Category Archives: zero waste

Green Living, Green travel, Sustainability, travel, War on waste, zero waste

Refill mania: Indias zero waste approach to plastic pollution 

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Namaste my lovely lazies! It’s been almost two months since I left the rainy, wintery UK to the warm and humid Indian subcontinent, and what adventures I’ve had so far! 

It’s been relatively easy to continue my lazy green lifestyle on the road, and me and my little backpack have been living the minimal lifestyle in wedded bliss. That said, it’s not been without it’s challenges. 

The biggest issue (which I hasten to add is simply due to my disorganisation) is the amount of plastic water bottles I’ve found myself using in lieu of clean drinking water supplies. I discovered fairly early on that my Brita filter water bottle wouldn’t cut it with Indian tap water and at 20p a pop, I soon found myself succumbing to the convienance of bottled water.  

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Green travel, Sustainability, travel, War on waste, zero waste

Rubbish India: tackling waste management

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Before I arrived in India there were several things I expected to see on its dusty, crowded streets: cows, tuk tuks and a lot of stinky waste. From plastic water bottles, discarded food and shredded clothes, to human excrement of all varieties; India’s public spaces are a breeding ground for illness, yet a source of shelter and food for the many stray dogs, goats, cows and humans who rely on them.

In large built up areas such as Delhi, or even small deprived towns like Pathankot, you can almost become accustomed to the sheer scale of rubbish; envisioning the infrastructure needed to keep on top of such an overwhelming demand. But what’s surprised me the most is the street side trash in the stunningly serene pine tree foothills of Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh areas in the North. Here, you’re surrounded by breathtakingly beautiful mountains, cheeky wild monkeys swinging from the trees and acres of discarded crisp packets!
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Green Living, Green travel, travel, zero waste

Minimalist Living on the Road: My Backpacking Essentials

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Well my lovelies, the time has finally come to start packing up my backpack and triple checking my to do list ready for next weeks great departure!

One of the most exciting things about packing up an ambitiously small 46L backpack for a year of travels is that it highlights just how little you need to get by in life. Once you realise that you have to lug all these belongings on your back almost every where you go, you soon get ruthless to what makes the cut in your final packing list!

What’s been the most interesting about my final backpack contents is just how flexible I’ve had to be with my own ethical interests, in order to weigh up practicality, durability and, naturally, cost. But I’ve tried to stay as balanced as possible, and suspect that as I go on I’ll slowly go without less in my bag in order to keep my arms from falling off!

So whilst not everything I’m packing is 100% ethical, vegan, Fairtrade etc, they will help to serve me in living as minimalist and zero waste for as long as possible. You will also see that a lot of the items below have also been gifted to me by my lovely friends, family and colleagues, so I haven’t spent much money on my final contents!

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Green fashion, Green Home, Upcycling, War on waste, zero waste, Zero Waste Week

Easy T Shirt Hacks for the Lazy Seamstress

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I can’t believe its already day 5 of Zero Waste Week and what a week it’s been!! I must admit, I’ve been a terrible blogger and been so knee deep in my last week of work and packing to move house, that I haven’t had much time to blog!

But it’s not all been zero waste naughtiness over here, and I’ve been having lots of fun passing all my unwanted belongings on to friends, and on sites like Gumtree and Streetbank.

However, some items – especially clothes and small reusable containers – are actually easily upcycled with a few very easy tweeks, to breathe new life into them. So, though I have been looking at things as I pack thinking “will I miss it in the year I’m away, or should I part with it now?” I’ve also found myself asking “could I use this in someway in my backpack?” It’s a travel hoarders dream!!!

My very good friend Emily recently inspired me with the idea of T Shirt Hacks; quick and easy fashion updates which don’t involve a thread or a needle. My idea of upcycing heaven! This is perfect for making the clothes I’ve been wearing all summer in the UK, new and exciting for my summery days on the road!

I had a little dig to find some examples of how Emilys hacks works in reality before I braved a pair of scissors to my clothes on my 2 weeks off before my flight, and it appears there are 100s of ways you can update a simple T shirt with no sewing skills whatsoever! Here’s just three of them:

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Green travel, Upcycling, War on waste, zero waste, Zero Waste Week

Packing solutions for the Green traveler

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Well my lovelies, Zero waste Week is here and has already gone off with a big bang!! Some of my fellow zero waste bloggers have already shared some fabulous tips, ideas and confessions for cutting down the waste, and the activity on social media was so electric yesterday, #zerowasteweek was even trending on Twitter!!

But this week is also big for another very exciting reason: it’s my last week working at the amazing Eden Project before I pack up all my things and move back to my parents home. In less than 3 weeks I’ll be off on my round the world trip!!

After months of successful planning and not so successful saving, I’ll soon be heading off on foot with just a 46L backpack and leaving all my worldly belongings behind.

This kind of life change calls for a MASSIVE clear out, so Zero Waste Week couldn’t come at a better time! Continue reading Packing solutions for the Green traveler →

Green Beauty, Green Living, Green news, Green travel, Seasonal, Sustainability, War on waste, What to buy, zero waste

Five essentials for a lazy green beach bag

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Summer is slowly but surely coming to a close and, here in Cornwall, I’ve noticed an influx of last minute beach goers desperate to enjoy the last few weeks of the summer sun.

Even woodland fairies like me – who prefer a welly-booted walk through an enchanted forest – like the occasional day at the beach to soak up some sun, sea and sand. But before running toward the coast with our beach bags full to the brim, here’s my five essentials for a lazy green beach bag:

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General ramblings, Green Home, Green Living, Sustainability, War on waste, zero waste

Did you have a Short Fuse for electrical waste?

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Tired, grumpy and uncommunicative after a long and dreary day, my boyfriend Toby and I sat in my flat and decided to watch something on his laptop. Flashing in the corner of the screen, an icon told us the battery was low and needed to be connected to a charger.

Reluctantly we tag teamed to get the charger attached from our seats: Toby passing the wire toward me, and I fulfilling my role to plug it into a power socket. A simple enough routine, which felt  like the world’s most energy sucking task when all you want to do is watch crap TV.

However, our efforts were met with disappointing resistance, when the battery icon continued to flash its warning. The charger was not working. We tested out the socket. Fine. We checked the connection. Fine. The laptop charger was caput. Yet another electrical item that’s met its demise and is ready to go to the landfill.

But hey ho, luckily we had a spare and our evening viewing could continue, uninterrupted.

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Events, Sustainability, Upcycling, War on waste, zero waste, Zero Waste Week

Zero Waste Week 2015 – My pledge to Reuse

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It’s that time of year again, when summer has reached its peak, Autumn seems just around the corner AND…it’s nearly time for Zero Waste Week!

For those of you who have been hiding behind your bins bags for the last 8 years (naughty, naughty!) Zero Waste Week is an awesome campaign to get us reducing our waste for just one week a year, in a bid to set us up with some money saving, and planet saving, habits.

This year the week will be running between 7th – 13th September, and the theme this time is one of my favourite pastimes: ‘Reuse’. What better way to be green than to save on resources and make the most of what you’ve already got?! All you need to do is sign up and pledge just one thing you plan to tackle during the week in the name of Zero Waste! Continue reading Zero Waste Week 2015 – My pledge to Reuse →