Yay, new Zero-Waste shop just opened in Prague! 🌈🇨🇿
NASA

No title available

No title available
hello vonnie
Jules of Nature
Cosimo Galluzzi
Misplaced Lens Cap
dirt enthusiast
Stranger Things
noise dept.
wallacepolsom

izzy's playlists!
No title available
h
ojovivo
trying on a metaphor

oozey mess
Three Goblin Art
we're not kids anymore.
Today's Document

seen from Malaysia

seen from Türkiye

seen from United Kingdom
seen from Türkiye

seen from Romania
seen from United States
seen from Sweden
seen from Greece

seen from United Kingdom

seen from United States
seen from Sweden
seen from United States

seen from United Kingdom

seen from Canada
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Netherlands

seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from Canada
@thinkajar
Yay, new Zero-Waste shop just opened in Prague! 🌈🇨🇿
Join our journey to Siberia, where we explore Zero Waste solutions in the cold industrial environment.
Watch more videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/sammyboyko
Zero Waste Tech
or the most durable iPod ever created.
Apple killed the “touch-less” mp3 players a while ago. The legendary iPod Classic and your sports-companion iPod Shuffle are now to be sought second-hand on various online markets.
I can clearly remember how I was unpacking this technological wonder on my 10th birthday. Till this day I am a lucky owner of a fully functional iPod Classic. That makes it a 14 years old mp3 player!
This is a staggering mark for today’s world where smartphones are replaced every 2 years on average.
Apart form being the most durable iPod, it serves the most essential purpose - MUSIC. On iPod Classic you won’t be distracted by random pop-ups, messages and all sorts of notifications. It’s a more dedicated way to immerse in sound.
When buying new devices now I go though a list:
1) What materials the product is made of?
2) How is it really going to change the quality of my life?
3) How much space is it going to take in my apartment?
4) Does this product have a resell value?
Hopefully this set of questions will direct you in getting long-lasting devices that will enrich your life and serve for much longer than an often cheap impulsively bought alternative.
Sammy - http://sammyboyko.tumblr.com/
This is how much food you get at the farmer’s market for about 10$ in Prague. Perks of being zero-waste and vegetarian 🌱
Follow more tips on @thinkajar
Pack your fresh baguette into reusable bags like this.
Hey everyone!
Our video on composting has been picked up in a UN climate change video competition! We’re one of 20 videos, being judged on number of views.
So please view, share, enjoy and thank you for being part of our community! We’re so excited to continue our Think Ajar video series!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxSQm09WeGA&list=PLSr5qdl7OKx7cSeekKQOFOXU4N7mJp9RE&index=14
This is how much food you get at the farmer’s market for about 10$ in Prague. Perks of being zero-waste and vegetarian 🌱
Amazing opportunities to go zero-waste in Russia 🇷🇺 You can see these small veggie pop-ups all around the streets during warm days.
We’ve reached over 1,000 followers on Think aJar and can’t wait to share more of our projects with you!
Thank you for following us and we’re happy to hear any questions or comments from our community :)
Refuse - Reduce - Reuse: Zero waste has had its debut 1970 in Oakland, California and reached public attention only in 1998. By 2002, the term “zero waste” moved from theory into action. Today, people
A useful article about producing less waste, right from our own stomping grounds :)
Berlin Trip, How to be a Different Customer
A spontaneous weekend trip to Berlin recently put us on our toes in terms of zero-waste preparedness. Having finished the last workday before Easter, we had to be packed in less than two hours and run to the bus station with only our backpacks, a water bottle, a couple handkerchiefs and an empty mason jar (at least it was empty until I filled it with red wine for the 5-hour journey).
Traveling zero-waste and moving outside of our normal Prague-Žižkov routine got me paying closer attention to how we move about the world without stressing over the small things. There are days that can be very disheartening, when it feels like the garbage we unconsciously produce is out of our control, but we’ve found that with enough practice, we can take control, savor the small victories, and be smarter about avoiding waste anywhere we go.
Admittedly, Germany is so ecological, however standard European travel is not.
I really tried to pay attention to all the ways we managed to avoid waste this weekend. It made me realize how much my perspective has changed in terms of the power we have as consumers, but also the responsibility we have as representatives when speaking with shop assistants, food service industry people, and any businesses burdening customers with unsustainable extra products. Also, what’s the easiest way to deal with compost on the move? If you only have room to pack the essentials, what counts as essential? Each subsequent post will talk about different sustainable dilemmas and how we deal with them.
Below is the first scenario, a moment where I only had 5 minutes to buy our sandwiches before loading the bus, and had no time for explanations about sustainability. Zero waste, zero time wasted, and it led to an insightful conversation on the bus about the proper way to make requests and refuse unnecessary packaging. It may seem dull, but Sam and I talk about everything and anything zero waste, reflections that can help strengthen our resolve and further inform our mentality. We share articles, we do our research and reflect on our experiences. We literally talk about garbage every single day.
SCENARIO I: THE BUS STATION
At the Florenc bus station, I managed to sweet talk the Czech bistro lady into wrapping our to-go mozzarella sandwiches in a cloth, and made sure to call her “lovely” and “so sympathetic” when she confusedly agreed. This is not an uncommon occurrence in a zero-waster’s life. When making unusual requests that involve refusing extra wrapping, requests that can confuse service industry workers who live by a standard and routine, I’ve found that it’s important to smile, to behave as though the paper/plastic bag is an unnecessary luxury, wave it off, and hold out a jar or reusable cotton napkin as though it's the most natural gesture in the world. And always, always always say please and thank you. My Czech is not strong, but even with the biggest limits of conversational interaction, I always try to leave food service employees smiling, making it clear that they have made my day by making an exception for my container. If I am met with resistance and excuses about hygiene codes, the simple phrase,
“Mám alergii na plast.”
or
“I have an allergy to plastic”
drops their argument dead in its tracks, and they accept my reusable container. It’s an effective trick I picked up from Bea Johnson’s Zero Waste Home book. (Because if someone really is concerned about safety, then they can’t argue with allergies.) I still gush with thanks, and be clear that they’ve made me very happy, that they’ve done me a gracious favor. Czechs are not so accustomed to emotional displays of gratitude from random customers, but they can’t help but smile in response, especially with foreigners. Older Soviet generations are often also very supportive when seeing young people being more economical, as well as ecological, with their money.
If the interaction should involve a paper bag that they can’t resist pushing in my hands despite my protests (which also happened when purchasing pastries at the station), I simply transfer the food to my cloth bag, and leave the disposable wrapping right in front of them before leaving. If they heard me repeatedly ask for “no bag,” then they can’t be surprised that I return it on the spot and don’t look back.
While a zero-waster should be gracious and avoid using condescending language to get their way, there’s no need to feel pressured or bullied into accepting products which you don’t want or need. In the end, the food service employees couldn’t care less if you accept the wrapping, they are only trying to do their jobs.
They deserve the customer’s respect, and the customer also deserves to be heard so they can make their purchases wisely.
If all else fails, don’t give your business to companies who refuse to accommodate you.
And if you don’t speak their language, the best default is to communicate with a sincere smile, make the thankful prayer hands, be kind and patient.
If you’re going to be a different kind of customer, be different in the best possible way. They’ll definitely remember you the next time.
In April, Apple told VICE News that it would “one day” like to build its products without using any mined metals. But despite its good intentions, Apple didn...
We’ve reached over 700 followers on Think aJar. Thank you all for your support and interest in Zero Waste lifestyle.
Here is an updated version of our latest video where we travel to Siberia to find out if Zero Waste living is possible in the cold industrial city of Novosibirsk. Join our journey!
Two brothers have exchanged the same Peanuts comic birthday card for over 40 years.
Ideally a circular economy for our products, such as clothing, would help to reduce massive waste and chemical contamination.
When materials are able to be reused, refurbished and recycled by the provider and manufacturer, the valuable resources that are these materials can avoid going to the landfill.
This is my new favorite flow chart!!
A Few (of the Infinite) Benefits of Buying Secondhand
A lot of people think buying secondhand is … well I’ve heard a lot of things. Unsanitary, even lowly or lacking in taste. Complicated. Smells weird. The assumption is that previously owned items have lived past their prime, and are better left discarded, or donated to those less fortunate. My Chinese friends have even said that taking possession of previously owned items can have bad consequences, putting you at risk of inheriting any bad energy expressed by the previous owner while using the item. I take all these comments (from friends, family, acquaintances) into consideration, usually nod, smile, agree, and then do my own thing anyway. I don’t see the point in defending my consumer methods in my daily life. So much information about the sources and consequences of “fast fashion” has been readily apparent to the public for decades.
However, once I started receiving questions about special items I’d picked up for a few crowns, it opened the door to talking about my shopping methods, and my family and I started the discussion about zero waste living.
Tag-less thrift shops and the occasional opportunity to haggle, these were the best zero waste reasonings that I could connect to the lifestyle before reading Bea Johnson’s book. Shopping secondhand was never something I imagined could also impact my long-term health and environmental legacy.
Shopping for your possessions secondhand is an easy way to boycott industry practices with which you don’t agree, as well as bring many benefits to your personal health, creativity, sense of value and wallet.
A few points:
· When you buy used/secondhand products, you are catching a usable product, an energy-intensive resource, on its way to the landfill and taking it out of the waste stream. When you buy things you need without creating a demand for a replacement, you have essentially prevented literal waste production.
· Buying clothing secondhand has the major advantage of protecting the consumer from the factory fumes present in all newly-produced clothes. When you buy new clothes from the retailer, every piece of clothing is wrapped in a large individual plastic bag before it is put on the rack. Not only is that a lot of plastic waste, but the wrapping seals in the toxic factory fumes, which are present in every garment on the store rack. These fumes come from the chemicals that protect the clothes from insect contamination and mold, among other things, while in transport to the retailers. And if the clothes are made from synthetic materials, such as polyester (AKA plastic fabric), the chemical impact on the consumer is even stronger. Though cotton garments are also at high risk of contamination (bleach and pesticides are present in most industrial cottons). Even after several washes, the fumes can take months to fade out of the new garments, all the while being absorbed by us, the consumers. Buying secondhand helps us to avoid these fumes, as the used clothes have had plenty of time to air. So ditch the plastic, ditch the factory fumes, and forget creating a demand for more polyester crap. If you prefer the smell of new items to the occasional funk of a thrift store, I suggest washing all secondhand items before use. I like to add a few drops of lavender oil to my clothing detergent, mostly because it feels so decadent, but also for the antibacterial qualities.
· And speaking of fashion! It’s always incredibly satisfying to find a gem of an item in a sea of sporadically organized chaos, like a thrift store. And if you’re concerned about the quality of clothing, keep in mind that sold or donated clothing have stood the test of time and proven their durability. Finding a gorgeous durable vintage item in a thrift store is sure to outlive the poor-quality fast fashion items of retailers such as Zara, H&M, Mango and C&A. Avoiding “fast fashion” retailers takes away the readily available displays that picks an outfit for you, true, but also teaches you a lot about recognizing the quality and durability of an item. When you think about it, it’s more difficult to sell an item that falls apart after several washes. Contrarily, a used item can vouch for its own durability. Items such as leather, quality cottons, linens, or silk can all last for many years with proper care, reducing the need to replace them once they’ve started to fall apart. Choose your materials carefully, make sure the item is in good condition, that everything (zippers, elastic, buttons) all work, and that you will love this item tomorrow as much as you do in the shop.
· Obviously, going for previously owned items is less expensive. A lot less. And if you’re lucky enough to find some quality swag, brand name or not, it’s like winning a treasure hunt. Additionally, investing in quality items that need to be replaced less often than seasonal merchandise accumulates welcome savings, and reduces impulse shopping.
Your friends and family are likely to catch onto the benefits of buying previously used items once you show them that it is possible to do it and still be cool. Your wardrobe will be unique and creative, proving that style comes from within and lasts a lifetime, while retail fashion comes and goes.