Tag: zero waste

zero waste advent

Zero Waste Advent or Seasonal Calendar : Simple How To

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zero waste advent calendar holiday hippie in disguiseLast year, I shared a photo on my Instagram stories of Sen opening one of his holiday advent calendar gifts. This post generated a lot of questions and interest related to how we do our holiday advent for the children. So, here’s a quick post explaining how we do our zero waste advent calendar that we make ourselves and reuse each year.

When I was growing up, my parents got each of their three children the typical chocolate filled advent calendar — and we loved them so much! For one month each year we all couldn’t wait to get out of bed in the morning and start our day with a bite of chocolate. I do think we loved these 99 cent calendars every bit as much as our gifts under the tree.

With advent calendars holding such a sweet nostalgic place in my heart I knew that I wanted my children to enjoy the same experience — but I wanted it to involve no plastic and less waste. It took a few years to figure out what worked, but finally I landed on something that works really well for us, is reusable each year, has a nice homemade feel and is totally customizable to each child.

zero waste advent calendar holiday hippie in disguise

What We Do:

From a branch, we hang little cloth bags (they are actually reusable cloth tea bags) that we fill with treasures and treats, tied to the branch with pieces of yarn and string that we reuse each year. For the first few years we didn’t have the money to invest in 24 (then 48) cloth tea bags, so I would fill all that we had and every few days re-stock the branch with bags that I refilled from previous days. So, if you can’t afford to buy 24 bags, get creative and reuse them. We started off with 8-10 bags and slowly added to our collection over the years (we still don’t have 48).

In terms of what sorts of treats and treasures, I personalize this to the child. Some favourite treasures over the years have been: colourful beads for making jewellery, marbles, shiny stones and fancy rocks, a few eco playing cards (Sen loved the anticipation of getting 2-3 cards each day and building toward a full deck), eco crayons. Don’t underestimate the fun of splitting up a gift (pack of cards, pack of crayons, etc) over a few days, this really build excitement! In terms of treats, I try to get as much as I can in bulk so that it is package-free, such as tamari almonds, jelly beans, gummies, chocolate dipped pretzels (easy to make!). In Canada, Bulk Barn is now allowing people to bring their own containers and bags to fill with bulk goods, which is great news!

Something that my children also love getting are notes. We usually slip a personal note or an inspiring quote into a few of the bags. This year, Ro suggested she’d love to be surprised with experience coupons like “Tea date with mama” or “Face massage”, I’m sure Sen would love to get “Extra story at bedtime” or “Scooter date with papa”. For folks with budget limitations and/or an ability to invest time, these are great options.

Now, I know that some families have, what I perceive as extravagant, advent calendars with wrapped gifts each day — doing this is not a reality for us both in terms of cost and time investment. Let me tell you, though, our children LOVE the calendars we put together. They do not feel under-whelmed at all. Each year, they ask if we can do an advent calendar to count down to spring and summer and fall, so that they can continue with the fun.

A Few Final Tips:

  • To distinguish which bag is for which child, we designate particular colours of yarn for each child. But you could also look for different coloured bags (or plant dye them!) or personalize the bags with a fabric stamp or embroidery.
  • We do not compel an order for opening the bags, the children can choose which one they want to open, and this is part of the fun for them. They feel the bags, smell them, look at the shape and decide for themselves. I personally recommend this because it seems to add to the fun of it.
  • Over the years we have added some seasonal, natural decorations, like pinecones and dried orange slices to hang from the branch. For other seasons, you could add flowers and leaves or your favourite natural treasures.

For some other zero waste holiday ideas, please check out my post about How to Wrap Gift with Fabric (super easily!), and How To Do A Botanical Advent with Children.

You might also want to share my Zero Waste Gift Guide with friends and family.

Follow me on Instagram @hippieindisguise to keep up with our daily adventures and ask me questions. Thanks for visiting!

Holiday, Birthday, Any Occasion Zero Waste Gift Guide

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bee eco wraps zero waste bees matt geraldine devine

Shown above, Bee Eco food wraps, my favourite alternative to plastic wrap

Zero waste seems to finally be (almost) hitting the main stream. More and more people have heard about it, some are curious, and some are even trying it out. Yay! Living a zero waste life is a journey that takes time, be kind to yourself and remember that every positive change helps.

Some people have asked me what sorts of gifts they could give a zero waster. First, zero wasters are probably happy to get nothing. Really. Really, really. Another idea is to give an experience, like a spa visit, a movie ticket, or to give the gift of time, like a dinner date or a hike.

However, some people really like the tradition of giving material things, so here are some ideas that I can pretty much guarantee a zero waster will be happy to get, even if they already have it, they are good items to have duplicates. I’ve included links for online purchasing, however you can probably find all these items locally at a zero waste shop or natural food store. Ottawa folks, Nu Grocery is an amazing zero waste shop that has all of these things and much more!

10 Gift Ideas for Zero Waste Enthusiasts or People Just Getting Started:

  1. Reusable straws: bamboo, stainless steel, or glass: My personal favourites are bamboo straws because they are the lightest to carry around in a bag, but stainless steel is great too. I have never tried glass, because I’m afraid they will break, but other people swear by them. Straws come in conventional width and large (better for smoothies and milk shakes). Don’t forget to get a straw cleaner, they are inexpensive and a life saver. This set is pretty great since it includes a bamboo straw case.
  2. Bombilla straw for filter free tea and coffee: Ok, this is another straw, but for a different purpose: warm drinks. I’ve never liked using tea balls and when drinking coffee I like to make a single cup, so a french press isn’t always practical. A bombilla (also called bomba) straw allows you to steep loose tea or loose coffee grinds in your mug with hot water, and then drink through the straw. It sounds a little unconventional, but zero wasters are kind of unconventional anyway, right?!
  3. Beeswax food wraps: These are indispensable, they are a replacement for plastic wrap. We use them every single day in my household to wrap sandwiches, to cover leftovers and much more. My favourite brand is from Australia’s Bee Eco Wraps, however if you’d like to order from a North American source Bees Wraps are also great.
  4. Silicone food bags: For people who rely a lot on “ziplock” bags, these are for you! They are durable, reusable food bags, that you can use for storing, freezing, marinating and more.
  5. String bags: Most of us have a tonne of reusable shopping bags, but often they are bulky and don’t fit easily into a purse. Ever since my sister-in-law made me a string bag as a gift I’ve been hooked, they travel well and stretch to fit a lot of stuff. We used them on vacation as beach bags, and at home for groceries.
  6. Bamboo toothbrush: Everyone needs a good toothbrush, and one that is not made of plastic! Get fancy and buy a bamboo travel case for the toothbrush.
  7. Travel utensils: Plastic single-use utensils are pretty evil, there are very few reasonable reasons these should exist. Carrying your own reusable cutlery in your bag or purse is one way to seriously minimize the amount of plastic you put into landfill. Bamboo and recycled plastic cutlery are nice because they are lightweight, however some people prefer metal cutlery. Either way, I recommend getting a set with a handy holder so they aren’t loose in your bag.
  8. Stainless steel travel food containers: Food containers for leftovers or lunches are indispensable, and stainless steel ones are much longer lasting and don’t stain like plastic containers. We have a bunch of small, medium and large size containers for a variety of uses (I’ve tried many and the ones I’ve linked to are the best and leak proof!), including layered containers for lunches.
  9. Water bottles: Travel bottles in various sizes are very useful, we use them to store cold drinks in the fridge at home, to take on excursions and for lunches.
  10. Warm drink tumbler: A coffee or tea travel mug is another essential. In our home we have distinct coffee and tea tumblers, because the silicone seals tend to absorb a little of the coffee smell over time, which my children don’t enjoy when drink hot chocolate or tea during a winter picnic. If you are a coffee drinker, you should have one of these at your office, so you never have to take a throwaway cup again!

If you haven’t already caught on, the above items are sort of zero waste basics, so if you are looking to get started with zero waste living, the above would be a good starter kit, since it addresses the “big 4”: coffee lids, straws, plastic bags and water bottles — the items that are the biggest contributors to plastic waste worldwide. If you can’t them out of your life, you are doing a lot of good.

Finally, make sure you wrap your gift in a zero waste way: use reusable fabric, like a scarf, tea towel, or scrap fabric to wrap in the furoshiki method. I promise you it is very easy! Here’s my post about to wrap gifts with fabric.

Faire Child: Outdoor Play, No Matter the Weather

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Faire Child Hippie in Disguise Sustainable Weather Rain Wear Canadian Ottawa CanadaWe love to be outside year round, snow, rain or shine, but to be honest enjoying rain has been hard. Rain is often cold in Canada and can feel harsher than a snow storm. That being said, playing outside, exploring and living in the elements is really important developmentally, and for engendering an ecological consciousness in children. That’s why I’ve always tried to suit my children in clothing that would make weather fun, so that exploring and learning would not be encumbered by distracting clothing. But good quality, comfortable rain gear has been an elusive thing. Fully waterproof clothing for children is generally plastic or coated, which makes the clothing heavy, rigid, and often noisy. The lighter gear is prohibitively expensive or simply unavailable in small sizes.

Sen is a sensitive child and has never been able to find a way to enjoy himself in typical heavy children’s rain gear, he is upset by the noise it makes when the fabric rubs against itself, he dislikes the weight of the fabric and the rigid nature of it, and how hot it makes him due to lack of breathability. Until recently, clothing discomfort was truly getting in the way of Sen enjoying playing in the rain and strong winds.

Faire Child Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

Faire Child Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

Enter Faire Child: a small Canadian sustainable weather wear company. If I tell you everything I love about them you will think they pay me! (They don’t). I TRULY cannot praise this company enough. Their clothing is beautiful, highly durable, functional, sustainable beyond compare (for example, their clothing is recyclable and they innovated compostable packaging just to name two awesome things they do!). Beyond this: Sen can now enjoy himself for endless hours in rain or windy weather. Their clothing is unbelievable light and soft, which you can only fully understand by touching it yourself. Happily, Sen can now play to his heart’s content in the weather and focus on doing what he loves: to play, explore and imagine.

Please read on below for an interview I did with Faire Child designer and founder, Tabitha, where she talks about her passions, being a creative mother, and her dreams for children. Make sure you check out the end of this post where you’ll find a giveaway to enter for $100 shop credit with Faire Child. You’ll also find a beautiful colouring sheet to download for your children (or yourself!). Enjoy!

Tell me a little bit about yourself, the person behind Faire Child. What is your background?

My name is Tabitha Osler and I am the designer and director of Faire Child. I was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia and have recently returned after my daughter was born. I studied fashion design at Antwerp Royal Fashion Academy and then worked in the fashion industry in both Canada and Europe. I have also taught sustainable fashion at the University of Edinburgh and Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

What are you passionate about?

I’m passionate about making positive change in the fashion industry. The way we have been doing things isn’t working anymore, and hasn’t worked for quite a while now. I feel that designers and tastemakers have the power to dictate trends and encourage the industry to make responsible choices. I am empowered by that and it motivates me to be a change maker. I want to be part of the solution when it comes to the social and environmental impacts of fast fashion. I want to help educate consumers about how to be responsible stewards of the Earth. I want to see people change their buying habits. Buy less and buy things that will last. Even better if, like our outerwear, it doesn’t ever have to end up in a landfill.

How many children do you have and how would you describe them?

I have one child, a 2 year old named Charli. She is an adventurous, playful, outgoing and curious creature!

What is your favourite thing to do as a family?

We like to spend a lot of time outside. We have some really great walking trails and parks in Halifax so we take advantage of that. The ocean is really close as well so that’s really great. Tickle wars also get big laughs in our home!

What did you want to be when you were a child?

Oh, I definitely wanted to be an astronaut! The world felt too small, I wanted to see it all.

Did your career aspirations change once you had a child?

Yes, hugely. I didn’t want work to dictate my family’s lifestyle and I wanted to be in control of my schedule.

What is Faire Child and why did you decide to start this business?

Faire Child is pioneering a new future for children’s outerwear. After I had Charli I had this new found motivation – I wanted to actively make a better world for Charli to live in. I was concerned about what she would be left with. Questions like ‘would there be less access to clean water?’ were constantly floating around my head.

So I had a goal of developing a line of clothing that wasn’t just doing less bad but was doing more good.

As a new mother I was also recognizing the positive effects that being outdoors had on my child. Mother Nature is both a teacher and a healer. I wanted to connect children with their environment and give them an opportunity to fall in love with the natural world. So my design challenge was to create garments that would allow children to be outdoors – everyday, all day, whatever the weather, all while having a positive effect on the planet.

How would you describe Faire Child in 5 words?

Well, we are loving our new tag lines! Weather the World and For Young Pioneers

What inspired you to start designing?

My mom sews and growing up watching her make clothes from scratch was like magic. I needed to know how to do that!

Craftsmanship and sustainability are important to you. How do you translate these into your designs and their production?

They definitely are important and it goes back to those ideas about fast fashion and this place we seem to find ourselves in where we throw away clothes as easily as paper towels. Through my research I found beautifully constructed garments that were made to last. I was particularly drawn to vintage workwear from the early 20th century. The designs were so thoughtful and they were meant to be worn outside all day long. So, basically I made mini versions for kids most important job – making and playing. As far as production goes, I was adamant that these pieces be made in Canada.

Where and how (by who?) are Faire Child products made?

Thank you for asking! I am all about transparency and I think it’s important that companies, clothing companies in particular, start opening up about the people making their products. Our products are made here in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, about 15 minutes away from our studio, at Climate Technical Gear. They also make gear for the fishing and marine industry so they are experts in functional clothing. We have a small team of people there, cutters, sewers and tapers, that work with us to produce the Faire Child outerwear.

What’s special about the materials you use?

There is so, so much to say about our fabric. I will try to not geek out too hard. Our fabric is manufactured by Sympatex, a German company working on the edge of textile innovation. The top reason I chose this material is because it never has to end up in a landfill. The fabric is made from recycled PET water bottles and PET is a pretty amazing material. Many other materials become weaker through the recycling process but PET has the ability to be recycled over and over again without compromising quality. On top of that it’s also functional – 100% waterproof, windproof and breathable – and it’s actually quite soft – especially the inner layer.

The fabric we use is also Oeko-tex and Bluesign certified. This ensures that the fabric is safe next to skin and that no harmful chemicals were used to make it. On a related noted, many of the popular outerwear brands rely on PFC and PTFE to make their fabrics waterproof and windproof. These are hazardous substances that take a very long time to break down and can now be found in even the most untouched places on earth. It seems silly that a lot of the bigger brands promoting an active outdoor lifestyle are not being more serious about the effect they are having on our world. You can learn more about this through Green Peace’s Detox campaign.

What’s your favourite piece you’ve designed?

My favourite piece from the current Faire Child collection is the raincoat because of the complexity and ingenuity of the pattern from which it was inspired. It’s the thoughtfulness of things like underarm gussets for ease of movement that make it a really special piece.

This is getting pretty nerdy, but please tell me about your amazing packaging?

You are our kind of girl! We spent months getting nerdy over packaging. I would first say that we try our hardest to be thoughtful about all the materials we use and the impact they have on the environment. With that mindset, we couldn’t overlook the packaging. We were able to source a compostable material from Swiss Pack in Ontario and with them we designed Canada’s first compostable poly bag. To take things a step further we are also using direct thermal compostable labels to print our mailing addresses on. All that being said, our packaging can go into your green bin!

[ editor’s note: For people outside Canada, a green bin is the household recycling and/or compost bin that is collected usually weekly by the city as part of waste management ]

Faire Child Hippie in Disguise Sarah Silks Ottawa Canada Petits Vilains

Can you tell me about your Take Back Program?

Of course! I created the Take Back Program so I would be taking responsibility for the end of life of the garments. After many, many years of use in your own family and then another and hopefully another, our Faire Child pieces can be sent back to us for recycling. When they are back in our hands we disassemble the garment and make sure that those materials are recycled in such a way that they have the most value.

[ editor’s note: for interested readers, Take Back is a version of extended producer responsibility (EPR), a concept that has been implemented in many European countries, where producers of goods are responsible for the entire life cycle of the product, one of the outcomes of this policy is that manufacturers have an incentive to create long lasting products and for their recycling once they are not longer useful ]

What has made you the most proud of what you’re doing?

Well, we are definitely doing things the hard way. We aren’t taking the easy road and we aren’t cutting any corners. So, although everything seems to take so much longer it feels really good when you find the right solution. Even when a small detail falls into place it’s an occasion to celebrate!

What are your dreams for Faire Child?

Oh man, big questions! Well, we have had a lot of requests to make pieces in adult sizes and I am really excited to explore that opportunity! I am also really inspired by Forest Schools and that educational model. I would love to be partnering more strongly with Forest Schools. The thought of a group of kids learning outdoors outfitted in Faire Child coveralls is pretty dreamy!

What are your dreams for children?

There are a couple of things. The first would be that we want kids to be outdoors more, playing and interacting with the natural world. By encouraging this we are hoping that they build a strong and life long love for the outdoors and for our earth.

The other piece of this future vision for the next generation would be to inspire them to be stewards of their environment. I hope that they will see waste as a resource in the same way as I have with how I’m using fabric made from discarded plastic bottles to make the jacket they are wearing. I want their imaginations to be sparked, I want them to be empowered to explore creative solutions.

***

Thank you Tabitha! Readers and interested folks, we got 4 items from Faire Child and I absolutely cannot endorse their products enough — they are sustainable, ethical, top quality, comfortable and beautiful! We got the Knapsack, the Rain Jacket, the Cap, and the Rain Pants.

Faire Child Hippie in Disguise Sarah Silks Ottawa Canada Petits Vilains

*** GIVEAWAY***

Do you want to win $100 gift card from Faire Child? Of course you do! To enter for a chance to win here’s what to do:

  • Follow @fairechild on Instagram
  • Like and comment on my Faire Child post on Instagram @hippieindisguise
  • For an additional 3 entries tag 3 friends in the comments on my Instagram post, please comment each name in a separate comment to make the ballot cutting easier!
  • For an additional 5 entries download the *Amazing* Faire Child colouring sheet shown below and post about it on your Instagram account and use the hashtag #fairechildXhippieindisguise
  • Open worldwide! Contest closes on July 1, 2018 at midnight Vancouver time. Winner will be announced on my Instagram page on July 2.

Faire Child Hippie in Disguise Ottawa Canada

 

Happy Earth Day: Free Zero Waste Magazine for Children

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Family Travel Victoria BC Canada Petits Villains Red Wood

Sen in a giant redwood in Victoria BC { Organic clothing by Petits Vilains }

Happy Earth Day!

In our household, we try our best to make it Earth Day every day. We aren’t perfect. But we keep trying to do better!

This year to help celebrate Earth Day, I’ve partnered with the Global Guardian Project, a non-profit NGO, to give FREE access to their digital magazine all about Zero Waste Living. This is a super fun, educational, interactive magazine that children LOVE! There are colouring sheets to download, compost infographics, basics about recycling, and lots more. My children have used more than a few of the Global Guardian Project educational digital learning packets (see their library of resources here) to do school projects about endangered species, climate change, and lots more.

Global Guardian Project Litterless Zero Waste

To help promote lighter, more sustainable living on this planet that *literally* sustains us by giving us air, food and water, the Global Guardian Project developed an issue called “Litterless” and it’s all about things we can do as individuals and families to make less garbage and to live closer to a “zero waste lifestyle”. Normally the issue costs $9.99 USD but you can’t get it for free here.

Here are some of the articles and activities you’ll find inside:

-What does litterless mean?

-Why is recycling important?

-How to start going litterless

-Compost infographic activity (this has been super popular with homeschoolers and children!)

-How to make litterless lunches

-Recipe: Zero Waste Cookies

-Art projects with recycled materials

-Digital download art work / wall poster about

If you’d like to get your free digital copy of the magazine just click here. And please tell all your friends, family and educators in your life about this! The more people make sustainable changes and live closer to a litterless life the better it is for everyone and the greater an impact we can have.

By the way, this Litterless issue was developed by the fabulous zero waste blogger, Celia, who I interviewed here for my blog. Read all about her zero waste lifestyle and get inspired!

For more plastic free and zero waste resources read my blog post here. Or search “plastic free” and “zero waste” in my blog search bar, there are lots of articles for you there — more than I can list here.

You can read more about the Global Guardian Project on their website or in a few posts on my blog. Full disclosure: Global Guardian Project in a non-profit NGO in the sector of environmental education, I am a writer and researcher for the GGP.

You can read about the amazing founder of the Global Guardian Project, Rebecca Lane, here.

From Minimal to Zero: My Garbage Free Journey

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Zero waste garbage free shopping lifestyle beautiful farmers market produce Hippie in Disguise Danielle Chassin

Just over a year ago I interviewed the Devine Family for my series on minimalists. Living off the grid in a place with no garbage collection they had to develop a way to live that minimized garbage production. I was fascinated, all the while knowing that garbage – items that are thrown away with explicit intent of never being made useful again – is a modern phenomenon. We were making little garbage at the time, but I decided I wanted us to get to zero. So, off I went figuring out how to do that.

About a month ago, after I wrote about our experience participating in Plastic Free July, I was approached by Maximizer Magazine (a digital magazine about minimalism and simple living) to write about ways to reduce waste. I figured this would be a good place to share the story of our family’s pursuit of a garbage free, zero waste lifestyle and some simple tips for people interested in cutting down on the waste they make.

If you are interested in reading about our journey, the magazine is free to download at this link.

Update: the first issue is free, however you will need to subscribe to read issue 3, which includes my article. Sorry for any confusion!

***

Have you subscribed to the Global Guardian Project yet? They are monthly learning capsules for children and families to learn about global stewardship. Each month features a different country’s wild life, landscape and challenges, and includes art projects, activities, meditation, recipes and more! Use my discount code: HIPPIEINDISGUISE for 10% off , you can read more about it here

Let’s be friends! Please come find me in other places:

Plastic Free Living: 9 Ways to Get Inspired and Informed

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Plastic Free July Zero Waste Plum and Sparrow Market Basket

This past July our family participated in Plastic Free July, you can read about it here. To update you, we are continuing on with our project to eliminate plastic from our lives, still making poor choices some days, but all in all doing much better at keeping plastic to a minimum in our home.

There are a lot of great resources on the web to get people motivated to eliminate plastic from their lives, both practical and funny. Here are a few places you might want to check out for more plastic free inspiration, resources and entertainment:

  • This video by Tim Minchin “Canvas Bag“ – watch it to the end, it’s worth 3 minutes of your life.
  • Litterless Blog, a great resource for making less waste, practical and achievable. And read my interview with Litterless blogger Celia here.
  • A great post for beginners is over on Less Makes Happy where you will 5 tips for getting started.
  • The Beauty in Simple, another great blog with practical tips for how to live a busy life with kids and make zero (or close to) waste. You can also read my interview with Julie here.
  • Resource: The book ZERO WASTE HOME by Bea Johnson is a resource I refer to every week to solve simple zero waste problems, so far I haven’t come across a problem the book couldn’t offer a solution to.
  • Real talk: I have been really enjoying the Petalplum blog lately, Ellie has been sharing her month of plastic free in a funny, practical, humble and achievable way. Read this post and this one too.

On my site:

  • How To: A simple tutorial for wrapping gifts with fabric instead of paper and plastic tape.
  • Inspiration: The original source of my inspiration to live zero waste was the amazing Devine Family from Australia. Read about them here.
  • DIY: How to make your own milk, the recipe is for cashew but you can use oats, almonds, sesame seeds, rice, and it works just great.
What websites, blog posts and other resources have you found funny, helpful and inspiring? Please share in the comments below!

Let’s be friends! Please come find me in other places:

Plastic Free July: Our Successes and Failures

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Plastic Free July Plum and Sparrow Market Basket

Plastic free shopping with the help of a market basket, reusable produce box, bulk produce bag and glass mason jar

“Do something drastic, rid the world of plastic” – Tim Minchin, Australian Musician + Comedian

I’ve mentioned a few times that July is Plastic Free Month. For those who are new around here, Plastic Free July “aims to raise awareness of the problems of single-use disposable plastic and challenges people to do something about it.” People are encouraged to refuse all single-use plastic for the period of a day, week, month or longer.  Alternatively, people can opt to refuse the top 4 single use plastic items, which are: plastic bags, water bottles, to-go coffee cups and straws. Sadly, it is estimated that by 2050, “there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans. Most [of this plastic] comes from land and was once in our hands.” Together we can make small, but significant changes, by refusing single-use plastics to keep oceans and waterways clean.

A little truth to start things off: while I had heard of Plastic Free July in the past I never actively participated in it. I’m not sure why, it’s not that I think I’m perfect and it wasn’t for fear of failure. I guess I was just otherwise occupied with my thoughts.

Farmers Market Ottawa Garlic Plastic Free July Zero Waste

Compostable packaging courtesy of Mother Nature

 

So, this year I decided I would actively participate in Plastic Free July. I did not expect it to be hard, nor did I think it would be a total breeze. I knew that we brought home plastics fairly often, despite trying not to, and usually without any guilt because these plastics were recyclable. You know, yogurt containers, ketchup squeeze bottles, bottled hair conditioner and so on. For years now we’ve been focused on minimizing our waste, that is, garbage that ends up in landfill, but we hadn’t put a lot of effort into minimizing our recyclables. Although, had we stopped often enough to think about this, we would have realized that “recyclable” is not a free ticket. While recycling does keep significant amounts waste out of landfill, recycling is still a dirty process, meaning it still creates waste, pollutes water, air and soil, and overall is not as gentle as we’d like to think.

I decided that for Plastic Free July I was going to go full tilt: no plastic of any sort, single use, multi-use, recyclable or not.

Plastic Free July Zero Waste Plum and Sparrow Market Basket

Preparing for a trip to the farmers market with market basket, reusable produce boxes, cloth bulk food bags, mason jar and bees wax food wraps for baked goods

 

So, how did it go, you ask? Pretty well, but it was definitely an eye opening month. And, punchline: I did not succeed in going the full month without acquiring plastic. I failed around the end of week two when we went, rather unprepared, on a camping trip. And then I failed a few more times. Overall, though, I learned a lot about our habits and conveniences, and am a much better zero waste shopper now, and feel like there were many successes.

Like I mentioned above we have focused on zero waste shopping for a while now. But, zero waste for us was very simplistically applied: no landfill garbage. So, we did all the usual green shopper things like bringing our own reusable shopping bags, produce and bulk bags, shopping baskets (on Amazon here), including produce boxes and mason jars when we were being extra good. But…we did not refuse to buy things that were in plastic if the plastic was recyclable. Starting to say ‘no’ to these plastics really opened our eyes to how much plastic we were bringing into our home.

We realized that it’s pretty easy to say ‘no’ to produce packaged in plastic, because there are alternatives, like farmers markets. Other items like ketchup are easy to make, but when you start making these things yourself you quickly run out of time…no matter how delicious (and fun) homemade ketchup is, you can’t make ketchup and cream cheese and yogurt and all the rest of these items in the same day or week. This meant we had to opt to not buy some of these items; y’know, the good ol’ environmentalist practice of doing without. It’s not always the most fun, but it is quite instructive, you quickly learn how much you can do without, without this affecting your enjoyment of life.

Zero waste farmers market shopping ottawa canada

Another problem was the whole category of things you don’t normally make for yourself, like hair conditioner. While shampoo bars (unpackaged shampoo in a soap bar format) are pretty easy to find, I have never come across conditioner bars (if you know of one, please share!). My hair, and especially Ro’s curly mane, cannot go many days without a detangling conditioner after shampooing. I tried to go without shampooing my hair and within 5 days I could not endure the pain my scalp was experiencing from adjusting to a lack of washing. As it turned out, I had enough hair conditioner to last the month, but I’m fairly certain I would have bought some if I had run out. I will definitely experiment with some homemade conditioner recipes over the coming months, so that I can go plastic free for my hair care. I probably never would have thought to make my own conditioner if it weren’t for Plastic Free July, so thank you PFJ for that!

Ok, so aside from figuring out solutions to plastic packaged items that aren’t available in an unpackaged or glass format, we also found that the single most frequent problem for us was: lack of preparation (like bringing containers with us and packing snacks for outings). If you go to the grocery store without your reusable bag you will probably come home with a plastic one. That’s just the reality. But, the way to ensure this doesn’t happen is fairly simple: bring a cloth bag with you or always carry a cloth bag in your purse or backpack or back pocket, so that you can spontaneously shop without needing to take a plastic bag. This applies, in general, to living plastic free, a few moments of preparation and forethought, coupled with developing new habits (for example shopping at bulk stores) will keep you from taking home unnecessary plastic. By the way, in case it’s not obvious, bulk stores are perfectly happy with you bringing your own bags and containers to package food with (just remember to weigh your heavy containers first and note the weight before you fill them).

At the risk of making this post too long, I will leave my advice on how to adapt to plastic free living to the above, however, please feel free to ask questions in the comments section found at the end of this post.

Overall our experience with going plastic free distilled down to: preparation, adaptation and refusal. I haven’t touched on refusal yet. So, yes, the reality is that not everything (but almost everything) we ordinarily buy and consume can be acquired in a plastic-free way. But, not everything… For example, conventional vegan hotdogs and sausages are not available unpackaged, and while these are only borderline healthy, my children really enjoy eating these at barbecues with friends. This was something we would have to refuse to buy to be 100% plastic free. There are other examples too, but to be frank there were so few I’m having a hard time remembering them. In general, you can go plastic free by opting to package your own foods, whether buying in bulk or going to a farmers market, or opting for foods packaged in paper products or metal. (Paper is much better because it is compostable, whereas metal must be recycled).

Plastic Free July wasn’t all problems and adaptations, though, it was also really fun and filled with pleasant surprises. For example, when we went to the store to buy some gummy treats for Sen and brought a cloth napkin to wrap them in, instead of using the compostable plastic bags they offer, the store found this so charming that they gave him his gummy treats for free (…we explained about Plastic Free July, and of course, it’s much cuter in Sen’s sweet voice). As you can imagine, this made quite the impression on Sen! He definitely had good incentive to remember his cloth napkin the next time.

At the farmers market, whereas in the past when I ran out of my own bags for purchases I would often still buy a few things packaged in plastic, I refused these items. However, a few of the farmers and bakers gave us the item for free when we explained why we were skipping on a usual purchase from them. We found that these interactions often led to great discussion about plastics and recycling, and many people were really receptive to trying out plastic-free shopping themselves. We’re not the evangelical types, we try our best to live sustainably and make good choices, but we don’t broadcast these decisions – we do, however, engage in conversation when people ask us how we do things or why live the way we do. In the case of Plastic Free July, we had great conversations in local shops and chain stores too, with farmers and bakers, baristas and lots of other interested folk. I feel like this was the greatest benefit of Plastic Free July. It wasn’t keeping plastics out of landfill and recycling bins (which was, of course, IS a great benefit and the goal), but it was the conversations we had, the sharing of information and growing awareness, the daily activism it encouraged, that was the greatest benefit. If my small changes coupled with some good conversations lead to a few other small changes and conversations, the effect becomes exponential pretty quickly. At least I hope it does. Someone check my math on that, okay?

Farmers market zero waste shopping basket cherries

So July is over, but plastic free shopping will continue for us. The minds behind Plastic Free July were smart because they know that if you commit to something for a month you will probably stick with it over time. It’s hard for me to imagine going back to mindlessly acquiring plastics simply because they are recyclable. That said, I know we won’t be totally plastic free. Like any big change, it is best to start small, forgive yourself for missteps, and keep going. Personally, I have to be sensitive that my interests and values shouldn’t dictate how my whole family behaves and so I have to let them figure out their own way of living. Which might mean more packaged vegan hotdogs are in our future, because so far my homemade sausages are not as delicious I’m told, and some things, like summer barbecue traditions, are pretty important to 5 year olds.

Zero waste shopping farmers market ottawa beet root vegetables

A few things and places to check out for more plastic free inspiration, resources and entertainment:

  • Watch (and share) this video by Tim Minchin “Canvas Bag“ – watch it to the end, it’s worth 3 minutes of your life.
  • Litterless Blog, a great resource for making less waste, practical and achievable. And read my interview with Litterless blogger Celia here.
  • A great post for beginners is over on Less Makes Happy where you will 5 tips for getting started.
  • DIY: How to make your own milk, the recipe is for cashew but you can use oats, almonds, sesame seeds, rice, and it works just great.
  • The Beauty in Simple, another great blog with practical tips for how to live a busy life with kids and make zero (or close to) waste. You can also read my interview with Julie here.
  • Resource: The book ZERO WASTE HOME by Bea Johnson is a resource I refer to every week to solve simple zero waste problems, so far I haven’t come across a problem the book couldn’t offer a solution to.
  • How To: A simple tutorial for wrapping gifts with fabric instead of paper and plastic tape.
  • Inspiration: The original source of my inspiration to live zero waste was the amazing Devine Family from Australia. Read about them here.
  • Real talk: I have been really enjoying the Petalplum blog lately, Ellie has been sharing her month of plastic free in a funny, practical, humble and achievable way. Read this post and this one too.

Let’s be friends! Please come find me in other places:

Bamboo toothbrush charcoal bristle Gaia guy Plastic Free July living roof succulent garden

Giveaway: Bamboo Toothbrushes by Gaia Guy

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Bamboo toothbrush charcoal bristle Gaia guy Plastic Free July living roof succulent garden

This month is Plastic Free July and to help celebrate I have a giveaway for 4 bamboo toothbrushes from Gaia Guy. Find out how to enter at the end of this post.

For those of you who aren’t familiar, Plastic Free July “aims to raise awareness of the problems of single-use disposable plastic and challenges people to do something about it.” People are encouraged to refuse all single-use plastic for the period of a day, week, month or longer. Either that or refuse the top 4 single use plastic items: plastic bags, water bottles, takeaway coffee cups and straws. Sadly, it is estimated that by 2050, “there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans. Most [of this plastic] comes from land and was was once in our hands.” Together we can refuse single-use plastics and keep oceans and waterways clean.

Toothbrushes aren’t single use items, but they are daily use items that are easily replaced with a non-plastic equivalent. Bamboo toothbrushes, with charcoal bristles, are recyclable and biodegradable. That means that even if you don’t have local recycling facilities your toothbrush will biodegrade and nourish the earth over time. Plastic toothbrushes will only breakdown into micro-plastics, at best, and will degrade the health of the planet over time. Not to mention toothbrushes prove deadly to sea animals who often mistakenly eat plastics and die as a consequence. Bamboo toothbrushes are affordable ($4-5) and last just as long as the plastic equivalent.

The bamboo brushes by Gaia Guy:

  • are made from 100% natural bamboo – truly sustainable
  • are vegan friendly, BPA-free, lead-free, phthalates-free, guilt-free
  • have bristles that are biodegradable nylon-4 infused with bamboo charcoal
  • are light, yet solid and are a naturally antimicrobial toothbrush
  • have packaging that is eco-friendly with recycled cardboard and no glue that is recyclable, compostable and biodegradable
  • last as long as conventional plastic toothbrushes
  • are a great eco-friendly gift

Imagine the amount of plastic you will keep out of the environment by choosing to use a biodegradable toothbrush. One simple choice can create a powerful positive change for the environment. What’s more: small simple changes encourage us to make more small simple changes over time that really add up and have a ripple effect with our friends and family.

So, the next time you need a new toothbrush go find a bamboo one at a local shop or order one online. Gaia Guy sells them here.

  • By the way, if you aren’t making your own toothpaste I would recommend that you check out Truthpaste – they make a superb paste that is free of plastic microbeads (yes, conventional toothpaste has plastic in it that you swallow and spit down the drain. Horrendous!)

I would also encourage you to visit Gaia Guy’s website to read about his passion for regenerative enterprises. (He didn’t ask me to share any of this or the facts on his toothbrushes, I just loved what I found on his site and wanted to share with my readers). As he explains “regenerative enterprises are about partnerships with living systems,” that is, business in harmony with the planet and its ecosystems. As he explains this is not an oxymoron. I truly think regenerative enterprise should be the model for business going forward. Thank you for your energy and inspiration on this Ian (Gaia Guy)! Everything Gaia Guy stocks is biodegradable, reusable and bio-based.

To enter the giveaway for 4 bamboo toothbrushes, visit my Instagram account and look for the photo above, and make sure to:

  • Follow @higaiaguy on Instagram
  • Follow me @hippieindisguise
  • Like and comment on the giveaway photo
  • Bonus entries:
    • Tag friends in the comments on the Instagram giveaway photo, separate each friend into a different comment so that it is easier for me to make the ballots ???? No limit to the number of friends tagged. Each friend counts for an additional entry.
  • Get 5 extra entries: post a photo of yourself, your children, family or friends doing something good for the earth, like planting a tree or doing something in a more sustainable way. Use the hashtag #hippieslovegaiaguy so we can find your entry
  • Get 2 extra entries for putting @hippieindisguise and @higaiaguy in your Instagram post
  • Bonus entry if you follow Gaia Guy on Facebook

Contest closes Sunday July 31, 2016 at midnight and is open worldwide. Good luck friends!

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In the News: Project Calm, Mindfulness through Making

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GIC_08_calmcoveruk

A few months ago I was approached to contribute to a new magazine titled Project Calm, a mindful magazine for creative types. Project Calm is all about “mindfulness through making”. It was an honour to be asked to contribute as mindful creativity is to close to my heart and soul. It’s also serendipitous that the magazine was launched during the Slow Living month focused on nurturing, given the magazine aims to help busy folk slow down and nurture themselves through craft, encouraging us all to channel our energies into creating mindful beauty.

Bringing mindfulness to craft and creativity is so important (which I wrote a little about here, in relation to picking flowers and making flower crowns), both in terms of the personal, spiritual and mental health benefits of mindfulness, but also the environmental benefits of being mindful about how and what we create. I am always inclined to create from natural materials as much as possible, so that our projects have no waste from packaging and is fully compostable (for example, Ro’s halloween Mother Nature costume, made from real leaves, or our holiday Botanical Advent).

For this first issue of Project Calm, I contributed my Real Flower Temporary Tattoos tutorial. It is so exciting to see my work in print!

GIC_08_p8-9_naturenews_72dpiCopies are almost sold out, so if you’d like one order soon. They are available for purchase here.

Here’s a little sample of what you’ll find in the issue among the four sections covering Home, Nature, Travel and Mind & Body:

  • Paper-based crafts to make, colour & create
  • Positive features to inspire and enrich
  • Case studies and profiles of successful creatives
  • Travel, retreats and courses to try
  • Papercutting template on card
  • Paper animal kits
  • Poster with floral illustrations

Or, you can take a look at the preview here…

 

Thank you to my friend Erin, the florist, who collected discarded petals and flowers for my tattoo project. And, thank you to Kate for connecting my work to the folks at Project Calm.

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Interview with a Minimalist: Celia of Litterless Blog

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I always say that minimalism isn’t just about our possessions. It can be about minimizing all sorts of things like our social calendar, our electronic communications, the number of decisions we make in a day or the garbage we produce.

Today, I have an interview with Celia that I’m excited to share with you. Celia is a recent graduate who, upon finishing school and setting up her first home, seized the opportunity to craft a home space and home ethic founded in simplicity and anchored in her environmental values. This led her to set up a minimalist space and zero waste life. Zero waste can seem, at best, intimidating and, at worst, impossible, but Celia has a way of sharing her lifestyle that is humble and practical – which you can read about on her awesome zero waste blog known as Litterless. I encourage you to bookmark her blog when you visit it, she is always posting very simple, useful, implementable tips for living garbage free. We can take a big leap or small steps but we should all be working towards making less garbage each and every day. Less is best. Aside from writing about and inspiring others to live more lightly upon the earth, Celia loves walking, yoga, reading, cooking, traveling and exploring cities. I hope you enjoy the read and are inspired to share!

Litterless zero waste celia

Hi Celia! Let’s start with a little bit about you. Who are you? What’s your background?

I’m in my twenties, loving my first few years out of college and the freedom that comes with them – to travel, to have time in the day to spend as I wish, to build my life exactly as I want. These are really good years.

What part of the world do you live in?

I live in the United States, in Chicago, which I love. It’s big enough to have really great public transportation but still be very walkable – both things that help streamline my daily routine.

I believe there are many ways to be a minimalist and many forms of minimalism. What does minimalism mean to you? And, in what ways are you a minimalist?

I want my home to be filled with simple, useful, beautiful things that I love and that are well cared for, so that I can spend my time and money on pursuits that matter more to me than possessions, like hanging out with family and friends, heading outdoors, reading, relaxing. I want to make sure the objects I own support rather than hinder these activities. Additionally, it’s important to me that my home is a calming, relaxing place that isn’t crammed with stuff; I want it to be a place where I live life, not where I store an overabundance of things.

Litterless Zero waste minimalist bedroom

Your lifestyle is, in part, focused on waste, that is, not creating any. Can you tell me more about your journey to a zero waste lifestyle? How did you get started minimizing waste? And how far have you come?

When I graduated from college and moved to my first apartment, I was faced with so many choices about how to live my life, how to set up my daily routines, how to do these adult tasks I’d rarely done before. I knew that I wanted my life to reflect my environmental values, and part of that meant reducing the amount of trash and recycling I made. To start, I set up a composting system so that I didn’t have to throw away organic waste, and began trying to reduce the amount of trash I made while grocery shopping. Now I don’t even own a trash can! An unexpected benefit of zero waste is that it’s made my life so much more efficient – I purchase what I need without packaging, and I no longer have to deal with a constant influx of disposable products into my home that I must then sort/donate/throw away. Not surprisingly, I don’t miss taking out the trash one bit.

What is your story, how did you start on a path toward a minimalist lifestyle? 

I came to minimalism hoping to free up resources from an environmental perspective, and also to save time in my own life by simplifying my home and daily routines. As I moved towards becoming zero waste and thinking more about how to reduce my environmental footprint, I wanted to make sure that things I wasn’t using could be used by someone else while they still had life in them – so I began donating them. At the same time, I was feeling the pressures of my first job and wanting to find more hours in the day, and I thought that simplifying my home would help with that. And it has! I spend much less time cleaning and organizing now, which is such a boon.

Are there any books, websites or other resources that have inspired your minimalism?

I have a love/hate relationship with the Internet in general, but one thing I do wholeheartedly love about it is the fact that it introduced me to minimalism and zero waste in the first place. The beautiful blog No Trash Project provided my initial impetus for going zero waste – I love how thoughtfully and carefully its writer, Colleen, thinks about the objects she owns. A few (of many) more favorite inspirations – Zero Waste Home, Reading My Tea Leaves, and JaneJoJulia.

In what ways/areas do you struggle with keeping things minimal? What is your weakness?

I have what some would consider an absurd number of books – but it works for me. I read constantly, am a fast reader, and often re-read beloved books many times, so having a well-filled bookshelf is a must. However, I no longer purchase books (even secondhand books!). Instead, I lean heavily on the library and swap books often with friends.

What have been some unexpected experiences, positive or negative, you’ve had with minimalism?

Parting with objects at first was hard and absolutely did not come naturally to me; I unconsciously associated my possessions (even unused, unneeded ones) with a feeling of security. But, unexpectedly, the more I downsized the more I came to really love minimalism and to be able to really see its benefits – how it helped me have more time, a more lovely and calming home, a feeling of lightness. The deeper I got into minimalism, the easier it became to identify and let go of excess, and now I know I’ll never go back to living with clutter and things I don’t love or need.

Litterless zero waste wool dryer balls

What advice can you offer to people interested in living a minimalist lifestyle?

Some people (like Marie Kondo) advocate getting rid of everything you don’t need all at once, in one giant marathon session. That approach works for some people, but I kind of think it’s crazy! Going slowly and getting rid of things over a longer period of time has allowed me to to be more thoughtful about what I keep and what I pass along. Slowly decluttering (truly, over a period of several years) has also been a big help in making sure I’m donating each item to where it will best be reused or recycled (instead of dumping a huge load of random things on overcrowded local thrift stores or, worse, in the trash). I’m a big believer that the downsizing process should be approached with an eye to sustainability (here I’ve shared a few tips on how to do that!), and going slowly has allowed me to stay focused on that.

Litterless zero waste wrapping furoshiki

Thank you Celia! Readers make sure to check our Celia’s blog Litterless it is a great resource for living simply and garbage free. You can also find Celia on Instagram @golitterless and on Twitter @go_litterless.

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You might also like my post:

Garbage Free: How to Make Your Own Delicious Cashew Milk

Interview with a Minimalist: The Devine Family on Living Garbage Free

How to Get Started with Minimalism: Assess your Personality

Talking about Minimalism and Sustainability with Robin Kay

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Have you subscribed to the Global Guardian Project yet? These are monthly learning capsules for children and families to learn about global stewardship. Each month features a different country’s wild life, landscape and challenges, and includes art projects, activities, meditation, recipes and more! Use my discount code: HIPPIEINDISGUISE for 10% off, you can read more about it here