14:00, 23 June 2021
Words by Smiley Team, Staff Writer, London
Geography lecturer, climate activist and expert on low-impact housing Dr Larch Maxey is among those at the forefront of the drive to lower the environmental impact of the UK’s households. His work includes educating people on how to build and live sustainably, as well as supporting construction projects for a greener future.
In 2009 Larch co-founded Lammas, an eco-village in North Pembrokeshire. Later, he supported Bright Green Futures, helping communities in Bristol to build low-impact housing. He has worked on several books relating to sustainable living, eco-housing and living off-grid and studied land-related issues for his Ph.D. More recent years have seen him at the front line of activism, camped in trees and hidden in underground tunnels to halt damaging infrastructure projects. This accumulation of experiences has given him a thorough knowledge of building and living sustainably. Speaking to Smiley News, he gave these insights into how to lower your household's impact.
First and foremost, all new housing should be designed south facing with photovoltaic panels on the roof. “For new builds this is easy,” said Larch, recommending that those in power act to regulate the housing industry so that this is made a basic criterion for construction projects.
Investing in insulation is also key and is a really effective way of creating jobs as we recover from the financial toll of Covid-19. To promote this, Larch is currently working on Insulate Britain, a campaign urging the government to add this basic feature to all housing across the country.
Constructors need to move away from using energy-intensive materials such as steel and concrete. Instead, he suggests we should start locking up CO2 in housing by using environmentally friendly materials such as sustainably sourced timber and straw.
Once a house is built, water consumption is a key concern. By incorporating a water butt into your new house, you create a reliable source of water which you can use for gardening or to flush toilets.
Another important means to lower your impact is through using a green energy provider. You can easily find alternatives to the Big Six that offer sustainable gas as well as electricity from renewable energy sources. “If you’re with the Big Six, they charge way more than they should,” said Larch. “Ecotricity and Good Energy are two of the main alternatives but if you can’t afford their prices, Octopus is more reasonable and it still does 100 per cent green electricity.”
Minimising your use of water is also highly beneficial for the environment. “At the moment I wash in a minimal amount of water,” said Larch. “When I wash my hands I save the water and once I’ve accumulated enough, I use it to wash my bedding and trousers.”
By growing your own vegetables you can ensure a local, healthy and packaging source of food that trumps any supermarket goods.
Another area for improving your impact is through reducing food waste. Larch goes dumpster diving and promotes freeganism. “Around two-thirds of our food is thrown away,” he said. “You can use the extra money you save through freeganism to switch energy providers.”
To live greener and more sustainable lives, Larch believes the sooner we make these changes the better. He said: “There is a kind of lottery system which promotes the idea that you’ll be happy when you win the lottery or when you finally acquire land or a house. But you can be happy right now, at the moment you’re in, living a low-impact lifestyle in a house that fits nature’s needs rather than working against them.”
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