Sustainable September 2016 - Day Twelve

Welcome back!!! 

How are you liking this blog this month? How is sustainable September going for you so far? 

Today I left Canberra and my good friend who has been hosting me. 

 

I have been so spoilt. I am sad to go and yet so pleased to have seen our nations capital and had a chance to see my good friend. 

So where to next? 

Let's stay with small useful ideas for now 

Sustainable September: buy/use loose leaf tea instead of tea bags. 

Many who know me know that I have a rather large love of tea. I have about 40 different varieties in both loose leaf and tea bags. What I didn't know when I was purchasing the bags originally was that many tea bags contain plastic. That's right. I said plastic! Crazy huh? 

So if we want to reduce the amount of waste we are putting into the environment, why not go for the one without extra packaging and that will complexly biodegrade in the garden. If we use loose leaf teas we can compost or throw the old leaves straight in the garden, meaning it is given back to the environment to use and breakdown. Instead of going into landfill where it might not break down for years. 

There was a report done 6 years ago about plastic in Teabags in the UK. Many tea companies have actually started addressing the plastic component, which was what they used to seal the bags up, because of concerns from their customers. If you wish to see an article about it check 

here.

Mind you there is an additional environmental concern about the food miles your tea has to travel to get to you. So if you can get the local tea or one from the closest country to you that reduces the food miles. There is only one company in Australia I have found which grows their own tea here and sells on the commercial market. Most other tea is imported from India, China and other such places. 

Kindness idea: buy a box of tea for a homeless shelter. 

This is pretty self explanatory. Tea can be an added expense to those providing services to the homeless. 

Alternatively you could buy one for a local charity or church. Often churches and charities will have a system where their staff and visitors pay a couple of cents/ dollars for morning tea and those coins go to a special charity. Even if they don't donate extra money you could be supporting groups of people who want to help others. Which is pretty awesome. 

Front Lines: there are small communities around the world that are using Sustainable practices to provide safe and welcome areas for people of all varieties to come together and drink tea. 

Check out this one from the UK: 

I love this one. 

Hope this finds you all well. 

Love Daena xx

Ps. This didn't post on the day of the actual sustainable September because I had issues being on and off airplanes. When I thought I had actually finished and posted it, It didn't work. But I have back dated it to the time it should have worked. X

Sustainable September 2016 - Day Eleven

Hi again Kindness lovers, 

So today was all about OP-SHOPPING!!! Or thrift shopping! And today I got to see the super fancy and super expensive kind and then the not as expensive type. 

 

Now, to explain, I was wandering the hip and with it streets of Canberra today, as its my last full day here. I found some very expensive op shops, think expensive & designer second hand goods! 

Tomorrows idea is another simple switch: 

Buy/use a wooden or bamboo toothbrush. 

I bought some last year, some for me and some for the rest of the family. Whilst they are not to everyone's liking they are much better for the environment. 

I have only just recently thrown my first bamboo toothbrush in the compost and I just love it. 

If you are also looking for a way to get rid of your old plastic toothbrushes consider recycling them. 

Kindness idea: donate toiletries to a local homelessness shelter or emergency relief centre. 

Toiletries are needed by so many places not just the ones mentioned. Because toiletries are used by everyone they are often the first things to go and so lots of charities and community services are always needing more. 

Front Lines: micro-beads in toiletries. 

One thing you might like to know about when you are purchasing your toiletries is plastic micro-beads. 

These are in everything from shampoo to toothpaste. These are really bad for the environment. And get into our waterways and into all types of water creatures. Here is the video from the UK about the micro beads and how and why we need to prevent the use of them in all of our things. 

 

I hope this finds you all well. 

I leave Canberra tomorrow and I have really enjoyed my stay. 

Much love to you all, 

Love Daena 

Sustainable September 2016 - Day Ten

Good day lovely ones,

Today I was at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. It occurs to me how heartbreaking all the names on the walls are. 

 

What a great waste of life War is?! I found about a dozen with the same last name as I have. And it was so eerie having the voice of children, played over the speakers, read the names from the walls with the age at death. A lot of those who died in the wars where often more than a decade younger than I am. So scary. 

 

I definitely used my Hankys in there today. 

 

How did you go with today's sustainable September idea? Using reusable shopping bags?! 

Today is another simple one and is my favourite every year. 

Sustainable September Day Ten:  go op-shopping/ thrift shopping. 

Tomorrow is a Saturday and is my last FULL day in Canberra. Sadly. So I spent some time today hunting down the awesome op-shops in this town. A few just near the Canberra Centre and the bus station. Pretty cool really. If I could have fit an amazing singer sewing machine in my bag or even a rocking chair, I would have. I Loved the way they made the place fun and inviting. 

Check out the photo from the walls of their in house coffee shop...

 

LEGO!!!! Cool huh? They had little scenes and everything. :) 

There are so many reasons one could go op-shopping/ thrift shopping. One is reducing the amount of stuff already in the world by finding what is already been made. It reduces the amount of pressure on our landfills. It helps us find often hard to find bit and pieces that aren't made any more. It helps us get over the necessity of having everything brand new. 

Huffington Post shared their reasons for shopping at a Thrift Store and you can check that out 

here. Or this one from One Green Planet

Kindness idea: donate what you don't need to a charity op/Thrift shops. There are so many charities that do amazing things for the community and many of them (at least in Perth) have an opshops or thrift shop attached to them. Supporting these charities helps them do more for communities. It also makes your house easier to live in with less stuff!! 

Front Lines: there is a movement that is happening all over Australia and the world where...  pop up stores for the homeless. The movement started with "The Street Store". A South African idea that took off and ended up on social media around the globe. 

But here is one of the reports from Australia 

In Victoria the Herald Sun reports

It is so nice be able to help people and be able to Op-Shop/thrift shop at the same time. 

So if you are keen to act with kindness you could either hold one of these free stores yourself or find one already in your area and donate to it. 

I hope this finds you all well. 

Love Daena X 

Sustainable September 2016 - Day Nine

Hello wonderful people,

Today was all about using a reusable straw or saying no to using straws at all. 

 

This is a photo of me using my metal straw whilst hanging out at the National Museum of Australia. Notice I didn't get a plastic bottled drink either. Glass is much better for the environment. :) 

It can be quite difficult to say no or remember too. But that skill or habit could be a lifesaver for a sea animal or other forms of wildlife. Not to mention helping ourselves and our children in the future. 

Today is all about bags. 

Sustainable September Day Nine: buy/use a reusable shopping bag and say no to plastic bags. 

I must say this is one of the easiest for me to do every time I shop. I have these small roll up bags that go into my handbag. I pull one out whenever I need one and then re-roll and put it BACK into my bag as soon as I finish this. I probably have about 15-20 of these little roll up bags in total around my house. I probably only keep 4-6 in my bag at any one time. My sister has 4 in her hand bag. And mum has a couple too. 

This leaves a few extras so that some can be chucked in the wash (best part about having cloth bags) and some can be filled with bits and bobs on their way somewhere. It also means I can cycle out the ones that need repairs, but thankfully I only have to do the repairs occasionally. And it's usually the elastic that keeps it all rolled up nice and tidy that dies first. 

Kindness Idea: learn how to make plastic mats for the homeless. 

if you have a horde of plastic bags at home or you know where there are a lot, think about this as an idea... Using those single use bags to make something reusable and long lasting. This could be the idea for you. However, if you can't yet crochet, maybe you could learn. Or maybe you could do the cutting and "making of the plastic yarn" for someone else to use to make mats. 

Front Lines: there is a gorgeous TED talk by two young people in Bali who are wanting to ban the use of plastic bags in their country. What amazing champions of their country. 

I have visited Bali myself and it will make a huge difference to the place to be plastic free. :) I can't wait to go back and see the difference in a few years! :) 

I hope This finds you all well! 

Love Daena 

 

Sustainable September 2016 - Day Eight

Hello Sustainable September-ers. 

How is it going? Simple ideas seem to be the go. Didn't you just love the "Forest Man" video? So good. 

I talked about replacing tissues for Handkerchiefs today. When I packed my bag to come to Canberra, Australia, I packed as many handkerchiefs as I did underpants. Having been sick I wanted to be prepared for anything. And so far I am please I did. We used a couple as napkins after I managed to spill a whole bunch of stuff everywhere on a picnic. I've used them to blow my nose after reading too many beautiful stories about kindness (my favourite reason to cry). I have even used them to wipe the sweat off my fave after going for a run! Yay. Go me. 

I thought I would show you one of my favourite handkerchiefs. 

 

It used to belong to my dad. His initials are embroidered on it. Every time I use it I think of my dad. He was an amazing and environmentally minded man, so it seems so appropriate that I share it with you all this month. 

I also love how handkerchiefs are making a come back. Has anyone seen the movie "The Intern" with Robert DeNiro and Anne Hathaway? Well amazingly handkerchiefs play a pretty cool role in that movie. Bringing them back into fashion. 

So today is another K.I.S.S. Principal. Remember it's Keep It Simple Sweetheart. We don't have any stupid people here!

Sustainable September Day Eight: use a metal or glass straw instead of a plastic one. 

A few days ago we watched clips from the Zero Waste front liners. One of them pointed out the stupidity of straws. Something that you use once and then goes in the bin because it's useless after one use which may only be seconds. Then these pieces of plastic end up in the bellies and noses of someone of our most precious wildlife. Hopefully you all remember the video from last year of the turtle with the straw stuck in its nasal passage. It was seriously heartbreaking and more than a little gross. 

For Christmas last year I bought my family 10 metal straws between six of us. I usually keep 2 on me, in my handbag. One for me and one for whoever I am with. Usually mum and I. It works well. But often we really don't need to use straws at all.  

I know there exceptions for using straws. Some people have to for face or teeth surgery. I couldn't have done without a straw when I had my wisdom teeth out. Then there are the elderly (like my dad used) because all their food is liquid. And it helps regulate how much they consume in one hit, stopping them from choking. Dads nursing home has special cups with built in straws so he didn't need to use throw away ones. 

When you think about it, most places you would use straws are related to soft drink or cocktails. 

If you think about the straws from fast food venues, they use those stupid plastic caps for the straw to go through too. That is more plastic going to landfill and it even has the potential to end up in the ocean and stomachs of wildlife. Mind you, even if you swap out the straw for a metal or glass one, then you are still making a huge difference. Make sure you tell them no straw when you order your drink/meal. 

If you think about cocktails or soft drinks from restaurants, you need to talk to the bartender before they make the drink because if they have already been added to the drink they won't use it again, they will just throw it without it ever having been used. Which is a stupid tragedy all of itself. 

Asking for no straw is something that takes a bit of time to get used to but once you do, it's just like any other habit, it happens naturally. 

Kindness idea: purchase a glass or metal straw for a friend. 

I decided this was a good kindness for me after last year. I ended up saving them to give as Christmas gifts. My niece and nephew love using the metal straws I bought them. They particularly love to drink their smoothies or milkshakes through them. Best thing about the metal ones is that they won't break if dropped, which is the best option for kids. 

The glass straws are very pretty and you can SEE how clean they are. Usually all reusable straws come with a cleaning brush so it's easy to clean. It's also cool to see the water/juice/cocktails/milkshake/soft drink go through the glass straws. 

Front lines: all I can say is... This kid is awesome! I just love how kids are the ones fighting for the small changes that will make big differences in the long run. 

This interview is even better with more statistics.

Well done Milo! Now we just need to get something like this off the ground here in Australia! 

I hope this finds you all well. 

Love Daena X

Sustainable September 2016 - Day Seven

Hello wonderful people. 

So today is all about riding the bus or walking for Sustainable September. I was offered the use of the car today but decided to take the bus instead. Getting from one place to another on the bus has been a huge help because it means I actually get to look out the window and see what we are going past instead of focusing on the road and other drivers. 

I love the bus company "Action" in Canberra because they have these awesome slogans like "c
Conserve our fossil fuels. Be in... Action". Clever slogan.

It was awesome to ride the bus into the city because I got to see more. 

 lus it's a lot less stressful, seeing as I would be driving in a new city, on roads with some serious quirks, without any one telling me if I was doing the right thing. I mean the GPS would tell me where to go but they can't tell you you are in the wrong lane until it's too late. Hahaha. 

Another plus is that I have been able to write my blog post from my phone whilst riding or waiting for the bus. Yay! 

Today's idea is another simple one. I like the K.I.S.S principal "Keep It Simple Sweetheart". Yes I know it is often "stupid" instead of "sweetheart" but I like the kindness version better. I wonder why?! 

Sustainable September Day Seven: use a handkerchief instead of tissues. 

There was a point recently when I was really sick. And I mean. Really sick. Almost all of the rest of the family caught it too. There are 6 of us living in one house and if one of us gets a cough, cold or flu then the rest of us often get it too. This flu was no exception. I am still experiencing some after affects which sucks. 

Me, four weeks ago. 

Me, four weeks ago plus 5 minutes. After a coughing fit. I still had my sense of humour. 

The two photos were during the height of my flu. At least my awkward sense of humour remained. I took these photos so my friends would know I was still alive. 

Thankfully I am on holiday so I have had time to rest, heal and recuperate! 

What all this has to do with today's Sustainable September environmental kindness idea is that we went through about 20 boxes of tissues in two weeks. That is a lot of paper being used and destroyed. Now most of these tissues were either thrown in the fire (burn bugs, burn!) or thrown in the compost. However we could have used our handkerchiefs more. 

I personally have about 15 Hankys that I use fairly regularly. For cleaning my glasses, for blowing my nose, for when I got for a run (& get sweat in my eyes) and wiping my eyes when I am crying. Not to mention they also are excellent when you need a napkin! Mayonnaise on your face... Get out your hanky! Chocolate on your face... Wipe your face with the hanky, then lick the hanky! I'm kidding! Or am I?! Hahah. 

Kindness idea: make a "Flu survival kit" for a friend, family member or coworker. 

I have done this a few times. I like to include some lemon & ginger tea, a pack of sore throat soothing drops, a pack of hankies or box of Tissues, some home made soup, some paracetamol, a nice DVD (not something like 'contagion' Unless your friend has a sense of humour and is into scary movies) and maybe even a mug for hot tea and or soup! Maybe even some Vicks vapour rub and/or some lip balm. 

You could do whatever you want really. Just do something to make them know you are thinking of them. You could drop it to their home (if they aren't at work or at family events or any other activities). Or you could do a RAK drop, knock/ring and run.

Front lines: Forest Man. 

I struggled to think of anything along the lines of colds and flu. But instead I thought about paper and what it is made out of... trees. There are a lot of people doing amazing things when it comes to the planting and preservation of trees. But My favourite is the story of a guy in India who for the last several decades has been planting trees. They call him "Forrest Man". 

https://youtu.be/HkZDSqyE1do

He shows us what one person can achieve when they are committed and persistent. This is a fantastic story. One person really can change the world!

I hope this finds you all well. If not, I hope it finds you using a hanky instead of a tissue box! 😉

Sending love from Canberra. 

❤️ Love Daena x

Sustainable September 2016 - Day Six

Hello beautiful people, 

Another day in sunny Canberra (yes I am as surprised as you are). I spent the morning taking advantage of the sunshine by sitting on the porch with my book and a cup of tea just relaxing, after all, this is my holiday. 

I ate some lovely vegetarian frittata "left overs" for lunch and had fresh fruit for breakfast. Then we went out for dinner...

Being on hoiday is the best excuse to go out for dinner!

 I had a roasted vegetable salad covered with pieces of Haloumi lightly dusted with crushed candied nuts on a bed of fancy lettuce. It was divine.

This was huge, delicious and filling.  Not to mention vegetarian.

 Not bad for a Meat Free Monday! 😍

Today's idea is simple: 

Sustainable September Day 6: Catch Public Transport or Walk to Work/School/Uni/Shops. 

I then went for a Walk to the local shopping centre here in Canberra, which was  a 3.4km walk. And it really got me thinking, how much do we need cars? Sure they are handy but are they really worth all the hassle they give us too? I mean servicing, paying for insurances, licences for us and the car, parking fees, fuel, and the like. Sometimes it is much easier to just catch public transport. And if you are one of those lucky people who can read whilst riding public transport, you have more time to do that!!! Bonus!!! 

I had a look at the Western Australian Public transport authority website. They said "Riding the bus, train and ferry is fun, fast and eco-friendly. Transperth passengers reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 232,000 tonnes a year and greenhouse gas emissions from public transport is the equivalent of one third of private cars." Perth Transit Authority 2016

Where I (usually) live in the Perth hills has been fairly limited when it comes to public transport. They run every hour but if you need to be somewhere sooner you often have to catch a super early bus just so everything connects. However, even using the car to take us a short way to the train station is better than driving the whole way to the shops/school/Uni/work/city.

It is amazing how much public transport helps things us get out and about. :) 

So do some research if you are not regular public transport travellers so you know where to go and how to get there. It really is easy. I used to do this when I lived closer to the city and worked in the city. It was faster to catch the bus and train than it was to drive in because of peak hour traffic and crazy drivers. Did I forget to mention that when you don't drive you don't have to worry about crazy drivers as much from the back of a bus or on a train. 

Today I walked to the shops but I caught the bus back, after all half the walk there had been downhill. 

My tip for doing your shopping without a car is to take a backpack and to only buy what you can carry back with you. Which is not a bad thing to do at all! 

Kindness idea: Pay for Another Persons Ticket for Public Transport. 

You can do this in a Pay-It-Forward kind of way by leaving some money on a ticket machine. Alternatively you could just offer to give coins to someone who doesn't have any or give them the time left on your ticket. If you have an all day ticket and it still has time on it you could pass it someone who is getting on as you get off or someone who is waiting at a bus stop. 

Front Lines: Environmentally friendly cars. 

Car companies are now looking at how to make their cars more sustainable. The most popular environmentally friendly car currently available on the market is the electric car.

Photo froms:First Vehicle Leasing 2016

Tesla is currently the most popular Electric Car Company. The cars a pretty fantastic but they started by selling cars on the luxury market. So they are expensive and fancy. They are releasing cars in lower price brackets but there is currently a wait list for these cheaper cars. I must admit I love the Tesla S... 

#Drool. I just need a spare $120,000. AUD to be able to buy one of these babies. 

Gorgeous right? I thought you might like a bit more information about the car itself. Or maybe that is just me.

Photo taken from: Visually 2016

To see a video of the model S check this out: 

I live in hope that Electric cars will not just be things of the future but also the present. I hope they become more affordable, more common and even more sustainable. Then the human races obsession with cars might not be such a bad thing.

I hope you are enjoying Sustainable September so far. 😊
Sending love to you all,
Love Daena xx