plastic, food waste and exposure to chemicals - three areas of focus Ms O'Dwyer says could transform your life.
"People are busy, but one thing I stress in the book is one change at a time," she says.
"Simple changes work. You just need to make that change; one a day, one a week, one a month, whatever it is, until you incorporate it into your daily routine."
Small changes over time is how Ms O'Dwyer has lightened her environmental 'footprint'.
She started growing her own food by planting one single capsicum plant, an action that snowballed into a love of eating fresh food picked from an extensive backyard garden.
You can start anywhere, the book emphasises - the key is to 'just start'.
Liz O'Dwyers tips to reduce plastic:
- Use cloth bags instead of plastic
- Take your own reusable containers to purchase food from the deli
- Use newspaper or empty cereal boxes instead of a plastic bag to line your bin
- Use stainless steel or glass straws instead of plastic straws
- Use beeswax wraps or bowls with lids instead of cling wrap
- Carry a reusable water bottle
- Use glass jars for food storage
- Carry a reusable coffee cup
- Purchase wire or timber coat hangers instead of plastic
- Purchase timber or stainless steel outdoor settings instead of plastic
The momentum is building on a commitment to plastic reduction, with a plastic bag ban rolling out in Victoria this year and major franchises like IKEA and McDonalds committing to cut their plastic waste.
Gardening and growing vegetables has become 'trendy' once again and community groups like Food is Free Inc. are attracting more volunteers.
READ MORE: Food is Free movement empowers a community
But Ms O'Dwyer says for those already making change in these areas, cutting chemicals from your home is the next step.
"I think people would be horrified if they did an audit in their own home at the amount of plastic that is in there. It is the same with chemicals," she says.
Ms O'Dwyer now makes her own skin care products, cleaning products and toothpaste.
The toothpaste takes around five minutes to make and she makes a batch every few weeks, while it takes about 30 minutes to make a batch of skin care product that lasts for about two months.
"I have saved hundreds and hundreds of dollars a year in skin care costs and it all becomes zero waste."
Liz O'Dwyers tips to greenify the home:
- Use shredded paper, fruit and vegetable waste and eggshells in compost.
- Grow your own food
- Don't use chemicals in the garden
- Make your own food instead of buying packaged eg. passata and preserves
- Put a 'no junk mail' sign on your letterbox
- Shop at your local cooperative
- Buy fresh food at farmers markets, buy direct from farms or order vegetable boxes
- Use tea leaves instead of tea bags
- Make your own skin care products, make your own toothpaste
- Buy ethically and sustainably produced clothing
Ms O'Dwyer says there has been a shift in awareness about the environment and momentum is building for change, but there was a lot of work left to do until making skincare and cleaning products at home is seen as 'normal' rather than an activity confined to the realm of 'hippies'.
"The momentum is good, but I think it still needs to be hastened. A lot of the reports I read are talking about the 10 year challenge, but I hope it won’t take 10 years for people to realise we are in dire straits environmentally," she says.
"A sustainable lifestyle isn’t a nice lifestyle to have, it is a necessary lifestyle. Hopefully the people who have already made those changes can pave the way to make it easier for other people who are yet on that journey.
"My goal is for people to become aware of how our current lifestyle is degrading the environment on a daily basis. We really are in dire straits. We need to change and the sooner the better.
"It is a tough gig doing it on our own. But as a collective, as a community working in the same direction, the power of change is incredible."
An online program Switch on Sustainability program is available to help guide readers of the book on their sustainability journey.
Ms O'Dwyer also does consulting for the hospitality industry on how to run a successful cafe or restaurant, be environmentally sustainable and look after your people as well.
You can buy Switch on Sustainability online at switchonsustainability.com.au/.
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