From 2011 to 2016 I was pleased to be able to have done 365days where I did a kind deed every day(& 366days in the leap year)!
In 2017 I am doing it again...my aim is to inspire others into action by showing them how simple it is to do kind acts for others. I do this by doing a kind act a day. I do this by sharing my story and some ideas for living a kinder life. Kinder for others, kinder for ourselves, kinder for the planet. Welcome to 365days of kindness!
I dont know if you would have had a chance to use yesterdays Sustainable September idea because it is something that will need some preplanning. When you organise a party or dinner there are so many great things you can do to reduce your budget AND reduce you environmental impact. Everything from not purchasing disposables, to using reusable straws in metal, glass, bamboo or alternatively single use paper straws (but these barely last ONE drink), or skip straws altogether.
This next idea builds on the yesterdays but it also doesnt need to be a party/gathering-only idea. This one you can bring into every day meals...
Day 25.Use Cloth napkins
Another thing that can save money is buying/making/using cloth napkins instead of buying paper ones. Sure paper ones are mostly compostable, but some of them have a few other not so good things in them. And cloth napkins can be compostable at the end of their lives too. However, you can spend a little bit of cash up front and be able to wash and reuse them over and over again. So, they can make their money back.
You can even purchase ex-hotel/restaurant ones for a cheaper price but still be good quality, plus they are second hand. Meaning that it will have saved you money, and saved the environment too!
"Not only are they [cloth napkins] more durable (one cloth napkin will make it through a lot more BBQ sauce than a paper one!) but ditching disposable napkins will also save plenty of money over the years. It’ll also reduce your trash output, which means less energy is used transporting and processing your waste. Using recyclable paper napkins is good for the planet, but it’s even better to not have anything to recycle in the first place. Plus, cloth napkins make dinner feel oh-so-fancy." (Greatist.com)
You could gift some cloth napkins to a friend or family member, or even use cloth napkins to wrap gifts in as a way to make someone else feel special. Kindness doesnt have to be hard work, it can be much simpler than that. Sharing what you are learning about with people can be a nice way to share and spread kindness.
Back to work today. I really love my job. Sure its only week 4 of my employment in the UK but I am thoroughly enjoying learning so much.
Sustainable September idea for ...
Day 24 - Ditch disposable Party supplies
Yes it may be easier to buy a whole bunch of single use plastic plates because, heaven forbid, you need to do some actual washing up. But here are some quick tips.
If you absolutely HAVE to buy disposables, make them compostable ones, and then take them home and compost them (don’t just ditch them in the closest bin because they wont break down in landfill).
Or if you are having a big party at home, either ask everyone to bring their own plates and knives and forks. Or plan bigger parties to be catered with bite size goddies so no one needs to have their own dishes. Then You and your guests only need to clean fingers!
It might take a few times to get used to it, but it can be so simple. Canapes can be super healthy, or as naughty as you like. But making bite size food saves washing up a thousand plates and saves you from washing a lot of cutlery too.
Kindness idea could be to include someone you don't know very well to ypur gathering. welcome them with warm hospitality. it will hopefully make their day.
Another day at work in the office. However the sun was shining yesterday so I got to spend some time in the garden of my new house!
I haven’t been able to get to the library so I’ve been using my housemates Cookbooks as the best light reading material!
I love it because with the restrictions I have for my diet I also look at recipe books like a challenge. ‘How can I adapt a recipe for myself to eat?’
Considering yesterday was another Meatfree Monday I was looking for ideas of what to cook! It’s so nice to look at Vegetarian options that you can also adapt to have meat if you want.
Sustainable September idea for ...
Day 18.Buy Bamboo products
Can this save you money? Yes and no.
Yes if, like me, you are eco conscious and driving around looking for places to donate your old plastic toothbrush to dental recycling. The Wasteless Pantry , in Mundaring, WA has a great collection of recycling collection points (not just for dental recycling either). I am still looking for a place to recycle my old plastic & electric toothbrush here in the UK but I know Redcycle do it in Australia. The petrol costs alone would be enough to save you money on buying a recycleable/compostable alternative.
No, if you are buying the cheapest plastic toothbrushes around. Admittedly, bamboo toothbrushes may cost a little extra but as more people use them the cheaper and more widely available they will become.
A bamboo toothbrush is able to be composted.
(I still haven’t been able to take a good toothbrush selfie! Hahahahaha).
They can be used in the garden as label stakes for your veggies (which would save you money buying purpose built ones).
You can also get many other things made of Bamboo… and they aren’t much more expensive than your everyday plastic variation, with the added bonus that they are a renewable resource and are able to be composted most of the time. At my new house we have a compost heap that I have used already to add stuff too!
It was my first day out on an excavation site for my new Archaeology job yesterday.
It is so exciting. Well... maybe not for everyone but definitely for me!
One cool thing is discovering what people threw in "middens" thats archaeology talk for "rubbish bin". I guess this last few days has helped me see what historical and ancient people ate, used and threw away hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago.
Todays idea combines what I have been looking at this week in my job with what we are doing now, and could do more of, to manage our own waste, and save money at the same time.
Day 6 - Compost
Why would this save you money? Well when all those awesome veggies you will be growing from your food scraps... from all the extra veggies you would be using from Meat free Mondays/Weekday Vegetarianism... you are going to need to keep your now thriving veggies healthy and strong.
Need to know how to start a compost bin? Here is a very quick video to get you on your way.
If this doesnt have enough information in it for you, you can type in " How to make a Compost bin" into YouTube and you will find hundred and thousands of ideas to get you on your way. Just don't do what I did and fall down the YouTube hole and come out a few hours later having learned all the ins and outs of all kinds of composting. I think i still have so much to learn sharing some of the things i have learned to help others and the environment is probably the best idea for kindness today.
I admit Composting isn't a fast idea. I will take some time for your compost to be useful for your garden as food scraps break down. Once it does, however, you will be pretty pleased with yourself. Not only for making awesome soil for your garden but also for creating a simple way of getting rid of your own food waste, so it doesnt end up in landfill.
When I set up my little garden I was able to buy 3 x 20Lt bags of compost and mulch for £6 ($12AUD). I ended up not using two of the bags and giften them to someone who is building their own garden. YAY Kindness! If I had been making my own compost I could have saved some £££/$$$. Not heaps of money, but every dollar/pound you don't spend on food/compost/anything really, is money that could go towards things that really bring you joy.
What did you make for Meatless/meatfree monday? Did you find a new yummy recipe? Did you have any left overs? Did you have vegetable or fruit scraps that you chucked in the bin?
By now you would have figured out that this September is all about 'Making life a little kinder for our planet and all those who live here' by REDUCING, REUSING & RECYCLING.
One way we can do that is to REDUCE the amounts of food waste we have, by REUSING it in new and exciting ways and then RECYCLING it in our compost bins.
If you dont have a compost bin do not worry... that is what todays Sustainable September Eco Kindness is all about.
Sustainable September Day Twelve: Create or use a compost bin
There are hundreds of "How to" guides when it comes to creating a compost bin.
I quite enjoyed video from the USA... mainly because it is short and sweet.
Do you already have a compost bin? Do you know how to maintain it? We have a compost bin here at home that probably need some maintainance. Here is a video from an Australian Gardening Guru Costa Georgiadis about how to look after and maintain a compost bin.
Don't think you can compost becuase you live in an apartment? Well I have a solution for you...
If you don't have a farmers market that takes compost, perhaps you could talk to a friend or family member and contribute towards their compost bin. Or if none of your friends or family have a compost bin set up maybe you could even organise to set one up at their house/property (with the owners permission of course).
Whenever I house sit for friends and family, if they don't have a compost bin, I will stash my scraps in the Freezer, like Lauren. Then I bring them back home when I come for a visit and deposit it at the compost bin before it defrosts. It helps reduce the smell. I often use paper mushroom bags until one is full and then I will put the whole thing in the freezer (usually in a reused plastic bag - which I can keep reusing because it rarely gets dirty).
Enjoy Composting!
ACTIVITY: Get into the garden. Plant some flowers or some vegetables. If you have a compost bin its time to check it and if you can use some of the soil in your garden, do it. It is now spring time in Australia and all of the gardens are coming alive. If you don't have a garden of your own, go out and find a park or green area to spend some time in. You don't have to DO anything, just spend time there.
Well how are you going with “Reuse”? I am reusing a whole bunch of old jars to store stuff in my pantry. I particlurly love using the 1Lt Pickle jars or putting my specialty flours in. I am reusing old clothes as rags and also upcycled into other things. And when it comes to laundry, im always glad to have my old cloth rice bags. They work very well. It is amazing what you can use and then reuse. Reduce and reuse are the first two parts of this wonderful trilogy last being....
Sustainable September Day 3: Recycle.
Today (for tomorrow) I have included a few different activities that you may want to do all of, or just choose one. It is up to you.
In Australia, recently, there was a program on the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) called “War on Waste” and after watching it, I realized how much regular Australians don’t know about their waste. Particularly what is happening to their things after they discard it. Here is the advertisement for the 3 episode show.
If you are an Australian and havent seen it yet I suggest you check out IView and watch the program there.
Normally I would link the program to the blog however sadly, the links to the website won't work for those of you over seas. You may be able to find a copy on Youtube if you really want. However, I know that they did a version of this in the UK too so if you are in either of these places check it out!
Waste and recycling go hand in hand. But only before we have reduced and reused what we can. All of this occurs before our rubbish ends up in landfill (hopefully none of it has to if we are careful).
I watched this short Vide from the SBS tv show “The Feed” all about recycling in Australia and really enjoyed it. Be warned there is a bleeped out expletive.
The thing is that in lots of places each city council or district has a different I list of recyclable materials. Some have road side collections others have drop off recycling. So even though I want to give you all a broad perspective of what can and can't be recycled, you need to check with your local council for the specifics.
ACTIVITY: Research what and where you can recycle your waste.
PLASTIC: In my area there are two type of Plastic recycling. Hard plastics and soft plastic. This section will look specifically at Hard plastics however it is clear that the two are made of the same product so they are often talked about as one topic.
If you want to look further into the role and damage that Plasic is doing in the world there are a few documentaries to check out.
1) Plastic Paradise: The great Pacific Garbage Patch, (Warning: graphic images)
2) Plasticized Documentary, about a research trip across the Pacific monitoring Plastic in the ocean.
3) The Plastic Age: A documentary featuring Pharrell Williams.
The first two documentaries talk about the problems with plastic waste ending up in our oceans. One way we can prevent plastic ending up in the ocean is to reduce the amount we use in day to day life and therefore the demand to make it, and the second is to make sure we know how to recycle it.
I really like a third documentary, partly because its only like 20mins long, but mostly because it has hope. it gives us hope that someone is doing something on a larger scale to change the plastic that ends up in our oceans. I also love it because it talks about plastic in terms of Archaeology (The Plastic Age).
The biggest thing we can do to stop Plastic ending up in our oceans, in our fish (that we consume) and on our beaches is to reduce the amount we use, reuse the things already in existence and then recycle the things we can to make them into new and exciting things.
ACTIVITY: Choose a documentary to watch and learn more about Plastic in our oceans.
SOFT PLASTIC RECYCLING: This was something fairly new to me. In my house we have only just started doing Soft Plastic Recycling. I was actually inspired to start this type of recycling after watching the War of Waste Australia program. I take my soft flexible plastics to Coles who use REDcycle. REDcycle then turns the old plastic bags, chip packets, and other soft plastics into something that will be durable and long lasting, like park benches and equipment.
I have a soft plastic bag beside the rubbish bin where I can put all my other soft plastics. Then the next time I go to the shops I can take my bag with me to deposit at the REDcycle deposit bins. here is the handy PDF resource that REDcycle shares on their website. I've just turned it into a picture.
BATTERY RECYCLING: Battery recycling is something that our local school does to get kids to pay attention to recycling. Basically any old batteries (single use and reusable ones at the end of their lives) get donated and recycled.
I am loving finding great videos online that are both hilarious and environemtnally friendly. Here is another one about how to recycle your batteries.
ACTIVITY: Create a “battery recycling bin” in your home. We use old 1Ltr Yogurt Buckets to make our battery recycling bins. Either that or plastic take away containers (not that we have very many of them in our house, but if we do, they get used for other purposes).
GLASS RECYCLING: For this I grabbed a video from Devon in the UK. Now i love that the type of videos that are being created internationally can educate us all. Hopefully they can inspire us all to make a bigger effort to make sure glass ends up where it needs to be so it can be recycled.
COMPOST: I will be talking about this later in the month in more depth. However, i wanted to give a little video about food waste and composting because it really fits under the "Recycle" banner of Sustainable September. This comes from the War On Waste Kids videos. Ilove that they have made several of these videos and that they are on the theme of "Im a celebrity get me out of here" but instead are "Im Recycleable get me out of here!" So cute and a funny.
FINALLY: There a lot more different things that can be recycled. Mobile phones and devices, toothbrushes and toothpaste containers, and so much more. I just wanted to give you a taste of what Recycling can be like. It doesn't have to be too complicated and it doesn't have to take a lot of time. But it really makes a difference.
To finish up... one more video from South Australia...which is the state next to mine and a pioneer in Australia when it comes to recycling. They made a great video on what goes in which bin. In my old Council area of Stirling they had a three bin system like this one, so im sure it will help any locals to watch this video.
I hope you have learned something and if not, i hope you are using all that amazing knowledge to help other people, yourself and the planet.
So today was all about OP-SHOPPING!!! Or thrift shopping! And today I got to see the super fancy and super expensive kind and then the not as expensive type.
Now, to explain, I was wandering the hip and with it streets of Canberra today, as its my last full day here. I found some very expensive op shops, think expensive & designer second hand goods!
Tomorrows idea is another simple switch:
Buy/use a wooden or bamboo toothbrush.
I bought some last year, some for me and some for the rest of the family. Whilst they are not to everyone's liking they are much better for the environment.
I have only just recently thrown my first bamboo toothbrush in the compost and I just love it.
If you are also looking for a way to get rid of your old plastic toothbrushes consider recycling them.
Kindness idea: donate toiletries to a local homelessness shelter or emergency relief centre.
Toiletries are needed by so many places not just the ones mentioned. Because toiletries are used by everyone they are often the first things to go and so lots of charities and community services are always needing more.
Front Lines: micro-beads in toiletries.
One thing you might like to know about when you are purchasing your toiletries is plastic micro-beads.
These are in everything from shampoo to toothpaste. These are really bad for the environment. And get into our waterways and into all types of water creatures. Here is the video from the UK about the micro beads and how and why we need to prevent the use of them in all of our things.
I hope this finds you all well.
I leave Canberra tomorrow and I have really enjoyed my stay.
Has this month flown by? or what? We are almost at the end now. How have you been going so far?
Today I spent a chunk of the day helping my sister and niece cleaning up, sorting, rearranging and de-junking their house. I am absolutely exhausted but it was well worth it.
Todays Sustainable September idea follows on from yesterdays.
September 28: Create your own indoor scrap bucket.
When you do this you can buy, make or recycle another container to re-purpose it.
This helps with getting your kitchen and garden scraps to your compost bin. We currently have an old yoghurt bucket (1kg bucket) that we use. We have a couple of these bins that we have so we can wash one out and fill another or fill with gardening bits too.
Mum has a bucket bought that she has ready for when she moves into a granny flat. It is a little metal bin (that's been painted teal) and has a simpler lid to open than the yoghurt buckets. She finds the yoghurt lids too hard to open sometimes, that the metal bucket will solve.
I like short and simple ideas like the one above. They make it easier for you to do, and simpler for me too! :)
KINDNESS IDEA: Barter or share your extra produce.
My sister today traded some of her home made tomato sauce for some fresh produce from a local gardener & their small home-farm. This is awesome way to get what you need and give someone else something that they might not have.
I have to say the fresh produce was delicious. I cooked up some Kale and some rainbow chard with some garlic butter and it was divine. I cooked that together with some local backyard eggs (from a friend) and some delicious BACON!!!!! I know... bacon! again! It is the weekend though so as a Weekend Vegetarian it is allowed! ;)
I hope this finds you all well and excited about healing our environment.
Much love,
Daena x
Ten Days of Sustainable September and awesome Eco/Environmental Kindnesses! I've been blogging a lot lately! I am even impressed with myself! :)I continue to be impressed with how well this whole idea has been going! I really hope you are enjoying Sustainable September and are trying, at least, some of these awesome ideas! :)
Today's Sustainable September kindness idea was to go to lunch or dinner at a restaurant that used Eco and sustainable practices! Did you find somewhere that has organic food and drink? Or has taken up recycling/composting their food scraps? Or did you find somewhere that has their power run by renewable resources? Is there a yummy restaurant in the town or city where you live that follows one or all of these practices?
The Green House Perth is one of those places!
This tiny business card is the size of an iPod nano! (Couldnt think of anther description for something that shape or size!)
I ended up taking a big bag of this stuff home with me... FREE COMPOST!!! all of it made from the scraps from the site! :)
The whole, double story, wall outside of the Green House Perth is covered in Pot plants! :)
You get a 50c discount on your coffee if you bring your own reusable cup! Another reason to love the Green House Perth! :)
This was my delicious "Breakfast" served at 11.30am! :) YUMMY!!!
It's all so delicious! One of my most favourite things to have their is their Soy Chai Tea & a doughnut (Sadly doughnuts are off the menu at the moment! Hopefully they will be back soon! ;).
Anyways tomorrow's Sustainable September idea is...
Thursday – 11 September – Do
some research into which brands (Supermarket and Clothing) are better
than others for their environmental factors, not just making your decision based
on price. I have an app on my phone that I can consult when I am at
the shopping centre. The App is called “Shop Ethical” and can be
found for about $8 at the Apple App-store (I have an iPhone so I’m
not sure about Android phones).
This is what the screen shot looks like when you open up the App! :)
It is also available in hard copy for
about the same price, and a new book comes our every November?! I
think, So make sure you get the newest book!
http://www.ethical.org.au/
Did
you know the Facebook page is almost at 200 followers! How awesome is
that? If you are not a Facebook follower and you have Facebook and
love the blog I recommend you check it out here.
So today was the
Compost Bin Challenge, how did you go? Did you buy one? Did you make
one? Do you have awesome photos that I can see and cheer you on with?
Here is a photo of my compost bin! :)
Were you even
braver? Did you start a worm farm? If so was it very hard?
So for tomorrow I
wanted to go more into the “buy local produce” type of thing. I
know we have already talked about this but I love the idea of using
what you have and not wasting anything. That's what has led me to
write about the next kindness.
Sunday – 7 September - Buy
seasonal produce. When you buy local and seasonal produce it means
that you are reducing the shipping cost and environmental impact.
Things that are out of season have to travel from a location where
they are in season... longer distances, quarantine, different rules
in each country about what is safe practice and what isn’t.
I have recently discovered there is a
Farmers Market in my neighbourhood on Sundays, every week (Which is
why I put this idea down for tomorrow/Sunday). I have also discovered
that you can get BIG boxes of produce cheaper than the big chain
Supermarkets.
The other day my niece and I went to
the farmers market and bought a box of strawberries and apart from
just eating (about half the box of)just strawberries, we shared the
strawberries, we made strawberry jelly, Strawberry smoothies, added
strawberries to breakfast cereals and porridge... OH Strawberries...
you are so yummy! Thank you for being in season! :)
I also made one of my favourite meals
of Zucchini Slice (Its delicious) with some really cheap Zucchinis I
bought from the Farmers Market. Usually in our house the Zucchini
Slice doesn't last long. I made it and we have it as a hot meal (with
a small salad) and then we have it cold the next day. IF... and I do
specify... If we have any left it can be frozen. Or we occasionally
cut it into bite size pieces to take as a finger food for some
events. Remind me later to post the recipe later.
Sorry this is a bit late today, I was unwell and had an unplanned trip to the hospital. Spent 5 hours with the nurses and doctors. All relating to the surgery I had last year. I will be okay with a day or two's rest and some medication.
Hope you are keeping up with the Eco-Kindnesses! :)
So did anyone sign any petitions to protect a local environmental landmark? against Fracking? against destruction or logging of old-growth/rainforests? protecting your environment for the future generations? Any I should know about so I can sign them too? :)
So tomorrows Sustainable September Kindness idea is one that could be done mid-week but might take a little time... so I've thought about it as a weekend activity.
Saturday – 6 September - Buy or create
a Worm farm or Compost bin.
I've been using a compost bin for a while now. It sits in the corner of my little back yard. I use it to reduce the amount of rubbish going into land fill. It is like recycling your organic matter.
"47% of Australia’s household waste is made up of organic waste like food scraps and garden cuttings. Recycling can turn organic waste into valuable gardening and farming products, such as fertiliser, mulch and conditioner" Read more from Keep Australia Beautifulhere.
From Land Fill Waste Facts - Kids Go Green (Caerphilly, Wales)
Composting and creating worm farms also helps the environment and is a kindness to the earth of ours.
I have only recently gotten into gardening and I am looking forward to using my Compost mix on my garden as the soil here in Western Australia is basically made up of Sand!
There are lots of different ways to create a compost bin of your own. One of my Favourite TV Shows is River Cottage Australia... and it just so happens that there is a small segment on how to make a compost bin on their site... Check it out here.
Tomorrow I will post a couple of photos of my little compost bin.
As yet I have basically left out the Worm Farms. I don't yet have a Worm Farm as I thought I would see if I could keep my
plants alive first before taking on live wriggly worms.As my plants are thriving, it might almost be time for me to start a worm farm.
The Australian Government's Department of Industry, has some awesome schemes, rebates and ideas on creating composting bins and even how to create worm farms. Check it all out here.
Hope this finds you well.
Luv Daena
p.s How you are going with your Sustainable September Kindnesses. :)
