Coffee.. chances are you are drinking a cup while reading this blog, while on a work break in attempt to wake up (it's mid week, it's hard I know!). The smell of coffee can be in itself a great incentive to get out of bed in the morning, and many of us (me included!) are 'coffee addicts'. Hey, I can't even put two words together in the right language before my first cup..
This addiction has helped the proliferation of many coffee chains and the culture of the takeaway coffee, and many of us are in the habit of grabbing a coffee on the way to work, or popping out of the office for one on our morning coffee breaks. Service station have coffee machines, making it easy to grab a coffee while we fuel up the car (we need fuel too, right?!). But something unifies the coffee chains, the service stations, the little shops allowing us this 'coffee convenience': Disposable coffee cups! They seem innocent, 'it's just cardboard right?' - i hear you ask. Mistake. Coffee cups are NOT recyclable: to ensure they are waterproof the card is fused with polyethylene, that cannot be separated for recycling, moreover the cups are often not even made from recycled material - as the way they are designed means one thin seam of card inside the cup comes into contact with the hot drink, meaning that they have to be made from virgin paper pulp. Hum, think about that. New paper and not about to be recycled. Statistics say 10000 coffee cups gets used in 2 minutes just in the UK! JUST IN THE UK! IN 2 MINUTES! Try scale this to include other coffee addict countries (USA? Other Europe countries drinking take aways?!). Saying this, I did came across a type of more sustainable cups at the Sea Shed Coffee & Surf: made entirely from plant materials and completely compostable. If you don't use a lid (plastic) you can be sustainable... So - it's possible! Perhaps a little more expensive, but who will pay for the environmental damages that we are doing?
Another, very simple solution, is to use a reusable cup. I am the proud owner of two reusable cups - one that fits in my car cup holder (for those fuel stops! and post surf/adventure warm up needs), and one bigger ones for my everyday needs. Added bonus - i can make my own 'take away' coffee at home saving some money as well!
The benefit of a reusable cup don't just stop at environmental benefit - some companies have incentives for you to bring your own cup so I am gonna give you two example of chains that have incentive scheme and what rewards you will get (valid in UK): Starbucks: a discount of £0.25 on your drink when you bring your own mug. Which is advantageous. Plus my local starbucks also charges me for a tall (their smaller size, and discounts it) for use in my humongous mug. So a considerable saving overall... Clements (in NI): double stamps on your loyalty card. You get a free coffee when you reach 10 stamps, if you get 2 stamps at a time... that's half price free coffee! Other chains such as Costa, Pret-a-manger, Cafe Nero and Paul bakery may have similar schemes, although I am not aware of them as I have not tried to use them personally so I don't want to give wrongful information. But go in and ask, Question your chain of choice on their ethics and what are they doing to ensure they are being as sustainable as possible. If demands for unrecyclable coffee cups decreases, maybe their production will stop. You have the power to make a difference, no matter how small you act. So now go buy yourself a pretty reusable mug that will be your daily companion for years to come! (I have one of the EcoCoffee cup and are amazing!)
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I recently came across an article about 'seaganism' - a vegan diet with seafood allowed. Doesn't seem much different to the 'pescatarian' diet to me, which is a vegetarian diet which also allows seafood on top of dairy and eggs, so basically only restricting meat consumption. I don't get it. I admit, or better confess, to have been a vegetarian for many years myself, with some flexibility whenever I returned home for short holidays, as my family found it too hard to comprehend, understand and even allow me, so had to close an eye. For various reasons, I have not been a vegetarian for a couple of years, and so I want to reassure all that this is not going to be a 'judgemental' post like many we see on the web nowadays. You eat meat, fish, dairy and eggs? So do I! However I am constantly trying to understand how to make this more sustainable. For example by eating less of all of the above, i.e. only one of them once a day, or have one or multiple vegan day a week. But back to the seafood - why is this old-school concept that eating from the sea is so sustainable still alive? We know well by now (or should) that the sea does not provide us with unlimited resources. Yes, is vast and extremely deep, and there is still so much that we don't know about it - yet we are depleting many fish stocks and we are fishing down the food web. And what about aquaculture? This is often considered a sustainable choices, farming fish so we don't deplete stocks.... but funny enough most don't realise that some fish feeds from aquaculture actually come from the meat industry, or we fish small fish (such as anchovies and sardines, which make for pretty great human food!) in quantities that are not as sustainable as many think! Not to talk about antibiotics, and the risk of farmed fish escaping and changing local gene pools, or even becoming invasive species.. There are all sort of ecological and environmental hazards associated with aquaculture. But - as you know, the aim of this blog is to provide some solutions, not just reiterate the problems. So here is how I try to be as sustainable as possible while eating seafood: - shop local. Find a local fishmonger, or a fishmarket. If you are lucky enough to live by the sea, go directly to the fishing boat when they come in, you will buy what is local and in season and support the local economy.
- Go small scale. The smaller the boats the lower the damage in my opinion and the greater the chance to help some fishermen and their family instead of funding some big company. - Variation is key. Try different fish, maybe some crustaceans, molluscs. Don't always eat the same things. Try something new, it's exciting to try out new recipes and new flavours, and you spread the - eat less of it - Get a whole fish, understand where your food comes from. Teach your kids. Take them to the market or to a fishing town/fishing harbour. I am a strong believer that the fish fingers culture and ready frozen fish fillets have taken us away from remembering where our food comes from, what our food is and was. - use the scraps. If you buy whole fish, head and bones can make great fish stock that you can freeze and use for other recipes later! - And moreover, buy only what you need, and realise that often less is more (this goes for everything...) With the heatwave hitting Northern Europe and the UK this week, a post about boating couldn't go amiss. Who wouldn't love to be on a yacht in a nice bay in the sunshine as they are reading this?
But... do you know that you can have an environmental impact even if you have the most ecofriendly of sailing boats? Hope my sailing friends are reading this! So you left the harbour, the winds were in your favour and you have sailed all day, no engine and you finally arrive at your chosen bay to spend the evening - you prepare to drop the anchor... and here lies the problem
This is mostly a women-specific post but men, if you are here, please continue to read on!
Yes, you are guessing right - I am going to speak about what happens monthly to most women: periods! Something so natural and so normal yet so little spoken about. During this 'plastic challenge June' I would like to particularly put periods within the plastic issue. Excitement is in the air as I am getting ready (or not) to take part in this year #plasticchallenge organised by the Marine Conservation society. First things first let's have a look at what is it and how you can take part: Please register to take part on the marine conservation website: www.mcsuk.org
You will join a revolutionary movement and receive info! So how am I preparing? (am I even preparing?) - I am NOT buying plastic things in advance to avoid buying them in June (that would be cheating...) - I am, on the other hand, planning to do my shopping at the market and researching where will I find everyday life items (hello yogurt for breakfast... ) in plastic-free containers (glass jar anyone?). The mcs has a useful tip page (click here). - The MCS also has a shop for many plastic-free needs (although i haven't bought anything from it yet, so i cannot comment on delivery etc. But seems like a good place to start from if you have nothing in terms of eco shops nearby!) - I am prepared to learn and open my eyes and I know it will be tough, very tough, and i might need to swap a few things. And I am already a pretty conscious shopper... I believe that if as many people as possible will take the plastic challenge, not only overall plastic consumption over the month of June will be reduced but it will open our eyes and make us even more responsible in the following months! So ARE YOU READY for the challenge? T-1! Let's start tomorrow ! I will update you half way through to see how it going! And more updates on my twitter as well! Comment with any questions and ideas!
Brushing our teeth - we all do it (or should be) at least twice or three times daily, we are reminded by our parents to do so when we are young and further reminded by our dentists later in life.. and we do it, somewhat innately, a mechanic action.
We are supposed to keep the same toothbrush for a maximum of three months and then change it. This means the average person uses 4 toothbrushes per year, which multiplied by the average western human life spans makes it around 280 toothbrushes (Insert shocked face here). And apparently, since their invention in the 1930s, every single plastic toothbrush produced still exists somewhere on the planet! Not at all surprisingly considering plastic can have lifespan of thousands of years, and moreover we are not even sure whether it does biodegrade at all or just gets broken down into more and more microscopic pieces which can cause enormous damage to living organisms (including us humans!). 'What about recycling?", I hear you ask. For the answer, take a quick look at your toothbrush and notice how many different types of plastics are involved. So - unless you efficiently divide them all before throwing away (and even then I am not sure how many of the pieces would be currently recyclable material) it is impossible. Faced with these facts, and embracing a low-plastic lifestyle, I have been converted to trying bamboo toothbrushes. The ones I bought are from F.E.T.E (From Earth to Earth) made with bamboo handles (that might be useful to use in arts and crafts at the end of their life due to their nice design) and recyclable nylon bristles (that can be pulled out)!
Today I am gonna talk to you about ghosts...
But.... just a different kind!
We are talking about ghost fishing nets.
Yes, such things exist hidden in the seas and oceans on this planet. Hundreds of kilometres of nets and lines are lost every year. It is estimated that 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear is lost yearly, that 640 million Kilos (assuming you weight 64 Kg, that's 10 millions of you - every year! just to put into some perspective there...). What's most likely is that this is an underestimation, considering the vaste nature of seas and oceans, where many areas still remain unexplored. Perhaps scarier than a spirit ghost appearance... These nets continue to catch fish, dolphins, wales, birds, turtles.. with no commercial use! They also pose threats to navigation and to the seabed...
While you personally may feel like there isn't much you can do to stop this, there are some steps you can take.
I am going to talk to you now about an initiative to recycle some of this material.... ...into fabric! Yes, pretty clothes!
Such as my new Fourth Element bikini top (which also arrived in a plastic-free package! YAY!).
The fabric is called EcoNyl and it's made from recycled fishing gear So when preparing for summer, think about your products and see if you can make a difference by purchasing products made from this fabric rather than classical nylon! And I can vouch for this particular product (I have to say the company doesn't sponsor me in any way) - It's comfy and doubles up as a running bra as well! :) 2 in 1 is my style...
Spring is here and summer is around the corner (for us in the North hemisphere - sorry Southern readers!).
The sun is out and many of us have already taken advantage, lying in the local parks/beaches/ taking our arms and legs out of clothes prisons.. and I am personally getting excited over my summer holiday plans! However, after years of recklessness in the sun, playing on my 'mediterranean skin', i finally grew up and realised how dangerous the sun can be. Beauty and danger in a big yellow ball... But how to protect yourself while enjoying your time out and avoid hiding? Sunscreens Now. This topic is full of controversy and contradictions. First of all, with many options out there - all promising to be the 'best'- how should you choose? Many filters are available: in order for a filter to be effective it has to absorb both UV-A and UV-B rays, however it also has to be safe, thus non-toxic, photo-stable, resistant to high temperatures, remain "superficial" on the skin without going past the 'stratum corneum' of our skins... It's easily understandable by reading this simple list that a single compound is unlikely to fulfil all the above requirements. Many (most) sunscreen available contain a mix of 'active compounds' (typically a mix of organic and inorganic/mineral filters) and additives to make them cosmetically pleasing (plus perfumes). Many organic compounds are often found in mixes, as often one compound can help 'stabilise' the others, however we need to be careful as these chemical compounds can act as 'endocrine disruptors'. Moreover, efficacy and safety of the products depends grandly on where in the planet you are buying such products: different countries have different regulatory strategies - for example while in the EU they are considered 'cosmetics' and the priority is given to efficacy, in the US they are considered 'pharmaceutical' and the FDA thus gives priority to the safety of these products. So what can you do? There are creams out there made entirely of mineral compounds. A commonly used one is zinc oxide and you can find 'natural' sunscreens containing all natural ingredients and zinc oxide. This can be in nano or non-nano formula, and the non-nano formula is often recommended as there are some potential issues with nano particles entering your body. I have mine from Badger - and so far love the face stick for surfing! (Still with a whole-body wetsuit here! so only face needs to be protected...). Only ingredients listed are Non-Nano, Uncoated Zinc Oxide 22.5% and *Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil, *Cera Alba (Beeswax), *Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter, *Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Tocopherol (Sunflower Vitamin E) (*from Organic sources!). Added benefit is that the oils protect my skin from wind and salt! :) Will let you know how summer time goes.
Back in September we have been hearing about microbeads and the microbead ban on the news. But what's happening? How long will it take to ban them? And what can you do in the meantime?
First of all, you may still wonder “what is a microbead?” Microbeads are defined as manufactured solid plastic particles (polyethylene, polypropylene or polystyrene) of less than five millimeters in their largest dimension. They can be found in exfoliating beauty products and toothpastes, causing them to end in the sewage and passing unfiltered due to their micro size, making it to rivers, canals and the ocean. According to a government report1 a single shower can result in 100,000 plastic particles entering the sewage system and 680 tonnes of plastic microbeads are used in the UK every year. Microbeads and more generally microplastics are a relatively new “impact” on aquatic environment and research is still on its early days , however there is scope for significant impacts on freshwater and marine environments.
So, while the ban is being introduced and implemented there are a few things that can be done:
First of all always check “ingredients” on beauty products (especially scrubs and toothpaste) and look for natural exfoliants such as almonds, sugar, salt, bicarbonate. If you are short on time while shopping check "beatthemicrobead.org", which has an extensive product lists for many countries including UK and Ireland. If you feel more adventurous try some of these DIY recipes and tips: Toothpaste: Mix some coconut oil with bicarbonate of soda and some peppermint oil. Bicarbonate can taste a little salty so try with the ratio a few times. I would recommend making a new batch every couple days just to avoid any possible contamination. Hydrogen peroxide (at low concentration, mixed with water) is great to dunk your toothbrush in and use as a second brush or as mouthwash before bed to kill the last stubborn bacteria! Body Scrub: Coffee grains are the most useful: after your usual morning cup, keep your used coffee grains. You can use on their own, or mix with some coconut oil for extra moisture. They are not only great gentle scrub, but also have cellulite fighting potential - so why not give it a try! Salt - table salt is a great, mix with usual soap or natural oil for extra moisture. Essential oil. Sugar - caster sugar is gentle, mix with coconut and essential oil. Personally love grapefruit oil or lemon and peppermint for morning energy kick. Sponge -buy a good quality one! possibly one of the best option. You can buy them of different materials for different scrubbing strengths. Choose them made of natural material and sourced ethically (always read the labels!), and they last! Rinse with some hydrogen peroxide (Cleaning blog coming up soon) and it will last for a long long time! Face Scrub: Have to pick more gentle options here compared to body scrubs Almond flour / ground almond / almond meal : on its own with some water. Will leave your skin smooth and soft and hydrated as it leaves some oil behind. Perhaps it can seem a little on the expensive side, however you only need less than a teaspoon so a packet will get you a long way! Sponge- again there are many great sponges/brushes out there, this is the best reusable option, choose brushes made of natural materials and ethically sourced. Disclaimer: Try at your own risk. I am not a doctor, every skin is different, so try on small part first. Read about essential oil properties prior use and choose oils of the pure variety.
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