Sustainable September 2018 Day 18

Another day at work in the office. However the sun was shining yesterday so I got to spend some time in the garden of my new house! 

I haven’t been able to get to the library so I’ve been using my housemates Cookbooks as the best light reading material! 

I love it because with the restrictions I have for my diet I also look at recipe books like a challenge. ‘How can I adapt a recipe for myself to eat?’ 

Considering yesterday was another Meatfree Monday I was looking for ideas of what to cook! It’s so nice to look at Vegetarian options that you can also adapt to have meat if you want. 

Sustainable September idea for ...

Day 18. Buy Bamboo products

Can this save you money? Yes and no.

Yes if, like me, you are eco conscious and driving around looking for places to donate your old plastic toothbrush to dental recycling. The Wasteless Pantry , in Mundaring, WA has a great collection of recycling collection points (not just for dental recycling either). I am still looking for a place to recycle my old plastic & electric toothbrush here in the UK but I know Redcycle do it in Australia. The petrol costs alone would be enough to save you money on buying a recycleable/compostable alternative.

No, if you are buying the cheapest plastic toothbrushes around. Admittedly, bamboo toothbrushes may cost a little extra but as more people use them the cheaper and more widely available they will become.

A bamboo toothbrush is able to be composted. 

(I still haven’t been able to take a good toothbrush selfie! Hahahahaha). 

They can be used in the garden as label stakes for your veggies (which would save you money buying purpose built ones).

You can also get many other things made of Bamboo… and they aren’t much more expensive than your everyday plastic variation, with the added bonus that they are a renewable resource and are able to be composted most of the time. At my new house we have a compost heap that I have used already to add stuff too! 

I hope this find you well! 

Much love,
Daena x

Sustainable September 2018 Day 13

Yesterday I got to play with a metal detector at work! 

Sadly it was because I had lost one of my constant companions, my silver Celtic ring! After all the searching & playing with that fun toy, I still couldn’t find it... which is sad but I have to remind myself it’s just a thing. 

It has served me years, and given me lots of enjoyment. That will teach me to wear loose rings at work in the field. I guess that’s the risks of being an archaeologist! I could replace it with a new one or I could use the next idea to find something I love. 

The next simple Sustainable September idea for money saving is ... 

Day 13. Buy second hand

This alone will save you a fortune.

I have personally decided I want to stick to the 80/20 rule. 80% of my purchases for homewares and clothes I want to get second hand, and save 20% for new good quality stuff. I will show you how I will set it up.

I record any clothing I purchase and then figure out a grid. I usually make sure its easy to multiply/divide into and 80/20 ratio and then colour in the boxes and keep an eye on what I purchase.

Some things you have to purchase new. I had to have new Steel cap work boots for work (and needed them immediately) so I had to accept Work purchasing me brand new ones. But I got reasonable quality ones so that they would last.

Buying good quality second hand goods can mean that you can often save more than 50% of the original price of the item. Sometimes it’s much cheaper than that, depending on what you are looking at and where you resource it from. I do a lot of this with clothes now. Second hand shops and thrift stores and even eBay! 

I hope this finds you all well.
love Daena x

Sustainable September 2017 - Day Thirteen

SEPTEMBER 13 (WEDNESDAY)

FOOD & STORAGE - CHOOSING FOODS BASED ON PACKAGING

Hello everyone,

How has your day gone? How have you gone with creating a compost bin? or how have you gone talking to friends and family about creating one at their house? or using an existing one? I haven't had as much time today as i expected to get my compost bin rejuvenated. It is pretty smelly and needs a lot more of the 'brown stuff' (twigs, paper - carbon based stuff) to reduce the smell and pests, but i have hope and i now have the knowledge of how to fix it... at least i hope so!

Today I took my own Activity advice from yesterday and had a visit to Kings Park. For those not from Perth, Australia, it is beautiful inner city Parkland that would rival Central Park, New York. And yes, i have been to Central Park! Kings Park overlooks the city and is just a lovely place to visit all year round.

I was sitting in a cafe with mum, in Kingspark, and noticed that there was this one raven that was just sitting on a tree stump like some kind of statue.





He was beautiful and stayed like that for ages. So I had to photograph him.

Anyway, back to Sustainable September...

Sustainable September Day Thirteen: Choose the foods you buy based on packaging.

I have talked about Packagaing on Day One of Sustainable September, because the best way to REDUCE the amount of packaging that comes into the house is by REFUSING it and REDUCING the amount that comes into your house.

This year I decided that using videos was a great way to help educate people, including myself. I'm not yet ready to make my own, so using other peoples videos is a wonderful way to share other peoples perspectives and experiences. Like Ela Gale, a New Zealander who took on the 55 Day Waste Free challenge. Her notes and experiences are invaluable.

Food is one of the areas in life that is the epitome of too much packaging. Almost everything these days is packaged.  And a mojority of it is packaged in plastic. You just have to walk into the main supermarkets to see how much packaging is used.

I have talked about RECYCLING in the past also and some of the things that food comes in can be recycled, but a lot of it cannot. So the best way to reduce the amount of waste through packaging is to choose carefully to start with.

I do the best I can but I am limited in getting some things package free because I have to adhere to a very strict Gluten Free diet. If something says 'may contain traces of' gluten then i have to avoid eating it, as is enough to have me crawling into the foetal position on the floor. So best to avoid it completely.

I have been buying some meat in packages (like gluten free, dairy free, grain free sausages) that they occasionally sell in the deli sections at supermarkets. Becuase they are in the same cabinet as other wheat containing things, they are no longer okay for me to eat. All it takes is someone to accidentally drop one of those pieces of wheat on or near food and if I ate it I would be sick. So until I find myself a gluten free butcher, who is willing to use my containers to bring it home in (not prepackaged) then I have resigned myself to still haveing some waste. Mind you, what I have been doing is limiting the amount of food that I buy like that.

It is a special occasion rather than an every day occurance for me to buy packaged things. I like to make sure it ends up in recycling (plasic wrap in soft plastic recycling and the plastic base either reused as a palet for my art or finding another role for it, or recycled if it is able to be).

If i look at what I purchase, and decide that everything I bring into my home has to have its own home in the house (other than the bin) then I am much more aware of what I buy. Because i dont have heaps of space and i dont want to crowd it with stuff i cant use.

I also know that I am not perfect and neither is my household. There are days when we as a household make some crappy choices about waste, but the aim is to reduce it where possible. The best way to reduce waste is to not even let it in, in the first place.

ACTIVITY: Do your shopping with no plastic rubbish. Now this is more than an activity... it is a down right challenge. What people don't realise, is there is a lot of hidden plastic. Buy a cardboard box of cereal... it has a plastic package that holds the cereal. Want to buy meat... there is plastic wrap on a polystyrene tray. Buy vegetables, sometimes they come in plastic netting. So choosing food that has no plastic will take paying attention, but if you treat it like a game rather than a chore... it can be quite entertaining.

I hope this finds you all well.
With Kindness and hope,

Daena x

Sustainable September 2017 - Day Twelve

SEPTEMBER 12 (TUESDAY)

FOOD & STORAGE - COMPOST BIN

Helloooooooo... how you doing?

What did you make for Meatless/meatfree monday? Did you find a new yummy recipe? Did you have any left overs? Did you have vegetable or fruit scraps that you chucked in the bin?

By now you would have figured out that this September is all about 'Making life a little kinder for our planet and all those who live here' by REDUCING, REUSING & RECYCLING.

One way we can do that is to REDUCE the amounts of food waste we have, by REUSING it in new and exciting ways and then RECYCLING it in our compost bins.

If you dont have a compost bin do not worry... that is what todays Sustainable September Eco Kindness is all about.

Sustainable September Day Twelve: Create or use a compost bin

There are hundreds of "How to" guides when it comes to creating a compost bin.

I quite enjoyed video from the USA... mainly because it is short and sweet.

Do you already have a compost bin? Do you know how to maintain it? We have a compost bin here at home that probably need some maintainance. Here is a video from an Australian Gardening Guru Costa Georgiadis about how to look after and maintain a compost bin.

Don't think you can compost becuase you live in an apartment? Well I have a solution for you...

If you don't have a farmers market that takes compost, perhaps you could talk to a friend or family member and contribute towards their compost bin. Or if none of your friends or family have a compost bin set up maybe you could even organise to set one up at their house/property (with the owners permission of course).

Whenever I house sit for friends and family, if they don't have a compost bin, I will stash my scraps in the Freezer, like Lauren. Then I bring them back home when I come for a visit and deposit it at the compost bin before it defrosts. It helps reduce the smell. I often use paper mushroom bags until one is full and then I will put the whole thing in the freezer (usually in a reused plastic bag - which I can keep reusing because it rarely gets dirty).

Enjoy Composting!

ACTIVITY: Get into the garden. Plant some flowers or some vegetables. If you have a compost bin its time to check it and if you can use some of the soil in your garden, do it. It is now spring time in Australia and all of the gardens are coming alive. If you don't have a garden of your own, go out and find a park or green area to spend some time in. You don't have to DO anything, just spend time there.

I hope you all are well,
Love Daena 

Sustainable September 2017 - Day Three

SEPTEMBER 3 (SUNDAY)

RECYCLE: PLASTIC, GLASS, BATTERIES, SOFT PLASTICS, COMPOST

Hello Again,

Well how are you going with “Reuse”? I am reusing a whole bunch of old jars to store stuff in my pantry. I particlurly love using the 1Lt Pickle jars or putting my specialty flours in. I am reusing old clothes as rags and also upcycled into other things. And when it comes to laundry, im always glad to have my old cloth rice bags. They work very well. It is amazing what you can use and then reuse. Reduce and reuse are the first two parts of this wonderful trilogy last being....

Sustainable September Day 3: Recycle.

Today (for tomorrow) I have included a few different activities that you may want to do all of, or just choose one. It is up to you.

In Australia, recently, there was a program on the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) called “War on Waste” and after watching it, I realized how much regular Australians don’t know about their waste. Particularly what is happening to their things after they discard it. Here is the advertisement for the 3 episode show.

If you are an Australian and havent seen it yet I suggest you check out IView and watch the program there.

Normally I would link the program to the blog however sadly, the links to the website won't work for those of you over seas. You may be able to find a copy on Youtube if you really want. However, I know that they did a version of this in the UK too so if you are in either of these places check it out!

Waste and recycling go hand in hand. But only before we have reduced and reused what we can. All of this occurs before our rubbish ends up in landfill (hopefully none of it has to if we are careful).

I watched this short Vide from the SBS tv show “The Feed” all about recycling in Australia and really enjoyed it. Be warned there is a bleeped out expletive.

The thing is that in lots of places each city council or district has a different I list of recyclable materials. Some have road side collections others have drop off recycling. So even though I want to give you all a broad perspective of what can and can't be recycled, you need to check with your local council for the specifics.

ACTIVITY: Research what and where you can recycle your waste.

PLASTIC: In my area there are two type of Plastic recycling. Hard plastics and soft plastic. This section will look specifically at Hard plastics however it is clear that the two are made of the same product so they are often talked about as one topic.

If you want to look further into the role and damage that Plasic is doing in the world there are a few documentaries to check out.

1) Plastic Paradise: The great Pacific Garbage Patch, (Warning: graphic images)
2) Plasticized Documentary, about a research trip across the Pacific monitoring Plastic in the ocean.
3) The Plastic Age: A documentary featuring Pharrell Williams.

The first two documentaries talk about the problems with plastic waste ending up in our oceans. One way we can prevent plastic ending up in the ocean is to reduce the amount we use in day to day life and therefore the demand to make it, and the second is to make sure we know how to recycle it.

I really like a third documentary, partly because its only like 20mins long, but mostly because it has hope. it gives us hope that someone is doing something on a larger scale to change the plastic that ends up in our oceans. I also love it because it talks about plastic in terms of Archaeology (The Plastic Age).

The biggest thing we can do to stop Plastic ending up in our oceans, in our fish (that we consume) and on our beaches is to reduce the amount we use, reuse the things already in existence and then recycle the things we can to make them into new and exciting things.

ACTIVITY: Choose a documentary to watch and learn more about Plastic in our oceans.

SOFT PLASTIC RECYCLING:  This was something fairly new to me. In my house we have only just started doing Soft Plastic Recycling. I was actually inspired to start this type of recycling after watching the War of Waste Australia program. I take my soft flexible plastics to Coles who use REDcycle. REDcycle then turns the old plastic bags, chip packets, and other soft plastics into something that will be durable and long lasting, like park benches and equipment.

I have a soft plastic bag beside the rubbish bin where I can put all my other soft plastics. Then the next time I go to the shops I can take my bag with me to deposit at the REDcycle deposit bins. here is the handy PDF resource that REDcycle shares on their website. I've just turned it into a picture.

BATTERY RECYCLING: Battery recycling is something that our local school does to get kids to pay attention to recycling. Basically any old batteries (single use and reusable ones at the end of their lives) get donated and recycled.

I am loving finding great videos online that are both hilarious and environemtnally friendly. Here is another one about how to recycle your batteries.

ACTIVITY: Create a “battery recycling bin” in your home. We use old 1Ltr Yogurt Buckets to make our battery recycling bins. Either that or plastic take away containers (not that we have very many of them in our house, but if we do, they get used for other purposes).

GLASS RECYCLING: For this I grabbed a video from Devon in the UK. Now i love that the type of videos that are being created internationally can educate us all. Hopefully they can inspire us all to make a bigger effort to make sure glass ends up where it needs to be so it can be recycled. 

COMPOST: I will be talking about this later in the month in more depth. However, i wanted to give a little video about food waste and composting because it really fits under the "Recycle" banner of Sustainable September. This comes from the War On Waste Kids videos. Ilove that they have made several of these videos and that they are on the theme of "Im a celebrity get me out of here" but instead are "Im Recycleable get me out of here!" So cute and a funny.

FINALLY: There a lot more different things that can be recycled. Mobile phones and devices, toothbrushes and toothpaste containers, and so much more. I just wanted to give you a taste of what Recycling can be like. It doesn't have to be too complicated and it doesn't have to take a lot of time. But it really makes a difference.

To finish up... one more video from South Australia...which is the state next to mine and a pioneer in Australia when it comes to recycling. They made a great video on what goes in which bin. In my old Council area of Stirling they had a three bin system like this one, so im sure it will help any locals to watch this video. 

I hope you have learned something and if not, i hope you are using all that amazing knowledge to help other people, yourself and the planet. 

Enjoy,
love Daena 

Lent gifting day 16

Today I spent some time with my mum helping her get rid off few things. Making space for her to be able to do some of the creative work she thoroughly enjoys. 

Her graph piece (for those following at home) is not as long as mine but she's started getting rid of things to charity which is awesome. My niece is also well ahead of where she is supposed to be this time of Lent, which is awesome!!!! The best part is moving stuff that has been basically useless but has been in our lives for such a long time!

For example, I bought this under garment for a wedding I was involved in ages ago. Like decades ago (okay I'm not that old but it was (I think) for my sisters wedding which was 17 years ago now. So almost decades but definitely a decade a go. Scary. I don't feel that old. 

 

I think I wore it twice for the same dress. Sadly it's been sitting in my closet ever since. It's amazingly still in wonderful condition and it will be perfect for someone else. This cost me about $100 when I bought it all that time ago and if it gets sold at a charity shop they wouldn't ask for even half of that. Sadly it also doesn't fit any longer so I don't know why I've kept it all this time. 

How are your donations going? Are you playing along at home? Have you chosen a charity to donate to yet? If not then find ones close to you that do the most good in your eyes. Do some research to see if their values align with yours. 

Enjoy, 

Love Daena 

Lent gifting day 12

I spent today at a car boot sale selling some craft supplies that my family and I have been getting rid of. We paid for a car bay to support a charity and community group (kindness & dejunking seems to be a theme at the moment). We had a great day and I discovered something about myself too. 

What I haven't shared before was that when I decided to get rid of one thing a day during Lent I also decided to not purchase anything new either. I didn't want to buy anything that would bring more "stuff" in when I'm working to get "stuff" out. The weird thing is that because of where we were I wandered over to the op shop (which was in the building behind me) and found an awesome dress. It has pockets... so naturally I bought it. It cost $3 which was the change I had after spending $2 to get a hot cuppa because it was freezing cold here in Perth today. Plus TEA!!! In a big mug! Winning!!!

What I didn't remember at the time I bought my new polka dot dress was that I had made this promise to myself NOT buy anything new. I had only wanted to spend my money on food, beverages, experiences and bills. I did not want to buy more STUFF! And even though I love this dress and it was a complete bargain, it was also a completely unconscious and unconsidered decision. Don't get me wrong I'm keeping the dress... after all it has POCKETS!!!! But what I didn't realise was how unconscious my spending has become. 

I will work to be more conscious of what I am actually spending. Of the stuff I am bringing into my life. I will let you know if I slip up again but I hope I don't. 

 Today I'm passing on my old work shirt. Hardly ever warn but excellent at the time. I figure that I haven't warn it in 4 years and I'm unlikely to do so again in the near future. I know that if I really need a high visibility shirt I can get second hand ones for about $5AUD at any of the local opshops. So I'm covered if I need one in the future. 

This shirt could be what some person needs to get or keep a job and earn money. Donating this to charity is providing lots of possibilities for kindness. Kindness for charities or community groups or people who are in need. Kindness is at the foundation of everything I do. I am so blessed to be able to donate some awesome stuff to charity!

It's cool to be kind! :) 

Love Daena x

Sharing my first video for kindness...

hello my lovelies,

So I am keeping as busy as ever!

If you read my last post you know that in February mum and I moved house. So I have been a little chaotic. They say the inside of your house reflects your mental state. So chaotic is a very good description at the moment! hehehe.

When Mum and I moved house into my sister & brother-in-laws house, we basically had 3 houses worth of posessions. I have put aside a bunch of stuff for when i eventally leave the nest. Mum had her little house full of stuff. And also, my sister also had an already full house. So things have been a bit squished.

Recently we have been working to reduce down the large number of "things" in our large combined house. I mean we dont need 3 sets of dining chairs & tables for instance. Mum and I lived in a small house before moving into my sisters, and the move has given us both more and less space. For me there is SOOOOOOOO much more space in the bedroom!!!! And yet we have a lot less in the communal areas.  All 6 of us share the communal areas, which is great for a big family, it means we are always around and communicating with each other! However, when you have at least 2 sets of couches and dining settings and fridges/freezers etc, it can be quite squishee. Hence the reason we have been working to get rid of a bunch of it, to make life easier for all of us.

So how do you turn something you NEED to do into a Kindness?

You give your "stuff" people who need it.

Some of  it is going to a womans shelter. They have very specific needs and wants and we have a trailor full of stuff waiting in the Carport to be taken down the hill to the organisers. The trailor just isnt quite full yet, so i dont want to send it until it is!

So one of the things i did this week (friday actually) was take a huge load of our "junk" to an op-shop. Or as many of you call them, Thrift stores. I love op-shopping! I am sure any one who has read the "Sustainable September" posts, will already know. It is so much fun! :)

Anyway, to share a little bit of what i did, i actually made a video. A VIDEO!!! i know... a bit exciting! So much technology. It has helped that I recently got a new phone so i actually have a decent camera now that goes on adventures with me.

So I hope you liked it.    

I appologise to those who are not native English Speakers. I do talk a bit fast! Sorry!

One of my favourite Kindnesses is Op-shopping. Not only is it recycling clothing and goods and helping the environement but it is also providing services to the community. Often the money that comes from the sales of second hand goods goes to a charity or donated to a good cause. It often gets poured back into the community. Not to mention it is a great place to get rid of your things that are good quality and that have life in them still. It is so much better than throwing them in the rubbish bin/trash.

The little Church run community Op-Shop that i went to has so much for sale at really good prices. They had so many books, hats, crockery, washing baskets, storage tubs, knitting supplies, couches, bookshelves, doggy coats & beds, blankets, plants, clothes (i went back and bought 3 brand named t-shirts for my brother in law and it cost me $6 or $2 each!!!!), plus they have wedding dresses, formal gear, leather jackets, shoes & slippers, bedding... and well a bunch more stuff I mention in the video. and it is so affordable.

I hope you like the video! I wanted to do a "welcome to Daena video-blogging" video... but I havent gotten that far yet, and i couldnt wait to see what you think of this one. It is often hard to capture kindness without it seeming super contrived or intrusive. So i thought an "after-kindness action report" was the best plan!

I hope you like it. If you want to know anything more, or can think of a kindness you would like to see in action, let me know! :)

Love and hugs to you all,
Love Daena

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 Four

Hello my lovelies,

Oh man, I am tired, and I am also pretty excited. I am currently on a course in Sydney and we are having long days. Doing blog posts at 10pm when I have to be up at 6am is probably not my brightest idea yet. I am getting there though. I have been getting up early for exercise. It is both exhausting and invigorating. Having not done much for a long time now in the exercise field, I have taken this week to start my health & healing. Since Sunday I have greatly improved my fitness. I can now do 60 crunches, 60 press ups, and 3 whole minutes of plank position! Much better than my 20 x 20 by 30 seconds. Healthy me, here I come! :)

Back to Sustainable September... How did you find yesterdays idea for a more sustainable future? Did you remember to take your reusable bags with you to the supermarket? Did you buy any nice new reusable bags? I used mine today to tote dirty washing to the laundry of the lady i'm staying with. We can do this!

So today is yet another simple switch.

September 4: Replace your plastic toothbrush with a bamboo one. Bamboo can be composted. 

This is as simple as it sounds. You can buy Bamboo toothbrushes from your local health store (or you can from a lot of health stores near me). I have just bought a bulk pack (I am yet to try them). I am excited about it though because the waste accrued from toothbrushes is ridiculous. 

I bought these in Bulk with the intention of passing them on, or using them as gifts. Plus when you bought these in bulk it was cheaper! :)

I kind of wish I had found these cute bamboo toothbrushes  first... after all they have my last name etched into each one!! ;)

 And when is say rediculous, let me share the sums, that someone else kindly did for me...

"Here’s why you should be thinking about the environmental impact of toothbrushes. Let’s take Australia as an example. There are about 22 million people in the country. Let’s say, as a very rough estimate, that 1.25 million are little babies and don’t have teeth. So that’s 20.75 million Australians with teeth (including dentures, which still need to be brushed, so they count.) We all know the dentist tells us to change our toothbrush when it starts to get shaggy; about every three months. We also know that we are lazy, so we probably only change them every four months. So let’s say everyone changes their toothbrush three times a year (every four months).
Here’s the equation:

• Australian population with teeth  x number of toothbrushes used per person per year  = number of toothbrushes used in Australia per year

…which equates to:

• 20,750,000  x 3  = 62,250,000

Yes, you read that right. By my very rough estimate, Australians are using 62 and a quarter million toothbrushes per year. (Some estimates say 30 million, but I’m going to presume Australians care about their dental hygiene more than that.) To boggle your brain a little more, keep in mind that Australia has a small population. Think of how many toothbrushes the US, Chinese, Indians, Brazilians and Indonesians are using. Yikes!" (Eco Lesbo Vego - 2015).

 Scary huh? The website Trash Is For Tossers by Lauren Singer is a great resource too (Yep! That's the trash-free girl again). In Lauren's article it talks about the US rates of toothbrushes (and tooth paste) produced from plastic that are non-recyclable. It is pretty scary stuff. All these plastic things that we never even think of. Sneaky plastic! hehehe.

Toothbrushes made of bamboo can be recycled or even reused or up-cycled when they need to be disposed of.

Why bamboo not some other non-plastic substitute? I hear you ask. Well....

 "Bamboo, a natural cellulose fibre, is biodegradable, environmentally sustainable and does not pollute the environment.Technically considered a member of the grass family, bamboo is the fastest growing plant on earth, and is incredibly abundant. It regenerates itself prolifically with minimal water and without the need for harmful pesticides - in fact harvesting and using the bamboo helps to control unwanted spread into agricultural and natural forest areas.Bamboo is a 100% natural renewable resource that grows back within a few months of harvesting and reaches full size in 3 years." (New Internationalist 2015. This following link is too the Bamboo Toothbrushes by New Internationalist Shop, of which I bought a collection. I bought the bulk pack.

I have a few awesome bamboo products at home that I love. When the toothbrushes arrive at my house (and I'm home to pick them up) I cant wait to try them out. I will wait until my plastic one dies before replacing it completely. Otherwise it is waste in another sense.

KINDNESS IDEA: Donate Toothbrushes and Toothpaste to a homeless shelter. Often the shelters need toiletries. This is an awesome idea of how to support your own community and help those who need it most.

Okay my lovelies,
I'm off to bed.

Much love to you all.
Daena Guest 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

Sustainable September Day Six Kindness

Hi-de-le-ho neighbours,

So did anyone sign any petitions to protect a local environmental landmark? against Fracking? against destruction or logging of old-growth/rainforests? protecting your environment for the future generations? Any I should know about so I can sign them too? :)

So tomorrows Sustainable September Kindness idea is one that could be done mid-week but might take a little time... so I've thought about it as a weekend activity.

Saturday – 6 September - Buy or create a Worm farm or Compost bin.

I've been using a compost bin for a while now. It sits in the corner of my little back yard. I use it to reduce the amount of rubbish going into land fill. It is like recycling your organic matter.

"47% of Australia’s household waste is made up of organic waste like food scraps and garden cuttings. Recycling can turn organic waste into valuable gardening and farming products, such as fertiliser, mulch and conditioner" Read more from Keep Australia Beautiful here.

From Land Fill Waste Facts - Kids Go Green (Caerphilly, Wales)

 

 Composting and creating worm farms also helps the environment and is a kindness to the earth of ours. 

I have only recently gotten into gardening and I am looking forward to using my Compost mix on my garden as the soil here in Western Australia is basically made up of Sand! 

There are lots of different ways to create a compost bin of your own. One of my Favourite TV Shows is River Cottage Australia... and it just so happens that there is a small segment on how to make a compost bin on their site... Check it out here.

Tomorrow I will post a couple of photos of my little compost bin.

As yet I have basically left out the Worm Farms. I don't yet have a Worm Farm as I thought I would see if I could keep my plants alive first before taking on live wriggly worms.As my plants are thriving, it might almost be time for me to start a worm farm.

The Australian Government's Department of Industry, has some awesome schemes, rebates and ideas on creating composting bins and even how to create worm farms. Check it all out here.

Hope this finds you well.
Luv Daena

p.s How you are going with your Sustainable September Kindnesses. :)

Sustainable September Day Three Kindness

Hey beautiful people, 

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.com or 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! :) 

Much love to you all, 

Luv Daena x

Sustainable September Day Two Kindness

Hey there,

Two days in a row and here is a blog just casually waiting for you... you are impressed right? I know I am! :) How did you go today with using Public transport today? Or are you still using public transport? Did you ride your bike? Or walk?

I didn't have work today but I had to meet mum, after an appointment, so I walked to our meeting point. Here is a photo of me on my walk...

Tomorrows kindness, that I am telling you about today, is about learning how to recycle in your area. A lot of the websites I found are Western Australian based but a quick "Google" will help you find recycling information in your area, city, state or country.

Tuesday - 2 September – Recycle by putting any recyclable materials in specific recycle bins rather than putting them in general rubbish bins. There is a website that can tell you what to recycle in your suburb called Recycling Near You (Australia only). For more information on Recycling in Western Australia check out this site: http://www.wasteauthority.wa.gov.au/ as they have information on residential and industrial recycling! For information of Plastic Recycling and PET numbers and their meanings read more here.

I hope you are enjoying this new type of Kindness - Kindness to our future generations, by looking after their world.

Much love to you all,
Luv Daena x