[GAME] Sustainability Bingo 🌱

[Rebecca]

Hi everyone,

Get ready to explore sustainability in a fun and engaging way with our sustainability bingo game! Mark off simple, everyday actions — from using a reusable grocery bags to switching off unused lights — and see how many you can tick off.

Share in the comments which of these sustainable practices you follow🌿 If anyone manages a full line, or even a full house, give us a BINGO in the comments! 🎉

Let’s discover the most popular eco-friendly habits in our host community. If there’s a sustainable practice you swear by that’s missing from the card, tell us about it! ✨

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Rebecca 

This is so excellent! We do everything on the list, except for public transport, which does not exist out here, so is not an option. We also garden, a delicious option for us. We collect thousands of gallons of rainwater, including what is tank storage in our firefighting setup. This is a life long lifestyle for us, especially as we are living off the grid. It is also something we learned from our parents who were WW2 veterans, who dealt with rationing, etc, and learned from their parents as well, who were born in the 1880's. Going back to the best ways to do things is so satisfying! 

[Frances3408]

@Kitty-and-Creek0. My ancestors came from Tipperary after the great potato famine so yes living off the land even in suburbia is somewhat doable with some determined genes, a semi green thumb and a sense of humour when the native wildlife eat it all. 🤣

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Frances3408 

You said it! 🤣

The deer think we are running a salad bar. The bears, grey foxes and raccoons love the French prunes. Grey foxes do climb trees, and they filch our tomatoes. Brush rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks do unauthorized random pruning, they are inexpert to put it mildly.  Ravens get more cherries than we do, and opossums get the grapes the night before we plan to harvest them. We keep the deer out with proper fencing, however, it seems they have a deal with the bear to knock it down so they can get in. The only remedy is to plant enough that we get some too, after the wildlife get their fill. 

[Rebecca]

I think we can award you a full house BINGO @Kitty-and-Creek0  🎉 I'm also really happy to see you commenting and sharing with us - super happy that your enjoying the sustainability topics! I really love how you've carried on those sustainable practices from your parents and grandparents. 

Did you see the announcement from @Quincy about the Festival of Sustainability this year? 👉 🌿The Festival of Sustainability is moving to September🌿 

We're getting a WHOLE MONTH dedicated to sustainability - I am very excited! This gives us the opportunity to really get some wonderful content 😍 I hope you'll both take part @Kitty-and-Creek0 and @Frances3408. Let me know if you have any ideas for the Community Center, perhaps we can collaborate. 🤔

[Frances3408]

@Rebecca. Thats a BINGO full house for me. 

I grew up learning all these things so its a habit I dont break just because I have money now. I have a jar by the kitchen window sill where I collect the cooking oil before throwing out, rather than tipping down the sink and into the waterways.

Almost get there with my listings, but not quite. Owners who rent out on Airbnb do the best they can with almost everything else including rainwater tanks, mulching scraps, planting native trees but the two outliers are solar panels and public transport (though a 4 times a day bus service is better than nothing I dont have time to wait!). 

We have a great local council tip thats free for recycling metal, cardboard and clean polystrene, oils  etc: it also has a recycle household goods section where you can drop off your pre loved but useable furniture etc. On my way out I usually pick up a free bucket of mulch or two for the garden.

I didnt always have time to do all these things at once (disposable nappies after giving cloth a go!) so no judgement here on those that cant 😉

[Rebecca]

🎉 Full house @Frances3408  🎉

You’ve got a great system going with your recycling and sustainability efforts. I love that you’ve kept those good habits even after finding success! 🌱 In the chaos of having a young family, I realised that trying to things quickly and hastily, leads to poor decisions on my part regarding the environment and sustainability. You've inspired me to slow down, and really think about the things I'm doing - starting small and working up. 🙏

What kind of native trees are you planting? It must feel rewarding to contribute to the local environment like that. On my list in the garden this year is a water butt. We already plant wildlife attracting plants specifically, but it's work in progress. 🐝 🐞

Are there any new projects you’re thinking about for your listings?

[Frances3408]

@Rebecca. Thanks for asking. I am always suggesting new projects! We just installed a new garden shed as the old one was falling over. Next we are transplanting some more plants:  Frangipanis, bromeliads, birds nest ferns. We have lost a few natives with all the rain past 3 years so adapting to climate change. Hopefully will still be able to plant some more grevilleas and bottle brushes which the native birds love. One listing has a whole ecosystem of bees, wasps and birds all co existing.

[Rebecca]

I just googled Frangipanis and my gosh they're beautiful. Here in the UK they can only be grown in a greenhouse or indoors and it's the same with bromeliads and birds nest ferns, both of which I have living in pots in the main bathroom! I may have to get a frangipanis though! 

I assume these are all planted in the garden for you in Oz? 

[Lorina14]

@Rebecca

These fall under eco-friendly products but it is a big category and some may not know all the things that fall under eco-friendly products (for some reason I just was thinking of dishwashing soap, laundry detergent, body wash as eco/-friendly products). Maybe you could add Swedish cloths (or reusable dish wipes instead of disposable sponges (they can also be composted after), silicone covers (instead of plastic wrap), compostable bags (snack bags, sandwich bags, storage bags), wool dryer balls (instead of dryer sheets), refillable cleaning products, reusable produce bags, fabric paper towels that one washes (instead of paper towels), cloth diapers (instead of disposable - it was more time consuming but worth it), recycled paper products (printer paper, etc), low VOC/no VOC paints, carpooling, electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles, sharing seeds from your garden, releasing ladybugs or planting herbs that help repel pests instead of using pesticides, using natural fabrics (a lot of the sportswear and quick drying items release microplastics in our environment).

BINGO for most lines except rainwater (we are not allowed to by our city because they have to buy water from neighboring towns), public transportation (we work form home), solar panels are on our list of to dos but we have not had it installed yet (we had

more pressing home projects to deal with). We do have solar lights outside on our fence, solar floodlights, solar power banks, and a solar oven for camping. We have an electric car which my partner loves - it has a great range but we have to be careful if we want to roadtrip as not all areas have charging stations.

[Rebecca]

It is a huge category, you're right @Lorina14 - but the bingo card would have been huge. Perhaps you can help us with the next one, and we can use some of your suggestions you've shared here. 

I shared @Quincy's announcement about the Festival of Sustainability this year 👉 🌿The Festival of Sustainability is moving to September🌿 

A whole month dedicated to the topic of sustainability, I'd love for you to be involved and share some of your insights! What do you think?