I’ve written previously about my desire to lead a greener life. Before I had kids, life was less hectic and I had money to spare. I could spend time ripping the plastic windows out of envelopes before putting them in the recycling and finding the money to purcahse more expensive eco-friendly products was easy. It’s sad, but I’ve long recognised that my life has changed, standards have slipped and I could do better.
Help for me has come from the most unlikely of places; Ikea. I’m delighted to have been selected from 9,000 applicants to take part in a three-year long project the furniture home furnishings giant has just launched.
The project is called Live LAGOM and is supported by sustainability charity Hubub. Live LAGOM is derived from a Swedish phrase Lagom är bäst. Roughly translated this means “the right amount is best”. The aim of the project is to create discussion and debate about living a more sustainable life and the small steps we can all take to make this a reality.
So what shall I do as part of this project? Over the coming months I will be using some products from the Ikea range to help my family lead a more sustainable lifestyle, and hopefully a lifestyle that is easier on our family finances. As time goes on I will blog about my experiences.
With a new kitchen being installed in the near future, I have decided to focus on feeding the family and doing it in a more sustainable manner. I’m going to use items that will help me grow food that I know the children will eat, such as strawberries. The kids can help me in the garden and this will improve their knowledge of where food comes from.
I will also use steamers and other items in the kitchen that will cut down energy use (see below). I also plan to use recycling bins to increase the amount of food packaging we recycle as a family.
The timing is superb as Helen, my six-year old daughter, is really beginning to get the environmental and sustainability message. Having read about the fate of coral reefs in a magazine, she is very concerned about their future and understands that we can all take action to make a difference.
This point was made crystal clear to me when I attended a workshop at a local Ikea branch with a group of other Live LAGOM participants. We were shown some steamers for cooking vegetables. The very obvious point was made that while cooking pasta or potatoes, you can use a steamer to simultaneously cook vegetables, cutting down the amount of gas required.
I know it’s blindingly obvious, but this was a Eureka moment for me. Many a time I’ve been cooking food for my family and found myself running out of gas rings while preparing the meal because I’ve used a different ring for each saucepan.
Ever since that session I have improvised while cooking vegetables. I have combined an old steamer with a saucepan that will just fit on top of it. The results have been superb and it’s reduced the amount of gas we’re using. That said, I do look forward to getting a proper Ikea steamer. My improvised creation isn’t the most efficient!
Tell me, what small steps do you take to lead a more sustainable life? Do you talk to your children about sustainability? Did you, like me, use to lead a sustainable life but find children and a hectic lifestyle get in the way? Please leave a comment, I’d love to know.
I’ll write about my adventures again in the New Year. In the meantime I’ll leave you with this video created when a Live LAGOM pilot was run last year.
11 thoughts on “Live LAGOM; living sustainably with help from Ikea”
Really interesting to read about this. I’m fairly good but the OH is shocking. I have to pick recycling out of the bin where he’s put it. although I do waste food because I plan and then the meals aren’t cooked. So I’m starting to just buy when I need it…annoyingly it means my Tesco delivery saver is wasted money because I never reach the £40 minimum level so don’t do an online shop.
I do work for a sustainability charity though, and I’m nowhere near some of the people I work with and what they do.
Future blog posts will demonstrate how I get on Emma! I think working for a sustainability charity is an amazing start. Oddly we’ve massively cut down on food waste by changing our shopping habits but do the opposite; plan meals and do one big shop a week.
What a cool initiative! I’m getting greener as I get older – I’m a demon at recycling plastics and cardboard, and as I work from home rather than putting out a tub of each every fortnight we usually put out at least four or five. Neighbours must wonder what ON EARTH I’m doing in here.
I’m a bit crap with energy wastage though – I undoubtably have the heating a little too high (hey, I’m Antipodean – my body isn’t as cold evolved as you guys), and could definitely be more vigilant with turning lights off, not using the tumble dryer so often, etc, etc…
I shall watch your journey with interest!
Thanks Jacqui. I hope my journey inspires you although by the sounds of it the reverse could be true! As for the heating, I’m married to a Scot and she is the one who always wants to turn it up!
This sounds really interesting. John – and something I’m keen on doing too. I look forward to reading about your experiences and picking up some useful tips.
I’ll be sure to send you links to the blog posts as I write them Tim, so you can see how we get on.
This is a great idea I lead a pretty green life hope I can get some tips from posts to improve it
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Ha ha I love your improvised steamer, that’s the kind of thing me dad would make 🙂 Hopefully you have your new one by now, it should be a bit more stable! Becky x #LiveLagom
Oh yes, took delivery of it just the other day! Still not used it but we have LED lightbulbs throughout the house! Thanks for commenting.
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