Small Town Sustainable

Adventures and attempts to go no waste in a relatively small town.

[veganhippiechick]

Ways to store food without using plastic! Try these out to save resources—or adapt them to use materials you have at home. If you do use plastic containers or bags to store food, remember to REuse.

Have you tried any of these? Which one do you think is the most useful?

made by @ecowithem_ on instagram

[smalltownsustainable]

I was searching for a spearmint tea after hearing a tip that spearmint is good for your skin. It was tough to track anything down in my local grocery stores, but this box of Celestial Seasonings tea was one of only a few teas I found with a blend that included spearmint leaves. (Couldn’t even find anything in bulk.)

In the spirit of looking for environmentally-friendly options, I wanted to see if the tea packaging for this brand would be recyclable, but I came across a quote on the back of the box that struck me as odd: “Sustainable Packaging. We use tea bags without strings, tags, or staples, keeping tons of material out of landfills every year.”

Upon first read, that sounds great, right? But it didn’t answer my question: can I recycle the packaging and compost the tea bags? The answer would determine my purchasing the object or not, yet the box made no clear note of it.

That leads me to my ultimate question: Why can’t companies make it more transparent whether or not their products are recyclable? Nowhere on this box could I find out whether or not the packaging or bags could be recycled or composted.

The more I dig into going zero waste, the more I find myself standing in the grocery store study packaging to look for recycling instructions. It’d be nice to see a standardized (and required) line or symbol indicating the recyclability of the packaging and its components — both for my convenience and the sake of the recycling center in town. In my mind, it makes just as much sense as putting the nutrition label on the box.

You’ll see on plastics the number indicating which type of recyclable plastic it is, but often almond milk cartons, produce containers, and box packaging, for example, don’t mention anything and I’m left to guess whether or not the packaging can in fact be recycled.

Shouldn’t companies have an obligation to fully inform their consumers not just what they’re consuming in terms of the food, but the packaging that comes with it?

For the record, I found out later from the company’s website that the box and the tea bags are able to be recycled and composted. But because I couldn’t find it on the box while I was staring at a wall of tea options, I made the in-store decision to go with the box of tea that was more expensive, but was up front about the recyclability of the packaging and tea bags.

Considering the tea I went with and the tea pictured had the same recycling/composting ability, this would’ve been an easy win for the less expensive Celestial Seasonings, if only they’d just included a single line with the information I needed. The same rule applies beyond tea boxes — and man, would it save me so much time in the grocery store.

Do any of you have thoughts on a standardized recyclability index for food packaging? Is there something I’ve missed? My ears (and asks) are open!

[sleepy-minimalist-deactivated20]

I was wondering, do you bring your own containers to stores (like getting your drink from a coffee shop in a thermos) ? If so, how do you go about asking for the container to be used? Kind of a silly question, I know, but I have anxiety that is honestly debilitating at times and not knowing how to go about the situation makes it much less likely for me to begin to make that change

Yes I do. Especially in coffee shops and other drink places it’s becoming a lot more common now, and I’ve never known them to make a big deal about it. I just say “can I get a medium latte in here please” and pass them the cup. If they’ve ever questioned why I just say “I try not to use plastic”.

It really helps if you know what size to ask for as well, so try to find out how many ml your cup holds, and compare that to the sizes of Starbucks drinks, (or whichever other coffee shop you are going to), which you can usually find on their website.

Its not a silly question at all, I was anxious to to ask the first time, but since then I’ve realised how many people are doing it so it stopped bothering me.

I am yet to ask for takeaway food in my own container, as I haven’t come across a situation where it would be appropriate, nor do I have the energy to carry a lunch box around with me ‘just in case’.

[eyeblogaboutnothin]

[vibing-vegan]

I just started using reusable bamboo pads as another small step to reducing my waste. If you use cotton pads, I recommend investing in reusable ones. Like most things, we don’t realize how much waste they produce. When you factor in the packaging they come in, plus using them once every day or two, the waste adds up. Not to mention the energy it takes to produce them. These are from Marleys Monsters and they’re great!

Instagram: vibing.vegan

[smalltownsustainable]

Definitely going to look into these!

[smalltownsustainable]

This is great news! Not only does this mean that approximately one billion straws won’t be thrown away, it means there’s even more visibility for this whole no-straw movement — which means fewer birds and ocean wildlife will die.

[smalltownsustainable]

There are a lot of reasons to go green and do your part to preserve the environment, but sometimes you don’t have to look far to find them.

[smalltownsustainable]

We have produced about 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic since its invention. Of that, about 79 percent of plastic waste is not recycled or burned — just left to sit in landfills or our oceans.

This is a massive health risk for humans and a deadly hazard for animals who think plastic waste is food, not to mention the broader environmental impacts. And yet, the solution may not be to ban plastic outright — it’s complicated.

Source: Kurzgesagt

[betterworldrebel]

#13 bamboo toothbrushes

Bamboo grows very fast, so it is the perfect material for an item that needs to be replaced every three month. Unlike plastic. A plastic toothbrush is used for a couple of weeks and then stays on this planet for several hundred years, since it will not biodegrade. That makes no sense. Switch to bamboo. Plus: You can just burry the old brushes in the backyard. 

[smalltownsustainable]

Before I reblog, I always do a little fact-checking and research first to make sure I’m not disseminating inaccurate information.

I found the above post to be a bit misleading. It says you can “just burry (sic) the old brushes in the backyard,” seemingly implying that the entire brush is biodegradable.

This isn’t the case. While it’s certainly a good step to buy a bamboo brush rather than a landfill-destined plastic brush, even a bamboo brush isn’t fully biodegradable.

I found that currently, no one has been able to create toothbrushes that are fully biodegradable because the bristles are typically made of some inorganic material like nylon — unless they use boar bristles. This doesn’t necessarily make boar bristle brushes the go-to option: some people who use these types of brushes complain of an odor, in addition to the fact that these brushes may not be considered vegan since they’re made with a hair harvested from an animal.

Within the realm of bamboo brushes, one of the seemingly best options is made by a company called Brush With Bamboo. According to their website, the bristles of their sustainably-made brushes are made with 62% castor bean oil and 38% nylon, rendering them “biobased, but still not biodegradable,” since nylon doesn’t decompose.

So if you bury your bamboo brush, sure, most of it will decompose. But the bristles won’t. In fact, most bamboo brush companies advise you to tweeze out the bristles before attempting to compost.

Sure, the bristles are small and seemingly insignificant, but you should know what you’re getting into before telling all your friends you’ve got a fully biodegradable toothbrush graveyard buried in your garden.

I’d be remiss not to include that there is one option, and it’s been around for centuries: the neem chew stick. It’s the only truly biodegradable option, since it’s made from a neem plant and is a literal stick. It’s exactly what it sounds like. To use it, you chew on the end of the stick until it frays into bristles, then you brush.

The downside? You have to chew your toothbrush down before you can use it. And when it comes to brushing your teeth, the more inconvenient it is, the less likely you are to do it. And one thing I really want to emphasize on my own blog is making more sustainable choices easier, not harder.

Until someone creates the perfect toothbrush — ergonomic, wallet-friendly, biodegradable, and not made from pig hair — it looks like the best option on the market is a bamboo brush. Just make sure to tweeze out those bristles before you toss them in the dirt.

Have you seen any other notable sustainably-made or biodegradable toothbrushes? My ears (and asks) are open.

[smalltownsustainable]

Can’t help but think about how nice it would be if we all were raised up sustainably, valuing the objects we consume and use from the jump. Growing up then trying to unlearn wasteful habits is hard — and if you think about it, backward.

[passionforpasta]

Danielle Nierenberg, President of Food Tank, shares a sustainability pro-tip in honor of Earth Day. Instead of wasting leftover pasta water by pouring it down the sink, you can save it, let it cool and use it to water your plants. The starchy H2O will give them a beneficial nutrient boost and help them grow. Just be sure to avoid using cooking water that has been salted or seasoned.

[smalltownsustainable]

This also applies to leftover water from boiling spinach, potatoes, and hardboiled eggs, according to Reader’s Digest.

[smalltownsustainable]

Our natural world is disappearing before our eyes. We have to save it | George Monbiot

The creatures we feared our grandchildren wouldn’t see have vanished: it’s happened faster than even pessimists predicted, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

“The United Nations reports that our use of natural resources has tripled in 40 years. The great expansion of mining, logging, meat production and industrial fishing is cleansing the planet of its wild places and natural wonders. What economists proclaim as progress, ecologists recognise as ruin.“

[smalltownsustainable]

What is a no waste lifestyle?

Before I get too far along in documenting my journey to live sustainably, I’d like to talk a little more about the concept of a “no waste” (or “zero waste”) lifestyle.

The first real exposure I had to the concept was when I heard about an NYU student who could fit all of her trash in a mason jar. I vaguely remember reading news articles about her, but at the time didn’t give her much thought other than thinking how hard it must be to live like that.

A few years later, I watched a TED talk by Lauren Singer — the same person I’d read about previously. I considered a no waste lifestyle with a little more interest this time around.

And now, finally, in 2018, the message is finally resonating with me. I rewatched her TED talk this year when I started thinking more about going no waste.

She makes it sound so easy.

Essentially, the no waste lifestyle just means you aren’t contributing trash to a landfill. The way Lauren practices, and the way I aspire to practice, however, allows for recyclables and compost.

This is an important clause. After all, most of us don’t live directly off the land, so buying the food you need to live a healthy lifestyle will involve some packaged goods. But if you are conscientious about the packaged goods you buy and make sure they are recyclable, you’re still offsetting (albeit not eliminating) your impact on the environment.

Since that TED talk, Lauren’s Instagram shows that her mason jar has gotten a little more full, but all her trash over the past five years still fits in that 16 ounce container.

I’m still a ways away from carrying around a mason jar of my own trash, but I hope to transition to that possibility as quickly as my current lifestyle allows.

If you have a second, I’d highly recommend checking out Lauren’s website at http://trashisfortossers.com/. It’s got a ton of helpful resources, which I plan to consult frequently.

You can also check out the website of Bea Johnson, who Lauren references on her blog. Bea has been in the waste-free lifestyle game since 2008, so you know she’s got the low down on doing the damn thing: https://zerowastehome.com/

Know of any other helpful resources? My ears (and asks) are open.

[vibing-vegan]

I’m definitely not zero waste, but I am trying my best.

Instagram: vibing.vegan

[smalltownsustainable]

Elon Musk's Unbelievably Simple 12-minute Killer Break Down on Climate Change

Elon Musk breaks down climate change for students at The Sorbonne in Paris right before the historic COP21 Climate Change Conference in which 170+ nations si...

The thing I love about this presentation is Elon Musk’s adherence to logic when talking about climate change and what we can and should be doing about it. He frames transitioning to sustainable energy as simply a matter of “when,” and not “if.” It’s also a more hopeful picture of the future — often hard to find in discouraging conversations about climate change and global warming.

I’m going to keep this video in my back pocket for arguments with climate change deniers, because it’s pretty hard to coherently argue with tight logic and reasoning like this.

[smalltownsustainable]

Hi! I’ve been gone for awhile – I went on a cross-country road trip and got pretty sick after I got home, which led to a tonsillectomy (respect to my fellow adult tonsillectomy survivors out there, I mean YIKES).

But I’ve been thinking about this blog the whole time, and now it’s a Friday night and I have time to queue up some good stuff. It’s good to be back!

[smalltownsustainable]

Today, I brought a reusable cup to Starbucks instead of using a paper cup. I’ve had this thing for awhile now, but have been lax about using it. It’s the little decisions like this that will add up. I am trying to make a major lifestyle change, and that can be overwhelming when I think of all the things I waste. But if I start with small changes, I’ll get where I want to be in time. Now, this is not to say Starbucks is the most sustainable company to be supporting. I don’t know much about that, but I would like to educate myself, since I think one important part of my journey involves being educated about where my money goes. Small steps.