• About
  • Archive
  • Contact
The Greening of Gavin
  • Home
  • Our Green Shop
    • Little Green Workshops
  • Green Workshops
    • Cheese Making
    • Soap Making
    • Soy Candle Making
  • eBooks
    • Clay Oven eBook
    • Keep Calm and Make Cheese eBook
  • Podcast
    • TGOG Podcast
    • TGoG Podcast Archive
    • Little Green Cheese
  • Vlog
  • Cheese
  • Green Living
    • Chickens
    • Gardening
    • Soap Making
    • Recipes
    • Climate Change
    • Peak Oil
    • Solar Power
  • Resources

How To Begin???

July 4, 2010 @ 21:49 By Gavin Webber 3 Comments

I receive many emails a day asking me for green living tips and the like, and the other day I received this lovely email from Melissa, who has given me her permission to use it as a post.  Here is the question(s);

Hi Gavin
 
Thanks so much for your blog, it has really helped to open our eyes to the various things we can do as a family to help create a better environment and future for our kiddies, and we are green (hee hee) with envy over your new kitchen!!  I was just reading your latest post (carbon addiction) and was wondering if you could give me some hints on the first few steps you and your family made/took ie reductions, energy efficiency etc to change your lifestyle? I know that is a pretty broad question, but we are taking baby steps and i feel like we are getting a little lost!
 
Thanks again for putting yourself out there (so to speak).
 
Take care
Melissah

Well Melissah, as Maria said in The Sound of Music;

“Let’s start at the very beginning
A very good place to start
When you read you begin with A-B-C
When you sing you begin with do-re-mi”

When you go green by begin with ???  Which leads me to doe a deer…. No, not really, but where do you begin when you want to start to change towards a more sustainable lifestyle and begin weening yourself off of your carbon addiction?  Well, you begin where you begin I suppose.  Cryptic, I know, but everyone does it differently. 

This is the order that I went about our changes.  I haven’t listed everything, just the major events.  I will list the links and titles and a bit about each section;

  1. Green Epiphany (September 2006) – Where it all started, and how confused I was about everything.  My reality had been turned upside down, and it was as if I had taken the red pill in the Matrix!
  2. Low Emission Transportation – Bought a Hybrid Car
  3. Water Saving Front Yard – Ripped up the lawn and landscaped the front yard
  4. Electricity One and Two – Electricity efficiency and the steps I took over the first 16 weeks.
  5. Natural Gas – How we reduced our natural gas bill
  6. Water – rainwater harvesting and grey water reuse around the home.
  7. Waste – how we reduced our landfill and began composting and worm farming
  8. Reducing Food Miles One and Two – How to build a veggie patch and what we grew in the first season.
  9. Solar Hot Water – Installation of our hybrid solar hot water system.
  10. Solar Photovoltaic – Installation of our 2.8 kW Solar PV system
  11. Making Jam – My first plum jam, one of many types I have made over the years.
  12. Preserving Fruit and Vegetables – Our first preserves made with our Fowlers-Vacola kit bought on Ebay.
  13. In the Media – My first newspaper interview
  14. Peak Oil Realisation – The moment I realised that there were now two shit-storms coming our way.
  15. Recommenced Beer Making – The first time I made beer in many years to finally drink something that had taste.
  16. Decided to get Chickens (April 2008)
  17. Chateau le Poulet – Building the chicken coop over many months
  18. Stockpiling Food and Essentials – What to do for food in case of natural disasters or emergencies.
  19. Home made Bread One and Two – We began to make our own bread and bread rolls
  20. Chicken Day, and Chicken Day – The Movie – Arrival of our first four chickens (we now have 8 feathered girl friends)
  21. Very Eggsciting! – Our first egg.
  22. Walk Against Warming – My first climate change rally, it felt good to be a part of something bigger than just my own greening
  23. Introducing Gavin – Invited to write at the Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op
  24. Carbon Accounting Course – (January 2009) Started to up-skill for a low carbon economy
  25. Homemade Feta Cheese – Learning how to make cheese for the first time.
  26. First TV appearance – I was interviewed for an article on Today Tonight.
  27. 160 Km Diet – The family starts to eat locally
  28. Soap Making – Our first attempt of making soap.  We are still using it and we haven’t looked back.

As for the rest, well, you can look in the archives in the sidebar if you like.  This is the way I did it, and in hindsight I would not change a thing, because everything had a purpose and helped me grow.  The way that you have or may change your lifestyle will depend on your own brand of determination and personal circumstances.  We are all individuals, and that is what makes the world such an interesting place to live in.

As for the cheapest thing we did, it was energy efficiency which was the biggest carbon and money saving for the least amount of outlay.

I don’t know if that specifically answered Melissah’s question, but to state it any other way would be misrepresenting reality.  I hope it helps you figure out what is the most important thing for you to start on, as I can only really give you options and not specific solutions.  The only real suggestion is to keep smiling and having fun as you do it, and enjoy the little successes and learn from the mistakes, because it is the little things that really count.

Gavin x

Will this article help someone you know? If so help them out by sharing now!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: carbon footprint, Sustainable Living

← My Name Is Gavin and I Was An Addict Unusal Green Thoughts at the Co-op →

About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber's daily goal is to live a more sustainable lifestyle, in an effort to reduce his family's environmental footprint so we can all make a difference for our children & future generations to come.

Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Comments

  1. john (dad) says

    July 5, 2010 at 09:32

    yes gav youve really come a long way in such a short time. congrat

    Reply
  2. Gavin says

    July 5, 2010 at 23:28

    Thanks Dad. I learnt from the best!

    Gav

    Reply
  3. Wendy says

    July 6, 2010 at 00:10

    We started with localizing our diet, and it was a lot of fun when the local paper came out to interview us for a piece on our “all local” Holiday meal :).

    Congrats on all of your progress! You have come a long way … in a very short time, and you should be proud of all of your accomplishments. Given that back in 2006 (and still to a lesser extent today) “going green” is still considered pretty radical, it’s great to see all of the press coverage you’ve had.

    Reply

Comments build lively communities. Let me know your thoughts, but keep it clean and green! Spam is removed instantly. Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search This Blog

Follow my work

About Gavin Webber

About Gavin Webber

An Ordinary Australian Man Who Has A Green Epiphany Whilst Watching A Documentary, Gets a Hybrid Car, Plants A Large Organic Vegetable Garden, Goes Totally Solar, Lowers Consumption, Feeds Composts Bins and Worms, Harvests Rainwater, Raises Chickens, Makes Cheese and Soap, and Eats Locally. All In The Effort To Reduce Our Family's Carbon Footprint So We Can Start Making A Difference For Our Children & Future Generations To Come.

Delve Into the Archives

Visit Our Online Simple Living Shop

Little Green Workshops

Latest Podcast Episode

Subscribe on iTunes

Top Posts & Pages

Strawbridge Family Inspiration
The Seven Stages Of Change
How To Remove Scaly Leg Mites
Quince Paste
Repeat After Me. I Will Never Plant Potatoes With Pumpkins Again
Broad Bean Rust
Black Aphids On Garlic
It's Not Easy Being Green TV series
Broad Bean Seed Experiment Results
African Horned Melon

Recent Awards

Recent Awards

Local Green Hero

Categories

Favourite Daily Reads

Debt Free, Cashed Up, and Laughing

The Off-Grid Solar House

Greener Me

The Rogue Ginger

Little Eco Footprints

Down To Earth

Surviving the Suburbs

Little Green Cheese

Eight Acres

The Witches Kitchen

TGOG Readers On-line

Podcast Reviews

  • Always inspiring and entertaining!
    August 4, 2016 by floriographer from Australia

    I've crowed about Gavin's podcast before but I just have to recommend it once again - I love that he shares his learning as well as his successes - it helps the rest of us try try try again! Thanks Gavin!

  • ms
    July 22, 2016 by Ketaea12 from New Zealand

    I really enjoy listening to Gavin, he has a kind lovely voice. He covers some great relevant topics for the everyday greenie. With lots of tips or how to or what not to do. Thanks Gavin, love it!!

  • Well worth your time to tune in
    October 23, 2015 by A Vision Splendid from Australia

    I can highly recommend Gavin’s podcast ! I have followed Gavin’s blog since the very beginning and have loved to see his journey unfold. Gavin has a lovely speaking voice so this podcast is always very easy to listen to. Gavin has a very authentic approach to his green living lifestyle. He shares the ups and downs but always provides motivation and practical steps that we can all implement.

  • very good
    June 28, 2015 by Scared pax from United Kingdom

    This is a great podcast if you want to improve your life in so many aspects and become a more sustainable person. I love the soothing voice, the good pace, and it contains lots of useful information. Recommended!

  • opened my eyes
    May 25, 2015 by Gorn4lyfe from Australia

    A wonderful show!

  • Inspiring
    April 30, 2015 by Alan Whelan from Ireland

    This is a great podcast if you're looking for practical info on saving money by living more sustainably from someone who's made that journey over the last few years. Told in a nice, easy conversational style

  • Green Living, inspiring and practical
    January 8, 2015 by EliseMac from Australia

    Thanks Gav for sharing what has (and hasn't) worked along your journey for living a greener lifestyle. Inspiring and achievable for anyone, I look forward to this podcast weekly.

  • Local food equals less waste
    December 27, 2014 by allotmentadventureswithjean from Australia

    Another brilliant podcast from Gavin Webber encouraging us, and showing us how, to cut down on food miles, growing our own food, and cutting down on food waste. Gavin is a really interesting speaker, showing us how to eat better, growing our own food and how to live more sustainably.

  • Honestly australian
    December 15, 2014 by HodgepodgeOz from Australia

    Fantastic podcast, with a wide variety of well thought and researched topics. Gavin is a honest, forthright pod aster with a genuine interest in helping others get green. Like a day alongside is a day wasted, so too is a week without listening to Gavin. Highly recommended for people starting out, or those in the midst of their new lifestyle. Keep it up Gavin, wish there were more great reviews! Kimberley

  • Morning motivation
    December 8, 2014 by Bunnyworm from Australia

    Gavin has a great passion for living this greener lifestyle that motivates others to do the same. The podcasts are always interesting and informative. :)

  • Passionate Advocate
    October 18, 2014 by BoomOpGirl from Australia

    Gavin's enthusiasm and passion for creating a more sustainable world is nothing short of contagious. Thanks Gav, you are my weekly source of motivation for living a sustainable life! :)

  • Gavin speaks from the heart
    October 13, 2014 by Green gavin from Australia

    Gavin's podcasts are required listening for anyone planning to live a more sustainable life. He doesn't preach, but tells you his story from the heart. You'll laugh, smile, share in his concerns and along the way you'll pick up some great tips on living a simple life.

  • Green thoughts, so well iterated
    October 9, 2014 by Kwasikwami from Australia

    This is a wonderful podcast. Not only does Gavin talk knowledgeably on a range of sustainability topics from gardening tips all the way to the issues facing humanity as a whole, but he does so in such a wonderful voice, it's like listening to my Dad, love it!!

  • Easy listening inspiration on being green
    September 24, 2014 by Broomedy from Australia

    Gav knows how to share his journey to a more sustainable life in a manner that shows just how easy it really is. Not to mention healthier, economically beneficial and generally rewarding. The podcasts are an easy way to absorb Gav's great lifestyle. I recommend to anyone.

  • Thanks Gavin!
    August 31, 2014 by Honeywoodmilk from Australia

    Great practical advice for a greener lifestyle. This podcast is for anybody interested in growing their own food in suburbia, saving electricity, brewing beer, making cheese, all that wonderful business and most of all, saving money! Thanks Gavin, love the podcast mate!

  • Enjoyed those ideas for staying warm
    August 15, 2014 by enduringdragon from United States

    Like you we are having winter here in Chile—brrr! Every bit we can save on heating we will.

  • Green Podcasts
    July 26, 2014 by Carneu from Australia

    Excellent podcasts, which are full of information to help get started on a sustainable lifestyle.

  • Practical ideas and inspiration
    July 19, 2014 by HeathrowHeath from Australia

    I highly recommend Gavin's podcast and blog. Down to earth, entertaining and inspirational. Thank you.

  • Interesting & easy to listen to
    April 27, 2014 by Velocity3 from New Zealand

    Gavin & his guests make this green journey lots of fun.

  • Great green listen
    April 18, 2014 by Obscurenickname from Australia

    Gavin is a great down to earth, tell it like it is aussie with a passion for sustainability and growing food and making cheese

Carbon Offset website

Copyright - Gavin Webber © 2023