Goblin mode: On

Goblin mode: On

The Oxford Dictionary's 2022 Word Phrase of the Year is in, and I'm ALL for it!

"Goblin mode" refers to a "type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations”.

It's splaying out on the couch—no bra, optional pants, and your favourite stained T-shirt—shovelling fistfuls of popcorn in your mouth, while binge-watching Working Moms, and losing track of what day it is or how long the washing has been sitting in the machine.

Or is that just me?

Goblin mode is the opposite of "beast mode": the intense, high-performing, superhuman way of operating that we've all been stuck in for what feels like a hundred years.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired, and I'm fully embracing Goblin mode—starting with this newsletter.

In fact, I'm so far into Goblin mode that I completely forgot to send this newsletter last week 🤦🏻‍♀️

So here it is, the last one for the year. The news is a bit outdated. The sustainability Christmas tips are utterly useless to you now. But it ends with a scraggly bird dancing to reggae. So, there's that 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thank you for going on this journey with me. I'm still figuring it out, so if you're still here, know that I appreciate your time and eyeballs, and I embrace you in all your Goblin mode glory.

Here's to a successful, sustainable 2023!

— Tarryn ✌️

For the love of trees 🌲

Every year, I make a donation to a charity on behalf of my clients to thank them for their support.

This year, I've chosen One Tree Planted, a non-profit organisation focused on global reforestation. For every dollar donated, they plant a tree, and they currently have projects running in over 47 countries in North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Pacific.

And since biodiversity has been a hot topic of this newsletter – and in appreciation of my home country and adopted country – I'll be splitting my donation between:

🦍 The African Biodiversity project, which aims to protect endangered species by increasing forest cover and restoring holistic ecosystems, and

🐨The Australia project, which aims to create habitat corridors for koalas and restore areas affected by bushfires.

Thank you for being a part of this.

If you'd like to make a donation, have a look at the different projects you can support here.

1 tree = 1 dollar (about R17.20 or AU$1.50)

How to make (next) Christmas more sustainable

I don't know what your house looked like after Christmas, but mine was strewn with wrapping paper, way too much single-use plastic, and useless knick-knacks from cheap crackers and stocking fillers.

I indulged in the Christmas sales and got lost in the vibes of experiencing the holiday in a new country (i.e., I spent too much money on too much stuff, and went overboard on gifts for Ayva).

We also wasted food. I tried the Australian thing and made a pavlova, but it was so sweet, it made my throat wobble, so about 85% ended up in the bin.

I want to do better next year. I was supposed to share these tips before Christmas, but Goblin mode. So, here's some inspiration for next year.

🎍 Make your own decorations. Create a rustic vibe by finding things in your garden to turn into tree and table decorations. With a little creativity, a few sticks, dried berries, leaves, and seeds can become something exquisite and unusual. Use LED lights on your tree and to decorate your house – they last longer and use less energy.

🎁 Save money on wrapping paper. Most wrapping paper can't be recycled and ends up in landfills. Use old newspaper, jazzed up with a bit of raffia, to reduce your impact and save money.

🍗 Waste less. A Christmas feast with all the trimmings is great, but no one likes eating leftover ham for a week afterwards. Cook less food than you think you need. There'll likely still be leftovers. Buy in-season produce (preferably from local farmers) and, if you really want to make a difference, you could have a vegan Christmas, but I'm in no position to talk about that since we smashed seafood, lamb, and pork this year.

💐 Sustainable gifting. There's something extra special about getting a handmade or homegrown gift. Think hampers of fruit, veg, and flowers from your garden or easy-to-make seed bombs. Turn some of the fruit into jams or baked goods. Create window boxes with a selection of offcuts, or gift seeds for the receiver to plant themselves. Look for gifts made from recycled or upcycled materials. You could also gift experiences or make donations.

🎉 Make your own crackers. Fill an empty toilet roll with things people will actually use (hint: not plastic spinning tops or bulldog clips), wrap it in newspaper and finish off with some coloured string. Sure, you'll miss the satisfying *crack* of the cracker but at least you won't be adding cheap plastic crap that no one wants to landfills.

🎄 Choose a real live tree. Sounds counterintuitive, but real Christmas trees are more environmentally friendly than plastic ones. That's because organic plantations are grown for 10 years, absorb carbon, and boost biodiversity by supporting plant, bird, insect, and mammal lifecycles. Granted, the tree releases carbon back into the atmosphere when it's cut down, but this impact can be reduced by responsibly sourcing, reusing, and recycling the tree.

See more ideas on how to make your holiday season more sustainable here.

This Last week's climate and sustainability news worth noting

🌱 An "historic deal" was reached at COP15, which wrapped up in Canada this week, including protecting roughly a third of nature by 2030. The new global agreement – called the Kunming-Montreal Global biodiversity framework – saw 196 delegations commit to 23 targets in an effort to avoid the sixth mass extinction. Although there were some sticky points around finance and heightened calls for a biodiversity loss and damage fund, the agreement is certainly a win for nature. (The Conversation)

🌨 The “blizzard of the century” continues to sweep through multiple parts of the US. At least 60 people have died, tens of thousands are without power, and high tides are dumping jellyfish in the streets. (BBC)

🐧 A new study has warned that 65% of Antarctica's native species – including emperor penguins – could disappear by the end of the century, thanks to ongoing o climate change and inadequate conservation efforts. (Nine News)

🦎 Meanwhile, hatchling and juvenile populations of the Galapagos pink land iguana, an endangered reptile native to the Isabela Island, have been discovered, and five Iberian lynx have been released into the wild in southern Spain this week as part of an expanding breeding programme aimed at conserving one of the world's most endangered feline species.

☀️ According to the International Energy Agency, the global renewable energy sector saw unprecedented growth in 2022. In a report, the IEA says total capacity growth will double in the next five years and overtake coal as the largest source of electricity generation by early 2025. That said, coal use hit an all-time high in 2022, surpassing 8 billion tonnes in a single year for the first time.

💨 The European Union's overall greenhouse gas emissions, including methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide, fell 22% in 2021 from a peak hit in 2008. The EU has also agreed to raise the overall target to cut emissions in the sectors covered by the European Emissions Trading System to 62% by 2030.

🧊 Scientists have discovered that ice melt in the Arctic is happening up to 100 times faster than previously thought, which could accelerate sea level rise. (Science Alert)

🪸 In Australia, scientists working on the Great Barrier Reef have successfully trialled a new method for freezing and storing coral larvae, which could be used to rewild reefs threatened by climate change. (ABC News)

Well, that's interesting

I really liked this article from 2018 about how Charles Dickens is one reason why people in the UK still hope for a white Christmas even though it's not likely to happen.

The last widespread white Christmas in the UK was in 2010. And even that was unusual.

So why do people still imagine a snowy Christmas, even if they’ve never experienced one – and might never, thanks to global warming?

In a word: Dickens.

As one of the greatest storytellers to ever live, Dickens captured the hearts and minds of readers with A Christmas Carol, set in a time when England was blanketed in snow.

Dickens wrote from his experience of Christmas as a boy, when it snowed heavily every winter until he was eight. He grew up in the early 1800s, among England’s coldest decades. It was so icy that the River Thames froze, and they could walk an elephant across it!

Since it was published in 1843, A Christmas Carol has been adapted 135 times. It’s permeated imaginations and become part of British culture. It triggers nostalgia, a powerful emotion that stirs something inside the reader.

It’s like an earworm for the heart – it gets in there and stays there.

And that's why you could say Dickens almost single-handedly created the modern idea of Christmas.

Read it here: In the UK, Christmas is usually snowless. So why do we still picture the ‘ideal’ Christmas as a white one?

Read more about how global warming is changing Christmas all over the world here.

I'll leave you on this happy note...

This scraggly bird living its best life, rocking out to reggae in full Goblin mode.

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