Michaela Strachan reuses her bath water to reduce waste at home
Springwatch presenter Michaela Strachan has a passion for the planet and there's one thing in particular she does at home to help cut back on waste: she reuses her bath water.
Speaking to Country Living, Michaela said: 'My son is really aware of water usage. We use buckets [of water] to flush our toilet waste. We have a bath, don't fill it up as much as we used to, and then flush the loo with the water from the bath with a bucket. It's something we've been doing for years now.'
The presenter, who will return to our screens in the new series of Winterwatch next week, says it's her 14-year-old son, Ollie, who has been encouraging her family to get serious about helping the environment. 'My son said to me, "Mum, why are we buying throwaway batteries?" I said you are right Ollie, we should totally be buying rechargeable batteries. I think that will be the next "straw" thing. It's simple, but if everyone did it then it would make a huge difference,' explains Michaela.
And this isn't just a theme in Michaela's family, as a recent study conducted by Moneyexpert.com found that children as young as four are putting pressure on their parents to be greener in the home. Whether it's switching their energy provider, getting serious about recycling or making an effort to turn the lights off in unoccupied rooms, children are becoming more vocal about what can be done to help the planet.
'I think it's really exciting that children are aware of the climate crisis and what we can do to change. Although adults are aware of it, they're not so good at changing, particularly the older generation that are set in their ways,' says Michaela.
Thanks to the influence of young activists, such as Greta Thunberg, the study found that 75% of parents say their own children are turning into 'mini Gretas'. Michaela says: 'Last year was a huge turning point. Greta Thunberg is just such an incredible young girl for change. She has woken people up and kids find her so inspiring. It got the conversation going.'
So, what should we all be doing in 2020? 'We've got to educate people that it really is easy to change and to do something positive,' says the presenter. 'What I would like to see as 2020 goes forward is people changing at least one thing a month in their household to help the environment.'
Michaela will return to our screens on Winterwatch this January.
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