#savetmr
I love shampoo bars! They’re perfect for traveling without worrying about spilling soap everywhere, they’re zero waste and they’re usually made by an ethical company without the threat of animal cruelty. My hair has reacted differently to different bars so trying a few and finding …
When heading out it’s simple to bring a couple little items for a zero waste day. Coffee Cup – If your outings usually start with a trip to a coffee shop try to bring a cup to make sure you wont have to throw one …
Plastic pollution is a crisis, it never biodegrades and is made from harmful chemicals. When this type of plastic ends up in a landfill or is incinerated it releases a toxic chemical, called dioxin. If it ends up in our oceans it is dangerous to wildlife that only see food. Luckily there are many alternatives to using unsustainable products.
Plastic feels almost unavoidable. My food is wrapped in plastic, my clothes have it woven into the fibers, my computer, my tea kettle, my phone, my dogs toys all have a bits of plastic. How can we avoid it if it’s everywhere. Sometimes avoiding it isn’t possible and for those times I use the plastic items until they’re completely unusable, try to fix it or re-purpose then recycle, donate or toss. When an item is fixed and used for another nine months it can reduce the related carbon, water and waste footprints 20-30%.
The average person uses 540 plastic bags every year, that’s one pound of plastic that never degrades and could be eaten by marine life.
Plastic sandwich bags are 100% avoidable. I have not bought plastic sandwich bags in years and never have felt like I needed one. The uses for these bags are usually storing dry or wet food. Storing dry food I use cloth napkins, I made scrap fabric cloth bags for sandwiches or use my mesh produce bags, they’re perfect for storing fresh popcorn. What happened to containers? Everyone got so obsessed with not doing dishes they just forgot containers and grab a plastic bag. I have so many ex peanut butter jars that I use to store everything. If I want to bring a sandwich out and about with me and don’t want to carry a container or napkins all day I use old bread bags or something like it. I can throw these away after without feeling guilty and my plastic waste is used more than what it’s purposed for.
To store wet things I use any container (those empty peanut butter, hummus or salsa containers) or I have one silicone bag for on the go. I got the silicone bag originally so I could bring salads up the ski mountain for a much cheaper lunch without a mess in my pocket or a bulky container but now I use it more often for tofu marinades. It’s perfect for marinades as the liquid is evenly distributed. I do use the silicone bag quite a bit but one is good for my two person household.
There is no need to buy fancy new things to achieve zero waste. Making cloth bags out of ripped clothes or unused material is super easy and gives purpose to things that might not have. Saving old containers might not look uniform or fancy but the more times an item is used the more healthy for the earth it becomes.
We made an app, Boycott That! Available for iOS and Android devices!
Boycott That is the app to start becoming a healthier consumer. For the wannabe zero waster, Boycott That has achievable sustainable switches for everyday items. The app is also perfect for helping to avoid companies that partake in animal cruelty and violate basic human rights.
1. Download AND USE Ecosia on your devices. Ecosia plants trees for every search made. It’s free all you have to do is move it to the spot you’d normally click for your browser. 2. Calculate your carbon footprint. There’s tons of free calculators out …
Vegan is so much more than what someone eats, it is a lifestyle in which cruelty to animals is not accepted in any form. It doesn’t seem too radical until it is realized how many companies test on animals. Vegans are inherently are very cautious …
Oh to be on the road again. This quarantine is making my wanderlust grow every day. I live full time in a van with my husband, cat and our new puppy. We have been wandering the United States and Canada since August 2018, we have crossed the US up, down and sideways then to Alaska and back. Our current road trip is to drive to South America in our van. We started March 1st so made it to La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico before this disease took over the earth. Pretty terrible timing. Still have to say this is the most wild experience waiting out a pandemic in Mexico. I thought by now we would be in Guatemala at least but it’s looking like we’ll stay in Mexico until our visas expire, the full six months. This situation is absolutely no problem for us as Mexico is cheap and has amazing fruits and veg. Like everyone else, we just wish we could get out there. In the mean time we can all plan our future road trips, hikes, climbs, and beach days at home.
The easiest and cheapest way to zero waste is to think ahead.
Before leaving home fill up your water bottles – it’s never fun to run out of water on a road trip and have to buy plastic. I use old big kombucha bottles. I haven’t had kombucha in months but the bottle is still used everyday!
The perfect road trip starts with a trip to the grocery to get all the snacks and meals. Bringing your bags is a must. Plastic bags are very dangerous for marine life and remembering your own grocery and produce bags is a simple way to help animals and the environment. Let your produce go nude if you forget!
Make sure your tire pressure is on point. This will help your fuel efficiency, less fuel is more money in your pocket and less emissions.
Take your time and enjoy the scenery. It’s better for your wallet and the planet to drive slower. when going over 60mph your fuel efficiency and miles per gallon go way down.
When you get to your first stop for some food and caffeine (it’s inevitable) make sure to tell them you’ll dine in, even if you don’t want too. It’s easy to shuffle the food into one of your own containers and BYOC (bring your own cutlery/container/cup). Plastic cutlery is described as most deadly to marine life by The Ocean Conservatory, it is almost never recycled and sometimes it breaks when you use it anyway so remember your own. And remember you always deserve the side road local cafe!
If you’re camping or staying at a hotel don’t forget to bring your own shampoo and soap. The tiny bottles look super cute but the plastic is not good for the environment and your hair will thank you.
Heading into the woods for some camping? Bring dishes, cutlery, dish towels, biodegradable soap and a large container, to use as a sink, from home. Don’t buy paper plates, plastic forks and paper towels. Having a zero waste camping trip is not only better for the landfills but also better for wildlife. No giant trash bag in your car that might leak or leaving it outside for critters to investigate. It’s so fun sitting around a campfire, don’t let disposables loom over your trip.
When it’s time for dishes make sure you disperse your sink water correctly. You must be 200 feet from a waterway and the best way is to throw it over a wide area, dispersing the water as much as possible. This makes it harder for animals to salvage any scraps and keeps the pollution from water sources.
The best beach trips can’t be bothered with unexpected store runs, remember sunscreen. It’s much easier to find reef friendly, zero waste sunscreen in places you know.
Having a zero waste road trip is also easy to leave no trace. Be sure before you leave anywhere that you haven’t accidentally dropped something. Be mindful, stay present and don’t rush.
The most important thing is to have fun, we won’t be taking road trips for granted for a long time.
We made an app, Boycott That! Available for iOS and Android devices!
Boycott That is the app to start becoming a healthier consumer. For the wannabe zero waster, Boycott That has achievable sustainable switches for everyday items. The app is also perfect for helping to avoid companies that partake in animal cruelty and violate basic human rights.
