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ECO LIVING
When asked recently what inspired me on
my eco journey, I realised I’d always been
a bit of an ‘eco girl’ at heart.
As a child, I loved visiting the bottle
bank and throwing the glass bottles into
the containers – smash! (Hands up, who else loved
doing that too?)
As well as recycling, we collected old paper and
envelopes and used them for our drawings and
notepads. One birthday, my mum made the Barbie
double bed I craved, out of an old cereal box, covered
with material, and featuring dowels as the posts. So,
I guess the eco seed was always there and my mum
really led the way in terms of being less wasteful.
It continued through school, where I was a member
of Earth Action, collected paper from every room to
be recycled, and organised an Endangered Species
Awareness Week. Early in my work career, I helped
organise a workplace Carbon Reduction Summit.
And I’ve always tried to use eco products at home,
buy less plastic and generally have as light an impact
on the world as possible.
Always learning
But my eco living lifestyle really cranked up a notch
three years ago, after my family moved back from America where we’d
lived for three years owing to my husband’s job, and I was able to
expand my business into eco products.
Over the past three years, I’ve
Would you
believe…
Microwaves are so
much more energy
efficient than putting
the conventional oven
on. It’s always quicker
and its smaller size
means the heat is more
focused on whatever is
being cooked.
Love the
Planet
NEW!
continued to learn – about plastic
pollution and recycling; what zero
waste means and whether it’s even
possible; the importance of
biodiversity; and a LOT about
climate change.
As a family, we’ve gone 100%
renewable – our electricity tariff is
100% renewable, our gas is 100%
carbon neutral (green gas and offset),
plus we pay a little extra per month to
plant trees. On top of this, in January
last year we had solar panels
Introducing sustainable living expert
Elena Cimelli, here to help us make
a difference to the health of our world
About Elena
I’m in my early forties,
and live in London
with my husband Al,
two daughters, aged
12 and nine, two cats,
Tilly and Molly,
and two gerbils!
I run an online eco
store called The
Contented Company
which I set up in 2018,
selling eco and zero
waste products. I also
run eco courses.
My mission is to
educate, inspire action
and provide hope
on all things eco and
show how each one of
us can really make
a difference.
installed. By choosing 300%
100% renewable more greenhouse gas
electricity and
emissions are saved by
carbon-neutral gas
eating a plant-based
you can take a big
diet than by
chunk out of your
recycling.
carbon footprint.
We also eat much less
meat and dairy – about four
vegan meals a week, one or two vegetarian, and one
or two meat or fish.
The urgent need for us to act, as individuals, as a
collective, as corporations and as governments, is why
I’m so passionate about the environment and eco
living. We have a small window in which to act, and
I want to inspire as many people to do so as possible.
Trust me though, I don’t judge. Everyone is
different – different levels of income, different levels
of eco awareness, contrasting amounts of free time,
various levels of work and family commitments.
The good news is that there is a LOT we can do to
have a positive impact. I love the quote, ‘It’s only one
straw, said eight billion people.’ If we all start being
more environmentally conscious each time we make
a choice, it will soon add up.
Fresh start
My family set itself a challenge in September last year when the kids
went back to school. That challenge was to buy nothing new until
2022. We wanted to create less unnecessary waste, use things that
already existed and have a much lighter eco footprint. Can I tempt you
to perhaps try this as a new year’s resolution? Maybe start with a
month? That way, it’ll feel less daunting.
Each issue, I hope to introduce you to a new area of eco living and
inspire you to make changes that together will really make a difference.
And you don’t need to try to do it all in one go – just make one
change. And do that until it becomes a habit. Only then, think about
making another.
Happy New Year! With love, hope
and eco action, Elena x
✿ More info
thecontentedcompany.com
NEXT MONTH:
Eco anxiety and how
to approach it
spiritanddestiny.co.uk JANUARY 2022 73