Earth Day/Week
Holaaaaa, Buenos Dias, Happy Earth Awareness Week
I love this planet, as some of you may know…. And I thought it was important that I share something for our Beautiful Home.
Agenda
In this post I am going to cover:
Ritually Eco Tips: What can you do right now to improve your footprint at Home? What can you do to offset all of your Travel?
The #EarthMyCathedral Project
How to be more eco-friendly when food shopping
Ditch the plastic. We all know it's bad, yet we continue to load our shopping trollies up with the stuff during every weekly shop. It's time to stop. Next time you're at the supermarket, pick loose produce wherever possible and don't bother with a plastic bag at all.
Take the Train
Some days it's nice to sit back and journal, maybe even listen to an e-book. My commute to work is around 45 minutes long, and to some that might sound dreadful, but for me it is great for decompressing and getting myself organized for the day.
Turn off your electronics (unplug your devices from the outlets)
Turning off your computer and unplugging your phone is all well and good, but if they're still plugged in at the sockets, electricity will continue to travel along the wires. Turn your electrics off at the wall to prevent them from using juice when they're not in use. Turning your heating down by just 1°C could save you an incredible £85 a year! Now that's definitely worth doing.
Are straws bad for the environment
Do you really need one? Single-use straws are extremely bad for the environment. If you want to be more eco-friendly when sipping on your favorite drink, opt for a metal or paper straw. If you are needing one though… There are many alternatives, like Sunshine Straws , check them out! Awesome friend in St. Pete promoting the shift towards reusable, and moving from single use plastics.
Second hand Shopping
Second hand… I know what some of you may be thinking, but seriously there is so much opportunity in this market… and once you've tried them, you'll be hooked. Not only are they an extremely cheap way of kitting yourself out, but they save perfectly good clothes from going to waste. Benefits for you, and our lovely planet!
Is the dishwasher environmentally friendly?
Now, this is surprising! Now this one's a welcome surprise - turns out the dishwasher is actually more environmentally friendly than washing dishes by hand - who'd have thought it?! Just make sure it's FULL before you put it on.
Shorten your time in the shower.
How long is your average shower? Five minutes? If you feel like you can’t decrease it any more than you already have, can you turn it off while scrubbing or shampooing your hair? Do you need it on during those 3-4 minutes moisturizing with conditioner? How about brushing your teeth? Is the water on while you are you are Scrubaaa duba dubbing? Just turn it off!
Air dry your hair to save electricity
I actually need to get better at this… Biggest issue is my hair is super long, so it takes FOREVER. to dry (any tips? Would love advice!) Air-drying is not only better for the environment, but better for your hair too. The heat drys out your hair and leaves it looking frazzled and split over time.
Do you like to walk? BIKE?
Have you checked your step count recently? Many doctors recommend walking over 10,000 steps daily.. It is a simple way to stay active and take care of our environment. Especially if you are working indoors or needing a breather, this can be great for you mentally and physically.
Fun Fact: Cycling 10 km each way to work would save 1500 kg of greenhouse gas emissions each year.
Enjoy Meat Free Mondays
Healthy and delicious!
Are you familiar with Meat Free Monday? This was an initiative set up to encourage people to eat less meat and reduce the impact of the livestock industry on the environment.
It's an easy way to do your bit each week, whilst also practicing your cooking skills and trying some new flavours! Have a look at our amazing Meat Free Monday recipes for some inspiration.
Start Composting
it isn't just good for the environment, but your garden too. It saves water, reduces waste and gives your plants and flowers a nutritional boost.
Print on both sides - Reducing your carbon footprint doesn't have to be all about big changes. Small things, like printing on both sides of the paper, will all help to reduce your resource-usage.Meal planning
Planning makes things MUCH easier! If you don't meal plan already, it's time you started. Meal planning is worth doing for convenience alone, but if you add to that the money you'll save, and the reduction in waste. Think of all the single use plates, styrofoam containers, plastic forks, plastic
Is natural cleaning better for the environment?
Have you seen or heard of the natural ingredients that you can use to clean your home? Do you know how much you can save by shifting to natural ingredients like Vinegar and Baking Soda?
Want some inspiration? Here’s an infographic which
Bring your own cup
Do you like tea or coffee? Do you enjoy going to cafe’s? This is something I have gotten out of the habit of doing, and need to remember for next time. A quick and easy way is to pack your own coffee cup, or even easier, a Mason Jar… multi uses… left over food from a restaurant? Water? Check out these five ideas from Terumah. Not only will you reduce your carbon footprint, but many places offer discounts when you do!
TAKE A CANVAS BAG WITH YOU
Think of how many plastic bags you have used in your life… How many grocery visits you’ve made and used at least 1 or two bags… A quick change it to have a canvas bag or reusable bag with you.
Use eco-friendly lighting
This is simple, saves money, and can make a huge difference. I am making a vow that every bulb that I purchase will be an environmentally friendly alternative.
Don't just recycle, recycle well!
Already recycle? Great stuff! That said, if you're not recycling properly it could ruin all your efforts. Do you know where and how your recycling is being processed? Or are you just the type to put the plastics, paper, and whatever you think should be recyclable in the bin? If you have a few minutes, see how your community is processing its recycling centers and see if you are properly filling up your containers.
Wash on 30°C or lower
Did you know, most detergents now are so powerful that you really needn't wash any higher than 30°C, especially for clothes-washes.
Wash at 30° and use around 40% less electricity than washing at 60°C.
Go to the market
You'll save SO much plastic at the market. Skip the supermarket! Alternatives are showing up in cities now for Bulk buying options and Zero Waste shopping… Make the time to check them out! You may like them! I just found one in my new town, and I love it! Slowly but surely I will be 100% moved over to this market. If you aren’t convinced, think of this…. The average item of fresh food travels an incredible 1,500 miles to get to our dinner table. Shopping locally, at Farmer's Markets or local Greengrocer's, is a much more environmentally friendly way of shopping. Not to mention how much better it will taste!
How are you going to make a shift in your daily habits? How could you make an impact right now?
What if I have a lot of plastic at home? USE IT.
Zero-Waste Nerd wrote a great example: For instance…
I still use plastic containers to store pet supplies, toiletries and organize nuts and bolts and more.
I still use a plastic toothbrush for cleaning grout.
I still use a plastic hairbrush – I’ve lost a few teeth but that bad boy is still operable.
I still use a few freezer bags from before I went zero waste that I just wash out and reuse.
I still use a plastic mopping bucket.
I use reusable plastic plates, cups, and utensils for camping
I hope all of this information gives you some action points that you can try at home, or be more aware of… If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask me through email! I am here to support!
our powerful community rebuilding Notre DAME,
I am more and more impressed and proud when I see how our community really is shifting from growing big to growing in quality and protecting our culture and memories. How much we care for our structures, and our history.. I am grateful to be alive during this time, and to be a part of this movement. I made a post last week which stemmed from what occurred in Paris, if you haven’t seen it yet, click here.
Thanks to my friend @julianpsjohnson for the passionate words and inspiration.
How powerful we can be when suitably motivated.
A beautiful, culturally emblematic building of worship was partially destroyed, invoking heartfelt, global sympathy and action. Within 24 hours our species committed in excess of €600m to repair this one building, with the leader of France pledging to immediately rebuild, no questions asked. Bravo to heeding the rallying cry, to action.
On that same day, 80,000 acres of tropical rainforest, an area 3.5 times the size of Paris, was lost to the world...along with 135 plant, animal and insect species, forever. That day. And yesterday, and today, and tomorrow. Just in our rainforests.
Rally my friends. You're so powerful.
Want to do something but don't know how? Pledge money to the organisations fighting for our rainforests, the money that we were compelled to help rebuild a cathedral, to save OUR cathedral, Cathedral Earth, this most spiritual and transcendent of all experiences.
Save Your Rainforest - https://standfortrees.org/en/protect-a-forest/amazon-forest-protection-project
#EarthMyCathedral #ClimateCrisis #GreenPeace #ExtinctionRebellion @standfortrees @extinctionrebellion @seedballskenya
