Happy Plastic-Free July!

Okay, I have a confession to make. I’ve never really consciously participated in plastic-free July. *gasp* Why? Well, if I’m being even more honest (and embarrassingly egotistical), it’s because I didn’t see the point when I was already doing my best to live a plastic-free lifestyle. But, am I? Am I really?

This is NOT okay.

We live in a very distracted era. There’s always something buzzing, ringing, lighting up, or notifying us some how that someone “liked” something, “followed” us, sent us a little typographical love note. We have appointments and deadlines and to-do lists. We have kids and partners and lovers and pets. So, are we ever really doing all of the things that we enjoy consciously? I think not. That’s why, this month, I am going to put my best foot forward in being extra CONSCIOUS for plastic-free July. I’m going to track the plastic items that come into my life over the next 31 days and I’ll report back, at the beginning of August to see how I did. I think being held accountable to sharing it is going to make me more aware of buckling down.

Just say no to plastic straws.

I figured there may be some tips that you need in order to know where to start or what to do to participate in plastic-free July. I’ll share the things that I already do and will continue to stay present with throughout the month.

• Carry bamboo and/or stainless steel straw(s) & cutlery with me
• Keep reusable shopping totes in my car
• Get coffee in a mason jar (even if I use the drive thru)
• NEVER buy bottled water
• Bring my own water bottle
• Use charcoal (compostable) water filters
• Make coffee at home, instead of going out for it
• Buy un-packaged produce
• Opt for an item in glass (if needed), over plastic
• Opt for snacks that can be bought from the bulk section
• Avoid ordering things online, when and if possible
• Avoid eating out at places that have reusable dishes

Now, some of these may seem like simple things, but they are a matter of habit that still require someone to be consistent with in order to make them stick. It takes roughly 20 days to make a new habit stick, so this month is the perfect time to get into these or other plastic-free habits.

I’d love some other ideas of ways that people are avoiding plastic this month. Feel free to share in the comments section below. ❤

Forgiveness in the ZW Community – Are we being realistic?

My first trimester was a real doozy. It kicked my ass all over the place. I was sick day in and day out from what seemed like the moment I saw those little blue lines.

I have always been someone who loves food. Food is one of my love languages. But, for the first time ever, I dreaded food. I hated that face that I had to eat food to, you know, live. To say I was sick and exhausted is an understatement. I felt like shit ran over twice. If I wasn’t at work, I was usually sleeping because I was too sick to want to be awake and too tired to keep my eyes open, even if I wanted to. I hated it. I hated everything about it and I truly couldn’t understand why anyone would do this if this was how you had to feel. Have I mentioned how much I hated it?

When you’re pregnant, everyone and their mother wants to give you unsolicited advice. So, I’ve got people telling me to eat certain things and do certain things to make myself feel better. I’ve got people telling me if I eat then I won’t feel so sick. The problem was if I didn’t eat, I felt sick and when I did eat, I usually felt sick.

Where am I going with this? I’m getting there. Because I felt so awful and my relationship with food had been so thrown off, I could never predict what I was going to want to eat from meal to meal or snack to snack. For a while, the only thing I wanted to eat was fruit and fruit juice. It seemed to be the only thing that brought me relief. But, every now and again, I’d want other things. One minute I wanted a specific sandwich, the next minute Chinese, the next minute soup or crackers or soy yogurt. This caused two main issues. 1 – I couldn’t properly shop for groceries because I’d buy things that I wanted in that moment that would gross me out later and then there would be food wasted. 2 – I was too sick to have the energy to prepare anything, so I was ordering food all the time. This was creating so. much. waste. There is a very, VERY small amount of places that deliver your food in recyclable containers, let alone compostable. So, on top of the extreme sickness I was feeling, I was also having extreme guilt about failing to  maintain my sustainable lifestyle. Overall, I felt like a failure.

Everyone kept telling me that I would likely feel more like myself and overall better in my second trimester and I just kept counting the days. Turns out, in my case, those people were right. I felt like myself, as much as you can feel like yourself with another person growing inside you for the first time. However, everything just felt so much harder. I was working full time. Did I mention I live alone? I got big pretty quickly. So, even the times when I had planned to meal prep, the minute I’d get one meal done, I’d need a nap. It was too hard for me to stand up for long, so I’d be sitting on a stool just to make that one meal.

Here’s the hardest truth to face: I never really got fully back on track during my pregnancy. However, my effort was better than in my first trimester. But, that’s almost a year (because I sure wasn’t killing it right after having a baby) of not living sustainable. The mental beat down was real, ya’ll. Like nothing I had done to be sustainable before mattered because I was making all this waste and using my pregnancy as an excuse. Like, I was that “part of the problem, not the solution” person. Like all the statistics about the average American making 4 pounds of trash per day person was me.

Cue mental image running through my brain as if I’m the sole problem.

Now, like I said before, this is not solely a blog for mom’s. So, the overarching point here is not really about morning sickness or exhaustion or pregnancy at all. We all have shit. We have things that arise that get in the way of the big picture or what we’ve been focusing on or that we didn’t foresee coming. The point is that you have to learn to forgive yourself, because shit happens. I had to learn to forgive myself. Know that you are doing your best when you can. It isn’t productive to focus on what you’re doing wrong. Just do your very best.

2019 Update: Where have I been?

It’s been a while since I posted anything because I’ve been a little preoccupied and there’s a major, life-altering reason for that.

I HAD A BABY!

She was born 8 lbs & 3 oz on an early Monday morning in March of this year and she’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever done. If you’re a mother, then you know that she’s been occupying the majority of my time and brain space, hence, the absenteeism.

In all honesty, she wasn’t planned, so this new life has been an adjustment. But, because I work for an incredible company who truly cares about it’s employees, I have been blessed with a 12 month maternity leave. Yes, that’s what I said. I have an entire year to spend time with my baby. Therefore, in between naps and feedings and laundry and dishes and pets and trying to feed myself and sometimes shower and keep up with my house (do you feel my exhaustion yet?) – I’m going to try and use my “free” time to get back to talking about the things I love and include what I’ve learned over the past year.

Minimalism and “zero waste” (the air quotes are for another post at another time) have been very interesting to navigate with pregnancy and being a single mom. My habits were altered (thrown off, really) and my mind has changed in regards to my beliefs, but I will share all of that in the coming months.

I still intend to keep the topics of this blog as they always were, as those are the things that I’m passionate about and the point of the entire thing. But, I am going to pepper in how it works with motherhood, for me. However, that does not mean this is going to be an entire mommy blog, so if you don’t have kids – don’t think that this is no longer a place for you. It’s just going to show how things can shift and change and hopefully relieve the pressure that some people may feel to be perfect with this lifestyle. Let’s be honest: there is no such thing as perfect.

I’m not here to push my beliefs onto anyone or intensify the pressure that you may be feeling to live this lifestyle the way you see other people do it. I’m just here to share my journey and open up the dialogue in hopes of connecting with other like minded individuals.

ZERO WASTE: Holiday Guide

Ho ho ho! We are in the thick of the holiday season. How are you feeling — Merry & bright? Stressed & overwhelmed? If it’s the latter, just remember;  the holidays are whatever you want to make them. Don’t let the bastards get you down. I don’t have all the answers to cure your holiday blues, but I do have some ways to minimize the wasteful part of the holiday season, which can no doubt, add immense stress – depending on where your eco-conscience lies. I suspect, if you’re reading this though, we are two peas in a pod. 

Avoiding Holiday Food Waste

• Only make as much food as you, your family and your guests may need.
• Use natural, unprocessed foods so that you can compost any scraps.
  • It’s much easier, healthier and delicious to make your own mashed potatoes rather than that boxed crap. (I can post a recipe if you’d like – comment below!)
• Ensure you save your leftovers so that nothing has to go to waste. You can ask your guests to bring a to-go container of their choice, or give them one of yours if you are hoarder of all things mason jar-esque (like me). 
• Keep it simple, as far as the menu goes. You don’t need 3 main courses and 6 different sides with 3 different desserts. Pick 1 main course, 2 sides, 1 desert and maybe a salad. You can also ask people to vote on what they want so you can ensure that everyone is pleased with the outcome and no one goes hungry. But, you likely aren’t eating with strangers (hats off to you, if you are), so you should have an idea of what’s going to work any way, right?

Avoiding Gift Wrapping Waste

• Skip the wrapping paper (Don’t let shiny-object-syndrome get the best of you. You’re stronger than that!)
• Use a knot-wrap (www.lushusa.com has some great options) or use other fabric scraps to wrap gifts instead
• Make your own recyclable or compostable wrapping paper with left over brown paper bags or newspaper.
  • You can add twine and natural things like eucalyptus twigs or a pine clipping if you feel the need to spruce it up!
  • You could also draw on it with compostable colored pencils or paint a design you like. Little details like this mean so much more than store bought wrapping paper. 
• If you really want to go for the gold – you can sew your own fabric gift bags that can be reused over and over again or be an addition gift to the recipient.

Conscious Gift Giving

• Give an experience, not a material item
  • Has your friend been talking nonstop about wanting to take that pottery class, but can’t find the time or money to make it happen?
  • What about taking them out to their favorite restaurant on you?
• Buy from eco-conscious places
  • Package Free Shop
  • Wild Minimalist 
  • Going Zero Waste
•  Buy local
• Ask people what they want, instead of guessing
• Make it yourself 

Avoiding Holiday Decoration Waste

• Make it yourself
  • you can find lots of ideas to make a Christmas tree out of a pallet or a wooden ladder, among many other creative things
• Use natural & found objects
  • see my DIY post about pine cone garland
• Opt for a real tree, not artificial
  • you can compost these afterwards
  • some farms will even take them so that the animals can snack on them

My decorations are probably more minimal this year than they’ve ever been, but that hasn’t ruined my holiday spirit. I’d love to hear how you keep the holidays sustainable or what questions you have to make some simple changes for yourself.

DIY Pine Cone Garland (Easy)

The holidays are a time a magic and wonder. Cozy fires, cozy feelings, time with the ones you love. But, the holiday can also trigger feelings of stress and pressure. The stress of hustling to find the perfect gift. The pressure to expel your income in order to express your feelings for someone materialistically. The holidays are also huge contributors to not only environmental waste, but financial waste and debt. 

Therefore, to keep it simple, you can eliminate all of these things by making your own holiday decorations out of natural, found objects. The first project I dove into this year was a super easy pine cone garland for my mantel. 

All I had to do was ask around and found a friend who had a friend with an abundance in their yard. They were able to snatch some up for me and so the project begins.

What you will need…

SUPPLIES:

• pine cones (the sizes are up to you)
• scissors
• twine

In the picture I have both twine and some small hemp thread. The twine I obtained from a work event. It was used to make flower bouquets and when the event was over, I offered to take it so it wouldn’t get tossed. The hemp thread, I believe, I got from Jo-Ann’s Fabrics a few years back, but I don’t remember the original purpose. You don’t necessarily need both. I used the hemp on the pine cones and tied that to the twine, but in hindsight, it might have looked better with just the twine. You could also use ribbon. Make it your own!

Step 1
Cut the pieces that you’ll be tying around the pine cones (twine or thread or ribbon) in order to attach them to the garland. The lengths are up to you, but mine were around 7″. 

Step 2
Tie the twine/rope/ribbon around the pine cone and make a knot, ensuring there’s enough excess to tie another knot onto the garland string.

Step 3 & 4
Hang the garland string up in whatever way you like. My stockings are hung with command strips, so I looped the twine around those hooks, loosely, under the stockings. I, then, started tying the pine cones onto the garland twine in spots that I liked, also using them to cover where the command strips are located.

Last Step.
I added a few ornaments I found in my very small box of Christmas decorations. I think I’ve had these ornaments for 10 years. I’ve had the stockings for 6 or 7.

Remember, you can adjust this project in whatever way makes you happy. My goal was to keep it simple, natural, and sustainable. There are many ways you can adjust this project, though.

• add some fresh greenery to the garland (most places that sell Christmas trees will give you free trimmings)
• roll the pine cones in adhesive and then into a combination of cinnamon, clove and nutmeg to scent them for the holidays
• dehydrate fruit slices and add those to the garland (I’m probably going to do this)
• roll the pine cones in adhesive and then in glitter (I don’t condone plastic glitter, but I’m here for suggestions, not to tell you have to live your life)
• brush the pine cones with white or gold paint to give them a little glitz and glam
• String popcorn garland to add to these (I’m probably going to do this one, also)

Just remember, when the holiday season is over, that doesn’t mean this has to be thrown out. Add this to your holiday decoration collection or let this be the first step in creating a sustainable holiday decoration collection. I didn’t spend any money on this project. These were all items that I’ve collected in nature or other ways that I’ve had over the years. 

I’d love to hear other ideas you have for keeping it sustainable, stress-free and budget friendly this holiday season. 

Terracycle to the Rescue!

We all have our guilty pleasures…in the kitchen. But, I’m sure that if you’ve been practicing a zero waste lifestyle for even a little bit, there’s at least one thing that you’ve always loved to eat and now suddenly you realize its no longer going to work because you can’t ignore the ridiculous packaging. #WOKE. Am I right?

Yeah, I’ve had those moments too. For me, the issue was chips. I LOOOVE CHIPS. It’s my favorite snack. I’m just not a sweet girl. I’m salty. What can I say? If you, too, have always been a chip connoisseur, then you also probably recognize that 99.9% of chips are packaged in plastic. WHAT. THE. FUCK.

So, what did I do? Just decide that I’m never going to enjoy another deliciously crunchy, salty snack again? Uh, no. That’s not going to work for me. So, I looked into making my own. I tried time and time again and I kept FAILING. My attempt at home made chips were some uneven slivers of potatoes that were either too stuck to the pan or too soggy to even count as anything close to a chip. Back to the drawing board.

The next thing I know, I’m walking down the chip aisle at Whole Foods (torturing myself, I guess); and I see a bag of chips on the shelf that has a big starburst on it with the words “This bag is RECYCLABLE with Terracycle”! Alas, my prayers have been answered.

I had heard of Terracycle before, but hadn’t really looked into them. I, of course, bought the chips and then proceeded home to educate myself on how I was going to recycle this damn bag after I ate the chips.

Well, low and behold, Terracycle is THE SHIT. They can recycle damn near ANYTHING. Now, for the nay-sayers out there, YES I realize that recycling is not the end all be all for sustainability and certainly isn’t the better option than just not using anything that creates waste, even if it’s recyclable. Recycling does use a lot of water and energy resources. But, I will count this as an ‘off set’ to all my other sustainability practices if I buy one or two bags a month. I’m not perfect. No one is, and I believe in cutting yourself some slack where you need to in order to continue to want to do this lifestyle and not burn yourself out.

So, how does it work?

1. Get onto the Terracycle (<~hyperlink) website.
2. Go to the “Recycle Your Waste” tab
3. Scroll down to the “Free Recycling Programs” tab
4. Keep scrolling until you find the program that suits your recycling needs. In this case, mine was the “Late July Snacks Recycling Envelope Program”
5. You would then click that window and it would open the program window in which you request an envelope be sent to you.***
6. When your envelope arrives, you load it up with your bags. (I tried to fold them down pretty small so they’d fit easily.) You then place the envelope back in the mail and you’re good to go!

***The most recent time I applied for an envelope, I got an email saying :

Hi Jessie,

Thank you for your interest and support with our Late July Snacks Recycling Envelope Program.

Due to popular demand, the Late July Snacks Recycling Envelope Program will be transitioning from an envelope program to a standard free recycling program!

We have received your request for a recycling envelope. Once this new recycling program launches, we will be sure to communicate this with you, so you can sign up to join this program and download shipping labels from your Terracycle account.

As always, thank you for helping to make our programs a huge success!

Regards,

Stephanie Chamberlain

Global Customer Relations Manager

There are lots of things that you can recycle through Terracycle; some free and some not. However, I find the cost of recycling items worth the clear conscience I’ll have knowing things aren’t going into the landfill or our oceans.

Have you used Terracycle before? What are your thoughts? Do you have something that you want to recycle but aren’t sure how? Let’s chat! XO

Resources of Inspiration

We love the things that we’ve come to love, most likely, because somewhere along the way someone or something (or both) struck your attention and sparked inspiration. 

 

In·spi·ra·tion (inspəˈrāSH(ə)n)

Noun

1. the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative.

 

 

The inspiration that sparked my motivation to initially go vegetarian was fueled by a single [horrid] factory farming video that I stumbled across 12 years ago, when MySpace was still a thing. I sobbed to myself as I sat at my desk, and decided in that moment that I never wanted to eat meat again. I went cold tofurkey. Ironically, my partner at the time told me I wouldn’t be able to do it, which only fueled my motivation. But, I didn’t even know anyone who was vegetarian at that time.

Fast forward many years down the road and my motivation to go vegan was in full swing! I tried to go vegan a few times when I was in college, but I just didn’t have the knowledge, the resources or any people in my life who could help me understand how to make it possible. Financially, it seemed difficult. I know now that it wasn’t a matter of money. It was a lack of understanding in regards to money, food and a plant based diet. Eventually I got to a point even further down the road in which I wasn’t willing to make any excuses any more. I wasn’t living my values to the full capacity, and I knew I could do better.

Lauren Singer + mason jar

 

My inspiration to go zero waste stemmed from one youtube video of Lauren Singer’s TED Talk that I found on Facebook 4 or 5 years ago with her famous mason jar filled of all the trash she had made over the course of a few years.

Lastly, my inspiration to incorporate minimalism into my life came from the Netflix documentary “The Minimalists”. I’ve also read blogs and watched YouTube videos of people who have chosen to adopt the lifestyle. Each person has their own take on the meaning behind the word and the lifestyle, but I think the one that felt most relatable was someone calling themselves a “cozy minimalist”.

Therefore, I thought I’d share my sources of inspiration in hopes of sparking something in you. I’m going to break them down into different media types so that you can decide what works best for you. WARNING: There is a lot of information listed below. Try not to let it overwhelm you. These are inspirational resources that I use for all the passions and values in my life. Not all of them will necessarily work for you or interest you. You may only care about a resource on one specific topic. Take from it what works for you.

• DOCUMENTARIES
  • What the Health (Netflix)
  • Forks over Knives (Netflix)
  • The Minimalists (Netflix)
  • GMO OMG (www.gmofilm.com)
  • Before The Flood (Netflix)
    • DOCUMENTARIES ON MY NETFLIX “LIST” THAT I HAVEN’T WATCHED YET:
      • Food Choices
      • Sustainable
      • Black Fish (Full transparency: I’ve put this off for fear of how heart breaking and enraging it’ll be.)
      • Cowspiracy (Confession #2: I’ve put this off for fear of what I might see that I’ve already seen and don’t want to relive.)
      • A Plastic Ocean

 

• PODCASTS
  • Live Planted
  • The Minimalist

 

• BOOKS*
  • Zero Waste Home
  • Forgotten Ways for Modern Days: Kitchen cures and household lore for a natural home and garden
  • The Hands-on Home: A Seasonal Guide to Cooking, Preserving & Natural Homekeeping
  • The Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs
  • The Directory of Essential Oils
  • The Green Witch Herbal
  • The Master Book of Herbalism

*If you can, try to buy books second hand, borrow from a friend, check it out at the library or by the electronic version to avoid creating the demand for NEW.

• BLOGS
  • Trash is for Tossers
  • Zero Waste Home
  • Wild Minimalist
  • The Notepasser
  • Live Planted
  • Be Zero

 

• SHOPPING
  • Life Without Plastic
  • Package Free Shop
  • Wild Minimalist
  • Brush with Bamboo
  • Pact
  • KooShoo
  • The Simply Co
  • Cheryl’s Herbs (local in St. Louis)
  • Vom Fass
  • Flowers & Weeds (local in St. Louis)

 

• PEOPLE
  • Laura Singer (IG: @trashisfortossers)
  • Bea Johnson (IG: @zerowastehome)
  • Andrea Sanders (IG: @bezerowastegirl)
  • Max La Manna (IG: @eatingwithmax)
  • Alyssa (IG: @liveplanted)
  • Joshua Fields Millburn (IG: @joshuafieldsmillburn) & Ryan Nicodemus (IG: @ryannicodemus) + (IG: @theminimalists)

 

“The Naked House” created by Lush North America for our New Orleans manager’s meeting in hopes to inspire a more sustainable lifestyle among staff.

I gather inspiration from many people and places every day that aren’t listed here. This includes the job that I’ve worked for the past 9 years creating a major contribution to the inspiration and motivation around my personal life.

I’d love to hear from who, what and where you draw inspiration. I’d also love to hear if you also found inspiration in the people and places that I listed above and what got you hooked on them. How did that inspiration spark motivation for change?

ZERO WASTE: Baby Shower Season

Spring is in the air. Or if you live in Midwest, you probably feel like we decided to skip spring this year and go straight into our incredibly hot and even more humid summer temperatures. But, either way, it’s baby season and, thus, baby shower season.

Now, if you’re someone who lives some form of a minimalist or zero-waste lifestyle, especially if you’re new to either of these, events like a baby shower might seem overwhelming or even stressful. Your mind starts racing with the ideas of wastefulness: plastic cutlery and cups, wrapping paper, tissue paper, gift bags, double and triple quantities of the same item, etc. Stop. Take a deep breath and remember: you can’t control others. That’s wasted energy. But, you can make your own decision to live your values within these situations and, hopefully, inspire others to do the same in the future.

Two of my best friends are pregnant right now and it’s THE BEST! I love buying baby stuff…for other people. But, what I love even more than just buying baby stuff is buying baby stuff that is good for the baby, mama and [Mother] Earth. So, I’m going to talk sustainable gift ideas/swaps/alternatives for those in your life whom are expecting or for yourself if you’re the one who’s expecting.

First thing’s first, if it’s possible, secondhand is always the best way to keep the stream of waste closed. Almost everything you could ever need for a little human has already been produced and put out into the world some where. But a few good sources could include:

• asking a family member, friend or neighbor who’s already had a baby and has things that they don’t plan on using
• Ebay (with the pre-owned setting)
• Etsy (specifically vintage items)
• Offer Up
• Facebook Market Place
• Craigslist
• Local Thrift Stores or Flea Markets
• Depop

If second hand isn’t your thing or you just aren’t finding what you want and running out of time, whatever the case may be, I have listed below some staple items for a new baby and the places that you can source them from without feeling like you’re compromising your ethics, the environment or the health of the baby.

DIAPERING 

“An estimated 20 billion disposable diapers are added to landfills throughout the country each year, creating about 3.5 million tons of waste. According to a report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, disposable diapers introduce pathogens into the environment from the solid waste they contain”. 

 

Top to Bottom: Cloth Diaper Cover, Organic Zero Waste Laundry Detergent, Organic Cloth Wipes

 

FEEDING

“While BPA became widely known as one potentially hazardous chemical used in plastic baby bottles and cups, experts say there are other chemicals which may leach from plastic baby bottles and cups in use”.

 

Top to Bottom: Mason Jar Baby Bottle, Glass Baby Bottle, Stainless Steel Baby Bottle (not pictured)

 

CLOTHING 

“Organic cotton is made from natural seeds, and there is no use of pesticides or other harmful chemicals. Bugs are controlled with insects that kill the pests. As a result, organic cotton products are safer for the skin”. 

 

Pact 100% Organic Cotton Onesie

An important detail to keep in mind when shopping for baby clothes is season. Pay attention to when someone is due and not only the style of clothes that you are buying, but the size that you’re buying so that  things that are relevant for the baby in that season. 

 

TEETHING & SUCH                                                                                                           

Top to Bottom: Natural Rubber Pacifier, Natural Rubber Teether, Natural Rubber Teether Toy Star

 

TRAVELING

When picking out a stroller and/or a car seat, consider practicality and functionality. Take into consideration what you’ll be using it for and/or how often you’ll be using it. Do you plan to take baby on your daily run? Do you only need for sparing times when you have to go to the grocery store? Do you need it to fold up easily?

 

Top to Bottom: Bumbleride Indie Stroller, Stokke PIPA Car Seat by Luna, Stokke Changing Bag, Petunia Pickle Bottom Axis Back Pack

PLAYING

Obviously most babies aren’t playing too intensely right out of the gate, but we are born with the innate need for stimulation and interaction. When considering things for the baby, think of natural and sustainable fibers: wood, bamboo, hemp, organic cotton. Think: gentle but durable, entertaining but sustainable.

 

 

Top to Bottom: Earnest Effort Wood Baby Rattle, Organic Muslin Floppy Bunny, Eco-Piggy Natural Rubber Blocks

 

There are lots of good online resources, if that’s your preferred method of shopping and some of these items might actually be sold locally at specialty stores around you. In case you didn’t click any of the hyper links for the images above, I’ll list my go-to places for baby items below, for when I’m not able to find what I want second-hand.

Fawn & Forest // Life without Plastic // Package Free Shop // Pact Apparel // Wild Minimalist // Mason Bottle // The Simply Co // Zero Waste Home// The Eco Baby

I will also admit that I actually gave my friend’s their gifts as I went along buying them so that they knew what they were getting and could adjust their registry accordingly, if they so desired. This, hopefully, will help to prevent the stress of double items that they may feel the need to return. I saved a few things to give them at the shower, but still showed them those items ahead of time. We’re talking about the need to be practical outweighing the element of surprise.

Don’t forget the beauty of handmade. If you are someone who is good at making and creating, a handmade gift always means so much more. Thought I’ve already done the baby showers and gotten them gifts, the babies aren’t here yet. So, I’m probably also going to try and crochet them blankets from hemp and/or organic cotton.

My last tip of things to consider when it comes to gift giving and supporting those who are expecting is don’t forget about mama and try to think outside of the items that will directly be used on the baby. Consider offering to come over and cook meals for the first week they are home or meal prepping so you can just stock their fridge for the week. See if there’s any errands that you can run for the mother (grocery store, post office, pet store) so she doesn’t have to worry about it. Offer to pay for a professional cleaning service to come in and deep clean their house (don’t get all hung up on offending people, it’s a nice gesture) or offer to do it yourself, if you’re up for the potential challenge. This way when they come home with the baby they don’t have to worry about it for a little while. Offer to do their laundry for a while so that’s off their plate. Take mom out to get a massage or a pedicure to relax her. Don’t be shy to just ask what would be the most helpful thing you can do to support her.

If you have any other resources, ideas or stories about how you contributed to a sustainable baby shower, I’d love for you to share below! Additionally, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

ZERO WASTE: Repurpose Old Towels – DIY

How many of you watched “The Minimalists” on Netflix and immediately became inspired to purge your home and your life? (You can’t see it, but my hand is up too.) Over the past year, I’ve been in the process of doing just that. Looking at each room, seeing what I have too much of or what I have that I never use and finding a new home or new purpose for it. One of the places I realized this was in the bathroom with my towels. Too. Many. Towels. I mean, how many towels does one person need??? The answer: not as many as I have.

So, I’ve pulled about 4 towels that I didn’t need. That leaves me with 5 (in case you were wondering what lucky number I landed on).  I’ve had these towels sitting around waiting to be donated to the thrift store or the animal shelter. It dawned on me yesterday that I could repurpose these towels into cleaning rags and/or hand towels for the kitchen (depending on the state of the towels and your particularity towards aesthetic).

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

 

1. Scissors
2. Thread (the color is your choice, but this was mine)
3. Towel
4. Sewing machine

DIRECTIONS:

1. Fold you towel in half and cut down the middle
2. Take one of those halves, fold it in half and cut it
3. Take the other half, fold it in half and cut it
4. You should now have 4 smaller towels. You can, of course, cut them to whatever size works for you.
5. Sew the raw edges. You can fold them over and sew them so that you can’t see the raw edge on one side or you can sew it simply to keep the raw edge from fraying.

I didn’t bother with folding the edge and sewing it because they will likely just be for cleaning and not for looks. But, I did use the different stitch styles just for fun! 🙂

I think the best part about this is that you don’t have to throw out those old towels, or even give them to someone else to deal with, and you also don’t need to spend any money for new cleaning rags or hand towels. You save money, get to be creative, and keep textiles from ending up in the landfill.

If you try this, I’d love to see what you do with it. Post your pics below!

 

ZERO WASTE: What’s In My Medicine Cabinet?

As I comb through, and continue to add to, an extensive list of blog topics – I’m hit with two questions. One: What do readers want to know in order to be engaged? Two: What did I want to know when I was trying to transition to a more sustainable lifestyle? I have a list of zero waste alternatives for all parts of your life and where to source these items from, if you don’t already own them or have them. But, as I was brushing my teeth this morning (and staring into my medicine cabinet with no real purpose), I was hit with the idea that maybe this could be a starting point.

I figured dissecting my cabinet would be an easy and realistic spring board for any questions or inquiries about things within the bathroom or just around the home. I will go through the items pictured and where you can get them, should you be so inclined. If you are curious about why I use any of the items, please leave a comment below.

Side note: I really wanted to post this picture in black and white (as you may have noticed my preference for a monochromatic pallet). But, I figured it wouldn’t give a realistic look at the items, especially if you were on the hunt for them.

So, let’s get started:

Top Shelf – Left to Right: tea tree oil, 3 packs of refillable stainless steel razor blades, Grease Lightning (to tackle any breakouts that pop up), travel container of deodorant (DIY), mini EOs gifted from a friend, 5 perfumes (all from Lush with the exception of the one on the end gifted to me from Tokyo Milk).

NOTE: The “NOW” brand for essential oils isn’t necessarily the brand I live and die by and I’m not sure there’s one that I do. If I have the opportunity and the extra cash to buy certified organic, I try to do that in the hopes that they are pure. The essential oil industry is just as seedy and cut-throat (literally) as the coffee industry. Other brands that I support include but are not limited to: “Apothecary” by Lucky’s Market, Oui Fresh by the sisters of the blog “A Beautiful Mess“, Aura Cacia which is sold at both Lucky’s Market and Whole Foods, and a local shop called Cheryl’s Herbs.

Middle Shelf – Left to Right: Band-aids, deodorant (amber jar – DIY ), facial oil (amber dropper – DIY), ibuprofen*, vegan prenatal vitamins*, Kooshoo organic hair ties, B-12 & oregano oil.

*Full disclosure: These did not come in those jars, to be honest. They do come in their typical plastic bottles. I’ve taken them out of their original containers, recycled them and put them in here for a more appealing aesthetic.

Bottom Shelf- Left to Right: Tooth paste (DIY), spoon (to apply toothpaste to brush), dental floss*, stainless steel tongue cleaner, mouth wash, charcoal tooth whitening powder. Not pictured: bamboo tooth brush

This is another option for dental floss that I haven’t tried yet, but I did buy some as a gift for a friend. (Yes, this was requested from them when I inquired about birthday presents, not a “you need to floss” hint.)

PLEASE NOTE: If there isn’t a hyperlink to something, it was either a DIY or it was something that I found in a specific local store that maybe isn’t near you, but also something you could easily find some where else. 

If you are curious about any of the DIY items, leave a comment below and I’ll make a post about how easy, affordable and rewarding it can be to make your own.