an aussie in austria

Not to be negative, but even before this whole COVID-19 thing, it did feel like the world was slowly going downhill. Global warming, health problems, increasing violence, over-consumption, the list goes on. Plenty of people are out there trying to do right for the world – the no plastic household, walk for the cure, dry January etc.

Some people seem to drive themselves nuts trying to do good. Others are in the mindset of well I’m just one person, what I do won’t help. But I think for most of us it’s about balance. If we all try just a little bit, surely the world will be a better place without all of us having to morph into vegans in patched up clothes catching our own drinking water. As individuals we can’t do everything. And often time is a big factor – sometimes the good things we do take a lot longer than taking the easy route. It’s hard to be good all the time. I’m definitely guilty. We compost our scraps, but sometimes laziness or bad weather means I just dump potato peelings in the trash… I order things online when I could probably find some of them at the local shops… I replace things that perhaps could be fixed up… I have too many clothes… I should bike more than driving… the list goes on.

Still, when it comes to doing my bit, there is one thing that I am totally obsessed with… and that’s food wastage. I see how much people buy, how much they cook and eat, and how much they leave to rot. And though I understand that it can go in the compost and regenerate, better would be if it wasn’t thrown out at all – if it was never bought – if there was less available because we needed less.

We tend to shop once a week – I try to have a basic plan as to what I’m going to eat every day, which drives hubby mad because he’s more of a spur-of-the-moment eater. And if on Thursday it means I have broccoli, two pieces of cheese and a peach left, then yes, I will absolutely try and make a meal out of that. And no, hubby will not partake, he will make a sandwich or Jause, of which we usually have supplies for. For me it can lead to some odd meals, which I’ve already planned for a future blog. In fact, throwing food out bothers me so much that I sometimes risk food poisoning rather than wasting it (yes, I’m a little bit insane in this respect, but to be fair, most best-before dates are guidelines… food often lasts a lot longer than most people think).

Maybe I don’t do absolutely everything I could to save the world – I am guilty of over-consumption and all the things I’ve mentioned above. But I try and make a small effort – my showers are relatively short (it’s habit, from living in drought-stricken Australia), I don’t waste much food, I buy direct from the farmer as often as possible, and working from home means saving on petrol and the environment.

So I’m going to continue with my way of living, without going too mad, because I think it would drive me mad (and possibly to my death from food poisoning).