little eco footprints

Changing habits: How to create new and sustainable habits

One of the most valuable sustainable living skills you can master is the ability to change your habits. Until behaviour change becomes a habit, it can be challenging. Even little changes, like remembering to pack a reusable shopping bag, can be a hassle in the beginning. Thankfully, we’re creatures of habit and as soon as a change becomes a habit, it becomes automatic and easy.

Here are some strategies that I've used to help create new and sustainable habits.

1. Focus on one change at a time.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed and give up when you are trying to change too much. You are more likely to succeed if you focus on one change at a time.

2. Get organised.

We’re far more likely to do something if it’s convenient. A few days without compost and chook scrap bins during our recent move reminded me how inconvenient composting and saving scraps can be if you aren’t organised. As soon as I organised my bins, the habit of composting and collecting scraps became easy and automatic again.

3. Repeat regularly.

Doing something daily will help a change become a habit, particularly in the beginning. Research has found that frequent repetitions in the early days of a change are the key establishing a habit.

4. Identify reminder cues.

Doing something at the same time each day will speed up the habit-making process. I try and pack my water bottle, reusable shopping bag and coffee cup in my handbag after breakfast each day. Finishing breakfast is the trigger. Habits are context-cued.

5. Make the change desirable and rewarding.

If the environmental benefits aren’t reward enough - bribe yourself. Set yourself a goal and reward yourself once you have reached it.

6. Make yourself accountable.

I’ve found that setting myself a challenge is a great way to help a change become a habit.  A year without shopping at supermarkets, and months where I avoided single-use plastic, wore only six items of clothing, and didn’t spend any money – are all challenges that have helped form habits that have stuck with me. Declaring your challenge to friends and family (or even the world) will likely help motivate you to stick with it.

7. Don't be hard on yourself for failing and focus on the positives.

Perhaps you forgot your reusable coffee cup. Rather than criticise yourself for forgetting - be pleased that you remembered it the previous 10 days.

Originally published in my Newcastle Herald column 'Less is More' 22nd March 2014.

Big benefits of small living

For the past year my family and I have been quietly conducting a rather large experiment in voluntary simplicity. We’ve been living in a shed.

Photo by What Xanthe Saw. 

It’s not exactly legal to do so in our area, so I kept the reality of our ‘temporary home’ relatively quiet*. A surprise visit by two council inspectors and a subsequent move into a rental property has given me the freedom to share what the experience taught me about simple living.

What living in a shed taught me about simple living

Living in a small uninsulated shed without internal plumbing definitely had its challenges – but it also had a whole lot of virtues and taught me some valuable lessons.

I learnt that it’s good to not have everything you want straight away. I discovered the joy in dreaming, planning and waiting. When we bought our little farm just over a year and a half ago we started planning a small passively designed home. We could have gone to the bank and borrowed money and then spent the next 20 years paying back the bank. But instead, we moved into the shed while we saved and refined our home plans.

I also learnt that I like small living. Moving from a large spacious home into a small space forced us to reduce our belongings. We identified what is truly useful and important and donated or sold the rest. I no longer feel like I’m drowning in my possessions and I feel freer to enjoy what I do own.

An unexpected benefit of living in a small space was greater connection. With no internal walls or doors, we were always within earshot of each other and conversations were frequent. Now that we’re living in a house again, I find myself missing the togetherness that a small space created.

Shed living also provided an opportunity to learn just how resilient, creative and tolerant our family could be. Despite all that we lived without, the last year was one of the best years of my life. Our shed was more of a home than any other house I’ve lived in.

How we lived became more important than where we lived.

My favourite quote does a good job of summing up what I learnt from a year of living in a shed.

“The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less” Socrates.

Originally published in my Newcastle Herald column 'Less is More' 15th March 2014.

*Although I didn't write much about shed living here - I did share plenty of shedhome pictures on instagram. Here's a sneak peak into our shed home. 

    
    

Foraging Purslane – a weed worth eating

When everything else in my garden is suffering from the heat, the weed Purslane is thriving. Rather than pull it out and complain, I’m grateful for this hardy heat-tolerant plant because it is delicious and highly nutritious.

Purlsane, or Portulaca oleracea, is a cosmopolitan plant which thrives in temperate to warm regions across the globe. It’s been consumed since ancient times and is represented in many cuisines. Aboriginal people of inland Australia call it Munyeroo, eating it as a salad green and grinding its seeds to make flour. In China it’s embraced as a Chinese medicine and referred to as ma chi xian, and in Central Mexico it’s a popular green called verdolagas.

Despite being an international culinary ingredient, with at least 40 different aliases in over a dozen different languages, in Australia today we mostly ignore it or weed it out.

Nutritional benefits of Purslane

Our lack of appreciation for purslane is a shame, because it’s a nutritional powerhouse. Michael Pollan names it in his eaters manifesto ‘In Defense of Food’ as one of the “most nutritious plants in the world”. Its leaves are high in Omega 3 fatty acids and are jam-packed with a suite of vitamins and minerals.

Caution - Puslane is high in oxolate

Purslane is also high in oxalate, so if you are pregnant or prone to kidney stones you should avoid eating it raw (unless, interestingly, you combine it with yoghurt which reduces oxalate content) and instead enjoy it cooked or pickled. Cooking or pickling Purlane reduces oxalate content. 

How to eat Purslane

The succulent leaves of purslane are crunchy and slightly slimy, with a tangy lemony and peppery flavour. They can be eaten raw as a salad green, cooked as a vegetable, or pickled. It’s especially delicious as a lettuce substitute on burgers. I like using it instead of cucumber in Tzatziki yoghurt dip.

How to identify Purslane

Purslane is easy to recognise once you know what you are looking for. Browsing images online is a good way to familiarise yourself with its appearance.

It’s a small succulent herb that typically grows prostrate or sprawling along the ground. It has thick flat leaves and smooth green stems that turn red as they age.

If you are not certain that something is Purslane, wait until it is in flower as its small yellow 5-petalled flowers are a give-away.

One plant you might confuse it with if you aren’t careful is Petty Spurge (Euphorbia peplus). You can easily distinguish Petty Spurge by its milky sap, seen when you break the stem. This milky sap is toxic so be careful not to confuse the two plants as they will often grow in the same location.

Originally published in my Newcastle Herald column 'Less is More' 1st March 2014.

Have you tried foraging Purslane? 

While I'm on the topic of identifying plants - the Australian Network for Plant Conservation (the not-for-profit I work for) is delivering a two day workshop on plant identification for flora of the Hunter Valley 7-8th April. Although the workshop targets the flora of the Hunter Valley, the skills learnt will be applicable to any region of Australia. We're also holding a one day workshop on Seed collection, storage and use for native vegetation restoration 9th April. 

 

Pantry shopping - save money & reduce food waste

I’m embracing a well-known money saving tip – shop from your pantry. A few unexpected expenses* have come our way so we’re tightening the budget. Thanks to buying in bulk, I have a well-stocked pantry. Over the next few weeks I’m forcing myself to be creative and resourceful with the food we already have.

I’m guessing that I’m not the only one ducking off to the shop when there’s perfectly good food in the pantry, so I thought I’d share some pantry shopping tips.

How to pantry shop

1. List what you have in abundance or need to use up

The first thing I do is make a short list of what I have in abundance and need to use up. Last week I listed red lentils, chickpeas, polenta, and mung beans. These are all foods I tend to ignore because they take a little time to prepare.

2. Meal plan

Next, I list some of my favourite recipes that use these ingredients and search online for inspiration. I focus on finding recipes that also use garden produce I have in abundance. At the moment I have plenty of eggs, potatoes, pumpkin and zucchini.

My meal plan last week included dahl, lentil and potato burgers, chickpea and pumpkin salad, hummus, roast vegetable and polenta salad, polenta bread, polenta pancakes, and mung bean soup (far more delicious than it sounds). 

I also included frittata (made from our chook eggs and garden veggies), palak paneer (made from garden greens and homemade paneer cheese), and lamb shanks (the last of a whole local lamb we bought a while back).

3. Substitute and be flexible 

While choosing recipes, I list any ingredients I need to buy. Last week, I only needed to buy a couple of lemons, a few pieces of fruit and milk. I was flexible and substituted or omitted ingredients. For example, I made a buttermilk substitute using lemon and milk. I also served foraged Purslane with most of our meals. 

I will be spending a little more time in the kitchen than usual over the next few weeks. But I will also save a whole lot of money, reduce food wastage, and continue to serve my family nourishing and sustainable food despite our tight budget.

Are there foods lurking in your pantry that you ignore? Perhaps it’s time to shop from your pantry?

Originally published in my Newcastle Herald column 'Less is More' 22nd February 2014.

*My camera broke and needed to be replaced quicky to meet a work deadline. Shortly after I fell in love with a horse (meet Poppy), and then a week later we had to move into a rental property (yep - we are no longer living in the shed at our little farm. I'll share more shortly).