Earth Mum: Sustainable swaps

I wanted to start off my 2020 on a positive note. As most people are aware, pretty much the whole of Australia is on fire. Literally. The climate crisis is at the forefront of everyones minds, or it should be. I decided that this year I am going to try me best to reduce my impact on the environment as much as I can. It is a slow process and it does take some researching, but so far I have found it really quite fun and rewarding.

I am going to go ahead and list a few swaps and changes I have made so far that are easy ways anyone can make changes to their every day life and move towards a less wasteful life and a better future for our children!

Firstly, and I know people say this a lot, I started taking a cup to the coffee shop. I have had my coffee cup for ages and it mostly just sat in my draw. Now every time I know there is a chance I might be getting a coffee I make sure it is washed and ready to go in my bag. This has also saved me to occasional dollar here and there from cafe's that support bringing your own cup.
BUT, I have discovered that the cup I have is not so great for me. Because mostly I only have one free hand to work with I have found that my cup doesn't fit my requirements because if you hold it but the top the lid squeezes and pops off. So I am currently researching and looking for the perfect cup for me. I will gift the old one to someone who has two free hands when I find a suitable one for myself!

Secondly, I have started making my own baby wipes! These can also be used for pretty much anything, not just baby. What I did was, put a stack of baby face washers (alternatively; old towels, t-shirts, tea towels cut up ) in a big mason jar, filled it with water and added a few drops of witch-hazel. They just go strait in the wash with everything else and then back in the jar! Easy! You can also use old zip lock bags if you want to take them on the go.
Saves you money and saves a lot of wipes from landfill!

Thirdly, I switched my Super fund to a fund that supports sustainable industry. I chose Verve. It's made by women, for women and run by women. They only support companies that are eco friendly and have at least one woman on the board of directors. Just a great fund, I recommend checking them out if that's something that interests you. Women have a LOT of power in their money, and if we make the right choices can make a big difference.

Fourthly, I always take my bags to the shops now. I take a few more minutes to get ready before I leave. I write a list, make sure I have enough bags, and my produce bags, and jars or bottles that need to be filled. On this note, I now buy in BULK, so I can refill oil, soap, toothpaste etc into containers I already own, rather than getting new stuff!

Fifth, I make my own snacks. It is so fun! I have such a sweet tooth because I am breastfeeding, so I always want to have a sweet snack towards the end of the day. This way I can try lots of recipes, make them plant based, vegan, what ever I want and put them in Tupperware, in the freezer or just nom them strait out of the oven. It's nice to know what is in the food I am eating and again, zero plastic wrappers to put into landfill!

Lastly, I made a little typed up list with my values for this year on it. A way to remind me to buy less and live more. I popped it on my cabinet in my kitchen and look at it every day.

If you would like to give this a go, Here is my little list. If you like you can make your own or edit mine. Do as much or as little as you want.

NO SPEND / LOW WASTE

Only replace consumables that are essential.
food
cleaning products
shampoo and conditioner
broken items
Pet food

Cook only plant based meals.

Buy food in bulk. As little plastic as possible.
Use jars and tubs to store.

No new clothes. Only second hand or thrifted. And only if something needs to be replaced.

Only second hand items for Olive.

De-clutter home over time.
Find things that are useful and remove items that no longer serve me.

No make up or skin/hair products.

No Uber eats.

Take reusable cup to get coffee.

Always take reusable bags to grocery store.

Properly clean and recycle items. Compost when ever possible.

No eBay shopping. But sell items that can be sold and put money away for Olive!

Cut up and reuse old clothes.

No more plants, only seeds to grow. Take cutting of plants.

No more books. Only second hand children books.

Re-organise and de-clutter often.
Wardrobe
kitchen
Fridge
Craft room
Toys

Find on gumtree or facebook Market place before resorting to purchase new.

If I must buy, make sure it is the most sustainable option. Research and consider.