Fun fact: in Germany we're taught that you should scrape your recycling materials as clean as possible, but not use water to clean them. They take care of that at the recycling places. So it depends on your region and everyone should find out what applies to them. :)
regarding composting: i am very happy that our local system in berlin uses the compost to gain their own biogas and fuel their vehicles with it and the rest goes to the local farmers for fertilisation. i really hope that other cities can do something like this
Olive oil has never failed me for any residue. Apply, wait for it to swell up and go gooey then physically rub off with anything that won't scratch the object follow up by cleaning normally.
Your beginner free swap video is still one of my favourites. It made me realize i didn't have to spend exorbitant amounts of money to start on this new lifestyle. Made it feel accessible to me
For my dishes, a natural loofah sponge and a coconut bristle scrubby have been really great. I throw them in the dishwasher when they get a little too mucky. So far they have lasted about four months and they are still going strong. I like that I can just compost them when they are ready to retire from spongehood. Also highly recommend a bottle brush if you hate wedging your hand inside jars and other skinny places.
I bought some coconut bristle scrubbies for my dishes, but the first time I went to use it, I nearly got a sliver! It pricked me and really hurt!! Maybe it was the brand, Idk, but I've been afraid to try using it again. :( The brand is Safix.
Hello! I am a soapmaker and i just wanted to say that castile soap is basically just soap made out of olive oil rathet than a different type of oil rather than animal fat... yeah!
I started composting in my small Apartment (without a balcony) last year and I absolutely love it! I got a worm compost which actually has living worms in it (you hardly ever see or notice them) that compost most of my compostables. Although there definitivly is a learning curve for this I just can recommend a worm compost for everyone.
I bought one months ago and needed reassurance on how to use it, and that's how I discovered her channel ! Clearly and great and honest video on the subject
hi!! coffee nerd here to say that researching where your coffee comes from is extremely important. most coffee companies use terms like organic and fair trade to sell their products. and while the certification is important it’s not always ethically sourced. typically third wave coffee shops and roasteries have good relationships with the farmers who are producing the coffee and often pay them significantly more than the fair trade wage. these shops can also give you information on where the coffee is grown, how it’s grown, and how coffee impacts that community. my experience with third wave shops has been much more satisfying than any fair trade and organic bag of beans i find at the grocery store!
I was looking for that comment. I’m coffee professional that try to live sustainably and I agree with the comment above. Proper third wave coffee shops should have access to the most sustainable (and most delicious) coffee.
I don't know if anyone's mentioned this but if you have a marble or natural stone countertop, don't use anything acidic to clean it. So no vinegar, lemon/orange juice, etc, as it'll eat away at the stone xx
Lin Lin great hack! Do you actually push the soap into the bottle cap? I have tried a couple of different soap stands and don't like either of them. And Soapstandle is ridiculously expensive in Canada!
I just wanted to add in my area there’s a college who takes compost for their sustainable branch where they also have a homestead set up with garden! So look into it and ask locals if they know of ways to compost! 💜 I think this video is super helpful even for me who’s not necessarily a beginner.
I loved your safety razor video! It convinced me to make the switch once I finish my current blade cartridges. I am thinking of the Leaf, so I definitely want to see a comparison video! Please do this!
Right when she said sisal bristle and to try to say it ten times I literally started trying as she was too 😝 Also, I’m glad you are mentioning that you don’t have to buy the bottles from Blueland when you can just upcycle. That is what I’m doing when I place my first order (hopefully with a code you have??). I’ll just get the tabs and use the plastic bottles I’ve been saving and I save money too. Also Part 2 (lol), I tried the leaf razor and not the biggest fan for all areas but I bought the new version, The Twig, and LOVE. I can use in every area now because it’s smaller and reminds me more of a traditional razor.
My favorite zero waste hair removal option is waxing. You can make your own wax at home very simply with lemon, water, and sugar. You can use it as a sugar wax and not use any waxing strips. But I prefer to use reusable ones (that are surprisingly easy to clean w warm water) or 100% cotton ones that are biodegradable. It’s more time consuming and trickier than just shaving, but I like it a lot more.
I have been trying to switch to shampoo bars, but I can never really tell if one is that much better than the other unless it is drastically worse. I don’t have a difficult hair type, so that might be why, but I wish I just knew 😅. Also, something that I don’t think people mention as often is electronic razors! I’ve been using one of my dad’s old facial razors with a trimmer attachment, and it works really well if you have sensitive skin or get irritation irritation with a super close shave from a safety razor.
i found that i need quite a lot moisture. But only moisture is also bad. So i do what hair soap people do. And swap the products whenever i want. I have a foaming conditioner (kinda a 2in1), a strong shampoo, a slightly moisturizing shampoo, a repair shampoo and sante's "shine" shampoo that all it does is dry my hair out. (Like #loreal, if anything you do with sante, then help them with their shine shampoo. It's shit.) Also that wet hair strand test to see if you need moisture or protein. (can't remember the term but either it breaks fast > is dry or it streches to hell > needs protein)
@@leporid257 I don’t think I have ever heard of the wet strand test before, but I guess I will try that out! It can at least give me more insight on my hair that I likely don’t already have.
You can wash your hair with so many things. First things first check your water. If it is hard then you'll have a harder time. My hair becomes trash with surfectants such as Lush or Ethique and I've started using either rye or chickpea flour. Both dirt cheap and my hair is so soft and shiny.
In England, you can pay to have a green bin collected, which is for food scraps, and then that goes and gets made into compost. It is really helpful, but slightly annoying that you have to pay for it.
This definitely depends on area. 2/3 counties (Kent, Surrey) I've lived in have had compost collection as a given, not extra. I can't speak for the 3rd county (Hampshire) as I was only in student accommodation...
Since I entered college, i've been eating more plant based meals, I even made my parents do it too, but as typical Portuguese people they would never stop eating meat and fish and all of that because of our culture. However, I feel really proud about the fact that they're accepting and enjoying my swaps. I plan to stop eating animals on a daily basis in the future, but I won't call myself a vegetarian (i know that i will feel horrible if i do), cause if the opportunity to eat seafood comes, I am gonna take it. I really, really love seafood, i can easily live without meat, i've done it before, but i would like to enjoy shellfish from time to time. Not everyday. Not every week. Not even every month. But I want to be free to do it, without feeling super guilty, knowing that i'm already making a big effort. ~ manifesting vegan seafood ~
I totally feel that! I will never be vegetarian or vegan because I want to have the freedom to enjoy any amazing food I come across, but I do often eat plant based anyways. My mom never cooked a lot of meat because it was so expensive, so eating plant based once a week is totally normal to me!
That was kinda me before 🤣 I was born and raised eating a lot of meat and seafood and I loved both. Then there was the time it hit me , I decided that I’m gonna slowly cutting things off to become vegan one day. Took me 5 years 😃 it was not easy because 19 years you eat meat and seafood and they do taste good but you know.. I feel sad for the animals that had to suffer to make my mouth feel good while now vegan options are a lot and just as good! I agree meat was easier to drop than seafood cause I was a big fan too 😁
It’s so fun watching Americans talk about composting as a hard thing to do. As a Swed I been growing up with composing. We have always have two garbage cans (one for compost) that the garbage truck pick up every week. This also shows how little America as a country does for the climate.
I wish America was doing more to help but unfortunately as soon as you try to make change, politicians will attack. Hopefully it's something that can change
I don't really have access to composting (especially living in an apartment with an incredibly small freezer/balcony) but I'm gonna check out the links! I feel really bad throwing away fruit and veg skins so I just incorporate them into the dish haha
My favorite waste saver: BEFORE you compost vegetable scraps, freeze them and them boil/simmer them for an hour to make your own vegetable broth! After you strain out the broth you can compost the scraps.
I just found out the green trash bin we have where I live isn’t just for your greenery like when you do yard work and are trimming your trees but it’s our curbside compost pick up. They come by and pick it up like the normal black/gray (depending where you live) bin and the blue recycling bin. I’m so happy now that I know that but then I told my mom and she said there’s no way we’re leaving food scraps in the trash bin for 2 weeks between pickups. 🤦♀️
RIGHT!? It's almost ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT! I am so excited to have a table to work at that's not my couch in a basement somewhere and has other people sitting next to me at their own tables doing their own thing. Sounds like a dream world! haha 😹
Where do I find the goo gone recipe? Did I miss it here? Also, Your safety razor video converted me! I love it so much now and would never go back but honestly I don't think I ever would have been brave enough to try it without your video.
Another banger!!! Love your recommendations, as always. For my soap stand I use the plastic part of the scrubby sponge the hospital gave me when I had my daughter 5 years ago to give her baths 😅 the sponge part started coming off so I just removed it entirely and it's been perfect for keeping the bar soap to dry out on. You can get under fingernails with it too, which is great for my tiny nature loving children 💗
Just wana pop in here as a horticulturalist and say that you don't HAVE to buy shade grown coffee you just need to ensure the ethicality of where you're full-sun coffee is being grown. Not all coffee plantations are clear cuts and not every farming family is down to lose half the valuable crop to birds when they already have flat land to farm. Love You and your channel just wanted to share
This is so so good to know!! THANK YOU for sharing!! I still have so much to learn and research 💛 Sending big big hugs! [also if you have any good resources on the top of your head for me to check out, plz lemme know! No pressure if you don't! Just always looking to learn more :) ] xo
18:50 THANK YOU for being realistic with veganism. I mentioned on a zero waste page that I'm not quite fully vegan yet but I eat as many vegetarian meals as I can and I don't support the dairy industry and a ton of perfectionist aggressive vegans started attacking me for not doing enough and being a carnist because I'm not fully vegan and that I must support animal abuse because I'm not fully vegan and when I tried to tell them that I'm in a situation that I can't be fully vegan (yet) and that my doctor has recommended I don't go vegan because my personal body can't support full veganism they told me I was just making excuses for animal abuse. Perfectionist vegans 100% perpetrate the idea that you can only be low waste if you're privileged and they are gatekeep and prevent so many people from doing what they can to the extent that it's possible for them to
One of the things that bugs me most about the COVID precautions is that you can no longer use your reusable cups in coffee/smoothies shops, and in OK almost everyone uses styrofoam instead of paper or even plastic cups 😩. Also so many places hand out even more disposable stuff than before. I plan on getting a safety razor to replace my Gillette this year but am using up what I have first
Okay THANK YOU for talking about Dropps. I wear almost entirely black every single day and the Dropps laundry pods ruined almost every article of clothing I own. I tried the extra rinse cycle and every other option. Not a fun time for me, or my wallet.
@@keke6924 They left marks ALL OVER my black clothing. I tried rinsing them again in the machine AND by hand and they didn't come out. I had to let my clothes completely dry out and then try to brush out the marks with my hand. Too much effort at that point.
That safety razor video is the one I saw first from you, don't delete it, it gave me so much strength to order my first one and use it!:) Also, I loved the comment section. Just a very positive experience 🥰
17:35 - "not necessary biologically. we don't need it to survive". I know you said it about coffee, but tbh it can be applied to life in general. There are things you need for your mental well being, so I'm not really counting that. But there are other things - like do i really need this plastic straw today? Do i really need all these facial products (make up & face care)? Do I need multiple phone cases and bags/purses? Just simple questions/thoughts for day to day.
I TOTALLY agree! There's such a fine line there for so many things with mental health too but sometimes I feel like we're told we need things (by societal norms, etc.) and piecing out the two is so beautiful. Like taking back our own selves, in a sense hehe 💛 Such a great thought to have! xo
I can’t wait to try the DIY goo-gone! I agree that French press is the best! I’m drinking my homemade coffee out of my Klean Kanteen as I watch this video at work!
Since the 2020 craziness and the panic buying of paper products, I started reserving my paper towel use for "hairball" incidents and moving to washcloths for general upkeep cleaning. I have also moved to using a foaming soap dispenser for handwashing since making foaming liquid soap just needs a foaming dispenser and watered down thicker liquid soaps. Foaming soap has been great in my home since it covers the hands easier while not stripping as many natural oils from my skin. It also takes far less water to rinse off and I can stretch my liquid soap supply. Thanks for the soap stand demo I'll give that a shot :) And baking soda and distilled vinegar are two of the diy house cleaning gods everyone should have handy for tough situations.
What you described for your little kitchen towels cut from a bath towel is what we use for bidet towels. I cut them just a tad larger than a square of tp and they work great. Sewing all the edges ended up being a much bigger project than i anticipated tho 🙈
Thanks for mentioning the coffee I’ll look for some to give my sister and parents as a gift. If they like this coffee that would be an awesome switch they could easily and unconsciously make xD
LOL okay I subscribed after listening to you say how passionate you are about soap because me too girl. Glad there are other weirdos out there who are as obsessed with solid soap bars as I am!
im so happy to say that blueland FOAMING HAND SOAPS are also able to be used in an upcycled foaming hand soap bottle!! We use old bath and body works soap pumps we were gifted when we moved into our apartment and refilled with their tablets ever since. Never going back!
I live in Mexico and there is a proyect call "hagamos composta", it's a company that recollects your organic waste and turns it into compost. Sadly it hasn't gotten to my city yet. 😭
Yes please make a comparison video on the two razors. I have been thinking about switching when I run out of the small tote of them we have and would love to hear your opinion on them! Love your videos and so happy to see your videos popping up more often 🙂
If you're not a fan of bar soaps, Plaine Products makes shampoo, conditioner, and body wash sold in metal bottles. You buy a bottle with the pump once, and then can buy refills without the pump - they just have metal caps. A good low waste option. They are natural and work great :)
Also consider swapping conventionally grown meat/dairy/eggs for pasture raised animal products grown with a regenerative agriculture model, preferably from a local farm. Animals can also sequester large amounts of carbon back into the soil if they are managed correctly! 🙂 Plus, pastured meat & dairy is much healthier for you.
Dollartree has a nice stainless steel razor for $1.25. Yes, there is packaging, but that's minimal, and a one-time thing. Also I have been getting mt dish towels at thrift stores. For ever! You can use cotton napkins too! Perfect size and sturdy. I find them new all the time! I buy probably 90% from thrift stores. God bless wasteful people! 😉 BTW I'm 65 and love not being wasteful!
Great video. I already do almost all of these things but have been scared of the razor switch... I love my Venus... BUTTT... Thanks to you, I'm gonna try the safety razor now! Wish me luck
To anyone who wants to try to use a safety razor but is afraid, it's valid. But they are not as difficult to use as they seem to be, if you take the time to read the instructions that come with it (or on the internet). Also, a light touch and time are key: put the razor at a 45 degree angle on your skin and lightly pull it upwards (or downwards or side-to-side, however you are used to do it); you will find how much pressure works best for you quite fast. Shaving when you are in a rush is not a good idea when you are still new to a SR; take your time so you can avoid cutting yourself or having to leave 1/2 a leg not shaved - but especially to avoid cuts! I'm very clumsy and I used 5 or 6 blade men razors and still cut myself way too often (I even skinned myself once and I still have the scar ...). I have never truly cut myself with a SR, a few 1/4 inches cuts is the worst I've managed to do. I'm not sponsored but I absolutely LOVE safety razors. I also don't understand the appeal of a plastic razor that one has to throw away after a few utilisations. Anyway, my advice is to just give it a try!
Percolators and moka pots are not exactly the same... Moka pots make the water go through the coffee and then stay in a separate container. Percolators usually make the water go through the coffee and then back to the heating part, often burning the coffee. Of course I’m oversimplifying but I thought it was kind of important to mention, and different people like different things! Otherwise, great video, I really enjoy your channel!
I really want to start composting, but I’m so nervous about buying a kitchen bin (apartment) and it not trapping the smell, so it’s be a waste of a purchase. I have a drop-off at my university, so that’s taken care of.
I buy baking soda in 12 lb bags at Walmart because I use it for everything from cleaning to deodorizing my kitchen sink. As for cleaning rags buy cloth diapers at walmart. They are cheap and last a long time. Being cotton they are compostable so when they wear out you just put them in the bin. You can also use them to strain everything from homemade broth to yogurt cheese.
Arbor Day Foundation sells shade grown coffee beans! They are local to me, and I never knew how important that distinction was until I saw this video.. thanks!
I like how you have to have a tech company sponsor you because the environmentally friendly company doesn't want you giving people tips on how to buy less from them🙃
Pondering...Dr Bronner...they say that their palm oil comes from Ghana and not destroying any rainforest etc. I've read that no palm oil is sustainable and those that are certified sustainable have been conned. Can one use Dr Bronner because they use palm oil? Does anyone have any insight into which palm oil we can trust as being sustainable?
Composting was a normal lifestyle for me growing up in agricultural AR. It had never dawned on me about it being a 'sustainable' activity until recently.... Now that I have, I was even more proud of my lifestyle. That said, it killed my soul and was a lot more prominent on my mind when I was traveling to AZ and CO and had no options for my easily compostable food scraps, except to trash them. 😭
Happy to see you back!! Missed your presence!! Love this video! There's so many swaps I've made and can't imagine going back, you nailed a lot of them!! Thank you!!
