We’ve all, at some time or another, rolled our eyes at our elders as they claim in dismay that “things just aren’t made to last the way they used to”. Clutching on to the same moth ridden coat they’ve worn since the 40s, or fervently plodding down the road at 20mph in their trusty Morris minors; our grandparents are the kings and queens of frugal living. Their dusty and unchanging homes are living museums of the “golden Years”; where purchases were made for longevity, and are generously cared for as though they were the last of their kind left on Earth. Continue reading How to remedy the environmental disaster that is Planned Obsolescence
Category Archives: War on waste
Natural, Vegan, “designer” Perfumes
Last weekend I was in vegan heaven, when I popped up to the annual Bristol Vegfest; an extravaganza in all things vegan friendly! I tried the yummiest Pad Thai, stocked up on way too much dairy-free chocolate, and met some awesome like minded people.
But the highlight of my day (aside the vegan ales which got me a little tipsy…) was discovering a perfume company, called Eden Perfumes, who make a huge selection of natural, vegan friendly perfume, which perfectly imitate designer favorites.
For years I have been in a perfume rut. I’ve long, and uncharacteristically for a “hippy”, been a Calvin Klein Euphoria wearer and have never quite found anything else I like. But a huge amount of designer perfumes don’t really hold green credentials, and even fewer are vegan friendly. You may find some perfumes are vegan, but as I’ve found, they are rarely the ones I want!
So, when I ran out of CK a couple of weeks ago, I vowed that I wouldn’t buy another perfume until I found a greener option. Here ensued 2 weeks of experimenting with essential oil spritzers, all which left me smelling more like a walking pharmacy than a sophisticated lady!
The discovery of Eden Perfumes, then, couldn’t come sooner. Their stall at Vegfest displayed a line of big refill units, and smaller bottle to fill with your chosen scent (of which can be sent back to be refilled!) and each were labelled with the “designer” version it was similar to. Everything from Armani, Marc Jacobs and Burburry, to your favorite Chanel can be found in a botanical and natural form!
Eden only use organic & vegan ingredients (jasmine, vanilla, passionfruit, musk, saffron, oud, sandalwood and many more) and contain no nasty synthetics, parabens or phthalates. The best thing is, by saving on fancy packaging and marketing, all the perfumes are just £15!
You can order online, but when I next get the chance I’d love to travel to their store in Brighton and stock up in person! Oh, and after 1 week of testing I can confirm its long lasting and smells just like the real thing 🙂
Tiny Green Living
Earlier this month I made a step to downsize my outgoings, and belongings, by moving into a small but cosy studio apartment. I spent hours in the lead up to the move sorting through my stuff; posting onto Streetbank, donating to charity shops and recycling where they had completely given up the goat. It was surprisingly cleansing to get rid of so much, even the things I had kept onto for over 10 years. But surprise, surprise, when I moved into my new studio flat – which is literally a room with a bathroom attached – I realised that my many attempts of de-cluttering was simply not enough. I still have far too much stuff! Continue reading Tiny Green Living
Your Green Life: Zero Waste Chef
Ok, so first things first: a massive apology for how embarrassingly late this interview has come to you lovely people. About 3 months to be exact! But they say you leave the best to last, and I have to say this is a gem of a green life right here!
Fellow blogger and my ultimate cooking inspiration, Zero Waste Chef, makes living waste free and cooking from scratch seem easier than finishing off a cool glass of white wine on a hot summers day! From buying fresh, local and seasonal; to using up every last morsel of food. Being the lazy old fool I am, I tend to watch with amazement but rarely give her recipes a go; though her ideas and food knowledge never cease to amaze me.
Alongside her blog, Anne-Marie also hosts regular webinars and workshops to help others learn the skills of waste free cooking where she lives in California (dream home BTW!). In fact, as I will be finishing off my backpacking travels in San Francisco next year; I’m very much hoping I can catch one of these and learn a thing or two myself!
Waste Free Dining With Doggy Bags!
Doggy bags are the best. That is, if you’re brave enough to ask for them! We are all guilty of having eyes bigger than our bellies from time to time, and ordering way more than we can possibly consume when eating out. But when it comes to sending plates of food back to the kitchen, the dreadful waste can be a little too much to stomach. But I for one am always a little shy just to ask for a doggy bag. If eating at a restaurant that also offers a takeaway service it can feel a little less cheeky asking for a tub to take any leftovers home. But even then the food often sits in our fridge for a few days before being thrown into our bins at home!
This weekend we were faced with this dilemma when we went out for Sunday Lunch at the Offshore Bar and Bisto in Cubert. A couple of sides of steamed seasonal veg were ordered, but with such generous main portions, they were barely touched. After forcing a carrot or a sprout into our mouths, we all admitted defeat. It felt like a complete waste to send it back to the kitchen, but we all seemed unsure if it was good etiquette to ask for a doggy bag. Luckily, one of the most braver, resourceful member of the group just asked and the staff were happy to oblige. Easy! Continue reading Waste Free Dining With Doggy Bags!
Day 5 of Local for Lent: The Natural Store
I’m now five days into my attempt to avoid supermarkets for lent, and so far so (almost) good. I had a little hick up late on Friday night when I needed to get a few bits and all the shops in my village were shut apart from a large supermarket chain. So I must admit I did cheat a little, but compromised and bought two things that couldn’t wait till the morning when the local shops opened again. Note to self: be better prepared next time!!
So yesterday, whilst enjoying a day out in Falmouth, I popped into my favorite Cornish chain, The Natural Store, to stock up on some bits and bobs (and indulge in a few non essential treats!) Alongside the Falmouth branch there is one in Helston and nearer to me in St Austell, but Falmouth is much bigger and is in fact slit into two stores; one for food stuff and one for home and body.
Plastic Bottle Fashion
Along with my purse, phone and keys, I carry my bobble water bottle wherever I go. It’s not necessarily that I’m a big water drinker (in fact, sometimes I can go all day without drinking any at all) but I never want to be caught short and forced to buy bottled water from the shop. Ever since I discovered more about the devastating effects of plastic pollution, the idea of buying water bottled when its readily available in taps makes no sense to me.
That said, we all get caught out once in a while, and the fact is that billions of plastic bottles continue to be produced worldwide. But what if these bottles could be recycled, and re-appropriated into something useful? Well I recently came across a company who is trying to salvage our plastic bottles, and turn them into things we can wear and use; and a lot of big brands are in on it.
What’s So Scary About a Hairy Mary?
OK, prudish people – or potential suitors Brad Pitt and Emile Hirsch – look away now. I want to talk about something controversial. Well, some may think it’s controversial. I prefer to think of it as a very fascinating thing called nature!
Ladies across the world can empathize with the feeling of lazy relief when summer is over, and you are free to enter a new phase of natural body wilderness. By this, I mean a complete carefree approach to hair removal! As the vest tops get packed away and 90% of our bodies get covered up, many of us have no interest in hairy legs, pits (or indeed wherever nature chooses to hair you up!)
With the exception of those who don’t give a crap all year round ( we salute you..!) and those who continue their waxing regime well into the winter, most of us are more than a little sporadic with hair removal when no one needs to see our bodies. But this begs the question: What’s so scary about a hairy Mary anyway? Continue reading What’s So Scary About a Hairy Mary?
A Lazy Girl Goes Green 