Sustainable September 2018 Day 30

I cant believe its over! 30 days of September have flown past! I have been celebrating and exploring Reading,UK today on foot with my boyfriend G. 

(Watching the swans being fed by the locals whom the swans and ducks love). 

(We found this amazing old steam board that had been converted into a function room on the shade of an amazing pub!) 

We have been having a great day exploring new places and seeing what this city has to offer.

As today is the last day of Sustainable September I am going to leave you with the best advice I can.

Day 30. Be kind to yourself.

I have had to learn this one myself. We are often our own harshest critic. I have personally had to learn not to be afraid of making mistakes.

Failure is going to happen, but don’t beat yourself up about it too much. Everyone is at different stages of this Sustainable journey. As much as I love the idea of a Zero Waste lifestyle, I know it is not 100% possible.

If we all aim for a low impact life, there is not so much pressure with that label. It gives you permission to make mistakes. Because realistically we all make mistakes.

I live by the motto: When I know better, I will do better and until then I will do my best. 

Thank you to everyone who joined me for sustainable September this year. It has meant a lot to me to have your encouragement and support. 

Thank you all so much. 

Love Daena

Sustainable September 2018 Day 29

Today is my mums birthday. A day that I, sadly, won’t be with her to celebrate. 

However it is also somewhat of a milestone for me. I celebrated the end of the fourth week of work at my job as an archaeologist, a job that mum has always supported me in pursuing. 

My mum has been an amazing influence throughout my life, encouraging me and supporting me to do and be the best I could be. All despite some of the harder things we’ve been through. Which brings me to the Sustainable September idea for...

Day 29. Educate yourself 

This seems silly to almost finish off with but as we are coming to the end of Sustainable September, it seems important to include it.

Learning skills you haven’t learned before, that can help you reduce, reuse, recycle, rot or even refuse things coming into your house, can make a huge difference.

If it is learning how to make fruit jam from left over cheap fruits from the local supermarket that would otherwise end up in landfill, or learning how to make a worm farm, from learning how to sew a button, or learning how to reupholster a chair (that project is still in Australia for me to finish another time), it may cost a small amount upfront but the skills you learn in the long-term will make up for it.

The saying goes… “If you give a man a fish, you can feed him for a day. But if you teach a man to fish… you can get rid of him for the whole weekend!” wait… no… that’s not it! Hehehe.  “If you give a man a fish, you can feed him for a day. But if you teach a man to fish he can feed himself for a lifetime.”

This also means learning and watching through TV, media, documentaries, podcasts etc. 

I’ve learned so much from podcasts and documentaries over the last few years. It’s been really educational. 

I hope you are enjoying the last few days of Sustainable September! 

Much love to you all, 

Daena x

Sustainable September 2018 Day 28

I can’t believe how fast this month has flown by! It’s unbelievable! After today there are only two more days! Two until the end of Sustainable September! I thought I would talk about something that I’ve been making every morning before work and consuming on my walk to work. And that’s ... Tea!!!. But I make it simple and take it in a travel mug which is what today’s idea is all about! 

Day 28. Use a reusable Coffee/Tea Cup 

This is great when it comes to going to coffee shops as you can save yourself a few cents/pence anytime you buy a cup of tea or coffee take away.

Using reusables is also much better for the environment.

I have also been using mine everyday as I walk from my house to the office in the mornings

As the mornings get colder and I need a cup of something to keep me warm. 

It turns out that a warm/hot cup to take with me as I leave home is also a great hand-warmer as I walk to work every morning.

I know the first few time going to a coffee shop you might forget but its an opportunity to take that time to sit in and enjoy a ceramic mug instead.

If you are a cafe owner and are looking for ideas, you can always do like this little cafe in Australia has done ... ban single use coffee cups, and provide an option for those who forget.

I hope this helps, enjoy the clips from both UK and Australian War on Waste.

As it comes to colder weather, you could do simple kindnesses, like Suspended coffees or even giving homeless a couple dollars for a hot drink, a coffee card for a local cafe, or even inviting someone to join you for a cup or tea or coffee.

Enjoy, 

Love Daena x

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 2018 Day 26

It’s been really cold the last few mornings here in Reading, England! Getting down as cold as 2*C. I know that it will get much colder in weeks and months to come but this little Aussie is already struggling with the temperature changes. That’s the problem with having two summers in a row (Australian then Welsh/English)! 
This next Sustainable September idea is completely unrelated to anything... but is one of the best changes I made to living a more sustainable life. Gents, you can sit this one out... or read through for a great kindness idea you can do...

Day 26. Use Reusable Feminine hygiene 

This can be reusable pads, a diva cup or even reusable period panties.

I have to admit I was a little reluctant, a few years ago, about how this would be so successful for me. I decided to give the Diva Cup (a menstrual cup) a go, supplemented by the reusable pads from two amazing Australian suppliers Scarlet Eve & Little Aussie Monster.

My menstrual cup is THE BEST thing I have ever had gifted to me (it was a Christmas gift from my sister). I love the fact that it only needs to be changed every 12 hours (instead of every 6 hours with a tampon) and that I can change the cup either in the bathroom (preferable with a sink right next to the toilet) or in the shower (which is my preferred method). This means I shower twice a day on my period, which is probably not a bad habit to not feel as icky anyways. When I take out my menstrual I can see how heavy my period is, as the side of the Diva cup has measurements. It is a great thing to take note of for your own records because knowing this can help your gynaecologists know how much blood you’ve lost and if its more or less than usual.

The other great thing about the Menstrual cup, is that because it holds so much blood I don’t need to wear my reusable pad for more than the first 3 days. I am one of the many who have seven day periods, so not having to wear pads for 4 of those days is bloody awesome! And I wouldn’t have to wear the pads at all if I changed the Diva cup more regularly during the first three days, but I’m too lazy to do that. Lol. So I am happy with my combination of reusable pads and diva cup.

I won’t comment here on Period Panties but I know that there are several available that are a reusable period alternative to pads, tampons or even a diva cup. I’ll leave this review for another time. In the meantime I am really happy with the system I have for managing my periods! 

I also know that this has saved me a fortune already. I have had my diva cup for almost 2 years now (Christmas is its birthday) and even though I didn’t purchase it, I know it cost about $50AUD (£25) and it can last for up to 10 years. The pads I bought cost about $50 in total too and whilst this might seem like a lot of money, it has totally been worth it. I would easily spend $10(£5) a month (pre-reusables) and I would buy a combination of Tampons and Pads each month. Sometimes I would even buy more than one pack depending on how heavy my bleeding was.

After 10 months these reusables have paid for themselves. When Christmas comes around I would have saved $140 ‘above and beyond’ the cost that I was paying for my feminine hygiene. Best investment ever. 

Lads, I know some of you are thinkin that this is not something that YOU can do much about... and you are probably right, however being open to sharing some ideas with the ladies in your life, would make a massive difference to them. And if you partner, sister, mother, aunt, cousin, friend or coworker is struggling at that time of the month, do something nice for them. Its the best kindness a girl can ask for, havng the support of someone they know and care about. I wish you all the best with this idea.

I hope this finds you all well!
Love Daena

Sustainable September 2018 Day 25

I dont know if you would have had a chance to use yesterdays Sustainable September idea because it is something that will need some preplanning. When you organise a party or dinner there are so many great things you can do to reduce your budget AND reduce you environmental impact. Everything from not purchasing disposables, to using reusable straws in metal, glass, bamboo or alternatively single use paper straws (but these barely last ONE drink), or skip straws altogether.

This next idea builds on the yesterdays but it also doesnt need to be a party/gathering-only idea. This one you can bring into every day meals...

Day 25. Use Cloth napkins 

Another thing that can save money is buying/making/using cloth napkins instead of buying paper ones. Sure paper ones are mostly compostable, but some of them have a few other not so good things in them. And cloth napkins can be compostable at the end of their lives too. However, you can spend a little bit of cash up front and be able to wash and reuse them over and over again. So, they can make their money back.

You can even purchase ex-hotel/restaurant ones for a cheaper price but still be good quality, plus they are second hand.  Meaning that it will have saved you money, and saved the environment too!

"Not only are they [cloth napkins] more durable (one cloth napkin will make it through a lot more BBQ sauce than a paper one!) but ditching disposable napkins will also save plenty of money over the years. It’ll also reduce your trash output, which means less energy is used transporting and processing your waste. Using recyclable paper napkins is good for the planet, but it’s even better to not have anything to recycle in the first place. Plus, cloth napkins make dinner feel oh-so-fancy." (Greatist.com)

You could gift some cloth napkins to a friend or family member, or even use cloth napkins to wrap gifts in as a way to make someone else feel special. Kindness doesnt have to be hard work, it can be much simpler than that. Sharing what you are learning about with people can be a nice way to share and spread kindness.

I hope this finds you all well.
Love Daena x

Sustainable September 2018 Day 24

Back to work today. I really love my job. Sure its only week 4 of my employment in the UK but I am thoroughly enjoying learning so much.

Sustainable September idea for ...

Day 24 - Ditch disposable Party supplies

Yes it may be easier to buy a whole bunch of single use plastic plates because, heaven forbid, you need to do some actual washing up. But here are some quick tips.

If you absolutely HAVE to buy disposables, make them compostable ones, and then take them home and compost them (don’t just ditch them in the closest bin because they wont break down in landfill).

Or if you are having a big party at home, either ask everyone to bring their own plates and knives and forks. Or plan bigger parties to be catered with bite size goddies so no one needs to have their own dishes. Then You and your guests only need to clean fingers!

It might take a few times to get used to it, but it can be so simple. Canapes can be super healthy, or as naughty as you like. But making bite size food saves washing up a thousand plates and saves you from washing a lot of cutlery too.

Kindness idea could be to include someone you don't know very well to ypur gathering. welcome them with warm hospitality. it will hopefully make their day.

much love,
Daena x