We have all heard that plastic is damaging our environments, and that for a sustainable way of living we should reduce or even better stop using plastic produces, especially the disposable kind.. During the plastic challenge back in June, however, I have learned some hard truths, one of them being that it is actually very very very hard, if not impossible, to go completely plastic free! Even by having a reusable water bottle, reusable coffee cup, taking lunch into work and mostly shopping at markets or from local vendors instead of supermarket - some plastic items always ends up in my house. I always do my best to recycle, however: how do you know your recycling actually gets recycled? (trusting the council? maybe we should but we all hear stories that instil some doubts). The best way to ensure recycling is... DO IT YOURSELF! And doesn't have to be boring or ugly - somethings can be recycled into beautiful ideas.. So I will present you some of my latest Pinterest finds that I'd love to get started on, and invite you to do the same Plastic bags basketsPlastic bottles basketsJewellery beadsInstructions on the Frugal Crafter Self-watering seeding potsIf the drawing isn't self-explanatory enough you can find this simple yet pretty useful idea on here Now, these are just some of my plans for some diy recycling, especially since shortly I should be moving into a new apartment which will be in need of some decorations...
If you want to find more, pinterest is a great source of inspirations, for example if you have a garden/open space you can find ideas for bird feeders such as this one, or if you are feeling artsy and are good with these kind of DIY projects you can try out these pretty lotus flower candles. As I said, there is plenty out there for everyone, so go on and challenge yourself! And let me know how you get on!!! :D
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The time has come to move to the new place I will soon call ‘home’ : The Netherlands! I have just arrived (well I arrived on Thursday), and I have to say I am excited about this new chapter in my life.. One thing for sure, I am excited to get accustomed to the new foods (I will have to be careful with the cheese though!), but I am even, strangely, more excited about my first buy: a BIKE! Because, can you live in the Netherlands without one? Short answer: probably no. And it’s so flat, that it will be zero effort biking, just as I like it. So I decided to dedicate this post to bikes and cycling.. Environmental benefits Goes without saying that biking is part of a green and sustainable lifestyle. Faster than walking, you can use it as a great commuting alternative, perhaps integrating it to public transportation if your commute is too far (as they seem to do in the Netherlands a lot, with many train stations equipped with big bike lockers). Or why not go for the challenge and go the extra mile door-to-door? According to the Queensland department of transport and main roads, cycling 10km everyday to work would save 1500 kg of fossil fuels each year.. Not only that, but parts to make a bike are less environmentally damaging (think batteries, and waste from parts that break on a car? And all the electronics… ) Health benefit And you are not only saving the environment and being sustainable, you are also being healthy. Cycling can be part of your 30 minutes recommended daily exercise, you can incorporate some HIIT (high intensity interval training) as part of your commute to have some additional benefits, or maybe download a tracking app and see how you are improving, maybe challenge yourself to go faster, or maybe take your evening commute to a longer route to destress after work? And why not, maybe you will become addicted and go for weekend rides or even biking holidays or join a local cycling team… However: CHOOSE WELL First of all, choose a bike that is good for you: is it comfortable? Comfortability will determine how much use you will get out of the bike. Also, riding the wrong kind of bike (wrong height, wrong settings..) will potentially lead to accident or over-using injuries.. If you don’t like it, or are likely to get hurt on it, chances are that the bike will be left to rust in the garden, leading to waste. So, choose well, take your time, study. If you feel like you got the wrong one, try swapping, or sell it before changing it. I would recommend that to limit environmental impacts, a bike should be bought second hand – why producing more if there are plenty of good ones already out there looking for a loving owner before becoming rusting waste? Maybe, if you fancy some extra work, you will bag yourself a nice bargain which just need some TLC – but hey you would have saved a bike from the dumpster and made a good action for our planet! If you really really want a new bike (no judging here.. there are reasons for wanting a new fancy shiny bike, I get it…), then study well the company where it comes from. What are their environmental and ethical standards? Where are the bikes produced? Where are the materials sourced? For children bikes, they will be replaced often during the course of the child growth, as the bike will need to get bigger and bigger. Thus I believe new bikes would be a bit of an unnecessary waste (of money too!). Second hand shops/online platforms should be your main point of contact – yes maybe the kid wants a shiny new pink bike, but it can always be fixed with a nice coat of paint and could do for a fun Sunday activity! So, my aim for the next few days: find my perfect second hand bike for my everyday needs and commutes. Best point is that I love the look of Dutch bikes, and the second hand market here seems pretty good so…finger crossed! It's THAT time of the year again: sunshine and warmth can only signify one thing, summer holidays! As you might have already guessed from previous posts on travelling and taking local holidays I am not the classic holiday maker. And there is only one place that I can travel to where no matter how long the journey was I feel 'at home'. The sea, but more precisely, my father's boat (or as I like to wishfully call it.. my boat..). Living on board: Now, this 'home' is not a mansion. It's a reasonably large sailing boat, being 12.6 m in length, with two cabins and all the commodities such as kitchen, a living area and two toilets - and you can, I swear, live very comfortably on it. However there are a few lessons to be learnt, and I will share with you those learnt in the past 19 summers on it (wow, how time flies...). These lessons will apply mostly to spending just a few summer months on the boat, not to full-time life on board, although I guess some could be applied to both situations equally 1) Pack light: lesson number 1 and possibly the most important one to cohabit well (more on cohabiting later..). Storing space on board is limited, and often priority for storage is given to items that are required for boat maintenance and other essentials - and this rule is of particular importance if you are going on someone else's boat. Using little space as possible and being tidy is often seen as a sign of respect, and this is one of the most common arguing causes so... So don't expect to bring your whole summer wardrobe and have space for it (plus, do you really need all of those clothes? Think about donating some to charities and feel lighter overall). Bring only essential items, plan to wash them often as you go, living on board often does not require glamour. If you really want bring just one outfit for those rare occasions where you will moor in a nice town and think you will want to go out for dinner feeling nice. If you don't like wearing the same things too often think about getting some 'double-face' items (two colours or fantasies depending on which side you wear), or a dress that you can wear in multiple ways - they are great choices. To be honest I usually end up wearing the same 2-3 t shirts, the same pair of shorts and a bikini all summer long and usually space in my bag is taken over by studying books and electronics (the kindle is an amazing choice for reading books...). 2) on the same topic use a fold-away bag: a backpack is perfect, or any other kind of bag you have that you can hide away in a storage compartments. Trolleys and other wheeled bags are a waste of space.... 3) Choose your company : I recommend that for on-board living the boat isn't filled to full-capacity. Might be good to make it cheaper if you are renting a boat for a week, however space is not only limited for objects but for people too - and when people are space-limited often conflicts arise. For prolonged periods I recommend to go with someone you know and go-along with well. Bear in mind that in this case by 'going along with well' I don't mean you laugh a lot together, but you know and respect each other spaces, you know how the other will react in certain situations, some that might be more stressful than others, and know how to act accordingly. I.e. don't bring your new partner on it if you care about your relationship.. just my suggestion. 4) Learn how to cook and by this I don't mean cooking gourmet meals worth of a Michelin star. I mean learn to cook with basic devices and basic ingredients. Fridges on board are small and in summer time the fridge should not be overloaded, and more often than not is hard to find ingredients. However I am not a fan of ready dried meals (have some in case of emergency) - so I learnt how to make pretty decent meals out of cans (fish, tomatoes, pulses.. which can be a lot healthier than ready meals...). Same storage problems apply to kitchen items, you will only have one pan and pot to play with, often no oven (unless you want to consume a lot of gas and warm up the boat even more) and definitely no electric devices (the boat has some electricity however you don't want to overload the batteries with blenders, food mixers etc...). So all by hands, and sometimes you will have to use your fantasy: little village markets may sell some vegetables you have never seen before, and perhaps the person selling it only speaks in a foreign language (I must say it's really fun to try to understand a recipe from someone trying to explain it to you with a mixture of Greek and gestures..), or if you are lucky enough to find a fishing boat in a little bay you will have to buy the catch of the day, whatever it is. So be corageous! In this Internet era it's probably a little easier, as you can always find some recipes online... so go ahead and start experimenting! 5) Be resourceful! Things will happen, things will break and will need fixing. It's a rule: your time fixing on the boat is proportional to the amount of time you spend on said boat. There is no escaping it, better be prepared.. But no matter how much equipment you carry, you will have to make it up as you go - so just use some DIY knowledge (i recommend having at least some basic one, like sewing and using some handtools) and your creativity 6) Be patient: schedules don't really work, especially if something important like the engine breaks, or if you are relying on the wind. Take it as you go and try to enjoy the process :) 7) lastly but not leastly, and this encompasses many other things within: BE FLEXIBLE! Living on board may throw you down some new routes, take them, figure them out, some may have steep curves where you have to slow down, others will have pits to avoid. Go ahead, be careful and remember to have some fun in the process! UPDATE: it's may 2021 and the boat due to various circumstances was not used for all this time. i am bringing her back to life. Lesson 8) Boats are a bit like being, they have their own personality, and require lots of loving care. But sure, if you do, she will lull you in the best of sleeps with the crackling sounds of the marine life. Seriously considering it making it my house full time (okay, maybe if it's too humid in winter i will spend some months in a terrestrial house). Keep following me and boat stories on instagram
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