#subtainablelifestyle

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Top 10 Books On Sustainability

Within this list you’ll find a varied collection: some new on the scene, some from older, very well-respected authors in this field; some about business, some about fashion. There is something for every reader! Can’t commit to reading one book per month? Why not just start with one? It is a wonderful step toward becoming a more responsible citizen of the earth.   1) Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things William McDonough 2) The Upcycle: Beyond Sustainability – Designing for Abundance Braungart 3) The Human Age: The World Shaped By Us Diane Ackerman 4) The Responsibility Revolution Jeffrey Hollender & Bill Breen 5) Wear No Evil: How to Change the World with Your Wardrobe Greta Eagan 6) Quenching the Thirst: Sustainable Water Supply & Climate Change George Annandale 7) Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered E. F. Schumacher 8) The Hunt for the Golden Mole Richard Girling 9) Strategy for Sustainability: A Business Manifesto Adam Werbach 10) Diet for a Hot Planet: The Climate Crisis at the End of Your Fork Anna Lappe ------- Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Less Trash More Life! 🌏 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time!

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17 Creative Ways to Reuse Cardboard Boxes (Part 1)

📦 Re-Gifting A handwritten thank-you card will never go unappreciated. So what could be better than using the original gift box to craft your message? Cardboard "postcards" can be sent as is; no envelope needed. 📦 Dinner Circles Whip up a set of these delightful napkin rings with a cardboard tube from a roll of plastic wrap or foil. About one-quarter yard of your favorite fabric will be more than enough for eight rings; use fabric glue or double-sided tape to secure the cloth to the inside of each cardboard coil. 📦 Contain Your Excitement Here's a natural idea: Dress up a simple cardboard box with a few embellishments, then line it with a plastic bag poked with a few drainage holes. You are now ready to move a plant into a pretty new home. 📦 Child's Play Help little ones hone their fine motor skills with this clever shape-sorter toy. Fluted dowel pins make it easy to guide the colorful shapes into place. 📦 Stylish Storage Making this trio of storage totes is simpler than you might think. Gold screw bolts and spray adhesive hold the fabric covers in place, and an old belt finds new purpose as a carrying strap. 📦 Cat Scratch Fever Save your furniture—and impress your favorite feline—with this scratching pad made from corrugated cardboard boxes. The painted outer rim is optional. -------- Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Less Trash More Life! 🌏 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time!

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HOW TO LOWER 70% OF YOUR WASTE WITH THESE 10 ITEMS

Learn how these 10 low waste products will help you to lower your waste, up to 70%! By getting a few of these low waste products, you will be prepared for every situation, and you will be able to reduce most of your waste. 1: Reusable containers Perhaps unsurprisingly, having a reusable container can do WONDERS with your amount of trash. Just find whatever is accessible for you and choose items that are plastic free, in packaging that is not dangerous to your health or nature. For example, you can pick things in glass jars, or aluminum packaging – both of which are 100% recyclable. - Stainless steel reusable container - Reusable container from glass - Plastic reusable container 2: Reusable water bottles A single item like this one can reduce your plastic waste, exponentially! Instead of polluting the planet with plastic bottles, get a reusable water bottle. - Reusable Glass Bottle - Stainless Steel Water Bottle - A reusable plastic bottle (in case you already have one) 3: Reusable bag Worldwide, we use 5 trillion plastic bags per year. A significant percentage of these plastic bags goes to our oceans, which is a danger for marine life, and just 1% is recycled. - Jute bag - Recycled jeans bag - Cotton bag - Canvas bag 4: Bamboo/Stainless steel straw Plastic straws can be a huge pain. They often cause terrible things to a lot of species. It also takes around 200 years to decompose, but that means that they will break down into smaller pieces. To avoid all of this pointless plastic straw pollution, you can make a personal commitment to say “no” to plastic straws. - Bamboo straw - Glass straw - Stainless steel straw ------ Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Less Trash More Life! 🌏 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time!

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Eco-Friendly Gifts for Kids

Experiences Experiences, versus things, can be enjoyed throughout the year and even create memories that are cherished for a lifetime. Depending on age, experiences such as ice skating, skiing, hiking, rock climbing, or a trip to the art gallery might be just the ticket.

Secondhand Toys Lots of parents are looking to re-home perfectly good toys their own children have outgrown. Check out your local Buy Nothing groups, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, or selling apps like Kijiji for the toys your kids are interested in.

Dress Up Clothes Go through your closet and hit up your local thrift store for fun accessories, multi-use items (scarves, capes), or Halloween costumes for hours of creative play well into the new year.

Gardening Supplies/Plants Get kids into growing with a few simple items. Put together a packet of seeds and set aside a little garden space or indoor pots. Get into gardening together by giving a set of tools and their own set of gloves. Books on plant species native to your area may be of interest to kids born with green thumbs.

Food Consider edible items like cupcakes, hot chocolate mixes, baking kits, or bulk candies in jars as sweet little gifts for the kids in your life.

Handmade Items Make something! Write a story or draw some custom colouring pages. Create felt masks or knit a pair of socks. Sew something useful like an apron to make kids feel at home in the kitchen, or a cutlery roll for their lunch boxes.

Digital Subscriptions Tweens and teens can be tricky to buy for, and may not be open to an experience or day together. Consider gifting them a subscription to a music service like Spotify or Apple Music, audiobooks, e-books, or a game or app they like. All with parental permission, of course!

Classes Parents may appreciate help with the cost of lessons in something their child is interested in. Swimming or music lessons, dance classes, an art or sewing workshop, or cooking classes are good options. Older kids might enjoy a makeup tutorial, woodworking projects, time with a 3D printer, even driving lessons.

Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet Image: Amanda Plush 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Less Trash More Life! 🌎 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time!

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Wash your clothes with cold water 👕👖👗

The mindset that warmer temperatures result in cleaner clothes has been passed from one generation of laundry doers to the next. Just making the switch from warm to cold water on laundry day can help save you money (and your clothes) while reducing your carbon footprint. Cold water can remove many different types of stains, including grass and makeup, and also prevents them from setting in and becoming permanent. And, delicate fabrics such as lace and silk favor cooler, gentler temperatures. Cold water also protects clothes from fading, shrinking, and transferring color to other garments while washing. A detailed study by researchers at the University of Kentucky found that cold water resulted in the lowest degree of pilling, too. Colorfastness of jeans and khakis is highest in cold water, and cold-water loads exhibited the highest degree of smoothness for reduced wrinkles. Temperature is only one of four components used to clean clothing effectively. You also need to factor in overall wash time, the mechanical action of your machine, and the type of laundry detergent you're using. Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Less Trash More Life! 🌏 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time!

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Three unexpected life skills I’ve improved since going zero waste (Part 2)

3. Critical Thinking: Critical thinking is an incredibly valuable skill, and something you will be doing a lot more. You’ll be doing a lot of research because it’s difficult to take claims at face value. No longer will you be able to read a label that says “Natural,” without wondering what that really means. You’ll start looking at supply chains and asking questions. With all of your confidence and awesome communication skills, you’ll be able to chat with the farmers that grow your food. You’re also going to start looking at claims and articles with a more critical eye. No longer will you hit the share button without further investigation. You’re going to start digging deeper. Does this article have sources? Who are the sources? Are the sources reputable? You’re going to start reading a lot more “About” pages. You’re going to have to wade through environmental claims and evaluate how to make the best choice for the environment. All of the information can lead to analysis paralysis, but it’s important to remember that NO ONE is perfect. We’re all just a whole bunch of flawed humans trying to make a positive impact. -------- Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Less Trash More Life! 🌏 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time!

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Three unexpected life skills I’ve improved since going zero waste (Part 1)

1. Confidence: The first unexpected benefit is confidence. It takes guts to go against the grain. It takes a lot of confidence to bravely ask for something out of the ordinary. Just try walking up to a deli counter, that you’ve never been to before, and ask for food to go in your own container. You will start to question everything. "Is that person judging me? or Will they reject me?, If they reject me do I accept my items in a plastic tub? Should I try and wipe down my container?" and more thoughts. Then, after all that self-riddled anxiety, you have to somehow confidently convey that this is the coolest, most normal thing in the world. When you authentically live your values, which involves doing things slightly out of the ordinary like bringing your own produce bags or jars to the deli, people will come up and talk to you then you can talk about these hard issues. These small acts open doors, and hopefully inspire other people to question their plastic usage. 2. Communication: You have to get clever about how to convey the message about Zero waste in a nice succinct little soundbite that get’s the message across without sounding preachy. It is not an easy task. Keep the power, and learn to find your little sound bite to communicate your thoughts on plastic without getting too in depth and throwing a person into information overload. In fact, maybe come up with a few talking points. This way you’re prepared in conversations. When you’re prepared you always come off with more confidence. -------- Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet Image: @oldworldnew 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Let Trash More Life! 🌏 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time!

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Simple Ways to Save Money on Your Water Bill in the Bathroom 📃

1. Don’t fill the Bathtub

The average bathtub in the US holds 58 gallons of water. The average shower head has a flow of 2.1 gallons per minute. That’s the equivalent of a 27 minute shower! ưSolution to this is simply taking fewer baths – saving them for special occasions and then not filling the bathtub up all the way! Try filling it 1/2 of 3/4s. But, no matter how full you fill it, make sure you taking a nice long relaxing soak to make the most of it!

2. Flush with less wate

Simple fill up an old single-use plastic bottle with water and place 1-2 in your tank! If you can fit two, you’ll be able to save about 1/3 of a gallon of water every single-time you flush!

3. Turn off the tap:

Whether you’re brushing your teeth, washing your face, or lathering up for a good ol’ fashioned 20 second hand washing, make sure that you turn off the tap! There’s no reason for lots of extra water to be flowing down the drain.

4. Keep a bucket in the shower:

This is the favorite hacks! Keep a bucket in the shower so you can catch all of the cold water while I wait for my shower to heat up. You can also pull the shower head all the way down towards its lowest point to direct all of the water into a bucket while wait for things to heat up. Then use the spare water for your plants! ------------- Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Less Trash More Life! 🌏 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time!

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How do you make your favorite snacks zero waste?

Having snacks on hand definitely takes a little more planning and prep than simply buying something from the vending machine. To avoid re-creating the wheel, use the list below to stock snack supplies and ingredients in your pantry so you're not caught with the munchies and nothing to nibble on. 1. Energy Bites Rather than trying to make crunchy granola bars, these energy bites don't need to be cooked at all. They can also be easily adapted to gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan. Keep on hand: oatmeal, peanut butter, chia seeds, flax seeds, honey nuts 2. Popcorn Popcorn is another great zero waste snack because it can be whipped up so quickly! And then taken with you in a little bag. You can top your popcorn with butter + salt + nutritional yeast for my favorite combo. Leep on hand: popcorn kernels, nutritional yeast, salt, coconut oil or butter 3. Frozen Muffins You will love making a big batch of muffins and then pop them in the freezer, take one out anytime you are rushed in the morning or wanting a snack. By freezing them, it prolongs their "life" as well since as tempted to eat them all at once. 4. Zucchini Bread Similarly to muffins, make zucchini bread to then freeze. It is also a great recipe to make in the summer when your zucchini plants produce so much zucchini it's impossible to consume it all! You can switch it up by also making banana bread, carrot bread, or a combo of all three! Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Less Trash More Life! 🌏 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time!

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How to Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer

Ingredients - 3 TB 190 proof alcohol or at least 120 proof alcohol or 70% or higher isopropyl rubbing alcohol (the original recipe called for witch hazel, however, alcohol is considered the best and what's currently recommended in light of recent issues). Don't use other types of alcohol (methanol, butanol) since they're toxic. - 1 TB aloe vera (this is to prevent hands from drying out from the alcohol) - 1/2 tsp vegetable glycerin or vitamin E oil (optional, again adds moisturizing properties to the hand sanitizer to benefit your hands) essential oil (optional, like a few drops of tea tree or lavender essential oil) see note below Instructions Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. To use the hand sanitizer store in a small jar or a squeeze tube. This recipe will make 2 fluid ounces (one tube.) If you prefer to make a spray, use with a bottle of ready-to-go spray. -------------- Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Less Trash More Life! 🌏 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time! Ẩn bớt

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Here are 3 gardening ideas for you to reduce your own plastic footprint 🏡

🌱 Grow your own salad leaves Lettuce and salad greens are one of the easiest and most compact vegetables you can grow, and they can tolerate less than full sun. You should  also give lettuce away regularly because you can't keep up with it! Because lettuce tends to come in a plastic bag or clamshell from the store, growing your own cuts out all that plastic. And homegrown also tastes WAY better than the pre-bagged stuff. 🌱  Start your plants from seed If you depend on the nursery for all your starts, you end up with a plastic pot for every plant you buy.  And depending on the recycling services where you live, those pots often go straight to landfill. 🌱  Make your own potting soil, or buy in bulk.   Your own potting soil could made by using coconut coir bricks. You can also usually get bulk potting soil from a landscape supply company, the sorts of places that sell truckloads of mulch and gravel.  You can bring your own bags and shovels and load materials yourself, or get materials delivered by the yard to your driveway, if you can use a whole yard of potting soil! ------ Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Less Trash More Life! 🌏 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time!

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7 not-so-obvious tips for people who want to be a little more eco 💚

This isn’t an inclusive list, just a brief one where I haven’t included public urinators! 👉 1. Implement a plant-base day! You might not be able to go vegan or vegetarian (it isn't for everyone), but can you implement a meat-free day? 👉 2. Look after your health (physical & mental) This one might be a little bit of a luxury, particularly if you live in a food desert. But maintaining your health is super important. Also don't feel bad for taking medication or getting vaccianted! Or for using standard old toothpaste. If your cavities will cause more waste than a tube of toothpaste very few months. 👉 3. Meal prep Eating out all the time can be expensive and particularly now since a lot of places aren't acceting containers, there's a fork load of waste with eating takeaway. Meal prepping is a great way to save money and if can help reduce your waste. 👉 4. Start composting Again can be considered bit of a luxury, but composting important. It's probably been my biggest "helper" in reducing my waste. If you don't have a rcom for a compost there are apps lihe "Sharewaste" that can hook you up with people nearby who have one. 👉 5. Don't be a dick I mean if's okay if you have one! But don't be a horrible human being. You are going to win more people over with kindness fthan you are yelling in their faces. Sure, the yelling worhs for some people. But for most, mahing a sustainable lifestyle seem apprcachable is key. We want everyone to get on board. 👉 6. Reduce "Standby power mode" Leaving your devices such as your IV or PC on standby can account for about 3 per cent of your energy bill. Switching your devices off can save power and money in long run. 👉 7. Use LED light bulbs Not only do LED light bulbs last longer than conventional bulbs, they're more efficient too! This means that you'll using less power and the need to replace your light bulbs will occur less frequently. ------ Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Less Trash More Life! 🌏 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time!

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10 Best Sustainable Documentaries on Netflix

1.Chasing Coral Chasing coral focuses on the impacts of global warming on one of the planets most important and vulnerable ecosystems, coral reefs. 2. Mission Blue With amazing underwater cinematography and an incredible lifelong story of ocean activism, Mission Blue highlights actions that have already been taken and what else is required to protect our oceans. 3. A Plastic Ocean This sustainable documentary displays some hard realities of the plastic issues our planet is facing. The focus is on how our societies plastic ends up in the ocean, its impacts on the marine world and how plastic is making its way up the food chain into humans. 4. Our Planet This eight-part documentary series focuses on a different environmental realm in each 50-minute episode. From jungles to deserts and deep oceans, these are the most up to date conditions of our natural world. 5. Animal Exploitation Documentaries Our animal kingdom is under serious threat. Not only from the general exploitation and destruction of habitat but also human’s desire for precious products. 

6. The Ivory Game Those who poach, buy and sell the exploited animal product. It is a heartwarming story about the people risking their lives to save the animals under threat. 7. Born to Be Free Exposing the ugly truth behind the very lucrative marine animal show business. 8. An Inconvenient Sequel The link between global connectivity and selective political decisions are what make this film a must-see. 9. How to Change The World Why it was so important to start, the struggles to get a movement off the ground. And why it is just as important now as it was then to stand up for and take positive action for our environment. 10. Chasing The Sun The solar power energy movement has the power to address two major global issues. Economic instability and green power. ------- Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Less Trash More Life! 🌏 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time!

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Buying Secondhand Clothes is Awesome

There are plenty of reasons why you should buy secondhand clothing, many of which actually benefit you personally, no matter your lifestyle. Buying secondhand clothes also benefits the environment in a big way, making it a win-win. 1. Buying second-hand clothing saves money. As you probably already know, you can save an incredible amount of money shopping for secondhand clothes. 2. You extend a garment’s life-cycle. 3. Buying used promotes sustainable fashion. Another reason why you should buy secondhand clothing is that it promotes sustainable fashion. Buying secondhand clothing is a big part of the slow fashion movement and a key factor when you’re starting to create a sustainable wardrobe. A sustainable wardrobe is filled with secondhand clothing and/or clothing made by slow fashion brands, both of which do wonders for the environment. 4. Secondhand clothing is unique. If you want one-of-a-kind clothing, shopping secondhand is a great way to get them. 5. Buying used clothing saves resources. When shopping secondhand clothing, you’re saving resources and doing the environment a solid favor. 6. Reduces fast fashion demand. When you purchase secondhand clothing instead of buying new from retailers, you’re reducing the demand for fast fashion. 7. Another man’s trash… Is another man’s treasure. This saying holds true for secondhand clothing as well. 8. It’s easier to shop secondhand. In second-hand clothing stores, everything is usually sorted by size, making it a breeze when searching for clothes to buy. 9. Secondhand clothes last longer. Some of these clothes were created before fast fashion started becoming so widespread. Since they are pre-fast fashion, they are better made and meant to stand the test of time. ------- Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Less Trash More Life! 🌏 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time!

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ZERO WASTE COFFEE ROUTINE

Coffee comes a long way before it even gets to us. and commercially branded coffee is one of the most heavily polluted food products on the market. Your morning brew also comes with a side of deforestation, exploitation, pollution, plastic packaging, oh, and tons of carbon emissions 1. Choose Better Beans All coffee starts with the bean. Do you know where yours comes from? It’s important when making your coffee consumption mindful to choose fair-trade beans. Beans you know were sourced ethically and are organic. 2. Skip The Disposable Coffee Products If you insist on using your Keurig, we encourage you to buy reusable coffee pods. If you’re using a regular coffee pot, a pour-over or even a Chemex, use reusable coffee filters. Not only will this save you a TON of money but will also help you radically reduce waste. 3. Grind Your Own Beans Not only does it taste WAY better, but it’s also a more eco-friendly option. Try grinding your own beans with this manual coffee bean grinder! 4. Get A Reusable To-go Cup An average of 7 million disposable cups are thrown away each day. At this point, there are simply no more excuses for single-use cups. Most to-go cups have a thin layer of polyurethane on the inside making them non-recyclable. Make sure to bring a reusable mug with you and ask coffee shops to put your drink in it. You could save hundreds of coffee cups a year. 5. Support Coffee Shops That Use Fair-trade Coffee This might take a little research on your part but it’s seriously worth it knowing your pennies are supporting the livelihoods of hard-working farmers. 6. Re-use Your Coffee Grounds Don’t throw out your coffee grounds just yet! There are a couple of ways you can use your used coffee grounds to reduce even less waste! Not only are coffee grounds totally compostable but are also great to use in your garden as a fertilizer! Other than that you could use them as a natural wood stain or even in DIY body scrubs! Because they smell AH-MAZING! ------- Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Let Trash More Life! 🌏 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time!

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HOW TO LOWER 70% OF YOUR WASTE WITH THESE 10 ITEMS (Part 2)

5: Avoid beverage drinks in plastic bottles A massive amount of it ended up on beaches, in the landfill, and the sea. 6: Reusable utensils It is best to take out with you a few low waste products, and reusable utensils are one of them! You may go out and want to eat in a “fast food” place or some ice-cream. Frequently, such places are using single-use products and plastic utensils. Carrying your reusable utensils has the potential to lower A LOT of waste.   - Reusable utensils kit from BAMBOO - Reusable utensils from STAINLESS STEEL - Spork (spoon+fork) from STAINLESS STEEL 7: Say NO to styrofoam cups/plates Styrofoam is an economical, easy to manufacture, waterproof and lightweight substance. Styrofoam is responsible for an enormous portion of worldwide waste, plus it’s a material that kills our animals, poisons our environment and seriously hazards our health. - Reusable containers - Reusable coffee mugs (or a jar from home)! You can choose between glass, aluminum, or recycled materials. 8: Reusable takeaway containers A calculation found out that just in Europe, around 2025 million takeaway containers are used, for one year. LOW WASTE PRODUCTS: As we already talked about, the solution here is quite simple – be prepared and have with you a reusable container, that you can use for your order. - Reusable takeaway boxes - Reusable coffee mugs 9: Plastic-free personal care products More than 120 billion units of packaging are produced every year by the global cosmetics industry – most of which are not recyclable. The thing you need to do is: Find the essentials that you use on a daily basis Once you end the plastic bottled products you own, find and get some cool plastic-free and sustainable goods! ------ Visit our website: https://zerowasteinitiative.com/ Source: Internet 🌳 Zero Waste Initiative - Less Trash More Life! 🌏 Let's Save The World While There's Still Time!