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Libuni Rice Milk

I discovered Libuni's concept at Green Market Berlin. At the time I was struggling and experimenting with making my own milk. That's exactly why they caught my attention.

Here's the idea: they sell these little Tetra Paks that contain a concentrated starting point for you to make your rice milk. You can choose to make 0.5, 1, or 2L - that's up to you. How do you do it? Just mix it with water!

So yes, this is still a lot of packaging. However, this will last for at least 6 months. And I've reduced 75% of the packaging, when compared with the conventional 1L Tetra Paks of milk sold in stores.

It'd still be better to make my own milk, true. However, we do consume a lot of milk and it's actually one of our main sources of calcium and vitamin D. Although this mixture has only rice and sunflower oil, we can add the calcium and vitamins ourselves.

I've tried making both soy and oat milk and the results were not great, to say the least. Plus, it took quite a bit of my time on the weekend (which would be fine if I liked the result, but that was not the case).

For now, this will be the best available solution. Milk is currently the only food that I buy with plastic packaging but I'll still strive to make it be the last.

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Freitag

Throwback to my train adventure. This was my first backpack trip and I was struggling to find the right bag. On one hand, I didn't want to buy a new one exclusively for this trip. On the the other, I wanted to find the right brand. That's when I discovered Freitag's new campaign. So basically I was able to get this cutie for 8 days for FREE! I've been in love with the brand ever since I bought my sports bag and wallet. Everything in their products is made from recycled truck parts. Literally everything. There's no need to say more, right?

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Nae Sandals

Part of the concept of being waste-free is also trying to buy less things. So second-hand utensils and clothes have been my first choice lately.

But when there's lovely brands like these, I simply cannot resist. I just want to support them as much as I can.

Nae is close to my heart. It's a Portuguese label, made in Portugal under fair conditions, and 100% authentic. The upper part of these sandals comes from recycled plastic bottles. The outsoles were once car tires. How cool is that? And fully vegan, of course.

If you need new sandals, I urge you to check them out.

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Zero waste vegan ice cream

Vegan ice-cream is my number one obsession, and Berlin doesn't make it easy with so many ice-cream shops.

Unfortunately, it has become a quite wasteful activity. One cup and one plastic spoon for every scoop. Seriously?

Thankfully, my favorite ice cream shop offers you a real bowl and spoon if you ask. When that's not an option, I just bring my own cup and spoon. It's not that difficult and our planet will thank you :)

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Zero-waste make up

My days of applying all kinds of shadows and lipstick are way behind me. But, sometimes it's nice to just add a little shine to your face.

Unfortunately, the beauty industry is a black hole. At least animal testing has been banned in Europe (which is amazing, btw). However, the list of ingredients and the plastic packaging/manufacturing of the products is still a huge problem.

That's when I found these two products on Etsy. Black cake mascara and Red Lipstick. Both come with minimal packaging and I'm pretty satisfied with the ingredients. Linda, the owner, is super friendly too :)

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Homemade soy milk

Milk and yogurt are still one of the main items filling up my plastic bin. But, that will change. This is my second batch of homemade soy milk.

Having homemade milk feels amazing, and it already tastes way better than what I imagined.

I only have two issues: it's less sweet, and a bit more watery than the commercial version. Any tips out there?

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When have we decided that fruit needs packaging?

Strawberry season is finally starting. But, to my disappointment, these are the first strawberries I was able to buy without any plastic.

Don't they look beautiful just like this? :)

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"The organization calls on you to ask the important question, “Who Made My Clothes?” By demanding that companies provide more information about who is actually behind the scenes, it will encourage greater transparency, which is crucial in order for the industry to change (...)"

"From an environmental perspective, the waste generated by ‘fast fashion’ culture is devastating. Not only do Western consumers throw away shocking amounts of clothing – two million tonnes in the United Kingdom annually, 84 percent of which is never reused, although most of it could be – but most of this waste goes to landfills, where it decomposes and releases carbon into the atmosphere. Fashion Revolution states, “Every ton of discarded textiles reused saves 20 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere and every 1,000 tons of used textiles collected is said to create about 7 full-time jobs and 15 indirect jobs."

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"After a necropsy of the whales in Germany, researchers found that four of the giant marine animals had large amounts of plastic waste in their stomachs. The garbage included a nearly 43-foot-long (13-meter-long) shrimp fishing net, a plastic car engine cover, and the remains of a plastic bucket (...)"

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Zero waste grocery shopping

Whoever thinks buying vegan and package-free food is limiting should take a second look at this picture :).

Yes, I do have the privilege to buy organic and I feel very, very fortunate for that. Food is definitely where I spend the majority of my money. But in my opinion, that's how it should be. That is, if you can afford it.

If you knew me a few years ago, you would have thought I was going crazy if I said this. But, I'd rather buy organic smoked tofu made in Berlin, than going out or buying clothes I don't need. It's all about priorities.

Apart from the fresh produce, here you can find smoked tofu from Soy Rebels, chickpeas, soybeans, white beans, cashews, cornflakes, dark chocolate, and a mix of spices all from Unverpackt.

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Let’s see how many resources we can save in 30 days! Go #vegan for #EarthDay!

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Smooth panda toilet paper

Look at what just arrived in time for Earth Day :)

Here in Germany you can't sell toilet paper without packaging. But, I've discovered through Susanne this lovely brand called Smooth Panda. They sell 100% bamboo paper that comes in these little boxes made of recycled cardboard. It's not perfect, but it's definitely a step in the right direction.

Happy Earth Day friends xx

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YEY for coffee in bulk!

Being Portuguese means I have a strong relationship with coffee. And yet, I'm not a big fan of the caffeine part. For the past year I've been enjoying both cereal-based and plain decaf.

To my disappointment, most coffee comes full of packaging. After intensive research, I'm pleased to have finally found a solution. I found a proper coffee shop in Berlin that sells a wide variety of coffee in bulk. Yuuhuhu!

The shop's name is Berliner Kaffe Roesterei if anyone is looking for such a place.

P.S. They also sell chocolate and other goodies (some of them package free). I could even spot a vegan cake on their counter!

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My stainless steel army

Simple changes that can really make a difference.

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Bag it.

Just watch this. Now.