My sister had her first baby two years ago and I must admit I thought she was mad to even consider non-disposable nappies and wipes.  I imagined the scenario where the last nappy has been used, and the rest are all wet in the washing machine – panic! 

It did not enter my head that this is how my mother had raised me, or that she would ultimately save a lot of money, as now baby number two is using those same nappies! 

This simple snapshot of life’s choices got me thinking about the impact of small decisions on bigger realities.  And so let’s zoom out the lens a little. 

Summertime and the living is easy… 

As the summer is coming into full bloom, it is so easy for us to admire and appreciate the beauty of nature all around us. 

It is not hard to believe that God might make us humans the gardener of all of this, to ‘till and keep the garden of the world’ (Gen2:13). But as we know well from experience, we have too often claimed dominion over the earth, and in the process upset the natural balance that sustains everything. 

While the time seems to have passed for us to be able to restore the stable climate that gave birth to civilisation, all of us can make small, but not necessarily insignificant changes, to live in communion with our planet, and each other as intended from the beginning of creation by God. 

What are these small but significant changes? 

A few years ago when supermarkets started to charge for plastic bags, or when our waste company offered us a compost bin, I saw this as a huge inconvenience.

However, It has now become the norm.

Instead of waiting for external agencies to impose these changes upon us, I think it is appropriate for us as citizens of the world to take the initiative ourselves in the small ways that we can.

Test your own ideas… 

Ideas that I am testing at the moment include using non-disposable vegetable bags for the supermarket, choosing bee-friendly plants, diligently recycling what I can, and trying to waste less. 

I got a text recently from my mobile phone provider that I was due an upgrade. I do not need an upgrade, but having a smarter, newer device is always a temptation even if a lot of the technology is lost on me! 

I never thought of this as an issue until I read an article about the severe human rights violations in sectors of the mining industry in The Congo. Cobalt is an essential mineral used in many areas including mobile phone batteries. 70% of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Congo, and this is a very important industry sustaining many poverty-stricken people. I have not yet made the move to an electric car but these batteries also use cobalt.

Consumer power

As consumers, we collectively have huge power, and it is important that we are conscious of this when we purchase. If we believe that our fellow man deserves fair wages and safe working conditions, then there is an onus on us to choose suppliers and products that have policies that will safeguard this. 

Logistically, we cannot do a major analysis with every product we buy, but we can change our mindset, and make it an important part of the decision-making process.

 

Online retail

In the course of all the various levels of restrictions, we came to know our delivery drivers on a first-name basis. Marvin was ours! I did not think anything of this until I saw a meme about this, and realised that we were not alone. One of my daughters was trying out a brand that offered really cheap fashion, and I was curious as to how clothes could be made and delivered for so little. 

While some of the items were useful, others were not. The quality was poor. To return them however would cost more than the value of the item, and so I began to form an image of their marketing strategy! When I probed a little further (One google search!), I discovered that this brand has done nothing to reduce its substantially negative impact on the environment. It uses hazardous chemical and microplastics, has done nothing to improve the labour conditions even during the pandemic, and does not have a policy to minimise animal cruelty. 

As I scrolled down further on the webpage, I was offered five sustainable alternatives to this brand. They may cost more, but the reality is- her younger sister will also get to enjoy them! 

‘Price per wear’ is a better marker for our pockets and our planet.

People power

We all witnessed clearer skies, abundant natural growth, cleaner air and a beautiful silence in our towns and cities during the lockdowns. It reminded me of the Sundays of my youth. 

I am not a lockdown advocate by any stretch, but it has shown us the power of our collective actions to change the world around us in a very real and immediate way. 

If, as St Josemaria espoused, God is calling us to serve Him in the ordinary, material and secular activities of human life, then we should give a good nod to our shared world and the common good in our daily activities. 

Why not decide today to become the change you want to see in the world!