Sustainable September 2015 - Day Four

Hello my lovelies,

Oh man, I am tired, and I am also pretty excited. I am currently on a course in Sydney and we are having long days. Doing blog posts at 10pm when I have to be up at 6am is probably not my brightest idea yet. I am getting there though. I have been getting up early for exercise. It is both exhausting and invigorating. Having not done much for a long time now in the exercise field, I have taken this week to start my health & healing. Since Sunday I have greatly improved my fitness. I can now do 60 crunches, 60 press ups, and 3 whole minutes of plank position! Much better than my 20 x 20 by 30 seconds. Healthy me, here I come! :)

Back to Sustainable September... How did you find yesterdays idea for a more sustainable future? Did you remember to take your reusable bags with you to the supermarket? Did you buy any nice new reusable bags? I used mine today to tote dirty washing to the laundry of the lady i'm staying with. We can do this!

So today is yet another simple switch.

September 4: Replace your plastic toothbrush with a bamboo one. Bamboo can be composted. 

This is as simple as it sounds. You can buy Bamboo toothbrushes from your local health store (or you can from a lot of health stores near me). I have just bought a bulk pack (I am yet to try them). I am excited about it though because the waste accrued from toothbrushes is ridiculous. 

I bought these in Bulk with the intention of passing them on, or using them as gifts. Plus when you bought these in bulk it was cheaper! :)

I kind of wish I had found these cute bamboo toothbrushes  first... after all they have my last name etched into each one!! ;)

 And when is say rediculous, let me share the sums, that someone else kindly did for me...

"Here’s why you should be thinking about the environmental impact of toothbrushes. Let’s take Australia as an example. There are about 22 million people in the country. Let’s say, as a very rough estimate, that 1.25 million are little babies and don’t have teeth. So that’s 20.75 million Australians with teeth (including dentures, which still need to be brushed, so they count.) We all know the dentist tells us to change our toothbrush when it starts to get shaggy; about every three months. We also know that we are lazy, so we probably only change them every four months. So let’s say everyone changes their toothbrush three times a year (every four months).
Here’s the equation:

• Australian population with teeth  x number of toothbrushes used per person per year  = number of toothbrushes used in Australia per year

…which equates to:

• 20,750,000  x 3  = 62,250,000

Yes, you read that right. By my very rough estimate, Australians are using 62 and a quarter million toothbrushes per year. (Some estimates say 30 million, but I’m going to presume Australians care about their dental hygiene more than that.) To boggle your brain a little more, keep in mind that Australia has a small population. Think of how many toothbrushes the US, Chinese, Indians, Brazilians and Indonesians are using. Yikes!" (Eco Lesbo Vego - 2015).

 Scary huh? The website Trash Is For Tossers by Lauren Singer is a great resource too (Yep! That's the trash-free girl again). In Lauren's article it talks about the US rates of toothbrushes (and tooth paste) produced from plastic that are non-recyclable. It is pretty scary stuff. All these plastic things that we never even think of. Sneaky plastic! hehehe.

Toothbrushes made of bamboo can be recycled or even reused or up-cycled when they need to be disposed of.

Why bamboo not some other non-plastic substitute? I hear you ask. Well....

 "Bamboo, a natural cellulose fibre, is biodegradable, environmentally sustainable and does not pollute the environment.Technically considered a member of the grass family, bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth, and is incredibly abundant. It regenerates itself prolifically with minimal water and without the need for harmful pesticides - in fact harvesting and using the bamboo helps to control unwanted spread into agricultural and natural forest areas.Bamboo is a 100% natural renewable resource that grows back within a few months of harvesting and reaches full size in 3 years." (New Internationalist 2015. This following link is too the Bamboo Toothbrushes by New Internationalist Shop, of which I bought a collection. I bought the bulk pack.

I have a few awesome bamboo products at home that I love. When the toothbrushes arrive at my house (and I'm home to pick them up) I cant wait to try them out. I will wait until my plastic one dies before replacing it completely. Otherwise it is waste in another sense.

KINDNESS IDEA: Donate Toothbrushes and Toothpaste to a homeless shelter. Often the shelters need toiletries. This is an awesome idea of how to support your own community and help those who need it most.

Okay my lovelies,
I'm off to bed.

Much love to you all.
Daena Guest x

Sustainable September Day Twenty Kindness Idea

Hello everyone,
I have been having a rough day. I'm usually pretty perky but its been one of those days that just seems to wear you down. I have actually achieved a lot. And yet I am exhausted... physically, mentally, emotionally.

One thing that has been keeping me focused & motivated is the Sustainable September kindness ideas. I have always struggled to be consistent with my blogging however having the blogging app on my phone and on my laptop has allowed me to have more flexibility in when and where I blog. So I am as impressed as most that I have actually managed to keep writing a blog post a day for so far 20 days (Seeing as i started the day before Sustainable September actually started).  They do say that it takes a month to get the habit started... fingers crossed after September ends I will be able to keep this enthusiasm going! :)

So todays Sustainable September kindness idea was to check out the Water Wise website.  Did you do that? If so, what did you find? If not, did you do something else to help the environment? To make your life more sustainable?

I checked out the website and was impressed with what they have to offer... a whole lot of ideas and even informing people about what assistance programs are available. Particularly for rainwater tanks and new dual flush toilets. :) I thought that was pretty cool. :)

I currently live in a rental property so getting a rainwater tank has to be approved by the owners before I can even look at getting one installed... but I think I might even talk to them about it. I love rainwater to drink... my godmother has a rainwater tank and I think I had about 4 litres of water a day whilst staying with her because the water tasted so much better than simple tap water. :) It also is nicer to use when washing your hair... It makes your hair softer and shinier! :) Or at least that is my experience.

Photo taken from Google Images... For more info click here

I also love that the website has ideas for Kids. :) All those parents out there... there are awesome ideas on how to get the kids interested in this environmental kindness. Check it out here

In my research for todays i also stumbled across a few international websites for Water Saving ideas.

For those in the UK: http://www.waterwise.org.uk/  It has tips and ideas for all areas of your house & Workplace.
  
For those in the USA: http://wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/
This website is based on the Water: Use it wisely campaign out of Arizona, USA and is awesome for all the amazing ideas it has for conserving water, a list of 100 ways. 

I'm afraid I could not find a website for Russians on water saving. Considering the top four countries that follow this blog are Americans, Russians, Australians and British... I'm sorry I couldn't find a website that would be useful for everyone. However each of these websites have something to offer everyone... so hopefully you have found something you could adopt in your own home or workplace, not matter what part of the world you are from. :)

If you have a look most of the websites I have used can be used by non-australians as well as Australians. If there isn't anything that works for you... check out the web to find a local website that relates to one of the Sustainable September Kindness Ideas. And if you find one for your particular country that you want to share with me... I would love to hear about it! I might even be able to include it for next year, if I am brave enough to do this again! lol

Anyways, Thats all fair and good but that was all for today... hehehehe ... But we have to move on to tomorrows kindness idea...

Saturday – 20 September – Plant some vegetables and herbs in your garden, in a few months you will be able to reap a harvest. Saving the planet and "Saving your hip pocket" (an Aussie expression meaning to save money). 

Grow Your Own Food and Be Good To the Environment from Who's Green? has this to say on growing your own vegetables and its impact on the environment. "...You can help to reduce the carbon emissions that are associated with air freight and other methods of transportation. Growing your own produce is the green way to save time, money and energy. You and your family can share in the healthy tasks of maintaining an organic garden as you enjoy your home grown produce together, safe in the knowledge that you are eating the best and healthiest produce available while you do your part to keep the environment safe and clean." Read more

 I have planted hardy herb plants like Parsley, Mint & Thyme (they are delicious in pastas and savory dishes). I am currently growing a range of vegetables, fruits and herbs. I admit I have my fathers same Green Thumb. If you have a Brown Thumb, perhaps you could talk to a “Green Thumb” friend or neighbour and offer to do them a trade, you buy the plants (its an initial outlay that can be expensive) and if they (the Green Thumb) can get them to grow/keep them alive, they can have a chunk of the produce. Its an idea.

I always have excess produce, so I usually give my sister & her family some and then my neighbours too... which is occasionally something that I use for a "Regular" Kindness idea. I have already given away excess lettuces, rainbow chard, yellow passionfruit, mint and thyme. My mint and thyme are out the front of my house so my neighbours can use it too whenever they want... after all both seem to take over my small front garden. But I don't mind because they smell so nice.

Finally, I hope this finds you all well... I will share photos of my garden with you all tomorrow.

Much love,
Daena x

Over 10,000 page views... Cause for celebration!

Hello my lovely peoples,

So usually when I get to a significant number of page views I share all the fun statistics this blog celebrates... after all I do enjoy statistics! :)

I was a little slow last week when we JUST hit 10,000, so here they are now!

So here is the map of the world from which most of the page views come from... The darker the country the more page views from there!!!

Country:	Pageviews:
United States	3094
Russia	2666
Australia	1616
France	384
United Kingdom	338
Germany	296
India	78
Israel	57
Poland	56
Brazil	53

So that is the current page views... To all those Countries that have supported me for so long in this kindness challenge... THANK YOU!!!! You are amazing! :)

I just want to welcome India & Poland to the Blog. I am so blessed with your enthusiasm for my page! :) THANK YOU for visiting this blog! And THANK YOU for coming back again! :)
 
A big special thank you to my friend and fellow Blogger Ben Clapton... who wrote part of his church sermon on me! Ben is an Officer in the Salvation Army and now lives on the other side of the country to me. I am just so grateful that he took the time to share a little bit about my story with his congregation! If you want to check it out the most recent blog post, you can here..."Called to Be Holy". He had written and shared about this blog before... on another Blog post called "Random Acts of Kindness".

Hope this finds you all well,
Luv Daena x

Im alive and kicking in some cases literally

Hey everyone,
you are probably wondering if i have fallen off the planet, of gotten lost in my own town, or something rather drastic, but im here to assure you i am still alive... and still going with my kindnesses. I just wanted to let you know i have been continuing with my kindnesses even if I'm behind posting the monthly kindnesses or weekly, or daily for that matter. SO many plans to be organised! Well they go out the window when you are so engaged with everyday life.

Anyways, part of the reason i have only been on this blog occasionally recently is there have been a few family health issues. Mum had to have another round of surgery, this time for what i love to call "routine mantainence" but she thinks i make her sound like a computer, and she apparently "isn't one"... much to my amusement (mainly because she had to clarify)! Things didn't quite go to plan, but things are slowly (and i mean SLOWLY!) getting back to normal.

My dad had a fall at his nursing home recently, and while he is not injured (apart from a sore bum apparently) it has shaking his confidence a lot, and ours a little too. Dad has been our miracle man for so long, that when he shows fragility, its kind of scarey.


I have been working in the communal garden at our set of units and have recently planted, a peach tree, thyme, basil, carrots, and keep my mint, parsely, rosemary and a crazy pumpkin (literally took over the garden) and chilli bush. My kindnesses have included giving some of our crazy pumkin plant's big pumkins to different neighbours to enjoy, after it tried to take over the pathways to all the houses. We have already got 6 pumpkins off it and its producing more by the day!! I have been helping one of the elderly residents with her planting and pruning, and she has been teaching me so much about gardening, so its a win for both of us really!

Mum and i have also realised how much "stuff" we have... its quite amazing how much "stuff" you accumulate on a day to day basis, or on a yearly basis. So we have decided to start going through things and giving away what we can and throwing away what we cant. We are shredding and then giving the paper shreddings to pet stores or to my sister for her chooks, the first lots been used in the garden as more mulch.  We gave my sister and brother-in-law a bookcase today. It was hilarious because my brother-in-law and neighbour (who is ex-navy) were attaching the bookcase to the back of the car... lets just say the tears of laughter were running down my leg(jk). It was very funny.
We have also already filled up our rubbish bin to make sure that we are getting rid of as much as possible. We have been giving old clothes to people we know can use them (if they cant use them, then they pass it on). And there is soooooooo much more. Mum tires easily, so i have been keeping her plied with tea and cookies (for those who saw my recent photo of the over cook i did a couple of weeks ago... well you know what I'm talking about). It is very slow going, but its will mean that we have more time for people and less time for "stuff"... well that's the theory anyways.

I did a kindness recently that was one of my favorites. I was on my way to pick up some junk food for mum for dinner (while this was a kindness... its wasn't the only one), and i decided that i would buy dinner for the car behind me. I am blessed to have money! its not much but its enough that i can do nice things for other people and not be too worried about what happens next in terms of budget. For a long time, there was no-one behind me in the drive thru line, i was almost at the window to pay when this car pulled in behind me, with two young guy in it. I don't know who they are or what they even ate, but i asked the guy behind the counter if i could pay for the car behind me and he looked at me funny, but said sure. So I did. I got my food and drove away. I love the idea that the guys in the car behind me would have been confused but happy and that they may have done something similar for someone else... but in truth i don't know... and i never will! That's what made this one so fun! A sneaky act of Kindness... or more acurately a Random Act of Kindness. It was so simple. I didn't know kindness could be that simple, but it was. Seriously... you should try it. Its awesome! :)

On a really exciting note, I am currently planning a round the world trip! Its going to be awesome! im going to Canada (Edmonton), USA(Washington, NYC & Boston), Ireland (Dublin), England (Hull & London), Wales (Holyhead & Cardiff), France (Paris), Germany (Colgne), Italy (Rome) and Egypt (Cairo - with a 8 day tour down the Nile)! I am so very excited that the planning is going so well and i have friends & family in a lot of those places and I will get to see them again! I am so very blessed too, not many get the opportunity to travel as often as I have. If you live in any of these locations, let me know about the "must see" things I simply cant miss....

Okay... what else? i have no idea. So much has been happening that i don't know if i am here or there! But i keep my kindnesses going, as should you. Making a cup of tea or coffee for a neighbour (doesn't cost much), helping to carry a heavy load for another (its free), smiling at a complete stranger for no reason (it makes you feel good too). So many simple ways you can be kind.

Anyways, much love,
Daena

p.s the "literal kicking" comes because i am back at Karate. Last year I wasn't well enough to go very often, but i love going and I love teaching people how to protect themselves. We teach that in a dangerous situation you should run first, and only when you can't run do you stay and fight. But we want you to be prepared for both. So a lot of what we do is fitness... so you can run fast! :) I love it, and the teacher has been teaching me for almost 20 years (he's no spring chicken - but can still beat me at any competition... so lets hope he doesn't see that comment! lol). I recently got my lifetime membership (oh that is SCAREY... apparently i'm no spring chicken either! lol!).  And if you are trying to figure out my age... didn't you know its rude to ask a lady her age?! lol! however if i give it to you freely... well thats a whole other kettle of fish! *Coughs* 27 *coughs*. ;)

5000 page views and beyond....

Hey Guys and Girls,

Thank you so much to everyone who has been following along with my journey this year and the last two. I know that this time two years ago I was excited when I had one or two page views appearing on the page... let alone an over whelming 5100+ so far. I know I promised you all a follow up, for those crazy statistic lovers like me, so here it is....

The darker the country that is represented, the higher number of page views! :) Thanks everyone!

United States - 1434 views
Russia - 1374 views
Australia - 1120 views 

United Kingdom -165 views

Germany - 96 views

Israel - 56 views

France - 46 views

Brazil - 39 views

Netherlands - 33 views

Thailand - 27 views

Welcome to Israel, it hasnt been long but I love your enthusiasm for my page! Thank you! :D

For everyone else! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I just want you to all know that I am so grateful for the continued support! :)

And for those of you who are interested the most popular post with a whole 67 Page views was "Alive and kicking! September kindnesses..."

Well I am off to go and do today's kindness and support some friends who are armature actors in a play, that another friend wrote! Sometimes doing kind deeds are so much fun... actually it is more than sometimes... its most of the time! :) 

I hope you are all doing really well!

Much love to you all, and thanks again

Luv Daena x

3000 page views! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Hey everyone,
we have made it to 3000 page views! That is amazing! I remember how excited i was when we made it to 100, 500, 1000, 2000 and now 3000!

I just have to say THANK YOU for your support, encouragement and enthusiasm for this project of mine, even though I am not the most reliable blogger. I really appreciate all those who support this blog and all those who support the Facebook page! You are such champions for kindness that I am inspired by the stories you tell me!

So for those of you who enjoyed the last set of blog statistics i put up (i don't know when i will do this next - but statistics always intrigue me - so it will probably be when we make it to 5000). So here is the top ten countries (The map shows the darkest colours as the one with the most views).

Australia - 875 views 

Russia - 803 views

United States - 734 views

United Kingdom -74views

Germany - 57 views

Brazil - 33 views

Netherlands - 23 views

Colombia - 19 views

Thailand - 19 views

France - 14 views

Thank you!

Thank you to the Russian, Brazilian, Colombian, Netherlander & Thai cheering squads, mainly because I am pretty sure I don't know any of you personally.

For those of you I don't know personally, in any of the other countries, thank you so much for your continued support, and whether you found me through chance or through one of my friends, thank you so much!

To my friends and family, who remain my constant and continual companions on this journey! THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! :) I love you lots and lots! Your journeys and your compassion inspire me! :) Thanks!

TO anyone:

Thanks... i don't think that can be said enough really! gratitude is so important and very powerful! So thank you again! You all rock! :)

Hope you enjoy the statistics... if you are a little crazy like me! :)
Luv Daena x

Over 2000 Page views... WOW!

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness. I am just so excited that we have reached 2000 page views. YAY!!! Thank You!!!! Thank You!!!! Thank YOU!!!! Now that is a milestone!

This week we have also reached over 30 people "Like"-ing the 365Days-Of-Kindness Facebook page! So this is an awesome week for celebrating! :)

I bet some of you are thinking that this is not that special... but this blog has managed to have over 1000 page views in under 6 months. And it had taken almost a year and a half to get the first thousand! I know things will grow from here... but I think it is very important to say thank you to everyone who regularly checks out this site! Its amazing! You all deserve a large pat on the back! so THANK YOU!!! I am particularly grateful to those who have been sharing this blog with their family and friends. You spread the word... and kindness grows a little more. So Thank you very much!

For those who don't know much about this blog or who reads it I want to tell you about the countries that this reaches. (Here is the handy Audience Statistics button the the Bloggers page to help me out here).

Currently the views from each country are as follows:

Australia  749

United States  481

Russia 326

United Kingdom 55

Germany 45

Brazil 31

Thailand 25

Colombia 16

France 15

Canada 11

These are the countries the ones in Green (the darker they are, the more page views).

 
 There are more countries that I have seen view the site once or twice... but for some reason they haven't been included in this list! Maybe because it just lists the highest 10 countries for page views or something!

Now I am pretty excited by this because I know that Australia would be highest... after all I live in Australia... So if it wasn't then I would be surprised! But THANK YOU all my Aussie Friends! :)

Also I have a few friends in the US of A, and I know that they are very committed supporters of this Blog! So Thank You!!!! For all of those in the US that I don't know personally that have been recommended here by one of my crazy supportive friends, welcome! And if you have managed to find this blog all on your own and have been checking it out, double welcome! Thank You one and all!!! I also owe a thank you to the serendipitous way that you found me on this vast world wide web! If it was through Google, or another search engine, thanks to them too! :)

Now I also have close friends in the UK, Germany and Canada! Thank you guys you are the besterest! (and yes I just used the word "BESTEREST"! it is an upgrade from best and best-est!:)

For people from the other countries... Russia, Brazil, Thailand, Columbia and France... I have no idea how you found me... but all i can say is Thank You! Because it is clear you keep coming back! :)

I just want to say thank you for supporting me do my kind deed everyday! Some days are harder than others... but the love, encouragement and support I get from you all, keeps me going! Thank you!

I also feel like I am writing to other people not just for myself, when I see how many people check out what I am doing every day even if I only write about it on here now and then!

Things that are coming up:
I am going to be updating more Acts of Kindness in 2012.
I will be writing up a report on the 1millionactsofkindness.com's eight week challenge (which many Aussies are about half-way through, including me!).  
There are a few "TOP SECRET" events planned for the future too... but as they are top secret I probably shouldn't be telling you that... oooopps! :S


Anyways,
A huge ginormous thank you to everyone again,
you make this all possible!

Luv Daena x

p.s. still spun out over the 2000 page views! We clearly ROCK!!!!