Simeon Brody
Social Workers care. You care about other people and the planet we all share, and the communities we live in. You work towards better health, better relationships, better living and working conditions and promoting a fairer world. I'm sure you care about yourself, the environment and for the welfare of people not yet born. Now I'm not a social worker - as such, but I care, and many of the things I do are connected with developing a just and equitable society, where we care about each other and take responsibility for our own and collective actions. I label my voluntary work 'promoting sustainability', others might call it 'green', and i've even been described as an 'eco-warrior' but I prefer to think of myself as an 'eco-lover'!
My column every 3 weeks and weekly blog for Community Care stems from my helping BBC Newsnight's 'Ethical Man' Justin Rowlatt with his year of green living. I have been trying to live a low impact lifestyle for 20 or so years, and therefore have a wealth of tips, ideas and suggestions about how you too can live a more ethical life, if you wish to. One of my main concerns is the issue of climate change caused by increased greenhouse gases from human activities, and I will share with you how I keep my fossil carbon emissions low. There has been debate in some circles about whether or not the high levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are man-made and how exactly these are connected with climate change, but I invoke the precautionary principle, and suggest that if the majority of the world's experts are telling us that fossil-fuel emissions are going to raise sea levels, increase severe weather and wreck ecosystems, then we should aim to curb those emissions and take personal responsibility and action.
My column will have a different theme each time; the first one's water, as my compost-toilet is why Justin wanted to come and film... future columns will cover energy, transport, food, recycling, holidays etc. My blog however will not just add detail to the column's content, but will react to news, tell you what I've been doing in the garden and within the community groups I participate in. These include York Rotters home composters and York Credit Union, both of which I started, and others like Alternatives to Violence Project and the Carbon Rationing Action Group where I'm active as an organiser. I'm political too, and am standing in the local elections in May, and should I get elected, I'll be able to tell you about the trials and tribulations of a City Councillor.
Blogs are interactive. You can post your comments, add your views to debates and tell all readers your green solutions. I have much to learn about the world of Social Work, and may pose questions or display ignorance which you can help me with. You are also welcome to ask me questions about your ethical dilemmas and I will do my best to be helpful.
My 'green tip of the week' is a further water-saving idea. I keep a bucket next to my kitchen sink and pour the bowl of washing up water into it instead of down the plughole. As my detergent is biodegradable, I can pour this 'grey water' with added vegetable scraps onto my compost heap, or directly onto the flower beds. This reduces the amount of material the energy-hungry sewage works has to deal with, helps your garden grow, and can replace clean tap water if you used to use this in the garden. Don't store grey water though, it should be used within 24 hours or it will develop a pungent odour and become slimy with bacterial growth.
thank you thank you thank you. I am a social worker in the states and am so frustrated by my office and a general lack of care regarding sustainability. It is a struggle to get my coworkers to even recycle! Sometime soon, I may be leading a staff meeting on recycling. Hopefully I will find tips to persuade toward greener living in your column.
thanks again!
rachel
I have almost completed the development of a water saving devise, that may be of interest to you,the system can be seen on my website http://www.aqua-technique.com
Am currently seeking backers to help me finalise the development of this, and an energy free water producing system.
Regards Derick Sinclair
liked your article and would like to continue to hear more. long may this eco lover continue
It's great to see some ethical and environmental input in community care. As a trainee social worker it has struck me that my environmental priorities may be challenged by the way that many employers work.
I have been thinking about transport in particular with many social workers required to have cars for what is called 'essential car use'. There seems little car sharing or pooling going on though and I recently attended a meeting where the four people attending came in two seperate cars from the same office to the same venue, then back again! Do you know of any good practice or incentives to tempt employers and employees into more sustainable car use, which is sometimes unavoidable in rural areas.