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!
Hi everyone, the weekend is here! And i am out today to explore my new city!
And I am doing most of it on foot!
Todays idea follows that theme...
Day 21.Stop driving everywhere –
For most places in the world this is not a hard switch to make. For some remote communities in Australia, and other remote places getting on public transport is impossible. However, here in the UK, and even back home in Perth, Australia, public transport is a viable option, and is often a much cheaper option than driving.
For example, whilst I was living in the little town of Llanharan, Wales I would pay £24.50 for a weekly pass to travel by train as many times as I needed to in a week and I would make good use of it. (The view from the bridge of my closest Welsh train station from my old home!)
To own a car here is much more expensive. £24.50 would probably only cover the fuel cost, not to mention that the additional expenses for owning a car – insurance, maintenance, washing, registration, parking permits, MOTS (its like a health audit for a car that happens yearly in the UK), etc. – costs a lot more than public transport does.
However, there are times when I have needed to use a car to get things home from a shop, or get places at weird times when trains or busses aren’t running. I have often been able to carpool with someone in most cases. I think I have used Uber/taxi 4 times since being in the UK and that is because i was moving bulky suitcases! Everything else has simply been about managing times for public transport.
There is also the added bonus of it helping the environment. Nice little bonuses. I must admit there is a certain freedom about having your own car, however, using public transport in city areas is much better financially and environmentally.
Did you know that in London (& here in Reading to a certain extent), it is rare for people under the age of 25 to have their drivers licence? This is because getting public transport is sooooo much better to use and a much cheaper alternative than owning and driving your own car. In Australia it i almost weird if you DONT have your drivers licence before 25 years!
Hope you are well,
Love Daena x
ps. I had a great night out last night celebrating a new friend/collegues birthday. I helped celebrate it by making her a cake at work! :)
Today was my first day of work at the new job. And... it was good! I spent the day with my hands in a bucket of water cleaning the dirt off the mud covered finds that had come back from some of the excavated sites... it was so cool. I got to see pottery, glass, metal, shell and bone. It was so exciting.
For lunch i even took my vegan "mess" which was a lovely meal to have on Meatfree monday. It was also really yummy.
I love that my new job also ties into Sustainable September. As an Archaeologist I get to look at and excavate the rubbish left over from past generations. This always makes me wonder what future archaeologists will be excavating from our era. The truth is this will probably be referred to as the plastic age. And it is something we need to change. Now! So todays environmental kindness idea is... Day 4: Reduce your use of single use plastic –
First start like all arvhaeologists by looking at the rubbish you are producing in your house. My biggest plastic haul comes from food shopping.
I combat this by buying foods based on reusable packaging. I like to buy cool and interesting glass Jars instead of plastic. I then reuse those jars to store a whole range of things I need to keep in my pantry. Or I even use my jars for taking places. You will be surprised what foods you can get in glass or paper/cardboard even (that can then be composted).
If you get really enthusiastic you can ask the local butcher to put the meat you are purchasing into a reusable container you are using yourself. I find that meat is the hardest thing for me to get plastic free.
I have fallen in love with the jars that my Coconut Oil comes in. I use them for everything from storing my collection of weird and wacky dried foods, to use them to store leftovers, and I’ve even used them as bowls on the odd occasion. Bowls with lids! Winning! Normally it would cost a bunch to buy jars like these. The coconut oil jars tell me how much they can fit inside them. I particularly love them for preparing my fruit and coconut yogurt to take with me in the mornings. 250g is enough for a good desert/breakfast.
Why does this save you money? Well, for me it has meant that I haven’t had to buy new expensive glass containers, as I am setting up my Pantry in the UK. These jars are an added bonus for the products I have already - which is awesome. Free stuff is great. Particularly for someone like me who is still setting up their home.
I purchased pureed fruit (from the baby food isle - dont judge me) and there was a choice between glass and squeezy sippy bags. I only realised that the jars were not only cheaper but 30p (60c AUD) cheaper per little jar. And then I can reuse the jars for spices or snacks. Perfect for me.
I hope you are enjoying this shorter Sustainable September series.
love Daena
ps. For a kindness idea - save any jars that you dont think you can reuse, remove the labels and donate to a zero waste store like The Wasteless Pantry (in Western Australia). If you dont have one near you, local schools with art departments are often looking for glass jars for paints and paintbrush cleaning. So call a local school and ask if they are interested before dumping them off.
P.P.S. For more Zero waste stores check out places like Wasteless Pantry (which is about to open two more stores), Hetu (London) or The Source Bulk Foods (in both Australia and the UK). And Ripple_Living is going to be arriving soon in Wales (as a not for profit - Exciting).
It's that time of year again, where you can count on me to be here every day... sharing what I lovingly call Environmental Kindnesses during Sustainable September.
I thought I would answer a few questions to set the coming month in motion...
Why do I do Sustainable September on a Kindness blog?
One of the things that people often forget is that kindness doesn’t have
to be only for other humans. It is a gift that we can give to creatures great
and small, ourselves and the environment.
This earth sustains life. Our lives. It
seems like a small thing to take one month out of every year to help give back
and help preserve the environment for future generations. That is a kindness to
our children too. Kindness can simply be making the world a better place for
those who are yet to be born, or those who are yet to grow up.
We can kindly
make the world a better place for others and for ourselves. But most of all we
can choose to live more sustainably so other people, plants, organisms and
animals have a better chance at living their best lives.
How long have you been doing Sustainable September?
So for the last 4 years I have been working to create a Sustainable life for myself, and to inspire others to make simple changes for the benefit of all. It is important to be kind to ourselves, each other, other living things and particularly the environment which sustains us.
What will Sustainable September Focus on this year?
One
of the things that stops a lot of people with regular old kindnesses
(not that there is realy a thing as 'regular' or 'old' about kindness)
but that they think it requires a lot of cash to do it. That is simply
not true. However, this year I thought I would share money saving ways
to help the environment AND put some money back in your pockets to save
up to do that kindness that you have been wanting to do for ages. Or to, you know, help you pay the bills.
What is new this year?
So in May I moved from Australia to Wales, and I am
currently preparing for a new move to England.
I have just gotten my first job in Archaeology in the UK. And I am super excited!!!
I have been pretty lucky that I could get work in my field of study after such a long time of study.
So while we will be doing Sustainable September together, we
can explore our own cities, or in my case a new city, and find eco-friendly
options.
This month I will be attempting to share
some of the things I am doing or have started here.
One of the things I would like to take this sustainable
September to look at is how living environmentally friendly can actually save
you money. It doesn’t have to be an expensive lifestyle change. In fact it can
actually save you a lot of money and I want to show you how.
What have you learned in the UK?
I used my last 3 months in Wales to learn about and support the
first Zero Waste stores in Cardiff. I am so excited that there will be a not
for profit Zero Waste store opening in the coming months there. You can follow
@ripple_living on Instagram, and i even supported their Kickstarter campaign.
On a side note: I will be returning to Cardiff regularly (as that
is where my boyfriend lives). So if you see some of the things I share
it will be a mix of England and Wales.
Where else can I find out about Kindness?
There are literally hundreds of amazing websites, profiles, pages and people who promote Kindness in this world. I encourage you to seek them out, share them and encourage them. It will make a huge difference to them, as it does to me.
If you want to find out about the 365 Days of Kindness Facebook page click the link here.
You can also follow me personally on Instagram (which is pretty new for me) @daenaguest. I must admit there is a lot of posts about good books, yummy food, kindness and sustainable practices on there already. I am also on Pinterest (but not as much these days). So feel free to check either social media account out, and if it aligns with your values, please follow me, if not... Thanks for thinking about it.
I want to thank you all for reading this far and I wish you all the best in whatever you do. I hope you keep checknig out Sustainable September though. It's pretty awesome, if I do say so myself... and I do! hehehhe.
If you have any more questions please don't hesitate to ask.
FASHION & BEAUTY - MAKE YOUR OWN MAKEUP & BEAUTY PRODUCTS
Welcome Sustainable September-ers.
Yesterday was all about reducing Plastic in our hair care regime. I am excited to take up Shampoo Bars.
Sustainable September Day Twenty Five: Reduce the amount of chemicals and plastic used in your beauty routine.
One of the simplest ideas to reduce the amount of the plastic and environementally un-friendly chemicals is to simplify your beauy routine.
For some guys this is probably less of a problem, however, there are some men who use more than me when it comes to health and beauty regimes.
"Cosmetics companies may use any ingredient or raw material, except for color additives and a few prohibited substances, without government review or approval. About one in eight of the 82,000 ingredientsused in personal care products are industrial chemicals, including carcinogens, pesticides, reproductive toxins, and hormone disruptors. To top it off, U.S. federal lawallows companies to leave many chemicals off labels, including nanomaterials, ingredients considered trade secrets, and components of fragrance.
The scariest of all? More than 500products sold in the U.S. contain ingredients banned in cosmetics in Japan, Canada or the European Union. and here we are, buying this stuff up like it’s the cool thing to do." (One Green Planet)
I don't tend to wear much makeup except for the occasional promotions work I am doing at the moment. I have been working to change the products I do use (on the rare occasion that I do actually use them) to vegan and environmentally friendly. I recently upgraded to a vegan mascara, which is pretty good.
I also gave making my make up a go. It was a little bit of a failure. I know there is a lot of different recipes
ACTIVITY: Make your own Makeup and Beauty products.
For example:
Hello again,
I am feeling much better today. So I hope you enjoy this blog post as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I spent some time today cleaning up and sorting out my clothes. In the last few months I have changed shape a lot. I have lost two to three dress sizes. This means I have a lot of clothes that are not comfortable or even the right size. I spent some time giving a lot of my clothes a go, seeing what fits and what doesn't. It was kind of sad to realise that some of my favourite clothes are actually too big for me now. Which is also a blessing. This will actually lead on to the next weeks theme of FASHION AND BEAUTY. I'm giving you a day or two advanced notice. It is a huge theme so I hope I do it justice. Anyway... back to todays idea and this weeks theme of cleaning.
To end off this weeks theme of cleaning, i wanted to talk about dishwashing.
Sustainable September Day Twenty Three - Sustainably cleaning dishes.
Often there is a lot of plastic when it comes to washing up. Either the washing up liquids you buy come in lots of plastic containers or the dishwasher tablets come wrapped in plastic too, and often wrapped twice in plastic.
There are some different ways to reduce waste and make the way we do our washing up more sustainable
1) buy in bulk. This reduces the amount of plastics that go into landfill. For example, Where you would buy 3 x 330ml bottles plastic bottles of washing up liquid, you could buy a single 1Lt bottle of liquid instead. It is not a huge difference to make but it can actually make a pretty big difference. And this can be done with dishwashing tablets too.
2) Buy an eco friendly brand. If you currently use a heavy chemical based dishwashing liquid, you could simply change to one that uses less chemicals and uses sustainable practicises in its packaging and bottling. If you are not sure what some of these brands are you can check a local (to you) Facebook group that does Zero Waste, or Environmental sustainability. I am part of a few Perth based Facebook groups and i am so amazed by the collective knowledge that this group of people has.
3) Refill a container. I know this because i have done it before. I had one of those previously mentioned small plastic bottles of dishwashing liquid that I took to The Wasteless Pantry. There i got it refilled (which basically made it zero waste. That was one plastic bottle of dishwashing liquid that i didnt need to purchase, and one that didnt have to end up in landfill or at the recycling yard either.
4) buy plastic free Dishwashing tablets. We are yet to find a wonderful option for this, even though we do use dishwashing tablets at home (unless we hand wash stuff - which I tend to do a lot of). We buy an eco brand in bulk (where possible) but the packaging still has plastic, so I wouldn't recommend them here. However if anyone knows where I can get dishwasher tablets without plastic wrappers I would be so grateful.
5) Make your own dishwashing liquid or dishwasher tablets. This is actually the ACTIVITY for today too.
Now I know this wont work for everyone. Apparently some recipes can be a little temperamental so some experimentation is required. But give it a go.
Zero Waste Liquid Soap/ Dishwashing Liquid - This is made with Soap Nuts!!! I mentioned them in the last two blog posts, so if you havent read them yet... check it out.
Note: You dont have to have colouring in this recipe either... it just gives it a nice way to differenciate the dishwashing liquid from other cleaners in your home.
Zero Waste Dishwasher Tablets - look pretty easy and she shows you how to make Washing soda from baking soda.
Note: you can make this into a washing up powder if you want to- just dont add water to recipe.
I would love to see what you have made and how it looks!
Here is a video about Zero Waste Cleaning. I thought I would include it here because tomorrow is the last day of the Cleaning Theme and I didn't want to miss anything. This is from Kate Arnell from EcoBoost. It is about 20 mins but it is worth it.
I hope you have enjoyed the cleaning theme and look forward to the next one! :)
Welcome to day Nineteen of Sustainable September 2017.
Last week I talked about buying or making some "bees wax wraps". I had bought some a while ago and after a house sitting trip they had mysteriously gone missing. I had thought they had been thrown out. So I purchased some more when I went to the Dwellingup Bespoke handmade craft and art market over the weekend. I got some new wax wraps from the same wonderful ladies Undisposed, to replace the last lot that went MIA. As I was cleaning up today though I found a single bag of stuff that hadn't been unpacked since house sitting and guess what was inside? My old wax wraps! So now I have 4 wax wraps all to my self! :)
Which also means I owe an apology to my family for assuming they had thrown them out! Sorry guys!
Whilst I was waiting for the Internet to be fixed here (fingers crossed it's done now completely) I spent some time using today's idea "use vinegar for cleaning". I scrubbed the communal kitchen stove with vinegar. And it's before and after pictures are pretty cool. But please don't judge the before pictures too harshly.
The idea for tomorrow is something that builds on today's idea.
Sustainable September Day Nineteen: use bi-carb soda.
Today when I was using the vinegar I had some really tough grime cooked onto the stove so I had to pull out my trusty super Bi-carb soda to help with it. Sometimes vinegar alone doesn't work as well, particularly with stubborn grime like this.
As you can see the cook rings were caked with grime. So I soaked it with vinegar and added some bi carb for an awesome reaction.
Look at all that bubbling... Glad to know it was working.
This is what they looked like afterwards with some scrubbing. I didn't do heaps of scrubbing because I wasn't feeling great (still had the headache from yesterday). But it came out pretty good!
You can see the difference here between the front one and the back one. One with baking soda and vinegar the other without.
That is probably way too many photos of my stove top. Hehehe.
But the point is that Bi-carb can be a wonderful addition to any household cleaning routine for tough and stubborn stains.
Here is a heap of uses for Baking soda in cleaning...
ACTIVITY: use one idea from the video above to test out. Find out how simple and easy it is to use baking soda in your environmentally friendly cleaning routine!
That's all from me today folks. I hope you are all enjoying Sustainable September.
If you have any other uses for bi carb or vinegar of you have any other cleaning tips and tricks that are environmentally friendly and sustainable, then let me know. I would love to hear about them.
Today is the last day of this weeks theme of Foods and Storage! When i post tomorrow we are moving on to another theme... which is all about Cleaning. It sounds boring i know... but it will be all about learning how to do wastefree cleaning. Or at least reduced waste cleaning. But for the last one of this weeks theme i have managed to pile a whole heap of ideas into one.
Note: I appologise if its a bit all over the place, this is the second time i have written this post. The first time i had a glitch and lost everything. So here is to take two.
Sustainable September Day Seventeen - find alternative wastefree (or reduced waste) Beverages.
Soft drinks - If you have a taste for the sweet nectar of soft drinks finding wasteless options is a wonderful environmentally friendly idea. And if you cant find 100% waste free options finding reduced waste options is a wonderful improvement. Apart from going completely soft drink free and surviving on water alone... the best option I've found for soft drinks is a Soda Stream (There are also generic brands of this system available however i have a soda stream so only know about this machine).
These days the most exciting soft drink I, personally, have is Soda Water with fresh lime pieces (so refreshing). But instead of buying the single use plastic bottles of soda water, we bought a Soda Stream so that we could make our own drinks. Now I can get soda water any time I want! Yay! The reusable bottles are plastic (so not perfect) and must be replaced every two years. Whilst the gas bottles are returned and exchanged so that they can be refilled for others in the future (yay! sustainable!).
My sister (who drinks Diet Cola) and I (soda water), had a couple of drinks so I could show you all how my soda machine works. You can add concentrated syrup which is basically flavouring that comes insmall bottles that can give you about 7-9 Litres of flavoured soda. I like it because it significantly reduces the amount of single use plastics that would come into our house.
Coffee pods - by now most of you know that I don't drink coffee. But I have heard about the amount of waste coffee pods causes and the damage it does to the environment. I even wrote about coffee pod waste for the last few years so here are the links... 2015 and 2016. These links will help you understand all the information about why coffee pods are less than okay for the environment.
These days there are lots of coffee pod machines on the market. The coffee pods are a disaster for the environment. However, there are other options to throwing the pods in the bin. One is to recycle them (assuming you are using recyclable coffee pods like Nespresso). A second alternative is to buy reusable metal coffee pods like this one...
This is what it looks like with its little reusable lid.
This is what it looks like without its little lid on. Its very cute.
I took these photos whilst at the Wasteless Pantry. It looks like an amazing product which only improves with any quality coffee you can fill these little pods with. I don't have a coffee maker with or without pods and I don't drink coffee... So if you have one and use one of these I would love to hear what you think! Good or bad!
Loose Leaf Tea - Better than t-bags is loose leaf teas when it comes to reducing waste. I am a tea lover! I have heaps of loose leaf teas and a tea strainer that I use daily. Even as I write this I am drinking a cup of my favourite decaf tea that I also have in the photo below.
That is my tea strainer with a Red Green Vanilla tea from T2 (a Roobois with vanilla). It's super yummy and I'm not even sure if it even comes in t-bags. Last year I wrote all about the problems with tea bags so I'll link that HERE. Needless to say loose leaf teas are better and can be easily composted, whilst many t-bags contain plastic so are not compostable.
If you want to buy without even the packaging from places like T2, bulk stores like The Wasteless Pantry have tea that you can purchase package free. I have been eyeing off their Chocolate Roobois tea. If i didnt already have half a cupboard of teas to work my way through, I would definetly get some.
But that least me on to another idea from last year.
Kettle filling - An idea of how to save money, energy and water is to only heat your kettle with just as much you actually need. This can be as simple as filling the mugs you want to use with cold water and then pouring that water into the kettle so you fill it with only how much water you use. I did a blog post on this last year also. You can check that out HERE.
ACTIVITY: Upcycle old drinking containers.
For ideas on what to do with old beverage containers check out this short video of 4 ideas of what to do with milk containers.
For several more ideas and hacks... check out this awesome collection of 25 ideas of what to do with a range of drinking containers (usually soda/cola/pop/soft drink bottles).
This is a reminder to use what you have in your house already for this, instead of going out and purchasing more to make these crafts/hacks. I say this because any plastic item that is in an altered state (like it has been cut up) often cannot be recycled. So if you do choose to use these ideas think about how you can use the WHOLE bottle not just a part of it, because the left over bits will end up in landfill.
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.
How did you go with getting your coffee or tea today? I got to use my Keep Cups agan today and i love that they fit in our car cup holders.
Now... Another week means another theme for the week. This week is all about Food and Storage. So everything to do with what you can do to minimise kitchen waste to how to choose more sustainable foods and eat healthier for your environment.
Sustainable September Day Eleven - Participate in Meatless (aka Meat Free) Monday.
Always a favourite Monday activity in our house, Meatless Monday is a wonderful way to reduce the amount of carbon footprint you have on the planet by reducing the quantity of meat you consume.
There are lots of reasons you might give up eating as much meat. One... it saves you a bunch of cash because meat is often the most expensive part of the meal. Two... the meal industry has been responsible for a lot of concerning practices when it comes to the care of its animals. Three... then there is the environmental impact of the meat.
In 2006 the Independent News wrote that "A United Nations report has identified the world's rapidly growing herds of cattle as the greatest threat to the climate, forests and wildlife. And they are blamed for a host of other environmental crimes, from acid rain to the introduction of alien species, from producing deserts to creating dead zones in the oceans, from poisoning rivers and drinking water to destroying coral reefs. The 400-page report by the Food and Agricultural Organisation, entitled Livestock's Long Shadow, also surveys the damage done by sheep, chickens, pigs and goats. But in almost every case, the world's 1.5 billion cattle are most to blame. Livestock are responsible for 18 per cent of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming, more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together." Read the article here.
Then there is the whole Carbon Footprint side to it too. What resources have gone into producing the meat? How far has the meat travelled before it got to your plate? The smaller the distance your food travels from the farm to your plate, the better it is for the environment. Environmentally speaking reducing the amount of meat we consume, and therefore demand, has to help. It might not seem like it but it does make a difference.
If you enjoy TedTalks You might enjoy this one all about Meatfree/Meatless Monday and why it works. Its really interesting if you have 15 minutes.
Then you look at the waste that the meat packing industry creates. I know I throw out a whole bunch of plastic, in either plastic wrap, plastic tray or even polystyrene tray form. I buy in bulk to minimise the amount i am bringing into the house, but there is still a lot of plastic involved. Some Zero Wasters have found buchers who are willing to pack your meat into reusable containers, however not all meat specialists/buchers are willing to put their product into your containers.
For years now I have used the old meat trays after they have been washed, as palets for my paint and my artworks - its a nice way to reuse something that would otherwise be thrown into landfill. I can wash them many times and mix my paints on them. Its probably my favourite upcycled skill.
ACTIVITY: Be adventurous... Find an amazing vegetarian recipe and give it a go!
Sure it might not be something you would usually do, but being brave and giving something new a go, might mean that you find some new staples that can save you a bunch of cash (because you dont have to add meat) and are just as yummy. If you need any advice check out my Pinterest Board called Meatfree Mondays
I hope you enjoy this challenge,
Enjoy
love Daena x
How are you doing? I have been doing my best to REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE.
I got some more work done on my chair today at my Upholstery class. Because i am REUSING this chair & a lot of its bits as best i can by REDUCING the amount of stuff going to landfill. Because chairs like mine often end up chucked away rather than RECYCLED.
For those of you who know nothing about 'my chair', it was a wingback chair i picked up from the side of the road over a year ago. I have been dismantling it for ages, and only now am i building it back up.
Sustainable September Day Eight - Bring your own cutlery instead of using disposable ones.
Why cutlery?
If you have been following sustainable September for the last few years you will know... this one if fairly new to me. I didn't think I was using disposable cutlery all that often... but it turns out I was. "Worldcentric.org estimates 40 billion plastic utensils are used every year in just the United States. The majority of these are thrown out after just one use and end up in landfills and waterways." (Eating our way out of the plastic waste dilemma from Plasticstoday.com). For more information check out the link. Learning statistics can be scary.
So last month I decided to invest in a premade cutlery pouch from a local-to-me eco friendly supplier called Undisposed to reduce the waste I was already accumalating.
I now have a cutlery pouch that I always carry with me in my handbag.
I add a metal straw to it because it works well inside the kit. I use it regularly. The biggest problem I have is remembering to take it out and wash it regularly (not just after it's used, it's in my handbag after all) and also washing the fabric kit it goes in. Thankfully bamboo has a wonderful antibacterial quality.
The kit in the photos used to have bamboo chopsticks too, however i accidentally put them through the diswasher rather than handwash them and they kind of died. So i need to get some more.
I love that they are bamboo because it means that i can chuck them in the compost once i finish with them (like i sadly had to do with two broken chopsticks).
ACTIVITY: Upcycle your old or preused plastic cutlery into something that will last longer. Check out these christmas themed candle holders.
Like always, I put a disclaimer on videos like this that upcycle. There is no point going out and buying these things if it means you have to chuck away parts that you would have never bought in the first place. This is for those times when you have a whole heap of left over things that you would prefer get used instead of thrown in the bin. It is not perfect... im sure there are lots of ideas you could come up with and if not check out Pinterest!
I love Pinterest. It is dangerous though. So make sure you set some time up to have a look... or you'll find yourself down the rabbit hole 3 hours later with 15 new recipes for your friends who are vegans, the newest looks in Capsule wardobes, 100 ways to turn woodern pallets into everything under the sun, a whole new way of baking cakes so they look like rainbows, and 45 quick sewing patterns. Pinterest is like that... dangerous to the unprepared! But so wonderful for creative people like me.
Anyway, i hope this finds you all well,
Love Daena xx
How was your recycling challenge? Did you learn something new yesterday? If so, what did you find to be the most useful thing from the blog? What would you like to know about in the future?
The next week of Sustainable September will all be about Tiny Changes. Little things you can do to make the world of difference. Eco Kindnesses that anyone can do.
Today is all about Water Bottles.
Sustainable September Day Four: Buy and use a reusable water bottle and take it with you every where you go.
WE have already talked about the problems with single use plastics and how bad they are for the environment. check the last few days posts for more information on these.
So in terms of REDUCE - Don’t purchase single use plastic water bottles. If you have to buy a single use water bottle, buy glass instead. REUSE glass bottles where you can and if you can't RECYCLE them.
ME: It took me a little while to find the right type of reusable bottle I like. My problem is that I really like 1L bottles and so it took me a special effort to find 2 water bottles that fit that criteria. Last year (and the few years before it) I had a stainless steel water bottle that I had bought in Ireland in 2013.
This is me with my waterbottle in 2014 long before it was lost to me.
Then recentl I lost it on one of my adventures. Somewhere out there in the world is a water bottle with a celtic pattern on it. I hope someone took it with them and reuses it still.
Then I found and bought a teal plastic reusable water bottle that fits my 1L capacity criteria.
I used it all the time for about 6months. Then I misplaced this one too and thought it had gone missing like my first water bottle. I wasn’t sure where it went, because I lost it within a time period where I was completing a range of tasks. After a week I couldn’t cope anymore with out one.
So I went out looking for a metal (this time) reusable water bottle that fits the 1L criteria. I found and bought this one.
Then… low and behold my first 1L teal plastic water bottle was found and returned to me. Hooray!
So now I alternate between the two 1L water bottles. I never did find the Celtic water bottle but I am glad I have 2 x 1L water bottles at my disposal.
I enjoy having a water bottle with me everywhere i go because it stops me from spending money on soft drinks, bottled water and sometimes it even stops me from spending extra money on snack foods. That alone is a good enough reason for me to take my water bottle with me everywhere.
Then there are the other environmental benefits. Which is an added bonus.
ACTIVITY: Give making a water bottle carry bag a go. For those days when you don’t take your bag somewhere. Check out this website for a few different ways to crochet a water bottle bag.
As you can see the cook rings were caked with grime. So I soaked it with vinegar and added some bi carb for an awesome reaction.
