Be Happy Be You the teenage guide to happiness
You can make a difference
“It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can do only a little. Do what you can”.- Sydney Smith
I bet when you were little kids you were often told off for stomping muddy footprints around the house after playing outside. These muddy footprints didn’t matter much (despite the telling off) and were soon cleaned up.
No matter what age we are sadly we all still leave footprints wherever we go.
The footprints we leave on our world though are entirely different and we have to tread much more carefully and considerately if we want to keep our world a happy one. Our carbon footprint is not so easy to clean up.
But it is possible to make a difference and focussing on what you CAN do is so much more important than focussing on what you can’t. It helps you feel stronger and happier and you will have much more of an impact.
Most of your carbon footprint will come from transport, housing and food so these are the areas we are going to address.
You really can make a difference.
How to make an impact
Try and achieve each of the following over the next month and colour in or tick off each square as you give the activity a go.
| Think about how you travel to school could you change it up at least 1 day a week? | Take a quick shower instead of a bath | Turn off the tap today whilst you brush your teeth | Save any and all leftover food today and have a look online for recipes to use it up. | Wrap a gift in fabric instead of paper |
| If gets chilly put on socks or another jumper before cranking up the heating | Have a zero spend day on a weekend and only use what you already have | Can you arrange to car share with a friend? | Go to the library and take out a book on climate change. Being educated on this is really important | Plant a tree (an apple seed will do) One tree can absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime |
| Drink tap water instead of bottled water. Carry your drinking water in a reusable bottle. | See those clothes on your bedroom floors? Double check them, I bet they don’t all need washing | BYOM and encourage your parents to do the same when going out for coffee
(BYOM means bring your own mug) |
Go and turn off all the lights in the house that don’t need to be on ( and have a chat with the bill payers about switching to LED’s which use WAY less energy) | Boil only the amount of water you need in the kettle to day |
| Have a vegetarian day
(The meat and dairy industry is currently the seventh most significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions) |
Research all your recycling options in your local area and make sure your family are aware. | Go through your wardrobe and take unloved clothes to the local charity shop | Suggest a family walk | Unplug everything you aren’t using – TV, phone charger etc. Any electronic gadget you can turn on with a remote uses power even when it is on standby. |
| Help to write a family meal plan for the week to avoid food waste | Have a paper free day (no printing!) | Research local climate change projects or conservation project online and get involved | Recycle everything you can, all day | Offer to hang out the washing to avoid the dryer being used |
| Try and keep your school lunches wrapper free | Use a laptop, not a desktop computer if you have a choice Laptops take less energy (up to 80%) to charge and run. | Plant a fruit or vegetable | Have a family chat about plastic – how can you reduce the amount you use | Say no to single use plastic like straws and cutlery |
Create Your Own Happy by…taking care of the planet anyway you can
Becky Goddard-Hill can be found blogging at Emotionally Healthy Kids and her previous book include the best-selling Create Your Own Happy and the newly released Create Your Own Calm All Becky’s book including Be Happy Be You are available from Amazon