“What a month!” Rita and I laugh as we look at each other with glazed eyes through the ever-gazing Zoom lens… all we’ve taken on (and achieved!). September is crazy, being generally one of the busiest times of the year for Cayman Connection – with all of the new students coming to the UK, embarking on their studies and new chapters, questions about visas, passports, accommodation, travel, settling in – this is busy in usual times, let alone in a pandemic. We’ve also decided to take on a 5K fun run event with the Department of Tourism, as well as the largest event of the year with the Cayman Islands Government Office in the UK – the much anticipated and enjoyed Cayman Day. So yes, let this be the month we choose to make huge life changes to habits around environmentally friendly living as well!
Again, this is our reminder – when is the “right time”? The right time is now, is always, and the fact that we have chosen the busiest month in the calendar to write a four-week blog about our experience, is, to me, significant. We are all busy, so how do we fit these vital changes into our busy lives?
The next very significant thing that has happened this week is of course the “great fuel crisis” of the UK hitting petrol stations as we speak – a drive around on errands yesterday shows miles of queuing traffic, people desperate for those last few drops of petrol and diesel. My early Sunday drive has shown me empty fuel stations, ghost-like and apocalyptic.
“Right, family – ONLY ESSENTIAL JOURNEYS in the car at the moment, we need to conserve the fuel in our tank..” shouts Nick from the kitchen. “..we are walking to school, the shops, to the horses, and only the train into London for work, no driving unless completely necessary”. I am struck by the poignance of this comment. But this is what we SHOULD be doing, ALWAYS – this should be status quo for everyone – fuel shortage or no fuel shortage. We should always only be using the car for utterly essential journeys – but let’s face it – we don’t, we use it for convenience, speed – to get to where are going in the quickest most efficient way possible.
Once again, I hope to use this experience as a habit-changer not just a “wait-’till-the-gas-station-is-full-again” moment.
So what did I actually change since my last blog – well I had THE conversation with Iwona, who was very understanding… and willing to help in the cause of using fewer chemicals and plastic bottles around the house, and we have agreed on our minimum – we both agree on the value of using a cleaning cream, and we’ve settled on four cleaning products only:
- Cif Cream*, as it works for what we need, covers large areas, is apparently “100% Natural” and comes in a recycled plastic bottle.
- Iron & Velvet (or similar) dispersable sashes for refills for antibacterial surface cleaning spray bottles
- Vinegar for glass and mirrors – why use the chemicals and plastic when household vinegar with newspaper works a TREAT!
And the fourth – well, Iwona introduced me to this and.. who knew? The MAGIC SPONGE, or Magic Eraser as sometimes called – genius – this sponge needs NO CHEMICALS, in fact, uses nothing, and it does actually work – my kitchen counter comes out beautifully with this sponge (which is literally magic) so we are going to use this and no cleaning product. The drawback – extra elbow grease needed. This takes longer and is more work, but like everything in this new greener life – it’s not about the “quick fix” or convenience, it’s about taking the time to do things more environmentally thoughtfully.
And last but certainly not least – I have found a “Faith in Nature” refill station local to my house for all my other cosmetic needs, – hand wash, shower bodywash, shampoo, conditioner, fabric softener, washing up liquid.. I am not entirely convinced, as there is still a lot of plastic involved, but surely this is better? At least now, technically, I should not have to buy another plastic bottle for cleaning or washing… we’ll see!
