Sustainable September 2018 Day 27

Ive been suffering with a bad headache for the last day or so and have been drinking a lot of water... which had me thinking about the importance of water to us and the environment. So todays, Sustainable September idea is...

Day 27. Save water

There are several ways you can do this.

One is by not leaving the tap running whilst you are brushing your teeth.

Another is by installing a low flow shower head. This can change the pressure but saves you a packet in water bills.

You can also take shorter showers, use a brick in older toilet cisterns so that it doesn’t use as much water to flush, and install two button flush systems.

Saving water can save you a lot of money, but also give the environment a helping hand. This is because in places like Australia water is a precious resource, and we wouldn’t want to waste it. Or end up like parts of south Africa who earlier this year were on water rations.

And just to folow up from that, here is a quick timeline of events for the Capetown water crisis.

Anyway, I thought this was particularly interesting.

I Hope you have a great day.
Be kind to one another.
Love Daena

Sustainable September 2017 - Day Fourteen

SEPTEMBER 14 (THURSDAY)

FOOD & STORAGE - STORING VEGGIES

Hello my Sustainable friends,

Welcome back to Sustainable September!

Today has been a long and busy day for me so I will keep this as short and sweet as I can. 

Yesterday was all about packaging, I even shared how hard it can be for a person with allergies and intolerances to get unpackaged items. However, today I found some gluten free Sweet Potato crisps at a bulk store (instead of buying a plastic wrapped packet of Sweet Potato crisps). I don't buy them very often because they are not that good for me. However seeing as I am currently on the Auto-Immune Protocol Paleo Food lifestyle where there are not many easy access foods, this is the best of a bad bunch.

Sustainable September Day Fourteen - Store food so they last longer.

I must admit that this one is new to me. Some of these tips and tricks may not apply to everyone, depending on what you purchase at the shops or farmers markets. I heard a whole heap of these from one of my favourite Podcasts... The Slow Home Podcast. Brooke McAlary has a wonderful podcast and blog that talks about slowing down and one of the things she discussed a few months ago (after the Australian Broadcast of War on Waste) was how to REDUCE waste. Here is a screenshot of my phone and the podcast athay I will be talking about today.

This link gives you 50 Different Ways to REDUCE your food waste. So I will pinch some of the things from this list that i have used in my own kitchen to save on waste. Have a look at the link above so that you can see other awesome ideas that apply to you. Then share them with me... i want to know what works. :)

Some of this stuff I have also learned through trial and error.

Did you know you can freeze a whole lot of stuff? For example, do you have a half used glass jar of Pesto? Instead of throwing out the left overs (or letting it sit in your fridge to go mouldy and rot before throwing it out), use an ice tray to separate single serves of pesto and freeze. It is usually in about tablespoon quantities. So you can throw it into some other things you make in the kitchen later.

Celery - For me, If I buy celery, I need to cut it up into smaller pieces for dips and snacks because if I leave it as a whole it tends to wilt without being touched. If it is cut then it gets eaten fast and there is a lot less waste. I cut them, then store them covered in water in a reusable container. Drain them before eating. Changing the water every second day.

I often use Celery in making Vegetable Stock, along with a lot of other veggies (you can also use celery tops and leaves for stock).

Carrots - In my house, if they are precut they get eaten faster. I cut them, then store them covered in water in a reusable container. Drain them before eating. Changing the water every second day.

If I have some whole carrots starting to get bendy I use them in my Green Smoothies. In the mornings I make a smoothy that contains a carrot, a handful of spinach leaves, half a cucumber, a cup of blanched kale, half an apple, the juice of half a lemon, either half an avacado or a teaspoon of olive oil, and then I add other bits like a handful of Berries, sometimes some limp celery, or over ripe banana or pears, or other fruit or veggies that are starting to look a little sad.

I often use Celery in making Vegetable Stock, along with a lot of other veggies (you can also use celery tops and leaves for stock).

Berries - For firm berries, you can rinse them in vinegar, dry them and store them in the fridge on a bed of papertowel in a plastic container. For more details about how to care for them check out this indepth tutorial about how to make your berries last longer here.

Any sad looking berries (not mouldy) can be thrown into a smoothie too.

Spinach/Lettuce/Kale leaves - I discovered that if I trim then wrap my lettuce, kale and spinach leaves into the damp clothes (damp teatowels) and then put it in a reusable container it lasts a lot longer than when I used to buy them in plastic bags.




This is my pink tea towel, my English spinach and a reusable plastic container I store in my fridge. 

Hard Cheese - Although I do not use Cheese (or any Dairy) personally, my family does. When we have bits of hard cheeses left over we chuck the extra bits in a container in the freezer. When you have a small container in the freezer full, put it in a blender and blend it all up together and you can use this extra cheese for making things like Cauliflower cheese or nachos. I learned this one from Jamie Oliver. We love putting parmesan rinds in soups. Cauliflower soup with parmesan is awesome - I remember this, even though I dont eat it anymore.

Bananas - Don’t compost your squishy, over-ripe bananas. Peel, slice and freeze on a tray, then transfer the rounds to a container. These are perfect for for banana bread, smoothies, protein pancakes, or my favourite is Banana Coconut Ice-cream (Daena Friendly & accidentally Vegan!). 

Veggies - Keep all your veggie offcuts, peels, skins and trimmings in a container in the freezer. When there’s a good amount, put it all in a big saucepan, cover with water, and cook for a few hours. It makes a delicious rich (free!) veggie stock that can then be frozen and used as needed.

Meat - Only keep out what you’re cooking in the next day or two. Separate the rest of the meat into meal-size portions. Alternatively you can take containers to the butcher and ask them to separate the meat into meal sized portions for you. You can then put it in the freezer with a lable if you need it. 

ACTIVITY - Start a Waste Free Cookbook. 
Basically it involves finding your favourite recipes to use up any of your usual food waste.

Do you often have too many bananas? do they get black and end up in the bin because you dont know what to do with them? Well how about finding a good banana bread recipe? Or peel the banana and put it in the freezer to use in smoothies, cakes or ice-creams. 

There is so much information here. You can take on whatever you want to do and give it a go. You don't have to do everything at once, I don't want to overwhelm you! 

I hope this finds you all well, 
love Daena xx

Lent gifting day 38 & 39

Sometimes we have great plans and sometimes it just doesn't happen. 

I've been working really hard to post daily but it didn't quite go to plan yesterday. Yesterday I took my niece down to the park and when I was there I got the starting of a migraine. My sister thankfully was on her way from work so she was able to swing past and pick us both up and take us home. 

By the time I got home I was nauseous and by the time I had had a chance to fill up my water bottle and make sure I had an ice pack I was vomiting. Great topic of conversation, I know. Hehehe. I then proceeded to sleep from 5pm to 11.30am when I was taken to the doctor and then back to bed until almost 6pm. I had basically spent 24 hours in bed (excluding the time I was at the doctors). 

 

Needless to say, by this evening I felt much better, although not 100%. But I got sick and tired of being in bed so I got up. I Had dinner with my family, watched some tv (fairly quietly) with the adults in my family and played a game of cards with my brother in law. All with my sun glasses on! 

Even though I was sick I didn't forget I had to do two days worth of blog posts. I'm making it short and sweet today because I need to. 

Yesterday's giving was another toy. 

 

I've had this "baby" doll for as long as I can remember. But I don't need it anymore and I know there is some little kid out there who will love her like I did when I was younger. So I think she would be in better hands than mine where she can be loved and appreciated. 

 

Today's act of kindness and gifting is also a toy. A "Big Bang Theory" kitty cat called "soft kitty". When you press its paw it sings the soft kitty song that Sheldon makes Penny sing when he's sick in the TV show "Big Bang Theory". See the clip below. 

I was actually given two of these toys a couple of years ago. My niece loved one so much that she used to use it all the time when I didn't live with her. She would crawl into the guest bed with the Soft Kitty and play it over and over and over and over again. The batteries almost died in it from being played so often. She loved it and it apparently reminded her of me. So when she was feeling bad she would climb into the bed I used and hug my toy. Kind of cute. But since I've been living in the same house she has been hugging me and not the toy so it's time to give it up. 

  I gave one away a few months back. But I thinks it's time I pass this cutie off as well. If my niece got some much out of it when she was younger, someone else will love it too. 

I want to make people's lives better. If by giving away some of my stuff I can do that then I am thrilled to. 

My Lenten gifting is not my only act of kindness in the 40 days of lent (which ends on Palm Sunday) but it is one that I feel comfortable photographing and sharing. Sometimes I do kindnesses anonymously so I can't share them here without giving myself away. Sometimes I do kindnesses that other people know about so I can share them and I do here or on Facebook. Sometimes I don't tell anyone because it's not something that I could share without sharing personal information or share something that isn't mine to tell. Kindness is also shown in my discretion.

But the lent gifting I can share because I is mine. I can show you what I'm giving away because often I don't know who it will end up with. I have no attachment to who gets it or where it goes. It is also something that I am giving up for the benefit of another person, group or community. What better Kindness can I do that giving away something every day in Lent? And tomorrow is the end for this "game". Although technically each Sunday during lent isn't counted so it really ends on the Thursday before Easter. Tomorrow is Palm Sunday and the beginning of what the Christian church calls Holy Week. The beginning of all the events that lead up to the crucifixion on Friday and the resurrection on Sunday. 

Even though lent doesn't end until Thursday most people I know give stuff up until Easter Sunday. So it's really a choice to how far you go. I will see how I go tomorrow I may even continue to give things up for charity until Easter Sunday just to push myself. I still have Heaps of stuff in my home that I Could regift. But if you are playing this gifting game too... please feel free to finish whenever you feel you want to. 

Hope this finds you well. 

Love Daena x

Sustainable September 2016 - Day Three

Hello lovely people,

So I made it safely to Canberra and had a pretty good trip to get here. No big dramas or issues really. A bit of turbulance. I took my reusable water bottle and my KeepCup too. They were both lifesavers. I find that my KeepCup is so good for flights because I have a lid for it, unlike the ones the airlines actually supply, which makes turbulence a breeze. The water bottle I have with me is only 500ml but fits perfectly in my handbag. Here is is below just so you could see that this is me at the airport living the dream.

My waterbottle getting a trip on an Aeroplane

A view over Adelaide (I had to stop there before going on to Canberra). 

Getting ready to fly on to Canberra from Adelaide. Should have photographed my KeepCup and WaterBottle in the pouch on the back of the chair. 

It was really rough turbulence just before landing in Canberra and my KeepCup was literally a life saver. As turbulance hit 5minutes after the cabin crew had come around with cups of hot tea and coffee. So no spills or burns for me! YAY! Thankfully a lot of people had juice today or it could have been a lot worse.

Whilst I am in Canberra I am staying with an amazing friend here and we had a wonderful meal out tonigh before i got taken back to his house, where im staying this week, and we got to put the last of my bed together. He bought a bed for me so i could come stay with him! Talk about kindness!

I will have to keep it fairly quick tonight as I am already exhausted and want to get into the new time zone as quickly as I can.  So here goes... lets look briefly at paper.

Sustainable September day 3: Say NO to Receipts.

Saying No to receipts is about reducing the wasteful consumption of wood and paper. If you don’t need a receipt say no when asked (preferably before they print it off).  I understand many people need receipts for tax purposes. But if you don't need to keep receipts then don't. This way you can easily reduce your paper waste.

 “Paper products are crucial to society, as they have enabled literacy and cultural development. However, without changing current paper production and consumption practices, growing demand for paper adds pressure on the Earth’s last remaining natural forests and endangered wildlife.

WWF advocates reducing wasteful consumption of wood and paper. But even with more frugal use and greater efficiencies, net demand is likely to grow with rising population and incomes in developing countries. So how can we produce more paper without destroying or degrading forests, in a world where competition for land and water is increasing ?

This challenge spans the whole supply chain, from where and how wood is grown and harvested to how wisely and efficiently it is processed, used and reused. It also involves changes to consumption patterns – such as eliminating excessive and wasteful use of paper in rich societies, while improving access for the poor to paper products that can improve education, hygiene and food safety.” (http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/deforestation/forest_sector_transformation/pulp_and_paper/)

Paper waste is a large issue because of the sheer amount of trees that are used to create the paper in the first place. Often the trees being cut down to make paper have come from naturally occurring forests and rainforrests. This destruction og the natural environment in not sustainable, whilst destroying natural habitats for animals and birds. This is not good for the environment.

I love paper as much as the next person. I really love books and notebooks. I am a bibliophile, so reducing the amount of paper in my house is hard. Like the statement says above, Paper is crucial to society and education. However, reducing the amount of useless paper waste is not that hard to do.

For the last few years I have been looking at the work by the Bea Johnson. She wrote the book “The Zero Waste Home” and has inspired me to reduce the amount of waste I, personally, put into the world. I know I have written about it a lot in the past so I will leave this light but she talks about simple ways to reduce waste. The first is to say NO to it. If you don’t need, it don’t take it. This includes freebies, samples, pamphlets and business cards. This can be very hard to do but I often end up chucking out so much stuff that I don’t need just because it didn’t cost me anything to aquire. Feel free to adopt the practice of saying no to all these ‘free things’ too. However, the easiest way to start is to say No to receipts. And build up these habits.

Kindness Idea: Learn how to make your own paper from your waste paper and turn it into a beautiful card or wrapping paper.

Often i will send off a card or letter to someone who just needs to know i am thinking of them, is having a hard time, or is away from home. This just makes a person feel special. Making things for another person is a complimentary way to show you care for someone. You also care for the environment by reusing a resource you already have lying around. You can use old news papers, wrapping paper, used printing paper, old study notes, and even the backs of cards (i like to keep the pretty fronts of cards and reuse them too).

On the front lines: The Zero Waste movement.

Here is a TED talk by the amazing Bea Johnson. I hope you like it.

or this one my Manuela Baron...

Hahaha.. so much for a short post. I do love to type. The hard thing sharing this stuff is knowing when to stop. Like I should have done a while back. hahha.

I hope this finds you all well.
Love to you all,
Daena xx

Sustainable September 2016 - Day Two

Hello lovely people,
So today was the first day that we did Sustainable September. And it was all about using reusable cups and cutting down on disposable ones. So today I did it.
I took my sister, who is recovering from eye surgery, out for the first time in a few days as she can go into the sunlight today. We had out coffees at the shop so didn't need to have them "take away".



I also used my Keep Cups today, but not to get coffee/chai take away. More to be able to give mum a cup of tea on her way to the doctors. So not only was it handy for mum to use a keep cup as she went out, it also saved money because she didnt need to buy a cup of tea whilst out. Money saving and environmentally friendly = WINNING!!!

  

Todays idea is along a similar theme.

Sustainable September Day 2: Use (or buy and Use) a Reusable Water bottle.

Plastic water bottles are rather popular here in Australia. I know these single use bottles are popular all around the world. But single use plastic water bottles account for one in ten piece of rubbish collected during "Clean Up Australia Day" (according to the website). Basically they account for an ENORMOUS amount of waste that ends up in our landfil, our environement and on our roadsides.

THe impact of plastic Water Bottles on our environment is huge. For example:
"In production: Most bottled water is packaged in PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles which are derived from crude oil. It can take up to 3L of water to produce 1L of water.

In transportation: Transportation of bottled water around the world requires burning of fossil fuels  

In landfill and the litter stream: Although plastic bottles are recyclable, many end up in landfill and take up to 1000 years to break down. When littered they often end up in the sea where they break up in small pieces, killing marine life that mistake them for food...

...By avoiding bottled water and refilling your own bottle you can help conserve virgin resources and protect our pristine nature. Another great side effect is saving money. One bottle of water can cost you around $2.50 versus only a few cents per litre for tap water. So start refilling your water bottle today." (Clean Up Australia Website http://www.cleanup.org.au/au/Whatelsewesupport/avoid-bottled-water.html).

If we can just reduce our need and use of single use plastic water bottles, or avoid them completely, we can make a HUGE difference to our environement.

Kindness idea: Purchase a reusable water bottle for someone in need. Or buy a water refill card for water stations so people can fill up their reusable water bottles.

In and around Perth, Western Australia, there are new water refilling stations that charge about AUD 50c per litre for oprdinary water or about AUD $1.00 per litre of sparkling water. I have used these myself and i think they are a pretty clever idea. Considering if i buy sparkling water it can cost about AUD$4.50 on average. Its a financial saving as well as an environmental saving. One of these prepaid cards could fill several water bottles for several days. For more information about the Perth based water refill stations check out http://www.proacquaaustralia.com.au/shop/

Front Lines: Here are a couple of TED talks to help you get a better idea of the affect plastic is having in our environment.

The first Video is by the discovere of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Cpt. Charles Moore. It is quite a shocking and compelling piece.

This second video is what is being researched to fix the problem of plastic in our ocean. I just dont want you all to think being Sustainable is a hopeless venture.

Hopefully plastic being removed from our oceans can be a huge game changer. However, we need to be concious about NOT making the situation worse. So lets only use reusable water bottles from now on. Maybe even choose something like glass, or aluminium, which are longer lasting, reusable alternatives to plastic.

Let me know what is your favourite reusable water bottle is. I have two metal ones and a reusable plastic one. 

I hope you have a wonderful day and I will post a new blog tomorrow. 

I am catching a plane tomorrow to see my friend in Canberra, Australia. I will be there for 9 days, so i am hoping to check out what awesome environmental ideas the countries Capital has to offer. :) 

I hope this finds you all well. 

Love Daena xx

Sustainable September 2015 - Day Twenty Five

Hello my lovely blog followers,

I hope this finds you all well. Did you have a chance to check out the price for the Rainwater tanks?

September 25: Buy and use Rechargeable batteries. 

Photo from Gecko & Fly

This is an awesome and great long term investment. We used to buy huge numbers of batteries for the different devices in our house. AAs from the best battery companies would cost about $5 AUD for two. We would be buying batteries every few weeks and it is amazing how fast the cost mounts. Rechargeable Batteries cost more initially but after buying the recharger and a few of each size of batteries, you do not need to buy more. You just keep reusing the same batteries over and over again. That means less batteries in land fill and more money in your pocket! It is all good! :)

There is also battery recycling too. So once you have used up your single use batteries (as you are replacing them with rechargeable batteries) you can give them to your local recyclers. The local schools often have recycling drives too. Mum and I give my niece and nephew the dead batteries to go to the school for their recycling projects. So its great for them and for us. Not that we have many batteries left any more but now friends pass them on for the kids school too.

I hope this finds you all well.

Love Daena x

Sustainable September 2015 - Day Twenty Four

Hey wonderful friends,

So did you have a chance to refuse a receipt? I did. And I was proud of myself for remembering to do it.

Well you would think by this point I would have run out of ideas. Well... yes and no. I have planned some ideas coming up for the weekend. Things that if you work during the week you might not be able to do. So I've saved them for the weekend. And now its just ideas for the midweek, thankfully there are not too many days left of Sustainable September. There are so many things that could be used... finding the right one is often a little trickier. Balancing simplicity and harder ideas to help people all along the journey of Sustainability.

One interesting thing though was that I was reading about the Global Development Goals today. Yes... that IS how exciting my work is! :) And I came across an interesting article that talked about the importance of creating little to no waste.

“Targets that will need a reversal in current trends to be met are reducing income inequality, lowering the number of people living in slums, protecting coral reefs, mitigating climate change and producing less waste, the ODI report said.” (Reuters 2015). 

If we actually want to reach our Global Development Goals and reduce poverty in the world, we need to produce less waste. Aiding the Global Development Goals is an obvious kindness we can all do. It is important support those less fortunate than ourselves. I am so glad that I have already started on this journey. Both kindness and reduced waste. I am glad I was introduced to Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson, and the first thing that led me to this idea the video by Lauren Singer.

So to the idea for today...

September 24: Install a Rainwater Tank. 

Photo from PJT Green Plumbing

Photo from Team Poly

This would normally be a weekend idea, however, even if you do the research tomorrow and install on the weekend, its better than nothing. There are so many options these days for water tanks. Rainwater is a great way to preserve water. In Australia water is so important to sustaining life in the harsh climate. Every year in Western Australia there are water restrictions during summer.

This is clearly a larger idea and is definitely the most expensive idea so far. It can be a problem for people who rent. Or people on low incomes. This may also be the hardest idea so far. it may also be one of the best ideas if you can make the initial investment. There are now underground rainwater tanks and a few other awesome ideas. Google can help you finding what is right for you.

KINDNESS IDEA: Help the birds (and bees) in your area by leaving out water in hot weather.
Birds love bird baths as it can provide needed water in the summer months, or warmer months. Bees need this too (although super shallow water bowls so they don't drown). Bees are really important to our food production so need to be supported, particularly as their number have been dwindling in recent years.

I hope this finds you all well.
Much love,
Daena x

Sustainable September 2015 - Day Eight

Beautiful people, welcome!

I got home last night from Sydney after an awesome week away. So this post is a little late. My apologies.

The photo from the train platform at Circular Quay - my sister took this one. Thanks Vandra! :) xx

Mum and I have walked a large chunk of Sydney now. My sister joined us for a day yesterday,a s we swapped destinations. She arrived in Sydney as we were heading home to Perth. WE had about an 8 hour cross over. We took our reusable water bottles with us and found refill stations all over the place.

September 8: Swap a single-use plastic water bottle with a reusable refillable water bottle.

Brita Fill and Go Glass Waterbottle

EcoTanka Stainless steel range of water bottles.

This is one that is possibly the simplest swap you could make. I love this particularly because of the range of reusable water bottles out there. You could get an ecotanka, or a brita water filter water bottle (the water filters are disposable though), or you could get one with almost anything on it. Just choose what type of water bottle you want and go from there. I have two aluminium reusable water bottles and two reusable plastic ones (one from Tupperware and one from somewhere else - a camping store I think).

One of my favourite ideas for travelling is to take an empty reusable water bottle (as full ones are not allowed through security on international or some domestic flights). What you may not know is that in most airports, through security and near boarding gates, there are water fountains and refilling stations for water bottles. So if you have an empty water bottle you can refill it before you board the plane. I have also had amazing air-hostesses fill my reusable water bottle on a few different flights. It is awesome because I have water when I need it and its also not going to spill like the Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny little cups they give you on flights that have a huge open mouth that you can spill all over yourself, like I have actually done a few times.

KINDNESS IDEA:  If a friend of yours is travelling buy them a reusable water bottle or a keep cup to take on a plane, train, bus or car. In Australia when people go on road trips, service stations provide coffee or tea for the driver so that they do not fall asleep at the wheel. Often these drinks are provided in polystyrene cups that are very bad for the environment. If you have a KeepCup with you, you can reuse the cup and protect the environment. they often have a place where you can refill a water bottle.  

I hope you are all well.
So much love,
Daena xx

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

Sustainable September Day Nineteen Kindnesss

Hello my fellow Sustainable September-ers! 

How did you go with your Eco clothing purchases? Or even researching which stores are Eco friendly? I was surprised by some & pleased with others! :)

I bought some clothes from Bamboo Body a few months backs and I really like them! :) 

 My favorite is this beautiful blue shirt I got that's pretty dressy... 

I wear it to work. I bought some pants and a dress too! It cost me about $150 :) I did spend a lot more money than I usually would. But considering I bought a complete outfit for $10 at the op shop the other day it all balances out in the wash! :) 

So tomorrow's Sustainable September Kindness idea is: 

Friday – 19 September  - Look at the water-wise website to find ways to decrease your water usage. Water is very precious! The earth is covered in it yet only a tiny portion is drinkable! In terms of my local environment, Western Australia has been having droughts on and off for as long as I can remember! However it seems to be impacting us more & more with water restrictions now every summer! 

The waterwise website is excellent in informing how to save water and gives info on products & services that can help reduce water wastage. And save you money in the process! :) 

https://www.watercorporation.com.au/save-water

Hope this finds you all well! 

Luv Daena x

Sustainable September Day Thirteen Kindness

G'day mates,

So have you got yourself a new water bottle? Or did you have one already? Did you take it to work? Uni? School? Or on your errands? Or do you even use them at home, like I do?

Me and one of my Water bottles when we went on a walk together.

So tomorrows Sustainable September Kindness idea is one of the best & most entertaining: 

 

Saturday - 13 September – Go Op-Shopping/Thrift Shopping/2nd Hand Store Shopping! 

Buy pre-loved clothes, accessories, home wares and BOOKS!!! okay so I usually go shopping for books at Thrift shops but I also love collecting interesting crockery and items for costumes. I'm currently in the market for some new Jeans so this is my next port of call. My mum mainly goes for the wool! But I also love that I can get CDs for like $1AUD instead of $20-$30AUD. 

Op-shopping can be lots of fun!!! :) 

This is the photo of the Op-Shop at the top of the hill from where I live! :) I often take my old clothing and accessories there for others to use when I have finished with them. Usually because I've gained or lost weight and they don't fit any more! :)

 

 

And who can go to an Op-shop/Thrift-shop/2nd-Hand-Shop without hearing the anthem for shopping in one of these stores... Ryan Lewis & Macklemore's "Thrift Store". It's an awesome and clean version by the Pentatonix... I love these guys! For those who have never heard these guys (& girl) before, the Pentatonix are an American a cappella group of five vocalists originating from Arlington, Texas.



(Thanks Tanya and Isaac for getting me onto these guys! :)

Hope you have fun tomorrow visiting op-shops/thrift stores/2nd hand stores.

Let me know what awesome bargains you get! :)
Luv Daena x

Sustainable September Day Twelve Kindness

 Hello my lovelies, 

So how did you go today? Did you download the Shop Ethical app? Or buy the book? What did you learn about some of the companies and products you usually buy? Anything alarming? anything exciting? Let me know! :) 

So tomorrow's Sustainable September Kindness idea is something pretty simple...

Friday - 12 September – Take a reusable water bottle to work/uni/school rather than buying a one-time-use plastic bottle. You can buy so many different reusable bottles at the moment. www.ecotankas.com.au are a good option. 

I have a couple of the different reusable water bottles. I find them awesome. I have three which I vary between. 2 of mine a wide mouthed because I like to be able to clean them by hand. I also use those ones more like cups, than just water bottles. Because I can clean them so thoroughly, I can put other types of drinks in them if I want. :) I also have one that is about 1litre, and the two smaller ones are between 500ml & 600ml (about a pint). One of mine is aluminium, the other two are made from recycled plastics. I would prefer to have none made of plastic at all, but I'm yet to find a sturdy glass one, as I like to see inside my water bottles.

The US has some scary statistics about one time use plastic water bottles:

"Out of the 50 billion bottles of water being bought each year, 80% end up in a landfill, even though recycling programs exist. 17 million barrels of oil are used in producing bottled water each year. Bottled water costs 1,000 times more than tap water. Drinking 2 Litres of tap water a day only costs 50 cents per year. Plastic leaches toxins into the water, which have been linked to health problems such as reproductive issues and cancer.
New York City tap water surpasses all federal and state health standards." Read More Here

If you dont like the taste of tap water, you can buy some water bottles with replaceable water filters. :) Even if you replace the filter, every three months of use, you are reducing the amount of waste going into landfill, by minimising the one-time-use plastic bottles.

Ocean Crusaders has a few statistics for Australia: "

• Australians spend more than half a billion dollars a year on bottled water. Australia produced 582.9 million litres of bottled water in 2009-10
• Producing and delivering a litre of bottled water can emit hundreds of times more greenhouse gases than a litre of tap water.
• In many cases, a litre of bottled water is more expensive than a litre of petrol.
• Australia recycles only 36% of PET plastic drink bottles. Assuming the 582.9 million litres of bottled water produced in 2009-10 is in litre bottles, according to these figures, 373 million of those bottles will end up as waste." Read More Here

Keep Australia Beautiful has stated that "Plastics are the most common rubbish item found on Clean Up Australia Day, representing over 30% of all rubbish collected over the past 10 years. This includes drink containers, confectionary packets and water bottles, all of which pose a huge threat to wildlife and our environment. Recycling plastic saves energy, valuable resources and helps to protect our environment." Read more here. 

On another interesting note: just because I like to give you something to think about. 

In Africa, and now other parts of the world, there is a movement of people that are thinking of new ways to remove bottles from landfill by turning them into housing. There are some awesome photos in this link. Read more here 

Or check out this video from the Samarpan Foundation. I love their motto: Peace, Love, Happiness, Kindness.

 

Keep up the excellent work my friends! :)

Hope this finds you all well! 

Luv Daena x

January 4th 2014

Hey everyone, 

So today was my brother in laws birthday  and we went to an adventure park in Perth called The Maze! 

My kindness today was helping my sister & brother in law with their kids (mainly the smallest one) at the water park part of the Maze! I had a lot of fun and spent a lot of time helping small people (not just those related to me) in and out of water slides or pushing them so they went fast (at their request of course - child safety is very important)! 

My 5 year old niece was the best! She and I had lots of fun running up the stairs & speeding down the smaller slides so that her daddy, mummy & older brother could have free reign on the bigger slides! We had a blast! 

We also played on one of the parts that this place is famous for... A Maze! :) it has lots of mazes actually but I was most impressed with the one I did all by myself!  it was amazing as lots of people didn't finish it! :) here is the proof... (That's me in the middle)! 

Anyways, I also chatted to the staff working at the tops of the slides... It seemed like a thankless job, so I made the effort to chat & thank them for their efforts! :) lovely people! :) 

Hope you are all well, 

I should sleep very well tonight! I'm exhausted! 

Luv Daena 

Ps. Thanks to my sister Vandra for the photo! :)