24 Feb
Vesica blog

9 Essential Items to Build a Plastic Free Starter Kit

We all have the best intentions of living completely plastic-free, but then you accidentally forget to decline your plastic straw when you order your drink, you grab a coffee and realise you left your reusable coffee cup at home, or you can’t make it to the bulk store. We get it. Life happens right?

Don’t get hung up on these things, move on and make changes now so that you can avoid making the same mistakes in the future.

The first step towards change is often the hardest, but a good place to start living a life of less waste is a plastic-free kit.

A plastic-free kit is a collection of essential items which you can keep on your, or near you, at all times so that you’ll never run the risk of being without something and having to opt for the plastic version.

Perhaps you’re just starting out, or you’re looking for some inspiration on how you can reduce your impact even further, so we’ve put together 9 essential items that every good plastic-free kit needs.

Reusable Coffee Cup

Nothing tastes better than a ‘proper’ coffee from a coffee shop, made by an experienced barista. What used to be a quick pick-me-up has now become a morning ritual.

Australians throw out 2.7 million single-use or disposable coffee cups every single day. This adds up to 1 billion coffee cups thrown out every year. Can you even imagine what 1 BILLION coffee cups look like?!

Reduce the waste that you produce by grabbing yourself a reusable coffee cup. Not only do they usually look better than a paper or plastic version, they will keep your coffee warmer for longer and do good for the planet too.

Shopping Bags

Getting yourself a reusable shopping bag is one of the easiest ways that you can reduce your plastic waste.

Up to 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide every year. These often end up in our oceans and are often consumed by turtles mistaking them for jellyfish, or by whales.

We love an insulated shopping bags to keep our veggies fresh and frozen food frozen for longer.

Tea Leaf Strainer

If you’re anything like us and average upwards of 5 cups of tea each per day, every day then over the course of a year you’ll be sending over 2,000 tea bags to landfills. The numbers are shocking when you think about it!

Teabags are made from a very fine plastic that realised particles into your tea, and our water stream. To reduce your impact swap your tea bags for tea leaves in a metal strainer instead.

Loose tea leaves are often better quality too, so it’s a win-win.

Water Bottle

More than 60 million plastic bottles end up in landfills and incinerators every day. Six times as many plastic water bottles were thrown away in the US in 2004 as in 1997. Plastic waste is one of many types of wastes that take too long to decompose.

Normally, plastic items can take up to 1,000 years to decompose in landfills so add a stainless steel metal water bottle to your plastic-free kit and reduce your impact on the environment.

Metal Straw

Plastic straws are not biodegradable. Most plastic straws simply break into ever-smaller particles, releasing chemicals into the soil, air, and water that are harmful to animals, plants, people, and the environment.

Fortunately, saying no to plastic straws no longer leaves you with the option of a soggy paper straw. Equip yourself with a reusable straw, they are so easy to keep in your handbag so you’ll never be left without.

Zip Lock Bags/Wax Wrap

There are so many better options for eco-friendly food storage on the market than plastic.

Only recently have the wonders of honey bee products been discovered by the masses. In recent years, people are starting beehives in their backyard and now the benefits of beeswax are going mainstream as well!

They may not be a vegan option but beeswax wraps are safe for you and mother earth. They are made of 100% eco-friendly materials and can be left to compost when ready to discard.

Lunchbox

Say goodbye to pre-made sandwiches or salads in plastic boxes.

Get yourself a lunchbox that is made from natural and renewable wheat straw fibre, starch and food-grade PP instead. They are 100% environmentally friendly, BPA-free, non-toxic, renewable, degradable and food safe.

Toothbrush

It’s estimated that the average person uses 300 toothbrushes a year. That equates to billions of toothbrushes lying in landfills and oceans which never break down.

Swap your plastic toothbrush for a brush made from biodegradable natural fibres like bamboo instead.

Hairbrush

Another plastic product which can be easily swapped for natural material alternatives.

A plastic-free bamboo bristle hairbrush will look oh so pretty sat on your bathroom shelf and will also improve the condition of your hair and scalp. 

Do you have a plastic free kit? What do you keep in yours?

01 Feb
Uncategorized

Zero Waste Food Tips

Food waste is a huge—but edible—problem. Food waste costs the economy around $20 billion each year. Each year we waste around 7.3 million tons of food – this wastage equals about 300kg per person or one in five bags of groceries. 

Food that’s taken land and energy to produce, required water and nutrients, needed labour to ensure it grew, could be harvested and processed, fuel to transport…and then it ends up in the bin. It’s estimated that food waste accounts for more than five per cent of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions. If that’s not the biggest unnecessary waste of resources, then we don’t know what is. 

Fortunately, there are many things we can do at home to reduce our food waste, so we’ve put together some of our top tips to help you reduce your food waste and take those extra steps towards a zero-waste kitchen.

Preparation is Key

One of the easiest ways to be successful in a zero-waste kitchen is preparation. Before heading to the supermarket or farmer’s market, organise your fridge or cupboards, create an inventory, plan your meals for the week and write a shopping list to ensure that you only buy exactly what you need and will actually use.

Store your food properly

An essential first step in reducing food waste is storing your food. Your produce will stay fresh and last longer if it is stored correctly. Learn to recognise if something is bad or not, rather than relying on the ultra-conservative supermarket “best before” dates and ensure that food is kept in clean, sealable containers either in cupboards or in the fridge as needed. It’s also a good idea to freeze what you can in portions as soon as you bring them home so you can use what you need.

Save your food scraps

Food scraps can be used in a whole heap of easy and useful ways; vegetable stalks and skins can be made into homemade stock, apple cores and skins can be fermented down into apple cider vinegar, roots can be sprouted in water and planted in your veggie garden, stale bread can be roasted into croutons or fried for french toast, soft fruit and veg can be used in baking, banana skins can even be used for cleaning! What you can’t, or don’t want to reuse, can be thrown into the compost bin.

Begin or Rediscover Composting

Whether you haven’t started composting, or you’ve forgotten about that compost bin in the corner of your garden, now is the perfect time to begin or rediscover composting. The food scraps you produce in the kitchen (think carrot peels, eggshells, coffee grounds) can create beautiful compost which is so much better for the environment then chucking those scraps in a landfill.

Cook in Bulk

Cooking bulk, one-pot meals are a great way to ensure that your produce doesn’t go bad before you’ve had a chance to use it. Bulk meals can be easily frozen in meal portions and used when you fancy them. Plus it will almost be like reaching for a ready meal after work saving you the time of preparing a fresh meal every day.

Reducing food waste may seem overwhelming or challenging at first, but remember that every single effort counts. If all of us began practising even a couple of these tips on a regular basis, that would have a huge impact on our health, our budgets and the environment. Start with easy things like only buying the amount of food you need, shopping in-season, buying from local farmers to reduce the carbon footprint of your food and cooking in bulk. There’s no better time to get started than now – today is the day!

How zero waste is your kitchen? Let us know in the comments.

Screenshot 2020 10 07 114340
07 Oct
At Home, Environmental concerns, Vesica blog

Easy Ways To Go Zero Waste At Home

Zero waste living aims to minimise the impact of modern life by reducing the amount of waste we produce. It’s said that the average Australian produces 540kg of waste per year so it can seem daunting to imagine not producing any waste of any kind.

Going zero waste is definitely not going to happen overnight but if there’s one thing we can do for the planet, it’s to reduce the amount of waste we produce. Especially in our own homes. There are some really easy steps you can take to move towards a zero-waste home, so we’ve put together a list of some easy and budget-friendly ideas below to get you started.

Remember, it’s not about being perfect. Small changes which we make collectively can make a big impact so pick a couple that is achievable for you and implement these in your home today.

EASY WAYS TO GO ZERO WASTE AT HOME:

  1. Separate your rubbish

The first step to zero waste is separating your rubbish properly. Without this, you might be sending waste to landfills which could actually be recycled or composted or contaminating your recycling so it has to be sent to landfills. Contaminated rubbish affects what will and won’t be sent to recycling.

An easy way to do this is to install four bins at home. One for landfill (e.g. non-recyclable plastics, household waste), one for recycling (e.g. paper, glass, cans, card), one for soft plastics (e.g. any plastic your can fold in your hand) and one for compost (e.g. food waste). Your number one goal at home is to use the landfill bin the least. 

It’s always a good idea to give any glass jars, can or packaging a rinse and let dry on your dish rack overnight to remove any food which might contaminate your recycling.

Some councils will take away your soft plastic but, if not, there are soft plastic drop-off bins at both Coles and Woolworths.

  1. Recycle glass jars

Glass jars can be used for so many things around the house and that’s not just making your own jam. Save and wash all of your empties and use next time you head to the bulk food store, regrowing your food scraps, pickling food for long term storage, storing leftovers in the fridge or taking to work, new cocktail glasses and food storage. Plus, the right jars can make your kitchen shelves and pantry look beautifully coordinated and organised.

  1. Invest in reusable food and drinks containers

One the easiest ways to reduce your waste is by storing your food properly, so it’s important to invest in reusable food and drink containers. Glass jars can be great for storing your coffee, nuts, smoothies, dried foods and pulses, but it’s a great idea to also invest in some natural, reusable containers like Pyrex-style glass dishes,  stainless steel bento boxes or silicone lids which you can use for meal prepping or saving your leftovers.

  1. Compost your food waste

A compost bin is a great addition to your kitchen or garden. There are some really good options out there for cheap and easy to implement composting options for your garden, and there are also clean, tabletop versions which you can keep in your kitchen available or community bins in your local area. Worm farms are ideal for those with limited space as they fit neatly on a balcony. 

  1. Use food scraps to make your own cleaning products

Food can be used for really effective cleaning products. Ingredients like distilled white vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda and sugar can be used to polish kitchen worktops, clean windows and remove stains whilst killing that pesky bacteria. Combine these with essential oils for a beautiful smelling home.

  1. Swap tea-bags for tea leaves

I don’t know about you but we average upwards of 5 cups of tea each per day, every day. That equates to almost 2,000 tea bags in our landfills per person in a year! Some teabags are made from, or sealed using plastic which not only sheds billions of particles of microplastic into each cup you drink but also end up in our landfills. To reduce this, swap your tea bags for tea leaves in a metal strainer instead. The tea leaves are often better quality too, so it’s really a win-win.

  1. Repair holes in clothes

It may sound obvious, but too often clothes are thrown away for having small holes, a broken zipper or a lost button even though these can be sown up very easily, without the need for any seamstress skills. Make an excuse to visit an older relative and ask them for tips if you’re really stuck, it’ll be a great bonding experience which you’ll find therapeutic.

  1. Ditch disposable for natural materials

There are some really great natural fibres on the market which provide brilliant and budget-friendly alternatives to disposable products like bamboo cotton pads, metal razors, natural loofah’s, plastic-free q-tips, natural tampons, cloth face wipes.

  1. Save food scraps for homemade stock and natural dyes

Food scraps can be used in a whole heap of ways like turning root veg stalks into homemade stock, apple cores and skins into apple cider vinegar, regrowing your roots, baking old bread into croutons and french toast, using banana skins for cleaning…I could go on…but one of our favourites is natural tie-dying. 

Simply using your food scraps and water, turmeric can be used to create yellow tones; red onion for pink; red cabbage leaves for purple and avocado skins for dusty pinks and browns. Plus, it’s a great way to bring life back into that white t-shirt you split red wine on!

  1. Request for no junk mail to be put through your letterbox

Another easy one, add a small sign to your front door or letterbox requesting that companies do not post you junk mail. Chances are you’re probably not interested in selling your house right now or need another plastic tradie magnet for your fridge. But when you do, you’ll open a web browser not your letterbox to find the best options.

  1. Use cloth nappies instead of disposable

A staggering 3.75 million disposable nappies are used each day in Australia and New Zealand, and it takes about one cup of crude oil to make each nappy. This is a lot for landfills, with conventional disposable nappies estimated to take up to 150 years to break down. Making a switch to cloth nappies is the more environmentally-friendly option, and is easier than ever with the modern cloth nappies currently available. You might also like to consider a cloth nappy washing service, but bear in mind the energy and emissions associated with transportation.

  1. Swap to rechargeable batteries

Never again find yourself hunting around in that draw you dump everything from pens, foreign coins, remote controls, keys that you have no idea what they open, letters you’re saving for…what was it again, random cards and pairs of glasses, for batteries again and switch to rechargeable types. Keep your batteries in two small glass jars, write ‘Flat’ and ‘Charged’ on the lids. Invest in quality rechargeable batteries and a charger. Charge a group of batteries and store in the ‘Charged’ jar, put the rest in the ‘Flat’ jar and charge as needed. When the remote goes flat, you know where to go. Thank us later.

  1. Prep!

Making meals instead of buying takeout or ready meals is a great way to reduce waste and save on all of those disposable take-away containers. You’ll use all the food you purchased at the supermarket, cut down on packaging of food items, and reduce the carbon footprint of your food while you’re at it. Dehydrators are great too for healthy snacks to store in your cupboards. Keep it really easy, and save time, by cooking food in bulk and eating it throughout the week.

What do you think of these tips? Do you have any other steps to add?

Vesica biodiversity
23 Sep
Environmental concerns, Vesica blog

10 Ways to Conserve Biodiversity this Biodiversity Month

September is the National Biodiversity Month. Every year Biodiversity Month is held to advocate the importance of protecting, conserving and improving Australia’s biodiversity. 

So, what is biodiversity? Why does biodiversity matter to us? What can you do for biodiversity? 

Biodiversity means the abundance and variety of life on the planet. A biologically diverse natural environment is essential to human health, well-being and prosperity. It provides us with everything from the air that we breathe, to the water that we drink, the food that we eat and the environment we live in. Right now, biodiversity is in crisis – because of us. 

“Work with nature, rather than against it.” – every successful organic gardener, ever

Australia is one of the world’s biggest biodiversity hotspots. Still, we are losing it at an unprecedented rate, according to the Living Planet Report of 2018, which shows us a 60% fall in just over 40 years. Most of our plant and mammal species, and nearly half of our bird and marine species are endemic (Department of the Environment and Energy, 2019). 

Protecting biodiversity is one way that we all can plan for the future. We can participate in the protection of biodiversity by becoming knowledgeable about the things we buy, consume and use. How we treat the environment is also how we treat biodiversity so it’s time to stop and appreciate the web of life that surrounds and sustains us. 

Here are 10 ways that you can help to conserve biodiversity this Biodiversity Month: 

  1. HELP THE BEES! 

As pollinators, bees play a part in every aspect of the ecosystem. They support the growth of trees, flowers, and other plants, which serve as food and shelter for creatures large and small. 

Support pollinators in your backyard by planting a variety of wildflowers and native plants to provide nectar that will bloom throughout the season. 

  1. CUT PLASTIC POLLUTION 

Plastic pollution is choking every part of the world. Every year, an estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic enter our oceans — that’s one dump truck every minute. To protect biodiversity, we need to avoid plastics whenever possible, and where we cannot avoid them, then we must reduce, reuse and recycle. 

  1. PROTECT NATURAL HABITATS 

All animals and plants need suitable and high-quality habitat. That’s not to say that we can’t enjoy the habitats of animals, like national parks, wetlands and bushland but everyone has a role to play in protecting and maintaining these areas. Next time you’re out and about, try to leave habitats undisturbed by sticking to designated paths, cleaning up after yourself and not picking wildflowers.

  1. CREATE A NATURAL ECOSYSTEM IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD 

Whether you live on a farm or in an apartment in the city, you need plants, and it’s not difficult to create a garden in your own backyard which has a permaculture design. 

From kitchen gardens, orchards, zen gardens, wild areas and hedgerows, there are many different types of gardens that can be designed in ways that increase biodiversity.

Get started by researching the plants and vegetables that are local to your area and grow a variety in your own backyard. Each plant and vegetable helps to protect biodiversity and supports the broader ecosystem of your local area. 

  1. REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE 

Look at ways to reduce the amount of rubbish that ends up in landfill and the waterways. Reducing, reusing, and recycling ca n help preserve biodiversity by limiting the number of resources needed to make new products. The more we can reduce our demand for new resources, the less habitat conversion will be necessary in the long run. 

  1. PURCHASE PRODUCTS THAT HAVE ECO LABEL 

Ecolabels (like a PETA certification or Green Tick) are a great way of determining which products are green, safe, and environmentally sustainable. These labels allow you to learn precisely products are made from and the percentages of the ingredients in a particular food or household cleaning items so that you can determine how much impact they have on the environment. 

  1. SUPPORT FARMERS 

Be an informed eater and purchase your food from socially and sustainably responsible growers. 

Farmers play a key role in conserving biodiversity. With the help of biotechnology and plant science, farmers can grow more food on the same amount of land. This takes the pressure off the need to convert natural habitats into farmland. 

  1. SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE ENERGY 

As we know, climate change has disastrous consequences for all living things on earth. We use huge amounts of fossil fuels, which directly cause climate change. 

If you can, choose to use alternative energy sources and natural or sustainable products in your home. This will reduce the effects of climate change and requires a worldwide effort. 

  1. WALK, RIDE, DON’T DRIVE 

Each litre of gasoline burned releases ~2.3 kg of the greenhouse gas CO2, so reducing car use is a considerable step towards protecting biodiversity. 

Where you can choose to walk instead of drive, take local transport, save errands so you can take fewer car trips and stay local at the weekend. 

10. EDUCATE 

Education is essential for the future of the planet. We depend on the global collective action of an educated society, including efforts to promote local and indigenous knowledge of biodiversity. As awareness increases, it becomes easier to incorporate eco-friendly practices into your day-to-day life, spread the word to your friends and family and influence your local government.  With even more time now being spent immersed in social media, don’t forget to share or post those positive and simple practises that can bring change to your online community at the moment.

Wooden cutlery
06 Jun
Vesica blog

How to Start Living Plastic Free…

15 May 2018

How to Start Living Plastic FreeBulk Food Stores are fast becoming more popular and accessible

First you need to take a closer look at all the plastic in your life and around you – observe how much there is, where it comes from and where it goes.

Then, it’s all about finding plastic free alternatives to those products and things that come wrapped in plastic and are made out of plastic – and swap them out.

Start with steps – you don’t have to do everything all at once because that will become daunting, overwhelming and discouraging very quickly. Don’t be too hard or judgemental on your-self and others either, otherwise it becomes completely draining as well.

As you take the first steps by implementing the alternatives – I find that sectioning or categorising things into separate groups or areas really helps and makes it more manageable. For example: bathroom things or kitchen things, or food and cooking, cleaning products, beauty products, clothes, eating out and takeaway, travel and lifestyle, product packaging, shopping, etc… there are a number of ways you can categorise things to make it easier for you to handle, you’ll come up with what works for you based on what your current modality is.

Vesica Vessels

Modern Cloth NappiesManly Food Co Op

 

Gradually you’ll start to really notice a difference and more of a significant reduction in the amount of plastic going through your hands since you began this journey. You’ll see the impact in your life and around you as you start to become a lot more conscious of what you’re consuming and where it comes from.

You get to the point where you can be creative with it as you delve deeper and explore more as you research and discover new things. You’ll come up with your own innovative ideas, recipes, solutions, practices and alternatives to things you had before – and this becomes habitual and automatic. You are more conscious of your choices and how they impact your life, reality and the environment around you. It starts to extend into other areas of your life too, and people notice the change in you and become inspired by you as you shift towards a more conscious plastic free lifestyle. You are sharing more information and connecting with others and the network begin to grow.

Before you know it, this way of life is fully integrated into your lifestyle now and you are really aware and conscious of your impact and plastic footprint. You are taking charge of your choices not to support the unnecessary plastic pollution occurring on this planet and you can shape a positive, healthy, vibrant and plastic free environment.

For 10 simple ways to reduce your plastic – see our next blog post

 

Article written by Lillian Adele

(visit: www.lillianadele.com)