Esther McCarthy: How do we live a sustainable life without living in a treehouse in the forest?

I sometimes get despondent, worrying about the world we’re passing on. So to cheer myself and yourself up, here’s three reasons to have hope for the future

Esther McCarthy: "We stayed in a hotel in Killarney recently. I tried not to think about the laundry, the single-use shampoos, the plastic milk yokes the kids bizarrely associate with luxury." Picture: Emily Quinn

We have a little game we’ve been playing since the kids were small. Every time we go to the beach, we each pick up three pieces of rubbish.

It’s automatic now. Last weekend we came back to the house with bits of rope, soft drink cans, and an old bleach bottle that we turned into a bit of tree art. Wipe your eye, Tracey Emin.