Bamboo Toothbrushes

A “Flirting With Zero Waste” Tip

I have raved about the sustainable qualities of bamboo in the past, and still stand by it.  Yet another typically plastic product that can quickly and easily be eliminated from production and replaced by bamboo is the toothbrush.

Not a whole lot of thought is really invested into these wonderfully convenient and completely essential scrubbing sticks by consumers.  A whole lot of time, and advertising, is invested in their design and marketing though.  Where they fail, is in their manufacturing.  Time and effort is put into making sure that each little bristle can reach the most hard to reach areas, and a lot of money is invested into telling us about where those bristles can reach.  Very little time or money is invested into the holder of those bristles.  

Plastic is cheap, easy to work with and will last for quite literally FOREVER.  Whether we like it or not every toothbrush handle ever manufactured out of plastic in the history of plastic toothbrush handles, still exists in one form or another and will for longer than the person’s teeth that it was designed to brush will.  Sure a nicely shaped handle with soft cushiony grips in vibrant colors is nice to look at for its 4 to 6 month lifespan, or until the dentist gives you a new one, whichever comes first.  Now all we have to do is pretend we don’t see them piling up in landfills and floating in the ocean for the next few hundred years…that 4 to 6 months sure was nice though.  I especially enjoy that each new plastic toothbrush comes gift wrapped with yet another layer of, you guessed it, plastic.  After all, plastic is really good at protecting plastic.

Now for the alternative.  Bamboo toothbrushes are equally aesthetically pleasing in my opinion, 4 to 6 months of a nice wood grain on display near my sink.  Alas, you will have to forego that soft cushiony handle, if only we had soft cushiony areas conveniently placed on our hands in just those locations required to hold a toothbrush.  Wouldn’t that be convenient?  But how are you going to be able to tell which toothbrush is yours if you can’t all get different colors or shapes?  This seems like a silly question, but there really is some validity here.  Have you ever realized you were using the wrong toothbrush halfway though a good scrubbing?  I have, it’s disturbing.  Well fret no more, bamboo toothbrushes have a remarkable ability to be branded.  In fact, the manufacturers actually provide this service already, in a wide variety of options; symbols; letters; numbers; whatever you like.  You could even purchase them tinted in various colors.

Individually branded for easy reference, these even came with a bamboo travel case.

After that 4 to 6 months of usefulness is where this really gets interesting.  Bamboo is biodegradable, it will completely decompose and return itself to the soil anywhere from a few months to a few years maximum, in fact enriching the soil rather than contaminating it.  Not just biodegradable but compostable!  Pro tip for all you gardeners out there, you can break the head off your old bamboo toothbrush and throw the handle into your compost bin where it will aid in growing the same food that you used it to remove from your teeth after you last ate.

There are over 6 billion people in the world, and yes I know they don’t all own a toothbrush, but let’s say they do.  2 to 3 toothbrushes a year per person for let’s say 60 years.  That’s a nice round average number of toothbrush use, pre-dentures. So between 120 to 180 toothbrushes per person – split the difference 150 toothbrushes.  Multiply that by 6 billion = 900 billion toothbrushes will be used in the next 60 years if the population does not continue to grow.  If we only use plastic toothbrushes, those same 900 billion toothbrushes will still exist somewhere in the environment 3, 4, 5, hundred years from now.  If we only used bamboo toothbrushes – ZERO will remain, they will have returned to the soil and contributed to the growth of more plants, trees, food, more bamboo etc.

It’s a tough decision, I will let you think about it.

Bed Frame to Bench

Repurposing Practise

When it comes to children, it can be hard to donate or give away some of the items that they have outgrown.  Sentimental items have always been a difficult area to address in the world of minimalism.  Certain items however can lend themselves to repurposing, a way of preserving the sentimentality while breathing new life and purpose into the item.

My wife, while scrolling the depths of Facebook, happened upon a bed frame that was being given away for free.  She recognized this as an opportunity.  Our boys are well past the age of cribs and changing stations, but we had a hard time parting with their old crib frame.  We certainly didn’t have a use for it anymore though either, it would make for a strange conversation piece if randomly placed somewhere in the house, and it doesn’t easily serve another purpose in its natural state.  With some modifications however, this old crib frame could become a very nice bench and serve as communal outdoor or indoor seating.

Back to the Facebook post, the old bed frame that was being given away for free could become our test run.  Being that we have not built a bench before, we didn’t want to risk destroying the boy’s old crib on a failed attempt.  My wife replied to the post, and now here we are with a free bed frame to practise on.

First and foremost, we knew we would like to refinish the frame so my wife gave it a rough sanding.

Then our first area of focus was the headboard.  The headboard would become the seat back but it was much too tall in its original state, so we measured another bench and some chairs and came up with 42 ½” (108cm) for the center overall height, 38” (97cm) on the ends.

**Note: all measurements are approximate**

Once we decided on a height, we marked the legs where we intended to cut them but didn’t cut them quite yet.  We measured up from our markings to seat height, 18 ½” (47cm)  and made another mark.

We are able to use the bed slats, which used to hold up the box spring and mattress as our construction wood and bench top.  We took one of these slats and attached it  1” (2 ½ cm) below our seat top markings (the width of the seat top boards) from the inside of one bed frame leg to the other

This would help us maintain a straight line cut along the seatback riser boards, and by attaching each riser to the board before cutting them, maintains the spacing.  Once each riser is attached we cut along the bottom of the board with a jigsaw.  Now that they are cut and secure, we took a handsaw to the legs at the further down full height marking for the seatback.

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The next area of focus is the arms for the bench.  In order to make these we are going to use the footboard from the bed.  Again, referencing the length of arms on typical chairs, we measure in from each side of the footboard 20” (51cm) and mark the lengths.  We also mark the overall height that we need the front legs to be in order to match the back legs 29 ½” (75cm).

We want to match the seatback riser boards on the arms and pre-attach them to a piece of the slat wood like we did with the seatback.

We cut the risers to length, cut the front legs to length, and then cut the depth of the arms from each side of the footboard.

In order to connect the front legs, we use one of the side rails from the old bed frame.  This measurement matches the measurement between the back legs 51” (130cm).  As an additional bonus, the side rail is already formed with a lip, this will help give the bench that finished look with the seat top boards tucked into that lip.

We did have to purchase a couple pieces of hardware to complete this build though, it wasn’t completely free.  The hardware we needed was a box of screws and a couple handfuls of small angle brackets.  We use the angle brackets to hold the arm sections and the front leg spanner board together, as well as the arms to the back legs.  All in all we spent less than 10 dollars at the hardware store.

The seat top is the next step.  We have enough slats left to complete the seat top and even a few to spare, which is lucky for us.  Due to the width of the bench, just placing the slat wood across it and then sitting on it causes the wood to bow and sag.  

The front spanner board already has places for support wood to be placed, but the back rail does not.  We take another piece of slat wood measure down the width of the wood and attach it 1” (2 ½ cm) lower to the back rail that we attached previously.  Taking yet another piece of the slat wood, we cut it down to the width between the inside of the front spanner board and the back of the bench and run 3 support rails evenly spaced from front to back.

Finally, we cut and place the seattop boards and then screw them down on each end to the board securing the arm risers.

A few coats of paint, some clear coat and the bench is done!

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Homemade Compost Bin

Homestead Hygge-lism

What goes hand in hand with a freshly dug and planted Victory Garden?  Well, a compost bin of course.  Surely, this was something that we would be able to achieve by recycling and reutilization something we have around the house as we did with the garden border.

Now I don’t condone purchasing large plastic anything, but chances are that most of us have a big plastic Rubbermaid container somewhere in their attic, basement or wherever.  Surprise, surprise we had one from years ago that was sitting empty.  

This container will make for one of the quickest and easiest compost bin conversions ever.  Easy enough for even the boys to do most of the work.

A good compost bin needs to satisfy a few prerequisites:

1. Be large enough to hold at least enough compost to cover the garden bed in the fall for tilling into the soil before the winter comes.  Then it can be restocked for another round in the Spring prior to planting.  
2. Have a cover to aid in keeping the critters out and the smells in, but air needs to circulate, so there needs to be holes in the lid.  
3. It also needs to be kept moist with regular wetting, so there needs to be holes in and around the bottom to let the water strain through and drain.

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A Rubbermaid has all of these features, except for the holes and that is a quick remedy with a cordless drill and a decent sized drill bit.  So easy a child could, and a even did, do it, two children to be exact.  Please note, my children only use power tools under strict supervision.  I would have said responsible supervision, but it is typically me that is doing the overseeing so I’m not sure that would apply.

After completion, we start our compost with a simple base layer of a little mulch and some of the grass that we cleared for the garden, root side up.  We will alternate food scraps like salad leaves, egg shells, fruit peels (light on the citrus fruits) and coffee grounds, with additional mulch, cut grass and dead leaves. Stirring occasionally.

With any luck, one day this chunk of plastic will be able to produce enough compost to offset the negative impact that its own production caused.

Victory Garden Build

Homestead Hygge-lism

We have seeds started and plants growing but nowhere to put them.  This weekend was the time to remedy this.  After talking to our awesome landlord, we had the all clear to dig away.  We did a rough layout of how we wanted to plant our vegetables and decided on a small garden, roughly 3 ½’ x 7’ (1 x 2 meters).  

This was a perfect opportunity for a little homesteading practice, and a great time for some warm weather hygge moments.  Typically hygge is thought of as a warm drink with a comfortable blanket watching the cold wind blow outside.  Hygge is not just reserved for the colder months though.  A nice sunny, warm day with the whole family working together building a garden bed that will eventually produce vegetables that we will all enjoy and we all had a hand in growing is just such a moment.

Unfortunately, prior to our move we left most of our landscaping tools behind.  We did not expect to have a need for them on a rental property.  A quick bike ride with a backpack solved that dilemma, but for the rest of what we needed we were determined to re-purpose what we already had on hand.

My wife found a bed frame last fall that was being given away, we are transforming it into a bench, which I will be posting about, be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it.  Anyway, between the leftover wood from that and some worn out lumber from around what will one day be a water feature, yet another upcoming post, we were able to piece together a border for the entire garden bed.  It’s not the prettiest, but it is pretty awesome.

Charlie Approved.

While I got started clearing the grass layer off of our garden area, my wife and kids worked on saving as much of the top soil from the clumps of grass as they could.  We worked together through the morning, stopped for lunch and finished up in the early afternoon.  Proud of our accomplishment and all with a sense of ownership in what we were doing, left my wife and I optimistic about the proposition of running a homestead one day with our boys.

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The next morning, after further garden layout planning, we determined that perhaps an extension to what we did the day before would be better than a separate garden bed for the additional plants that we planned.  After the practice from the day before, we accomplished this extension with no problem and in no time, utilizing some more of our reclaimed wood.

Raking, sifting, watering, this garden bed is ready and waiting for plants and seeds the next morning.

We determined the plant companions and the most efficient way to utilize the amount of sun and the shade that the plants would cast.  We pre-placed the plants in their pots next to the garden and started digging holes.  Everyone had their chance to plant a few veggies.

All told we were able to get strawberries, lettuce, spinach, peppers, tomatoes, peas, beans and cucumbers planted, watered and mulched.  All we will still need to add is lattice for the cucumbers and beans to climb as they grow.  

We had a few extra beans, spinach and a strawberry started without any room for them.  On the property is a neat little spiral garden feature that was used to grow herbs it seems, there are a couple rosemary plants still growing on the top section of it.  We planted our extra plants in the spiral.  The rosemary was conveniently used to aid in pest control of our new garden bed as well.  By cutting a handful of 8-9” stalks and peeling off the bottom couple inches of needles before sticking them into the ground you can regenerate complete rosemary bushes.

The Victory Garden is done, a little regular care and attention and we will be feasting off of its production in no time.  The whole family is all in on it, and excited to reap the rewards.  A wonderful, sustainable, hygge, Spring, weekend, family activity. 

Wish us luck! I will let you know how it turns out.

Contemplating Homesteading

Should This Be The New Normal?

This may sound strange, but our family has actually kind of enjoyed these last couple months on lock down.  While people all over the world are going stir crazy, protesting and just plain acting foolish, we have been slowing down and enjoying our already simple hygge-lism life.

Now don’t get me wrong, we have had to cancel a couple vacation getaways, and that is a bummer.  We planned on thoroughly taking advantage of our time in Europe by seeing all the sights to be seen.  In the meantime, there is something to be said about experiencing life, at home, with family.

We have settled into a kind of quarantine routine of sorts.  I wake up a little later than I used to, since my commute is about 15 steps.  I brew a pot of french press coffee, water the plants both inside and out and then log into work.  I wake up the boys, they eat and then join me in the classroom/office for their schooling.  After bringing coffee up to my wife, I work and teach for the rest of the morning.  By lunchtime typically all of the schooling is done.  We all eat, check on the plants and work on house projects while I bounce back and forth between work and home tasks for a few hours in the afternoon.

The “Classroom”

In the evenings we sit and talk about the day, the past, the present and the future, it’s nice.  

We have solidified our meal plan, we are saving and investing more than we would have.  Minimizing our trips to grocery stores has made us more creative in our food processes.  We have had the time to really focus on what we want, we are being more conscious of our spending, reducing our wastefulness and paying attention to our environmental impact.  We have started our garden, looked further into the plants and trees that surround us for their possible benefits and have gotten even more self reliant and sustainable than we have ever been before.

All of these things have turned our attention to homesteading.  Living sustainable and as much off grid as possible is something that we think could become a reality for us.  To be able to raise, grow and harness nearly everything that you need to feed and support our family would be a dream.  Only, it doesn’t have to be just a dream and we are in a unique and opportunistic situation to make it happen. 

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Our current situation is financially beneficial and also beneficial in the aspect that we have a clearly defined timeline that we can schedule, save, research and plan too. By planning, saving and focusing on what we want now, we will be able to hit the ground running, as they say when the time comes, also as they say.  I also have a job that offers multiple location possibilities that I can take advantage of while we get a sustainable homestead established.

Photo by Bich Tran on Pexels.com

Covid-19 is a horrible pandemic, and has been devastating worldwide.  Self-isolation on the other hand has had eye opening benefits for families and offered the chance for connections and realizations that were never even imagined before.  While everyone is pining for the chance to run back out and return back to the old normal.  We are looking at what could be the new normal for us, ready to stay in, be self sufficient and sustainable for the long term.

Victory Garden Time

Spring has sprung and it is time to get those seeds in the ground.  Not unlike the tough times of the World Wars, victory garden seems the appropriate title for this year’s Spring planting.

This year’s victory gardens will serve the same purpose that they were originally coined to do, supplement our food supply and boost our morale.  With no reasonable end in sight to the social isolation and quarantines, food supplies have dropped and finding the freshest fruits, vegetables and herbs will become harder and harder to come by.  Nothing is fresher than something just plucked from your backyard garden.  On top of having the freshest and healthiest food possible, a victory garden will supply you with something productive to do during your many long days at home.

Caring for a plant from seed until it fruits also carries a sense of accomplishment and gratefulness, something that we are in dire need of at the moment.   

We are currently in a leased home, and have not requested permission to dig and till up half the lawn.  Instead we may pursue some raised garden beds.  Regardless, now is the time to get those seedlings planted and going.  We personally have started a couple small trays of lettuce, spinach, beans and peas, that are just now starting to sprout from seeds.   

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We also potted some young tomato and strawberry plants that have a jump start on the season.  I look forward to watching these plants grow and produce food.  I look forward to eating what they produce even more!

A Hygge-lism Quick Tip

One of the first steps when adopting a hygge / minimal lifestyle is purging the excess.  This excess is applicable to all facets of our lives, but the area that is typically assessed first is the physical possessions within the confines of our living areas. 

There is a helpful question to ask yourself when it boils down to whether or not something should be kept and is valued.

Would I buy it again at the same price?

Take a look around the room that you are currently in.  

Now picture that room completely empty.  

How many of the items that you currently own, would you buy all over again at the same price point that you paid initially to put back into that room?  You now have the unique advantage of having “test drove” everything that you own.

You can utilize this process for each and every object that you own if need be.  I would not base your decision on what to purge and what to keep solely on this process, but it is a good way to really assess the value that you place on the items that you own.  If you can look at what you own and say that I would absolutely buy everyone of these items all over again, that is fantastic. If you say that you would not repurchase a single thing, that is fantastic as well.  What you are looking for is an honest assessment of what you deem valuable and useful.

Oftentimes, seeing an object for the first time in a store window will invoke false feelings of desire and need.  Impulse decisions more often than not lead to regret later, a buyer’s remorse of sorts. Even purchases that were not made on impulse, but were thoroughly researched and contemplated can disappoint after the fact.

Stepping Up Our Coffee Game

The French Press

There is no time like the present, stuck in the house, highly discouraged to travel from within the confines of our humble abode.  Forced to take time and pleasure in the small daily activities that we more often than not take for granted.

As I stand in my kitchen listening to the drip coffee maker grumble and groan about its one responsibility, I am in no hurry to fill up my bamboo travel mug and run out the door.  I am instead, deep in thought contemplating the status of my coffee brewing situation.

“You know what, I’ve had enough, I’m doing it.”  I say out loud. “I’m doing it!” I yell up the stairs to my wife.

“Doing what?” she yells back.

I don’t answer, how is it possible that she is not in the same train of thought that I am in?  Confounding.

I am a thorough researcher when it comes to purchases.  This is in part because I don’t really like to buy things…ever.  So when I do decide to purchase something, I want it to be the right thing.  I had previously debated our coffee brewing situation in the past, and had previously researched the perfect combination of french press, hand grinder and decanter.  So my decision to finally go for it and upgrade the quality of my morning cup of Joe is not without precedence.

Decanter not pictured.

When looking into a french press, I kept coming back to the classic, the original, Bodum 1.5L Chambord Coffee Press.  It’s hard to beat the original, it has kept the same design since birth over a hundred years ago. How can you even compare with that?  Plus, it is glass and metal for the most part, I was a little disappointed that plastic was integrated into the design, and this did dissuade me a little, but not enough to ignore the clearly unrivaled reputation of the device.  It is the boss of the french press coffee mafia, no doubt about it.

Next was the grinder.  I had a couple stipulations for this, for one, I get up earlier than everyone else on work days, and if I have to grind some fresh coffee beans I don’t want it to sound like a cave full of bears are growling at each other in the kitchen inducing nightmares for the rest of the family.  Second, glass and metal are the materials that I am more comfortable bringing into my household. I don’t want a big plastic obstrocity judging me every time I pick it up. Third, research convinced me that an adjustable, ceramic, conical shaped grinder results in the highest quality coffee.  So now I have my Triple Tree Manual Ceramic Hand Grinder. It unfortunately has a small amount of plastic on the end of the handle, and a rubberized lid, but it’ll do.

Lastly, once again thorough research led me to understand the need for an insulated decanter.  Even after the coffee is “pressed”, letting the brew sit with the coffee beans will lead to a bitter taste after a little time.  One option is to scoop out the beans as well as you can, not ideal. The other option is to pour out the brew into a decanter, bonus, an insulated one will allow you to have hot coffee for hours past initial brewing.  Hey, all of a sudden I have plenty of time to enjoy another cup of coffee halfway to lunch. The decanter is also a place where you can dare bask in the aesthetic as well. So, a visually pleasing accessory is on the checklist alongside the usual, metal/glass only prerequisite.  Large enough to hold an entire freshly brewed 1.5 liters of coffee is the only other requirement. Decision made, Upkoch Insulated Stainless Steel Coffee Carafe, it is.

Supplies in hand, a test run or two is required to attain the perfect cup of coffee.  Everyone’s tastes are different. Experimenting with coffee bean intensity, grind consistency, amount of grounds per brew and brewing time are all to be carefully considered. We have fine tuned our mix to our version of perfection.  We will continue to experiment with brands of coffee bean, but the basics are ironed out.  

There is just something incredibly relaxing about that first steaming cup of coffee in the morning, mug in hand, looking out the sliding glass door into the world.  Even better yet, once the weather warms and the world returns to whatever its new version of normal is, sitting outside on the patio sipping a cup and listening to the birds chirp as the rest of the world wakes up before your eyes.

Each item name is linked to a similar product on Amazon.

A Convenient Inconvenience

A “Flirting With Zero Waste” Tip

Zero waste is an achievable lifestyle, though sometimes it feels as if it is unattainable.  Sometimes a little tip or trick will help to urge yourself further in that direction. Here is one such tip that may be worth trying out.

Make Wasteful Items Inconvenient 

A lot of our most wasteful habits are born from convenience.  By making things slightly inconvenient you will gently nudge yourself in the right direction.  

As a real life example, our house commonly used paper towels regularly.  It is very wasteful, but quick and easy, to tear off an entire paper towel to wipe up the smallest of spills and then just throw it away.  We have plenty of kitchen towels, but paper towels were just easier and they were right there on the counter. So we moved them. By putting the paper towel rack into the cabinet under the sink we took it out of our sightline and made it inconvenient to bend down, open the cabinet, reach awkwardly under the sink and tear a sheet off.

Make Non-wasteful Items Convenient

In respect to the previous tip, zero waste habits can in turn be born from convenience.

At the same time as us moving the paper towels to an inconvenient location, we also made sure that the kitchen towels were placed in a more convenient location, and we make sure to always have one hanging from the oven handle.  People like water will always default to the path of least resistance. Snatching the towel off of the oven handle is a whole lot quicker than digging around under the sink for a paper towel.

Since we made this change, we have noticed a drastic difference.  Rather than changing out the paper towel roll once or twice a week, shamefully.  We now have to put a new roll on the dispenser once every month or two. Still not perfect, but what a difference.  

Be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss more tips and tricks!

Flirting with Zero Waste

Sustainable Hygge-lism; Level I

Zero waste is an achievement that I sometimes imagine as a far off dream that is nearly unattainable.  This is not, in fact, the case. A simple search of Zero waste on Google or YouTube, makes this clear as day.  What it also makes clear is that attaining a zero waste lifestyle is not something that can be done overnight. It is something to be worked towards slowly, baby steps.  One small change followed by another small change, then another, then another, taking the time to let each change settle in before adopting the next.

Photo by Akil Mazumder on Pexels.com

We do not live a zero waste lifestyle…as of yet.  On the path to a zero waste lifestyle though, you walk the path of sustainability.

We do live a sustainable lifestyle…but we could do more.  One small step at a time. 

Minimalism, Hygge and Sustainability are all siblings, as you get to know one you automatically get to know the makings of the others.  Reducing waste and our carbon footprint is a key point of minimalism and automatically leads to a more sustainable, intentional lifestyle.  Whether you no longer want everything to come wrapped in plastic, or you no longer want to be throwing out straws, napkins, coffee filters and paper towels only to turn around and buy some more.  Minimal lifestyle changes are sustainable changes, and zero waste changes are the most sustainable changes that you could possibly achieve.

I encourage everyone to venture into the world of sustainability with even the smallest changes, here are some beginner level changes that are easy to incorporate into your lifestyle:

–Trade plastic shopping bags for cloth reusable ones.

Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com

We have gotten to the point in our society where plastic shopping bags are nearly a thing of the past.  Everyone is becoming aware of the massive negative impact of plastic on our world. Cloth grocery and produce bags are available almost everywhere, and there are even highly compact reusable bags that can be carried virtually everywhere so that you will never be caught off guard or unprepared.

–Stop using plastic straws

This too has begun to draw worldwide attention.  Alternatives such as paper, metal and glass straws are readily available and small enough to carry along with you wherever you go. In lieu of carrying around a straw alternative, you could always just NOT use one.  I struggle to come up with a situation where a straw would be a necessity.

–Get a reusable water bottle, preferably not a plastic one.

Photo by Snapwire on Pexels.com

Reusable water bottles are wildly popular, and that is fantastic.  Unfortunately, lots of times they are still plastic bottles. Research has started to uncover the health hazards associated with using plastic over and over.  As well as the negative impact of plastic as a whole as I mentioned before. So when shopping for a reusable water bottle, be sure to explore glass and metal options.

–Transition to glass Tupperware.

Don’t throw away plastic items that you own, unless they are no longer useful.  Waste happens when an item is purchased, so throwing something out prior to it becoming no longer useful just doubles the waste.  Tupperware is a great example of this, if you have plastic tupperware that is just fine, then keep using it. Once it becomes no longer useful though, recycle it and if you replace it, then do it with glass.

Photo by Vladislav Vasnetsov on Pexels.com

–Recycle.

I shouldn’t even have to mention this, if you are not recycling at this point then I don’t even know what to say.  Recycle everything that you can. Compost everything that you can.

–Buy a bamboo toothbrush, next time.

Anything that you can do to reduce your use of plastic products is a good thing.  Toothbrushes are replaced fairly often, so the next time you need a new one look into a bamboo one.  Bamboo is highly sustainable.

–Adjust your commute.

If possible, look into riding a train or a bicycle to work rather than driving a car, or at least try and organize a carpool.  Forego the elevator and take the stairs. Small changes like these will help you reduce your carbon footprint.

–Take pride in your clothing.

A minimal wardrobe is a great way to reduce waste by investing in higher quality clothing items made with sustainable materials, and not falling for the fast fashion trends that dominate social media and trendy magazines.  Pay attention to how often you wash your clothes, and try and use a clothesline to dry them rather than a dryer. There are plenty of laundry soaps that are much more environmentally friendly as well such as “Soap Nuts”. I also have this post about a hygge-list wardrobe.

–Go Paperless.

We often take paper for granted.  90% of the paper that comes into your life is discarded without even a second thought.  Recycle all the paper you can, and then try and go paperless wherever you can. Also read “Cutting the Paper Clutter” for lots of useful tips and tricks.

Incorporating even just a couple of these simple changes can make a world of difference, let’s call this Level 1 of sustainability.  Be sure to subscribe so that you don’t miss out on more tips as we flirt with a zero waste lifestyle.