WATCH: 30 Days and 30 ways to be more sustainable

Thursday 03 September 2020

A local sustainable entrepreneur is challenging all islanders to be more eco-friendly with the second annual September SustainAbility Guernsey challenge.

Kay Davidson, founder of a local sustainable clothing business, started the initiative in 2019 to inspire Islanders to create more sustainable lifestyle habits. She has created ’30 Days to More Sustainable Ways,’ a list of suggestions to make their day-to-day life more green.

These include walking or cycling instead of a car journey, eating vegetarian or vegan, or try their hand at ‘plogging’ – a Swedish combination of jogging and litterpicking.

Participants can try out as many of these suggestions as they like over the month of September, and are awarded one ‘SustainAbility Star’ for each one they complete.

Ms Davidson said she felt that many one-day or one-off initiatives fail to change people’s habits. “We ran the challenge last year for the first time, and it proved to be very popular,” she said. 

“I hope that completing the tasks over the whole month will bring long-lasting effects.”

Guernsey Electricity have thrown their support behind the challenge, in line with their climate change statement and environmental sustainability strategy which were launched earlier this year.

“As a company, we believe that small steps like these can help transform the Island into a more sustainable place to live, and so we can enjoy the benefits of a more balanced lifestyle,” said Alice Gill of Guernsey Electricity. “This includes saving energy, money, and often improving our health.”

Individuals or families who complete every suggestion will have a chance to win a sustainable gift package, including vouchers for the Guernsey Weigh. Participants can drop their completed star charts into Electricity House, Vale, but are encouraged to post photos of themselves and their charts to social media using #SustainAbilityGuernsey and tagging Guernsey Electricity.

Anyone wishing to participate can sign up at www.sustainability.gg. Alternatively, a physical star card can be obtained from locations including Guernsey Electricity, Guernsey Weigh, Freedom Surf and Health Connections shops.