13.01.2017 I’m So Proud Of My Little Celery! She’s About A Month Old And Grew From A Stump Leftover

Gardening tip #161

Don’t just throw away that border fence once it’s been cut! This tool of oppression can find new life as a trellis for hanging pots, or support for climbers such as cucumbers, tomatoes, or peas

Zero Waste Kitchen 🥕

I always make a point to buy carrots plastic bag free at the grocery store. It is a more expensive option, but I budget so I can make decisions like this. Then I store them in a jar with water so they don’t get all bendy and go bad sooner.

First post! Excited to share my minimal waste lifestyle and hope to encourage others to do so aswell 

If every working-class person in the world decided this afternoon to install solar panels on their roofs and started biking instead of driving, the ice caps would still melt and the human race would still die off. It simply isn’t possible to end climate change while working within a system that sends all your products overseas in massive supertankers wrapped in unrecycled plastic that will be thrown in a landfill the moment it hits land - and practices like that aren’t going to go away because of your purchasing habits.

Nor are we gonna hit some magical point where using clean energy and reducing waste are suddenly the cheapest or most profitable option and so all the world’s big companies fall over each other to switch over. That has never been the case and never will be - the “free market” isn’t going to save us.

The fact of the matter is, this system needs to be torn down if our species is to survive. We don’t have time to delay the revolution anymore. Capitalism is extinction. 

Straws are the Beginning

I’ve seen a few posts ranting that stopping our usage of straws isn’t going to save the planet. And that’s true. But the point of it is that straws are a good starting point because almost everyone uses them. They’re commonplace in restaurants, cafes, and even in some households. However, straws themselves aren’t necessarily the problem. The problem is single-use plastic. In reality, we should be focusing on cutting our usage of any item we use once and throw away, but everyone’s focused on straws because of how many are used. But if we can get society to cut them out, it’s one less thing to worry about. After straws, it could be plastic cutlery or unnecessary wrapping on food. If you’re angry that the anti-plastic movement is primarily about straws right now, don’t be. Understand that it’s an easy way to bring about the banishment of single-use plastic in everyone else’s everyday lives and it’s also a gateway for unconcerned people to learn about what their usage does to the planet and feel inspired to make a change in their lives. If you still want to be angry, boycott the corporations that don’t care about their impact and support those that do. You can also work to educate those around you that while cutting out straws is a good start, we need to be making more drastic changes if we want to stop the catastrophic course we’re on right now.

I have arrived in Peru and if there is one thing I have learned this week it is that zero waste and traveling to not always go together. Last minute shopping, eating out, medications and bottled water have set me back in my waste goals. However, all hope is not lost as I still have found some ways to back on waste that additionally make traveling easier!

Solid shampoo, conditioner, soap, face wash and perfume

Benefits

No spilling in your suitcase

Able to take through security in your carryon 

Virtually no waste

Lasts a lot longer since it is concentrated 

Takes up much less space then full sized liquid products 

Cons

None? (I really love all these products!)

Water bottle

Benefits

Can refill once you’ve gone past security at the airport (no $7 bottles of water at the airport)

Keeps water cold for hot days 

Can buy bottled water in bulk and pour into reusable bottle to take with you instead of many small bottles in places where you can not drink the tap water

Cons

You must carry it around with you even when it’s empty 

Coconut oil and fabric scraps (used for makeup removal)

Benefits 

Extremely cheap

Very effective in removing makeup (the best thing in my opinion)

Natural and very low waste

Cons

Very messy to travel with (high risk of spilling and staining clothing)

Must wash the fabric scraps (difficult to do if you do not have access to a washing machine)

Overall I am glad I was able to cut down on at least some waste in my travel while also making my move easier! If anyone has any other tips for reducing waste when you travel I would love to hear them! :) 

Climate change is such a huge problem, that is so underrepresented for the amount of harm it causes. The actual change in the temperature, extreme weather events, change in what we’re able to farm. If we ignore this issue, we’re ignoring the fact that we’re slowly destroying ourselves. We can’t ignore it. Yes, the major issue is big corporations, but we are the demand to their supply. We can make a change. Even little changes is something, it does help. Work to make a difference, work to be aware. Don’t ignore the problem, for the sake of our Earth.