For a country of 23 million people, Australia is the 2nd largest consumer of textiles per person in the world. A shameful stat. Almost half of Australians believe our country might actually rank between 6th – 12th in terms of textile consumption. Fast fashion in Australia has become an addiction fuelled by cheap imported clothing… Continue reading Textile Waste and the 100 Day Dress
If you were challenged to produce only one wheelie bin full of non-recyclable plastic refuse per month, when a busy beachside café in my region, operating seven days a week can, and does, could you do it? It requires planning, but The Boneyard Espresso proved it's not that difficult. If they can do it, you… Continue reading Changing the Material World
According to the [U.S.] EPA, the average person produces approximately 4.9 pounds of “solid waste” or trash per day. Thankfully, you can recycle many everyday household items to help promote a cleaner, greener environment. porch.com It really isn't that hard to Reduce your waste and Recycle. But rather than focus on the problems, spreading the… Continue reading Simple Sustainable SOLUTIONS to Reduce Waste and Plastic
Japan is a very clean country. You won't see or find litter in the streets. Why? No litter anywhere in Tokyo and Kyoto Several years ago in Japan, a bomb placed in a busy commuter station waste bin exploded and this on top of a 1995 domestic terrorist attack using deadly Sarin Gas also in… Continue reading Friendly Friday Blog Challenge – Recycling
In my locale, over 22,000 used tyres have been recycled into a new product, called Carbonfelt, to resurface700 metres of road that would normally be dumped in a toxic landfill. In the process, 93,000 kgs of carbon have been drawn up and saved from being emitted into the atmosphere. Racing champion, Paul Morris, says Austek's… Continue reading More Environmental Initatives for Recycling
Following are some simply ideas on how I reduce my plastic use.
This re-blogged post gives some concerning and encouraging news on the serious and cataclysmic effects of continual plastic use on our environment.
Some Easy way to reduce plastic use:
* Take a re-fillable water bottle whenever you leave the house – your kidneys and the environment will thank you.
* Take a reuseable naturally sourced bag with you for consumables
* Leave some re-useable bags in your car for groceries
* If you can sew, make up some carry and tote bags ( there is a guide here) from fabric scraps or that fabric stash you have in your cupboard that is rarely used. Find a tutorial here: https://forestwoodfolkart.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/scrap-bags-a-girl-can-never-have-enough-bags/
* Refuse a bag for single purchases of bread, fruit, small items
* Boycott products such as commercial biscuits that have double layers of plastic packaging
* Reuse any unavoidable plastics as rubbish bags and dispose of thoughtfully. They can be reused in a variety of ways. Plastic bread bags can even be knitted into coat-hanger covers and Christmas decorations!! Who would have thought?
* Take home your rubbish when out, if rubbish receptacles near beaches are full
* Use a re-usable coffee cup if you like takeaway coffee
* Use glass jars or tins to store flour, biscuits (cookies), or baking ingredients in your pantry or fridge
* Wrap vegetables like celery in damp cloth tea-towels in the fridge
* Display fresh fruit in a bowl rather than in a thin, soft plastic bag in the fridge
* Grate and cut your own vegetables – who needs to buy grated carrot and cheese for goodness sake? It takes but five seconds to grate, literally!
* Buy whole fruit and cut at home, rather than purchase cut rock melon, pumpkin or pineapple, or carrots in polystyrene trays covered with glad wrap
* Write or tell your local supermarket and ask them to stop packaging items like carrots and apples in plastic bags or glad wrap
* Shop for vegetables at a local green grocer for fresh individual fruit and vege
* Save plastic use for toxic items that can’t be disposed of any other way
* Place recyclable plastic in correct Council bins for re-purposing
*Use rubber gloves instead of single use disposable plastic gloves where you canMake these practices become a habit.
As the forefathers wrote in the Declaration of Independence, the unalienable rights endowed to men (and women) of this country are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Fast forward 242 years and we are seriously messing with those rights as we clamor for a faster, more convenient lifestyle, adding up to a seemingly disposable endgame for all. From our food system to our thirst to develop everything (land and products) deemed profitable, we are creating a world where the pursuit of happiness will be so much harder to attain because…
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Something to Ponder About 