What will the key sustainable trends of 2024 be?

I try to always be positive and create actions for change, but I found 2023 a really difficult year from all the 20 years in Climate Activism. We all know the news needs to report the doom and gloom and needs to sensationalise everything. I found the news quite difficult to keep on top of during 2023. One thing that was at many of our doorsteps (or at the bottom of our gardens) in 2023 was flooding. My lovely garden office flooded three times to the extent I have had to move into the box room. Which has still thrown me off my kilter four months later. I found looking into my garden and the birds on the feeder hugely inspiring and now I just wish for a time I can move back in without fear of wading around my garden in my wellies trying to save it using a water pump. I feel hugely grateful that it was just my garden and feel for anyone who has suffered flooding of their homes. I send you a huge hug.

Created by scientist Professor Ed Hawkins at the University of Reading, UK in 2018 as a means to show increasing global temperatures without words, numbers or graphs.

“The good news is that we already have many of the solutions we need,” he adds. “We now need bold, transformative change across all parts of society to make our planet’s climate safer for current and future generations.” Professor Hawkins.

We will be looking at a few key sustainable themes over the next few weeks and we hope you will follow us and engage on our journey with us.

We will be looking at:

1. The way we eat (Sustainable Food)
2. The way we live (Sustainable Living, circularity, fashion and more)  
3. The way we manage our money (Sustainable Money)
4. The way we travel (Sustainable Travel)

What do you think the main trends around sustainability will be in 2024? What do you want to read more about/ do more about/ listen to more information on? 

Why not tell us via the google form at the bottom of the blog.

An insight into some of the trends we think are important and will be expanding on are:

Sustainable Money – the money we put aside – whether through workplace pensions, savings or even just in day-to-day current accounts – is busily shaping our future. Often our money is being used to fund activities we would never dream of supporting directly: fossil fuels, exploitation of women and girls, weapons. I am going to be working with small groups over 2024 where we will all make sustainable changes with our money. You don’t need to have savings to make a difference, just changing where you bank can have an impact. Why not find out more via my webinar on the 16th January, 7pm online. BOOK HERE

Sustainable Fashion – the European Parliament is expected to formally adopt new legislation including ban on the destruction of unsold textiles and footwear products; requirements around the durability, reusability and reparability of products; and the introduction of digital product passports that will help offer more transparency about how items are made and their environmental impact. On-demand fashion, dyes to become more eco-friendly are both to rise and the use of new fibres such as seaweed. Read more via Vogue – LINK

Sustainable Food – great news for the plant based community. The Sustainable Restaurant Association believes 2024 will see a bigger focus on dishes made from whole foods like beans, pulses, tofu and tempeh, mushrooms, nuts and seeds, rather than highly processed alternatives with long ingredient lists. Better Kids menus and a focus on Circularity are all mentioned in this article. This should be a great time to launch our Food for the Planet project which asks businesses that serve food to consider more plant based and local produce within its menu’s.