By Celia Cornforth

Ever felt that there are so many environmental initiatives and programmes out there that it’s hard to know which ones are actually the best and which are hyped up by media or celebrity endorsement?

As individuals, often running households and raising a family it’s neither easy, nor ideal, to attempt a zero waste lifestyle. But at the same time we each have a responsibility to do something to make a difference. So, what is best (aka realistic)?

With Extinction Rebellion, Youth Climate Strikes, Sir David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg stealing the headlines of late it’s hard to know what we as individuals should be doing or who we should be following. But that’s the point, following blithely just because we feel we should do something is not exactly helpful either, we need to be fully committed in any change and be choosing to change because we want to.

There are numerous community groups in and around Bicester that let local residents choose what change they can commit to, from Bicester Green Gym and Langford Community Orchard to the Community Garden and the newly started Baby Bank, not forgetting Bicester’s variety of charity shops.

Residents can do their part at any of these initiatives, or of course at Bicester Green joining our band of talented volunteers.

Ycan be active, garden, learn to grow produce, help maintain our natural surroundings, provide for the next generation, and repair, recycle, and refill to ensure a future for the next generation.

In the last year ‘The Attenborough Effect’ has made people more conscious about plastic use, with a 53per cent reduction in plastic use of late.

Motivations cited include concern for the future of the environment and wanting to reduce one's personal waste footprint.

If this is true across the entire population and not just the sample size then fabulous, it’s a great start, but there’s some caution around the other findings: There was a significant difference between younger and older people's views. Older people (55-64) think it's more important for something to be affordable, whereas younger people (16 to 24) value sustainability more.

In today’s society, sadly ‘affordable’ often means cheap and disposable, there will often be a trade off and this is where the balance needs to be struck, but for our future generation we must make those choices.

If you need inspiration or want to talk through options that Bicester locals have on their doorstep then chat to any one of us at Bicester Green. #DoItForDavid

Celia Cornforth is a volunteer with sustainability group Bicester Green