If you are anything like me you might have pondered what you can do to make this world a little better, by reducing the pollution you cause, or by using resources smarter and more efficiently, or by helping local flora and fauna thrive.
When I came back to Belgium from my rafting adventure I was forced to quarantine for a fortnight, something that gave me the the opportunity to finally get on with projects that have been on my to-do list for quite some time. Ranging from tiny to quite big investments of time and money, these are all things that will hopefully help soften my imprint on Earth – even if they won’t turn me into an actual hobbit!
While some require a good deal of money I think they will all pay off in terms of improved life quality, and/or actual savings. Plus, with the exception of no. 2, 7 and 8 I don’t think the total cost is any greater than a family holiday abroad – and given that that isn’t going to happen anytime soon…
Anyway, I hope this can inspire you to do one or more things on my list, or something else entirely. Here’s what I did on my two-week staycation:
1. I ordered a bee hive and signed up for a beginners’ course with a local bee keeper who will also provide me with a nucleus.
2. I bought an e-bike so as to be able to travel without using my car or public transport. Bonus: I’m already discovering local spots that I had no idea existed!
3. I got an apple picker so that I can finally harvest my orchard properly, and a dryer and a fruit press in order to preserve the fruit. I might even make cider…
4. I set a (obviously non-harmful) trap to find out what stray dog or cat it was that had been crapping on my lawn. Turns out it was a hedgehog! Maybe a descendent of Spike’s?
5. I picked chokeberries for the first time (I have a bush in my garden that is weighed down with berries every year) and turned them into jam, using this nifty thing. Yum!
6. I signed a contract to have solar panels installed in the autumn – they will also power the bike and…
7. I looked into the possibility of buying a hybrid car. As it uses the battery for the first 75km I would use home-made electricity 95% of the time!
8. I contacted several companies about installing geothermal heating so as to reduce my carbon footprint – no sense in paying Putin for gas.
9. I volunteered at a local wildlife rescue shelter. Bonus: got to pet a peregrine falcon and a tawny owl on my first day!
10. I made appointments to discuss the creation of a swimming pond (to create a better habitat in my garden AND eliminate any excuse for not swimming daily).
A vision of things to come?
11. I went to a local poultry producer to learn what it would take to keep chicken and/or ducks.
12. I tore down the old swing set and am working on turning it into a duck house. You can see where this is going, right…?
13. I bought a bunch of bird houses to install in the garden, and hung feeders with peanuts and sunflower seeds in several spots.
14. I got a hammock (with mosquito net) and hung it in the orchard to be able to sleep outdoors. Can be combined with 16 for good effect.
15. I managed to find self-watering pots for tomatoes that a colleague swears by. Too late for this year, but not for next.
16. I gave my mom a kayak – she lives by a lake, so hopefully she and all the rest of the clan will have great fun with it. Bonus: No quieter way to get around if you want to spot beavers!
17. I went to the local plant school and bought plants on the basis of which attracted the most bees and bumble bees.
18. I rigged a clothes line with a pulley to create a larger area of the garden where I could allow my cat to roam without risking any birds.
19. I bought a guidebook to hiking in the Ardennes – embarrassingly, I’ve not seen much of it. Time to change that. Backyard adventures!
20. I bought grocerices in bulk online. Zombie prep it ain’t, but it still feels good to have a well-stocked pantry, and to know I don’t have to shop food for a couple of weeks if needs be.
So there it is. More local, more sustainable, more ecological. Have I missed something obvious? What have you done? Let me know!
Could you tell more about the solar panels? How much electricity do you expect to get from them, and – perhaps more importantly – can you store it? If yes, how?
I’d also like to know more about the pond. Sounds like it would be quite large, if you’re to actually swim in it? Will it be like a “mini lake”? No chlorine, I suppose? And also not salt water? Yet safe for swimming?
Perhaps a less serious question, but do birds really like to live that close to each other?
18 solar panels give you about 5500kWh I think. You can’t store it v easily, no. It goes into the grid and you use the equivalent amount for free.
The concept of a swimming pond is that it uses plants for filtration, so no chlorine necessary. You can convert a traditional pool, or create a more natural-looking “mini lake”. Much more healthy for swimming in wither case.
And some birds, like swollows, don’t mind.