One of my biggest goals for my exchange semester was to maximise activities that I am otherwise unable to do in my home country.
“Supporting local” always seemed like a tough task back in my home country, where local products are limited and pricey. Coming to the UK where local businesses are more accessible, I derived great joy in exploring and discovering new local products. I looked out for local produce in farmer’s markets and supermarkets during my grocery runs, bought products from local brands (refillable, if possible), and patronised independent cafes on the weekends. I also visited my library regularly in a bid to reduce the number of books I bought. Furthermore, when I went shopping with my friends, we would visit second-hand stores instead of buying new items. The vast availability of local and sustainable shopping options greatly helped me become a more mindful and sustainable consumer during my six months in the UK.
As any exchange student does, I travelled as much as possible. Within my host city, I tended to walk or take the bus instead of drive, and to get to other cities or towns in the UK, I chose to take the train. What was surprising for me was that the app I used to book my train tickets, TrainPal, allowed me to have a real tree planted after travelling a certain distance via train. Thus, I encouraged my friends to similarly use the app for this feature, in hopes of making up for some part of our carbon footprint. I also made sure to bring a reusable bottle around as I travelled and refilled my bottle with tap water whenever I could, in order to reduce the amount of plastic I used in my day-to-day.
Prior to my exchange semester, I never thought much about consuming mindfully and sustainably. Yet, as my days in the UK went by, I realised that it is not difficult to do our small parts in living sustainably. Reducing the amount of resources we consume, such as reusing our old items or reducing our use of non-reusables, not only reduces our negative impact on the environment but also helps us save money. Looking out for and choosing more sustainable alternatives also does not require much effort on our part, but can make a larger difference if done consistently. It is the small things we do that add up to make a bigger impact on the world around us.
I may have been mistaken in thinking I was unable to live more sustainably in my home country. There are local businesses and products available if I look, and there are libraries and second-hand stores I can easily visit with a simple bus ride. Just as I tried to live like a sustainable local overseas, I am also able to travel sustainably as a local in my home country, and perhaps this is my biggest takeaway from my time in the UK.
