Zero waste habits I ACTUALLY do in summer 🌻♻️ 

I live in Northern California and we just had our first heat wave. When I'm saving water for my plants on the balcony I sometimes do this. When washing vegetables especially some things in my garden, I save the water. When I'm waiting for the water to warm up in the shower. I let the water run through the spout to warm up in a bucket,then turn on the shower. The summer is a great time to dry clothes. I have a drying rack that I put in the show/bathtub to dry enough to not drip. Then I put it in another room so that a fan is running to dry them faster. The fan does double duty, keeping us cool and drying my clothes. I have small solar panels that are in our windows that I fill up our small batteries or other things. When it's hot at night we open up our windows to get cool air. When the sun comes up we close up everything and pull the shades down to keep the cool air in. During the heat I cook something that can go in many dishes that I can microwave to keep cool but also save energy. Thank you for your inspiration for creating stuff.

Dear, you should try to visit some Middle Schools and do a presentation or something bcs your channel is so informative and fun. I see all the kids listening to you and taking something from you with them for their future.

I've started saving orange peels and onion peels and then drying them and making powders. The onion powder is perfect for adding flavour to dishes, and the orange peel powder I like to add to smoothies or desserts. I also decided this year to stop buying bread in the store, and to bake it myself from now on (less plastic waste!). I've also been using more of what's available for free in nature, gathering edible weeds and flowers and drying them to use for tea. I made dandelion marmalade for the first time recently, from the petals of dandelions, which was really exciting for me. I also made lilac jelly candies, which I ate way too many of all at once. 😅 I'm also making syrup from fruit scraps, such as apple cores and strawberry tops (although my rabbits love to eat those too!). There's just so much you can do with things that are often just thrown away.

This may sound (and be) a little silly but I’ve had a little break from RU-vid and coming back and finding you here feels so comforting. Like seeing a friend after a while. And I realize that I’ve missed you and your videos. So thank you for being here. And since you’ve been active while I’ve been away, I now have many videos to catch up on in the upcoming rainy days. You’re such an inspiration! Thank you 💚

You look absolutely beautiful in ALL of those dresses - seriously! I dont know if you are uncomfortable in them but they dont look too big or too tight, just perfect❤ really nice video!

I think one of my best low waste habits is to make gifts. Shopping is not my thing, and I would way rather make a gift than buy one. A dozen home baked bagels and a jar of homemade jam is a really versatile gift that I like to give. Right now I am upcycling (cleaned and dried) Kool-Aid pouches (from the school where I teach) into bags, pouches, and wallets that will make a great going away gift for a colleague and also a graduation gift for my nephew. Gift making is time consuming, but it is a labour of love… and it sure beats shopping!🤣 I 💯 loved this video, Immy. How was the cold brew with coffee cubes? How did your dehydrating turn out? Was it OK to put curry in the dehydrator with peaches? I went on a month long canoe trip once (4 people total) and I made all the fruit leather for the trip. A food dehydrator can certainly save you a lot of money!! Keep us posted on all your summer projects please… I’m always keen to see, hear, and learn more! Ⓜary💕

I’ve just preorder your book (and Leena’s)! I’m attempting to grow a whole range of vegetables this year (cucumbers, aubergine, broad beans, beetroot, carrots, green beans , spinach) after I enjoyed growing a tomato plant last year, you made me realise that growing things in pots/bags is really easy and much more accessible to me. I also invested in my future by purchasing a fig tree, Red current bush, Gooseberry bush and Jostaberry bush so hopefully they will give me plenty of harvests in future years. I’m also about to start my first ever knitted item of clothing after many months of learning and I’m very excited. I think I’m going to look into Worm composting as well to maybe set one up in my garden.

Dehydrating green is also great especially if you have excess from the garden. I will also dehydrate greens that have been reduced. I will add them to soups, stir fried, curries etc. Sewing is a list art. When I was young we would be given boxes of hand me downs...then I would rip the dresses apart...they had yards of material in them and make myself a dress. Drapes and sheets are also great finds for sourcing material. I live all the creative things you do. We are a couple of do it yourselfers. My husband is in to all fermented things... kimchi and Kieffer are his new ones Good luck

I used to dehydrate quite a bit when I was trying the raw vegan way of eating. I never had a problem dehydrating savouries and sweets together, so I think you should be OK. Your house might smell a bit weird though with the different flavours! I would, however, cut your fruits a bit smaller. They'll take forever to dehydrate and sometimes will dehydrate inconsistently which means they might be prone to molding. Good luck!

I love that apron. Some of my favorite colors, but I especially like how you used the flower garland part of the print to define the waist band. You have a real gift for textile projects!

Love your channel 💚 I’ve sewing for about 8 years now, and it’s one of my favourite hobbies. I always save my scraps (including cut thread) and recently used them all to stuff a yoga booster. As I’ve become better at sewing, I’ve learnt that you need to invest in the day to day tools to keep the experience enjoyable - I used to hardly change my needle, but now I change it every project, and just save the old ones. When I have enough, they’ll be recycled through sharps recycling. I also pick up old bedsheets from op shops so I can make toiles - I figure it’s better I end up with a final product that I will actually wear rather than something ill fitting that never gets used. I then use the toile for other projects later or save it in my scrap pile. I’ve also learnt some great skills sewing home-wears, like a mitered corner in napkins and bias binding on pot holders.

I loved seeing a little more of your neighborhood in this video. Would love to see a vlog of the farmer’s market, and just your favorite places around Denver!

I love getting thrifted material or craft supplies. I just purchased a cotton tablecloth with a strawberry print to turn into a dress. If you have clothes you plan to get rid of but love the fabric try upcycling them. You can cut them apart and make “new” clothes from them. I also turn them into other things like placemats, silverware rolls, napkins, etc. if you have room a simple outdoor clothes line is great. The fresh smell of sheets hung on a line is wonderful.

That pink floral dress really looks so stunning on you! Thanks for sharing all your habits!

Love your habits. For me eating whole food plant based it comes in no packaging which makes me very comfortable with life . If I ever get a ziplock bag from someone I always wash and reuse it for as long as it remains functional. Thankfully outside my grocery store is a bag and package recycling bin. As some of my frozen fruits come in plastic bags that then can be recycled. I also reuse the pots that plants came in until they can’t be used anymore. Tea bags and coffee grounds for the garden, and just mixing veggie and fruit scraps in my garden beds every time I have them.

I found this video particularly inspiring and motivating! I couldn't keep my eyes off it. ❤ It was so thoughtful when you mentioned not pulling out the weeds to provide some shade for your backyard visitors. That is not something I ever considered. I hope to improve my bread making skills so that I can buy less bread from the store and thus, less plastic packaging.

Cold brew ice cubes are brilliant!!

I don't have any summer habits, but recently I've started to love cooking and I try food preping now. It is really enjoyable to plan the next week meals and what we need to buy for them. I also helps to consume food more intentionally and eat less unhealthy snacks. Also the last floral dress is amazing. You look like a stunning nimph.

I have been lacking in joy as well recently. Watching your video just now made me realized that it is exactly the habits you mentioned that I haven’t been doing as much of. Everyday things sadly get in the way of good intentions sometimes. Thank you for reminding me of them :)

I’m so excited that I found your channel recently. I am loving your videos. A sewing tip that took me a while to learn: leave extra seam allowance in your me made clothing. My body changes often, and I like sewing with non stretch fabrics like cotton, so adding a half inch on the side seams really helps me to let out seams in clothing I really don’t want to let go of just yet. I would love to see how the dehydration of the curry goes 😀

Feeling so inspired by all these habits!! i'm so excited to start going to farmers' markets again :)

I love your planter. It is so tall. How do you refill soil?

Hey Immy, I’m late to your video because I had a course culminating project that was due for my uni course. This Boomer Uni student is finding lifelong learning to be awesome, but also time consuming!! Sorry ‘bout that, but here I am… better late than not at all. I really loved everything about this video and when I saw you reaching for your sewing machine at 10:55 I was once again wishing I was your neighbour. Summer sewing is the best, especially in the evening when the window is open and the breeze is flowing through your work space. AND WoW, you sure do have some beautiful fabric lined up for you summer projects. Keep up posted on how it goes; I can’t wait to see what you make and repair. Thanks for another great video, love it!! Ⓜ️ary

Since I’ve been pregnant and had a baby my body has been changing so much! I’ve been surprised how much it has changed postpartum and thru breastfeeding (gaining and losing and gaining and losing and different body comp as well). I’ve mostly thrifted for my changing wardrobe but I feel guilty bc I’ve ruined so many clothes with milk and baby food stains bc I am in survival mode and pretreating most of my clothes is just not something I can do. I am learning tops and dresses w small patterns and dark clothes are my best bet to hide stains so that’s my new requirement for new clothes. When I have more capacity I also wanna learn to make and mend and alter clothing.

Such nice habits ! I'm very curious about the dehydrated curry 😮

we do a lot of freeze drying and dehydrating, and I'd suggest smaller cuts of fruits!

Ugh I love your videos! I’ve been so stressed and I’m in a job that does not align with my personality (I’m in sales, but an introvert). Your videos help me ground myself and continue learning new skills and doing my hobbies (crochet, baking, etc.). I hope to one day find a career that allows me to express my creativity.

All those dresses looked lovely on you! I'm going to try and find loose coffee I can get from a local roaster. I wonder if Shelbie has found anything in atx.

I'm learning to grow my own food this year - I've got almost all the pots second hand from people local via Facebook Marketplace and used some weird and wonderful other things as pots (wellies, a motorcycle helmet and a colander to name a few!) Hopefully next year I'll be able to use all my own compost too. I'm having to remind myself that this is a learning process and not to overwhelm myself with plants when I don't really know what I'm doing. I'm also learning to sew to make and mend my clothes.

Immy, I’ve enjoyed seeing your sustainable summer hacks, you really do eke out every bit of value and use you can from your clothes and food. I will try the tea fertiliser trick for sure. Please do not get rid of your summer dresses, especially that pink and green dress which is so pretty on you! They all are. Lately I’ve been enjoying mending everything in sight with my new sewing machine and it is so satisfying! I almost can’t wait for the next item to develop a hole.

I have that sewing book I love it and love your videos

I'm so happy farmers market season is back!

I love love decluttering videos, so totally looking forward to that ❤

Such a beautiful and relaxing video! Looking forward to the declutter, I'm also going to do one this spring/summer 😊

Have you checked out the Love to Sew podcast? Really excellent website with show notes too. Over 260 episodes, topics range from beginning techniques to niche things like sewing with lace or technical fabrics. Also great interviews with sewing experts. I've learned so much from this pod. I loved all those dresses you modeled BTW. You looked great in them.

I take the “discard” from the starter and use it in my dough for making rotis. It makes them almost Naan like!

This was lovely. Very nice to see the food prep AND the way you use during the week. Looking forward to the next of these videos! Is there any chance we can get that amazing focaccia recipe in writing? :)

There’s a RU-vidr called Miranda in the Wild, she did a dehydrated backpacking meals video when she was produced through REI.. might be helpful. Your garden is looking lush this year, weeds and all! 😊

Love your videos! Just make sure the ‘weeds’ you leave aren’t something invasive that would choke the native plants and not support the animals and pollinators who depend on them for food. 💕

minute one and I already loved it 🤍

This completely aligns with where my thoughts and intentions are in developing sustainability for my home. You are much further a long than I am but I sincerely appreciate this type of video and honesty!

You can use your sourdough discard to make pancakes, waffles, crackers, biscuits (the American kind🙂), etc. I do that more than actually make sourdough bread. The recipes are delicious and quicker than making the bread.

Oh wow one of the shots you shared looked like a place in Australia ! Lovely videos btw 😊

I am a vegan that lives in Colorado Springs. My hubby and I have been talking about making dehydrated meals for camping and hiking . Haven’t tried it yet.

I had that same refrigerator at my last apartment for 6 years, so watching you deep clean it was peculiarly familiar. Did you know the piece of glass on the bottom lifts right up? Super handy. You can open or remove one of the produce drawers to push the glass up.

Hey Immy, it's Shelby :) I hope your climbing adventures have continued! I'll be taking my lead class soon! Also I'd be super interested in how to make vegan dried meals for backpacking as this is my biggest struggle on trips!

omg those dresses were so cute on you!

I've made a big push to remove as much plastic as possible from my garden. I'm using wooden boxes for seed starting. Leaving the weeds around your garden may help by giving the bunnies an alternative food source so they don't nibble your plants as much.

Inspiring! A lot of great tips! A few years ago I had gotten into making my own balms, lotions, and salves at home. So I have a stash of essential oils, different "butters" (cocoa, shea), assorted things like that. I used them for awhile and forgot about them. Recently when I was just not very satisfied with lotions this winter for my chapped hands, I got back into making my own.... I'm using what I have and my skin is much happier.

I make my own cold brew too! It’s so yum better than Starbucks

Lovely video! You make things look so aesthetically pleasing and effortless...even sowing, which I don't particularly fancy! Could you share what kind of camera and lens do you use for filming?

I’ve been drying herbs from the local community garden and utilizing the power of the sun to dry our clothes when possible. Please come to Los Alamos for a meet up! There are beautiful trails for hiking and right down the road from Bandelier National Park.

Really love your frame bike bad!!

I dehydrated my food when preparing for my PCT hike. I needed the vegan options without breaking the bank! I learned to add more spices, the food can become bland when rehydrating (maybe I added too much water) but other than that it went well.

Love the apron! This is a skill I want to work on. Imagine creating my own clothes 😊

I love hang drying my clothes but it’s quite dusty where I live so line drying doesn’t work well. I bought an aluminum drying rack that collapses and it’s perfect for drying clothes inside

It looks like you have the same thing going on in Denver as we do in Colorado Springs where they are building these super modern houses in neighborhoods filled with old houses. They stick out like a sore thumb and are very expensive!

I'm so happy to see you welcome the bunnies as guests in the garden❤ I feel like that about the deer who shop in my yard.

Great video! How did the dehydrating go? Please share :) Very curious to also see your finished dress, or you telling about your progress with it.

Those huge modern rebuilds in the middle of neighborhoods with quaint 1 story brick houses is such an eyesore. That was rampant when I lived near 8th & Colorado a few years ago.

I absolutely love your videos lately. They are so inspiring in so many ways. I have so many different interests and want to learn everything all at once. And you make me feel like it's okay to be a bit all over the place. :)

Wow collecting rainwater used to be illegal when I lived in Colorado but they changed it last year. I’m so glad!

I'd like to hear more about how do vermiculture in a vegan way

I wish we had a local tempeh company in seattle 🥺 that actually seems like something we should have here. Ill be on the hunt!

Immy, you can modify thrifted clothing too! I've taken several clothes from the Buy Nothing group and resized them. I was thinking of doing the same with some thrifted clothing.

Have you ever reused the coffee grounds and put a second round of water to make ice cubes from that second round ?

oh my gosh the baby bunnies! adorable!! glad you left them something to snack on, I think it's lovely when people consider the animals like this :)

I love your content. Thanks for sharing.

my favourite series of yours 🫶🏻🥹

Careful a lot of sticky weeds grow in Colorado so when the summer hits and dries everything out, they become very sharp and scratchy

In answer to your question about mixing flavors in a dehydrator, I've done it in my Excalibur and never had an issue. I suspect that strongly scented foods might lend their pungency to any dairy products dried at the same time, but given I'm vegan, that's never ben an issue for me.

Rabbit! 🐇 ❤ I also listen to books/podcasts on my daily walk. I love your commentary and ideas. Inspiring me to deep clean my home 😅 Your garden is beautiful. Do you use artificial fertilizers/pesticides or do you keep it crunchy, safe and nutritious with only compost? I fell in love with the concept of no-dig, veganic permaculture but haven't started beyond composting the past few years as we renovate the home itself. Adorable apron. I wish I had tailoring skills. Wow.

Something I have been doing is I have a rewear pile so that I am not washing things after only wearing them for a few hours saved so much on detergent use over the winter and how often I had to rush to wash specific items

I can’t believe you live here in Denver as well! Love your channel!

I love your channel, I recently discovered because of Leena Norms whose channel I love too ❤

If you want to learn how to sew, Evelyn Wood and Tock Custom have outstanding channels here on youtube. Evelyn goes a little more into the vintage side of things but really explains in depth both the reason for as well as how to do a lot of techniques to give more professional looking results.

My partner and I always really appreciate the wholesomeness and realness of your videos ❤️ Do you ever do any meet-ups with folks in Denver? Also, what is the primary knife in this video? Would you recommend it? I know you’re trying with your own seeds this year - would you recommend the lettuce grower device you have?

Thank you for sharing!

Love you videos! @thruhikers perfected preparing dried meals for their hiking adventures.

Good morning 😃 I love your garden 🪴

Thank you for this video 💚 Happy weekend 💚

could you do some vegan gf meals I have celiac and id love to see your take on that

How did the dehydrated backpacking meal turn out?

As always, thank you for sharing. Sounds like we're on similar journeys. Have you bike on the Platte Trail or off of E-470 near Red Rocks?

Your apron is beautiful ❤

Is worm leachate good for plants? I’ve read otherwise, I’d be curious to hear how it goes for you!

You look stunning in all those dresses

Such a beautiful and inspiring video. ❤

These sound amazing

I like ur channel. Spanish plz, thanks. Saludos desde Argentina ❤

A weed is any palnt that you don't want to be growing where it is. Seeing as you leave all the plants to grow, and you don't have anythign against them, are they techincally weeds?

Great tips =)

I also hang my clothes on a branch . I think it‘s great . Thank you for the video . Conny and cat Felix 🐈‍⬛ from Germany .

I’ve been struggling with inspiration for a really long time now, and this really helped getting back a bit of inspiration towards living the life I want. Thank you 🫰

Do you have any good sustainability or learning podcasts?

Was it you that used Who Gives a Crap Toilet Paper? If so, do you have a referral link?

I love watching you. Your body may have changed slightly, but you have matured into a woman. I am now 60 and a Grammy. I have changed so many times physically and mentally. My kids still call me a hippy, I love organic gardening, knitting and crocheting. I believe in a sustainable lifestyle. Am I still a size 6? No! Did I make a big difference in this world? No! However, I made less trash than I could have, I fed my kids the healthiest food I could afford and grow, I have spent with in my means. That makes a small personal difference in this big old world, and that is very satisfying.

Cries in texas weather

... now I want to drag my boyfriend to the fabric store for fabric for a dress pattern (I want to make a Walkaway Dress so bad)

I've seen more and more influencers using dehydrators the last couple of years and it's becoming a bit of a trendy item. I feel like it kinda defeats the purpose of it being a way to save on packaging etc. if its just another expensive appliance that you use twice a year and then lives in the garage. It's an appliance that can only be used for one thing. It's kinda giving me airfryer vibes, lol. I wish there was a more efficient way to buy sustainable and affordable backpacker meals!