Giethoorn In Netherlands Has No Roads Or Any Modern Transportation At All, Only Canals. Well, And 176

My IRL friend Laura Meilman is an awesome artist, and she has made five drawings of mermaids for the environment.

They’re all for sale as prints over at her Etsy shop, and portions of the proceeds will go to the United Way of Genessee County’s Flint Water Fund, The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and The Nature Conservancy.

The lavender held memories, the eucalyptus remembered all the tears, and the poppies were always there to see the years crawl by.

Three plants that are reminders of my childhood home in Northern California.

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I honestly think that we would eliminate one of the major causes of ableism if we stopped basing people’s worth off how much revenue they generate.

I wanna be the weird lady who lives in a small house and grows lavender and wears sundresses with straw hats and always has a book to recommend

“my favorite thing about you is your smell

you smell like

earth

herbs

gardens

a little more

human than the rest of us”

- rupi kaur, milk and honey

I turned a wasteland into a garden

With imagination and an army of helpers, a city wasteland was turned into a thriving garden for local people

Practical action + liaising with the local community = creating long term sustainable projects and ultimately a shift in culture.

shopping responsibly

this is a sequel to my other post about alternatives to throwing things away. that post detailed some ways to reduce your waste, but the production, shipping, handling & transportation of new items can also be extremely wasteful & push costs up. obviously there’s no ethical consumption under capitalism & you aren’t a bad person for being unable to “shop ethically,” but some of these ideas can help with personal consumption. here are some tips about purchasing or acquiring goods with minimum environmental impact or just minimal financial impact.

ask around: ask your friends & neighbors if they have the desired item(s) that they are no longer using. this can be handy for most nonperishable goods, especially if you have a cooperative community. the free section of craigslist in your area is a good place to start, or the free section of the nextdoor app; you can also put up an advertisement in nextdoor or a similar app to ask if anyone has what you’re looking for & is willing to give it away.

thrift stores: good for clothing, furniture, & other things. it’s fairly easy to find a local thrift store online, & you never know what kind of treasures are there.

do your research before donating unwanted goods: some thrift stores that depend on donations will give out discounts to donators. you can use this on your next purchase at the store.

reselling sites: if you’re on the hunt for something more specific/that you prefer to be unused (such as makeup), people list all kinds of unwanted gifts & random things on resale sites. ebay is the most famous example, but poshmark, mercari & depop are all more fashion-focused places to get trends at a discount & without directly paying a corporation. thredup is the equivalent of an online thrift store, with more emphasis on basic/classic/affordable pieces. also, check out facebook for sale/trade groups in your area!

farmer’s markets: perfect for local produce. you support small businesses & get food that’s full of fewer artificial additives! warning, though: these can be pricey.

borrowing & renting: if you’re not going to need it forever, then don’t pay a forever price! often local hardware stores have tool rentals, for instance.

barter: trade something you don’t need for something you do. this can easily be another “ask around” one, but there are some websites specifically for swapping makeup, clothes, & more.

local artisans/stores: in the event that you absolutely NEED to buy something new, try getting it handmade or local. etsy is a good online marketplace for handmade goods, & some areas have their own sites/directories. ask around!

make it yourself/repair something: if you need something that you can create on your own (especially from reused materials), then just do it. see if you have a local makerspace, where you can access tools & assistance.

reuse: see if you have anything that would do the job, even if it’s not conventional. as long as it’s safe, you can do some WEIRD substitutions.

reduce: the classic solution, which is just not getting anything new. do you REALLY need another tube of lipstick? more shoes? your 5th jacket this season? i thought not!

edit: dumpster diving & curb picking are valid options as well. you might want to look into the legality of this in your area, but if you’re not afraid of getting your hands dirty it’s great. people throw away things that are still useable ALL the time.

this post isn’t exhaustive, so PLEASE add any websites or ideas that you might have! good luck!!

Plastic-eating mushrooms are the new superheroes in combating the growing waste crisis

A new report from Kew Gardens suggests that mushrooms can break down plastic in just weeks. Learn about this study and the many environmental benefits of fungi.

~ the pondering muse🌙

I know I’ve written about this a lot in the past month but this article has some new tidbits about mushroom’s beneficial effects on soil remediation. Apparently, not only can mushrooms break down plastics, radioactivity, generate electricity, and a plethora of other things. But it can also remove pesticides, dyes, remnants of explosives in the soil, and act as a stimulant for biofuel conversion! Pretty interesting stuff isn’t it?

After Planting a Tree Every Day for 40 Years, Man Has Created Blossoming Forest on Barren Wasteland

I have started playing Stardew valley again, this time together with my boyfriend and honestly it’s wholesome… like, not only Stardew Valley per se has a great calming and fulfilling atmosphere, but being there with my boyfriend, waking up with him at 6 am just like irl but here it’s to water crops, cut a few trees, perhaps fish and chat with the community? I love it.