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!
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.
Did you know we are two-thirds of the way through sustainable September 2017! Wow... time flies when you are having fun!
For those who are still doing some of the things that we talked about early in the month. The Sustainable September idea of taking your own cup to a cafe has been rather successful.
There is often a sign outside the cafe (like this one) that will tell you if the cafe gives you a discount when you bring in your own Keep Cups! One of our local cafes gives a 50c discount when you bring in your own reusable coffee cup! I think that is awesome!
I also wanted to share with you all a kindness I did in the theme of reusable cups. I gave a friend a reusable mug to take with her to work and anywhere really. Now she has it and has used it a couple times I thought it would be okay now to share the photo of the reusable cup. Because you'll get to know her name with this one! :)
What did you decide to do with your baking soda activity today? Did you find any other uses for it in the cleaning of your home?
I remembered after I wrote the post yesterday that The Slow Home Podcast had another awesome episode about Bi-Carb Soda and a couple other simple and awesome environmentally friendly options for cleaning. So check out the link to that episode here. The Slow Home Podcast Episode 144. It should look something like this on your podcast app of choice.
Sustainable September Day Twenty: Window Cleaning.
This is another idea that uses things you already have around the house that means that you don't need to buy environmentally harmful chemicals for your home.
It's as simple as vinegar and newspapers! Check it out here...
ACTIVITY: get down a dirty or should I say clean and clean those windows.
I hope these ideas and links help you make greener choices and give you awesome cheaper ideas when it comes to cleaning your house.
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.
How did you go with the Bamboo Toothbrushes? Or the toothpaste?
I gave the Bamboo toothbrushes a go last night. It was a bamboo toothbrush infused with charcoal. So if you give this a go be warned you might have a grey tinge to your teeth until you rinse. But the lady at the Wasteless Pantry told me that this stops happening after the first couple of brushes.
I gave the toothpaste a go too. I have to double check I got the recipe right because I think I might have put too much coconut oil in. Be aware it takes a little while to get used to the taste… so if its too horrible maybe you could add a touch of stevia to taste.
Another day, another idea for tomorrow.
Sustainable September Day Ten – Take and use a reusable Coffee/Tea cup.
Why is it an Eco-Kindness to take a reusable coffee cup? Because single use coffee cups are not recyclable and in Australia we use a Billion coffee cups a year. Check out his news clip from ABCs 7.30 Report 'Takeaway Coffee Cups driving hidden plastic catastrophy.
Why coffee cups cant be recycled. This clip comes from 'War on Waste UK'
Recently in Australia, we also had the 'War on Waste TV' show that brought up this issue. Check out the War on Waste (Aus) #BYOCoffeeCup.
What can you use instead?
I have two different types of Keep Cups (two plastic and one glass) that are both Coffee Cups that are barista standard sizes.
(Glass on the left and one of my plastic ones on the right)
There are a huge range of other types of reusable mugs and cups. So i would love your recommendations for other people to check out too.
SOMETHING ELSE: Did you know that there are whole communities who are working toward Zero Waste. Like this one, Zero Waste Town, who will zero waste by 2020. …Zero Waste Town by 2020.
You are not alone on this journey to Sustainability, no matter what level of Eco-Kindness you and your community are at.
ACTIVITY: If you want to use up your old coffee cups... then this is the nicest upcycling idea i could find.
I hope you are all well and enjoying Sustainable September.
How did you go today saying 'No' to receipts? I had a wonderful day out and about in Canberra. And we must have said no to about 15 receipts. It's was pretty cool. Think how much paper we don't have to get rid of now! How awesome?!
So we went out to an amazing Tea House and I got spoilt with Chai poached Pears with citrus sorbet, Chai Syrup and a caramel garnish. I got to taste test some amazing loose leaf teas too. So yummy and right up my alley!
Me at a Tea House in Canberra. Do KeepCups come in this size? I need a mug like this at home for my tea. Hehehe.
Today the Sustainable September is actually fairly simple.
Sustainable September Day Four: Look at where your food comes from.
Consider these questions: Where do you buy your food from? Where does the products and fresh produce actually come from? What is its country of origin? What is its state of origin? How many food miles does your food travel before it gets into your tummy? What is it packaged in? Is it organic? Is it from an environmentally sustainable company? Is it from a local farm? Is it from a farmers market?
The reason I want you to look at this is because if you can reduce the distance your food travels from food to table then you are significantly helping the environment.
To calculate food miles check out the Food Miles website. For more information about why this is important see below in the "Front Lines section".
Kindness: Buy a meal for another person.
You can do this in the style of Suspended Coffees at a restaurant. Or ask someone, a friend, family, stranger, a homeless person, if you can buy them a meal. Then do it. It could cost a lot or a little depending on what you are willing to spend.
Another option is buying a supermarket voucher. It depends on what you want to do.
You can take further inspiration form this Pizza shop in America:
Front Lines: Food Sustainability movements. There are a lot of people who want to talk about where our food comes from and what we can do to help the environment.
So here is an explaination about "What is sustainable food?"
Here is a TEDx talk done in the USA by the amazing 11 year old, Birke Baehr.
He is looking at the current food market and helping kids and adults alike know what is the best way to live a sustainable life. Not only for the people but for the animals and land that is being intensively farmed.
For those who have had a little more to do with this sort of thing then you may be interested in the idea of Food Justice which Alison Cayne talks about in her TEDx Talk on "What the Food movement can learn from history".
There are so many things about our food that we do not often think about. Do we know where our meat comes from? Was it prepared using pesticides? What are we really eating? I often struggle with this question. But my family and I are working to know, more and more, where our foods actually comes from. Althought knowing where your food is actually coming from is a huge start to looking to make changes at all.
Our family now mostly order in Bulk (with a bulk buying group) from an organic butcher who gets meat from a local organic farm. It is the closest thing we can get before buying from the farmer directly. We often get other organic food in bulk through the bulk buying group.
If you want to know more about sustainable practices and food you can check out one of the first programmes I ever saw on television about how to set up a Sustainable Farm "River Cottage". Now there is even a "River Cottage Australia". These are shows made for Television but i really enjoy them.
I hope this finds you all well.
With love and kindness,
Daena x
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
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. :)
Have you missed me? I have been terribly sick for the last several weeks and although i have recorded a couple of videos i havent had a chance to post them online yet. Having two differing systems of video processing doesnt help much either! :S when i get that sorted i will post the videos.
Anyway.... So it is that time of the year again where i get my bottom into gear and do a solid month of blogging. It may also help the Environment, which is another passion of mine, whilst sharing kindnesses.
I thought this year i would do it again.
I had to really think about what i wanted to do here. Things have been changing for me since last year and in someways i feel like i need to do more. In Australia, the government seems to be actively avoiding Climate Change conversations. It seems like the responsibility of caring for the earth, and all those that rely on it, falls on communities and individuals. If we want our kids to grow up in healthy environments we need to start paying attention to what it is that we are actually doing on a daily basis. are we doing anything that is harmful? Do we know what actions we are taking that are actually hurting the environment? Can our actions be changed to help the environment? I think every person has the capacity to change and live a more sustainable life.
What do i mean when i say Sustainable? Something is Sustainable when it is:
"* able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed
* involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources
* able to last or continue for a long time " (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sustainable, 2016).
The biggest problem we have is that we often dont know what natural resources are used to provide things that we use daily, or the impact we have when we are finished using these things. I know there are times in my life i have just not been aware of the problems that occur in our environment as a result. From using plastic bags, bottles and straws (which often end up in landfil and take thousands of years to disintergrate or end up in the tummies of animals), to paying attention to the types of food we are eating and knowing where it came from and how far away it came (the farther away something was grown from us, the more fuel that has to be burned to get it on our tables). The thing is there are lots of awesome simple things we can do to be kind to our environment.
You may wonder what any of this actually has to do with kindness. And the truth is... a lot more than you would think. Not only is caring for the environment and using sustainable practices a kindness to the environment, but also to generations of people who will be born on this earth after us. It also makes a huge difference to many people. If we care for our environment wisely we may be able to decrease the amount of toxins in the air, which will make asthmatics breathe easier. If we care for our waterways then the birds and animals that use it, and those who catch and eat those animals (or even use the water for sport) will be healthier and our animals wont die with plastic in their stomachs.
I know from doing 365days of kindness that one person can make a difference. And if a consequence of that difference means that someone has clean water to drink or clean air to breathe then I want to be part of that. There is so much we can do individually to make our lives more sustainable, to be kind to ourselves and the environment and to make a difference.
So i thought this year i would have a theme... everyone loves a good theme right?
"Live Simply, so others may simply live."
I was told this quote when i was about 13 years old. my youth leader at the time was very passionate about the environment (she still is too). She shared with us then the amazing things one person can do to make a difference. And she made a huge impact on me.
What does living simply look like? well, it will be different for everyone.
I have some amazing friends J &E who have retrofitted their house to be more sustainable. They grow their own vegetables, collect rainwater for the hotter months when water is in short supply, they have solar panels on their roof, they preserve their own food, they purchase second hand goods. E & J inspire me, because that is what i want in the future.
But not everyone has the ability to retrofit a house. Renters or apartment owners might struggle to do so much to their homes.
OR if you are starting off, all of that stuff might be too overwhelming. But dont be put off, it is all about taking small steps toward making the world a better place. A place where we can all live together, we can support nature and nature can support us.
One pit fall that i have fallen in to a few times myself, is feeling guilty. Even if, as we go through this month, you do just one thing and making one long term change you are still reducing the impact you have on the earth. And every little bit helps! :)
What i thought about adding this year was a little more that the last few years, i will give you a sustainable and environmental kindness, a kindness idea (probably loosely related), and then people who are working on the front lines to make lots of lives better (this will include charities, individuals, groups, TED Talks, videos and whatever else i can think about as i go along).
So i will give you tomorrows...
Sustainable September Day One: Use (or buy) a reusable cup or mug.
Why is this important? millions of Single use coffee cups, lids, spoons, etc end up in landfill everyday. When i was at work i used to get a chai latte most days, sometimes if i was lucky i would buy two. I alone would have easily consumed 365 cups of Chai per year. I have been drinking Chai for the last 6 years because I cant drink coffee anymore. And before that i started drinking hot coffee in my uni days. Some 4 years before that. Of course i wouldnt have a coffee/chai in a take away mug every single day, but other days i would have a couple of coffees/chai's in a day. So, in other words, the number of coffee cups really adds up. And before you all panic that this is what i actually did, then dont. It is mainly for demonstration purposes. Mind you, i am not completely innocent. For the last 3 years I have been using my Keep Cup to buy hpt beverages. Amazingly, i usually keep a Keep Cup in my handbag (i think i must have robbed Mary Poppins when i found my bag - its really so much bigger on the inside).
Kindness Idea: Buy a cup of coffee for someone behind you in a queue. Often when you buy coffees regularly you get membership cards or rewards cards. You can then redeem a free hot beverage when you have paid for a bunch of them. I often save up my free ones and give the card to someone who needs it. Or a friend who is having a rough week. It doesnt cost me anything but it makes a difference.
Front Lines: Suspended Coffee Movement. This one is an awesome front lines movement when it comes to kindness and to hot beverages (and also food). Starting a few years ago, this idea has blossomed. I follow the webpage and facebook page, but the most powerful thing i came across was a TEDx talk from the founder of Suspended Coffees.
Now i hope you can understand an Irish accent because their subtitles are off. comically bad but you should be able to make it out! :)
Okay, so i hope that helps kick it all off. Kindness is so important. Kindness for others, Kindness for ourselves and kindness for the earth.
Welcome to Sustainable September!
I will post again tomorrow.
Cheers,
Daena x
ps. If you have any sustainable september ideas that you want me to look into, comment below. :)
Here is the sixth simple swap for Sustainable September.
September 7:
Swap a single use throw away coffee cup for a reusable one.
I
have a KeepCup, which is a standard barista sized reusable coffee/tea
cup, that I take with me most places. Mum now has one too. It makes a
huge difference to swap throw away cups with reusable ones. “Over
one year the KeepCup, when compared to disposable cups, reduces
landfill by at least 99%” (KeepCup
Website 2015). I recommend Keep Cups because they are standardised sizes, just like the disposable varieties. Some places even offer discounts if you bring a reusable cup.
Last
year, during Sustainable September, I wrote about how much damage
throw away coffee cups are to our environment check that out here.
“Globally, every minute, one million
disposable cups are discarded in landfill. That’s about 500 billion
disposable cups every year. Use your KeepCup with pleasure and
purpose, you are an influencer. Seek acceptance of reuse. Vote with
your feet. Be the change you want to see in the world. Believe in
Better. Salute the Reuser.” If you are interested in purchasing a KeepCup check out their websites for an outlet near you... www.keepcup.comor order online from the KeepCup Store.
Alternatively, find another type of reusable cup that works for you. I don't mind what mug/cup/tall glass you use, so long as we work together to reduce the waster we are sending to landfill.
KINDNESS IDEA: Take a friend/colleague out to a sit down coffee. Most places these days, if you are consuming your coffee or teas on premises, will provide you with ceramic reusable cups and saucers. A perfect reasons to reduce your rubbish and enjoy a nice sit, a chat and a coffee together.
How did you go getting a KeepCup or a reusable cup? Did you use one today? What is your beverage of choice? I love my Soy Chai Lattes... So yummy! :)
Drinking my soy chai latte! :)
Thursday – 4 September –
When you shop buy local products. It means that the product
is more environmentally friendly as it doesn’t have to travel as
far. With the added bonus that you are supporting local business.
There are some logos that you could look for when it comes to buying local in Australia, or more specifically Western Australia:
Buying local is particularly important when it comes to buying food.
"‘Food miles’ is one indicator when assessing the environmental impact of
foods. The term 'food miles' refers to how far food has travelled from
the paddock to the plate. As a general rule of thumb, for the same
product, the lower the food miles, the less distance it has travelled
and the better the choice is for the environment and for your health.
This is particularly relevant in choosing local grown fresh fruit and
vegetables over produce that has travelled many miles in refrigeration." Read More here.
How did you go today with the recycling? Did you learn anything new? Our Suburb is currently undergoing changes in their recycling and bin policies... and its not as simple to recycle in our area at the moment, until the changes come into practice. We are going from a one bin to a three bin policy. I have been pretty cheeky, and have been occasionally taking my recycling to my sisters house, where they have a very good (and currently functional) recycle policy. :) Which means this is also an idea for those who don't have recycling in their area. Take your recycling to another persons place, with their permission.
So tomorrows Environmental kindness for Sustainable September is:
Wednesday – 3 September –
buy a KeepCup (Or other reusable coffee mug) and use it instead of a
single use coffee cup. The reason I recommend KeepCups is because they are one of the only barista standard reusable cup, meaning it is the same shape and height as the standard disposable cups.
“Globally, every minute, one million
disposable cups are discarded in landfill. That’s about 500 billion
disposable cups every year. Use your KeepCup with pleasure and
purpose, you are an influencer. Seek acceptance of reuse. Vote with
your feet. Be the change you want to see in the world. Believe in
Better. Salute the Reuser.” If you are interested in purchasing a KeepCup check out their websites for an outlet near you... www.keepcup.comor order online from the KeepCup Store.
The one to the very left is the one I have! :)
You could also do a Random Act of Kindness with this and buy one for a colleague, friend or family member. Or you could give one to a homeless person, for them to keep and use any time they want. :)
Hope you are all enjoying this months blog posts so far and are embracing Sustainable September! :)
