Enviromum: small changes can make a difference

I am a Mum, wife, worker and environment enthusiast. My work in urban and environmental policy has lead to an interest in caring for the world we live in. My concern expresses itself in various ways including spending time with my children in our garden, walking to school with them when I can and making small incremental changes to our house and how we live our lives.

We have owned our current home for around 5 years and with two children and a restricted budget we have been slowly chipping away at changes to make our home and lives a little more sustainable. These include topping up our roof insulation, installing a water efficient dishwasher and double-glazed window in the kitchen, plus gradually replacing our existing curtains with lined curtains. Outside we have installed a water tank and set up a small vegie garden and have also recently planted some fruit trees. Other changes include walking to the local shops and school, buying ethically produced and local goods where we can and being mindful about what we buy, use and consume.

In an attempt to encourage further behaviour change in myself and those around me, I also started a blog Enviromum with an environmental focus in the hope that this online documentation of my own learning and interests will encourage others to pursue their own small changes.

Some of my top tips for small changes include:

• Turn off appliances and lights when not in use
• Think before you buy and before you throw away – otherwise known as reduce, reuse, recycle!
• Look at alternative options to driving your car, wherever possible. As approximately 10% of all car trips in Australia are for distances less than 1 kilometre which equates to a 12-15 minute walk and 50% of car trips are for distances less than 5 kilometres.

• Own a compost bin and use it! I have simple compost bins where everything suitable is thrown in. I also collect food scraps from my work and ultimately end up with beautiful soil to add to our garden and happy worms.
• Teach your kids about the importance of our environment and why we need to care for it. They are the adults of the future and the earth is their inheritance.
• Research and access government rebates, as there are opportunities to receive assistance (both information and financial) when greening your house.
• Do something, anything! Join a local environmental group, change your eating and purchasing habits, study to find out more, encourage others in your home, work, school, church to think about these issues and make a change....the possibilities are endless.