Low Impact + Sustainable Living: What I Wish To Achieve
If you aren't already aware of it, the #zerowastemovement is slowly but surely taking over the globe! Lately it's been all over my Instagram feed, and honestly I can't think of anything better to stumble across online!
Seeing these photos has inspired me to start living low-waste and pick up on sustainable habits! I would also like to personally thank Erica over at @librettoreviews for inspiring me with her adamant (and not to mention BEAUTIFUL) blog posts and photos! Erica was initially a Bookstagrammer herself, and throughout the years I've been following her, she has slowly transitioned to posting more low-waste content (and I am L I V I N G for it!!).
In short, the #zerowastemovement encourages people to reduce as much waste as possible. This is done by implementing all sorts of habits, such as buying package-free food where possible, using reusable bags, making your own cleaning supplies/make-up products/food at home, going vegan, and so much more! Last July was deemed #plasticfreejuly, which was a challenge started by the Plastic Free Foundation to encourage people to reduce their plastic waste! Today, millions across the globe are doing their part by refusing plastic and transitioning to being plastic-free in their own lives.In today's post, I would like to share with you all some things I wish to achieve in regards to living more sustainably!
Invest on a Keep Cup
I've been having lots of take-out coffee lately and changing to having my coffee in Keep cups/my own cup by bringing them to coffee shops can really help to reduce the amount of paper cups I dispose! Keep cups are not cheap, but I think they are an amazing investment because they are forever! I've seen some coffee shops accepting normal cup, mugs, as well as jars too. Not just Keep cups! So anything that you have your coffee with at home should work just fine! But I would personally love to bring Keep cups around with me, especially when travelling. You just never know when you might need it! It really helps to reduce just one or two paper cups you throw away!
Buy more bulk food
Grocery shopping is so easy when you can just pop anything you see on the shelf into your cart. But if they're contributing to landfill, you have to reconsider your options! Convenience can be efficient, but sometimes it isn't very sustainable! I've recently discovered a bulk-food store near where I live (!!!) and have been regularly shopping there for grains and spices ever since! They encourage you to bring our own jars and reusable bags, so you can leave the store with completely plastic-free groceries! How amazing is that? Perthians! Kakulas Bros is the way to go! Another bulk food store I've been seeing around the gram is The Source Bulk Foods, but I haven't gotten the chance to visit them yet!I also wanted to put out that I have not completely transitioned to just getting bulk food, and lots of my groceries still come from large supermarkets. However, it still helps to have a small part of your groceries be package-free by going to bulk food stores. One day I WILL come home with completely package-free groceries. Until then, if you're able to snag just one or two things without disposing any plastic, it's already a win!
Material Swaps
There are so many things in my apartment that I can easily swap for that aren't very environmental family and sustainable! Some examples include:
Paper towels ➙ Unpaper towels
We use so much paper towels at home because it's just so easy and convenient to use them and then throw them away. Have you ever wondered how much waste you can reduce by using Unpaper towels instead? Unpaper towels are essentially the better alternative to paper towels! They can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and are sustainably made most of the time! You can even upcycle your old clothes/duvets to make some yourselves!
Plastic Toothbrush ➙ Bamboo Toothbrush
Plastic toothbrushes cannot be recycles as "small parts of the toothbrush gets stuck in the machinery", according to a 2019 National Geographic Article. So I'm opting for a bio-degradable bamboo toothbrush!
Plastic bags ➙ Reusable bags
This one's a HUGE one! I am already bringing my own reusable bags and produce bags to go out, but it'd be great to have more of these in my basket rather than plastic. Produce bags are SO lightweight, so bringing them to grocery stores and weighing them should be no problem! All across Australia, customers tend to opt for self-check outs, which should be very convenient if you bring your own bags with you! Because the produce bags are so light, you do not have to worry about the tare weight! I use them all the time for buying fruits and vegetables. I love them so much!
When it comes to reusable bags, you can go for literally anything that isn't easily disposable, yet durable enough to carry all your groceries. Some examples are tote bags, cotton string bags, and even backpacks!
Try more low-waste recipes!
There are SO many creative low-waste recipes out there that I've saved, and I'm hoping to try them out someday! These recipes have been tried and loved by so many, deeming them not just effective/delicious, but super cheap and low-waste!
Natural "Essential Oil"!
Lime & Cilantro dressing!
DIY Dishwashing Tablets!
Nice Cream!
Turmeric Golden Milk!
3-step DIY Laundry Powder
Some of these transitions may initially come in a pretty penny, but they're god for the environment and lasts a while! I sure am not going for all these swaps all at once, but at my own page (and maybe, just maybe, I might find some cheaper/more affordable alternatives on the way?). Bottom line, the intention and the mindset of living a more sustainable lifestyle is still there, so these swaps WILL happen.Let me know if you guys enjoy this sort of content! I know it's not a very common Cups and Thoughts post, but it's something I am passionate about and would love to share with you all. I am more than happy to do more of these posts in the future if you guys enjoy them! I can do ones that reflect on reading and journaling. I think it would be very interesting!Hope this was all helpful and insightful! I would love to know your thoughts down in the comment sections!
xx Cath