unfauxgiven

she/her | 21 | ethical & sustainable living | slow fashion | vegan

[unfauxgiven]

i just want to take a moment to say that my page is a safe space regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, profession, all of it. you are welcome here whether you're 3 days or 3 years into your sustainability journey. you are welcome here even if you just stumbled along one of my posts and want to check out more. what's not welcome here is the intentional hate/exclusion of any person or group of people. there will be absolutely no shaming anybody because they're "not sustainable enough" here. none of that shit. nobody can do it perfectly, largely because perfect sustainability looks a little different to everybody.

we will do as much as we can, where we can, whenever we can. we will try. we will mess up and make mistakes. we will learn, grow, and we will never stop fighting for a better future.

[homeiswherethewitchcraftis]

Something I find really interesting about the zero waste movement is how much it is just things poor people already do but made aesthetic.

So for background I grew up in really bad poverty in a very rural community born to a 4th generation Teen Mom. My great-grandmother was one of the 13 born around the Great Depression and was raised in the Backwoods of Kentucky to say we were poor would be an understatement

We lived "sustainably" and "zero waste/low waste" because it was necessary

My great-grandmother always reused everything. She washed her aluminum foil and even her Ziploc bags, to be honest I do the same thing we never had paper towels growing up and we certainly didn't have any fancy "unpaper" towels we had old rags. paper towels were a luxury item that we simply could not afford (I would like to mention that napkins and paper towels are compostable)

Old Mason jars were basically the only cups we had.

Reusable menstrual products are also not new, poor women without access to disposable menstrual products have been using old cloths and rags forever I will admit the nice bamboo and cotton ones are more comfortable than a folded up old peice of t shirt

Growing your own food and cooking from scratch as well as foraging are all necessary when you live too far from a grocery store or even a town.

Thrift store clothes and hand me downs or even "upcycled" clothes were all the standard for my family while I was growing up.

To be clear I think it's great that people who have more money and access are getting into these types of things I just found it funny that I've been living like this my whole life out of necessity.

I've noticed a lot of people calling out zero waste movement as classist and inaccessible and I definitely can understand why, a lot of people see the aesthetic part of it and think you need to buy all these specialty items but the truth is you don't many of the popular zero waste swaps are either traditional ways of doing things (cloth napkins vs paper) or exactly what people in poverty have been doing for generations

If you are interested in zero waste or similar lifestyles I would like to offer some advice don't throw out the things that you have the plastic or any of that use it until you can't use it reuse as many ways as you can think of and don't fall into the Trap of thinking you have to go out and buy all of this fancy bamboo toothbrushes or metal straws just try to avoid excessive packaging.

[unfauxgiven]

this is the zero waste i like to picture. i've mentioned it before, but guys, we really don't need the fancy engraved bamboo dish brush, or a matching set of mason jars. sure, it's cool for the Instagram pic, but the most sustainable option is ALWAYS to use what you have first. then, once it can no longer fulfill its purpose, if you have the money to do so and it's something you like, then absolutely get the cute sustainable brush, or the stasher bags. don't buy the "pretty" swaps while you have things that serve the same purpose just fine. you end up with more than you need, or the old version ends up in a landfill.

zero waste gets expensive when you're at the grocery store and it costs more to buy produce that isn't pre-packaged in plastic. or when you have the option of a glass/plastic bottle (think salad dressing, vinegar/oil, or even cleaning supplies), and the glass bottle costs twice as much. this is at no fault of the consumer, it's the capitalistic world we live in. sometimes financially we need to go with the less sustainable option, and it sucks, but it's not something we have much control over.

but yeah all the fancy tool swaps? you shouldn't be making those swaps all at once, or just because they look prettier than what you currently have. if it works, use it until you can't anymore. additionally, for example, if you're someone who never shaves, don't buy a sustainable safety razor just because it's sustainable! buy what you need, when you need it/can afford it. leave the rest.

the most sustainable option is always to use what you already have first!

[i-hate-chick-fil-a]

I mad agree with this.

[madameblack]

This reminds me, if y'all haven’t heard of therapyforblackgirls.com please visit if you need a therapist. You can search by mental health need, location/distance, insurance, etc. I believe there are some that provide a sliding scale payment method for those without insurance.

If you’re not quite ready to make the jump, there is a podcast you can listen to as well as articles and links to help answer some of your questions about mental health and/or therapy.

The purpose, as I understand it, is to provide a place where black women can go to find culturally sensitive therapy. Some specialize in family/couples as well.

Take a look.

[imfemalewarrior]

For any black Women following me! 

Taking care of your mental health is another important factor in your overall health. Fighting for good mental health is a fight worth doing, and is just as difficult, if not moreso, than physical fighting. 

-FemaleWarrior, She/They 

[n0kiv]

Especially with everything going on right now. We constantly hear how strong we are and it’s like no we can be tired, emotional, stressed too and we need to take care of our mental health. Here are some free therapy sessions that I’ve seen going around. Please share

[guavajelly]

Also Black minds matter UK!

https://www.blackmindsmatteruk.com/

[loveablewomb1927]

I love this

[sewickedthread]

boosting the signal

[ms-cellanies]

AUTO REBLOG

[toadstoolgardens]

Also The Loveland Foundation provides financial assistance to Black women and girls seeking therapy! Founded by Rachel Cargle who is incredible

[unfauxgiven]

when we say quit buying fast fashion, quit supporting companies with unethical practices, we're not talking to the single parent struggling to feed their family, or the plus size person who can't seem to find anything from sustainable brands or from thrift shops, but desperately needs new clothes.

we're talking about the folks who have the means to shop sustainably but instead have a different outfit for every day of the year and choose to turn a blind eye to the reality of the brands they're supporting and posting about.

that's all, thanks

[skepticalmuppet]

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but going to thrift stores and buying all the usable sheets and t-shirts and jeans and then cutting them up to make rag rugs or yarn or whatever for your shabby chic/cottagecore aesthetic isn’t solar punk.

It’s gentrification.

You are taking resources away from people who need them so that you can pretend to live a less consumptive lifestyle. You are cosplaying sustainability.

The whole fucking point of rag rugs etc. was that you made use of textiles you already had that could no longer be used for their intended purpose, and you extended the lifecycle of the item by turning it into something else useful instead of throwing it in the garbage. When you buy clothing that still has use *as clothing* just to cut it into rags to make a rug, you’re *speeding up* the consumption of materials. You’re shortening the lifecycle. You are consuming MORE.

And you’re doing it by buying up resources that marginalized people need. Those thrift store sheets would look so much better on somebody’s fucking bed, but since you wanted that Little House on the Prairie vibe, someone is sleeping on a bare mattress now whilst trying to save their pennies to go to fucking Wal-Mart for bedsheets. And that denim throw pillow probably looks adorable on your sofa, but somebody needed a pair of sturdy jeans for that job they’re trying to get, and now there’s nothing available.

But sure, your house looks cute. I guess that’s important.

[unfauxgiven]

to add to this, many people who do this want the most amount of fabric they can find, so what do they search for? plus size garments. while thrifting, plus size clothing is hard enough to find as it is, so congrats. you made someone's very limited selection even smaller. yeah, your dish towel looks great, but it would look better in its original form. being worn by someone who needs it.

[wastelesscrafts]

Hi! I love your blog! I have a question. How do you know when clothes are worth mending or if you should use the fabric for other stuff? I have two leggings that I have mended two or three times but they keep ripping in other places.

When to mend or reuse

There's no clear-cut answer to this question, because deciding to mend something or not is a very personal decision.

If you can't decide, here's two things you could ask yourself:

How much do you like the item?

What's the damage like?

A loved item:

If you love the item too much to part with it, it's usually worth mending! You'll likely end up with one of those items that's more mend than garment in the end, which are pretty cool.

If you're not that attached to it, or if the damage is too great to fix, you might as well just use it for something else.

Assessing damage:

There's a few examples of things to look out for when assessing damage:

Thinning fabric (patch or replace)

Unravelling or fraying fabric (patch or mend)

Stains (cover up)

Holes (patch or mend)

Lost buttons (replace)

Ripped fabric (mend or patch)

Ripped seams (mend)

Broken fasteners (replace)

Odd smells (wash or air out)

If your garment has lots of different types of damage, mending it might be more effort than you're willing to put into it. In that case, you could look into upcycling it into something else, reusing it to make or mend other things, or into repurposing parts of it (e.g. removing the buttons to reuse in your latest sewing project).

It's also important to keep your own safety, comfort, and health in mind when deciding whether to mend something or not. If fixing up an item might compromise one of those, you're probably best off finding something else to do with it.

Sometimes things are beyond mending or reusing, and that's fine too. Dispose of it in a responsible way: try recycle or compost what you can, if possible.

[unfauxgiven]

hi guys!! it's been a while. i left the city for a few months to clear my head out in the middle of nowhere, and get back in touch with myself. my emotional wellbeing took a turn for the worse after some health problems in the summer, and i needed to make myself a top priority. i also went from vegetarian to vegan (more on that later)!!! i hope you've all been doing okay and that you had some good food and stayed hydrated today. much much much love ♥️

[allthebiscuitsingeorgia]

Y’all, listen to this. Red Solo cup is out. It’s done. You use it one time and toss it in the landfill for 10,000 years. The new thing is the Ball Aluminum Cup . You drink out of it once and wash it out and then drink out of it again. Or you can drink out of it once, toss it in the recycle bin and they’ll turn it into Honda parts, or Jon boats, or softball bats, or more Ball aluminum cups. Infinitely recyclable. Says so right on the cup. And the cups are made in Shannon, Georgia.

By the way, they didn’t pay us to say this. It’s just the truth.

[callese]

[khapikat222]

Report Disney, Report Universal, Knotts, the Large Golf Courses.

Report them en mass and force their business behavior to change.

[keeshplay]

[unfauxgiven]

woke up thinking about "i'd make my own clothes but it's so expensive". the amount of times i've heard this without the person saying it putting 2 & 2 together is wild. so you know the cost of making a garment, how do you think fast fashion companies are selling them for so cheap? that's right, they don't pay their workers fairly. even the best company discounts on fabric & other supplies can't bring the cost of a garment down that astronomically if they're paying their workers a living wage. let's also not forget the low quality, unsustainable materials they're most likely using to reduce cost further to lure in consumers. fast fashion is cruel & a scam and i'm so tired of it.

[intrude]

Here are five of the MANY reasons why we need to switch to reusable products!

If you need more reasons to try the switch, check their regular pads and read the benefits of reusable menstrual products! 

Let’s take a step and pledge to put ourselves and the environment this “Plastic Free July”!

[mytheetarecold]

Aesthetic: green parking lots

They improve infiltration of water to the soil, thus reducing floods by excessive drainage from soil-sealed land, and contribute to environmental and human health! Also they look pretty.

[unfauxgiven]

guys i was doom scrolling on Instagram and came across a post about shein and the comments were mostly "so what if they use child labor? all companies do that" and it's like... no... they don't. people were recommending more expensive fast fashion (think urban outfitters and H&M), and so many of them were greenwashed by the recyclable packaging that the unsustainable clothes come in.

this is why we NEED to keep spreading awareness.

a lot people genuinely think that sustainable clothing/fashion is unattainable. we all know that the answer is to consume less (no you don't need $200 worth of $5/piece clothes from shein, if that's the shopping habit you're used to i'm not surprised that you think sustainable fashion is only for the rich), but until we can change this mass over-consumption, "need to be new" mentality, things will stay the same.

we need to make it easier for people to find the sustainable brands, because a lot of people won't take the time to search "sustainable clothing brands" and read through an article. we need them to not see a $40 shirt and immediately close the page, wondering why it's so expensive. instead they should wonder why fast fashion is so cheap. we need to inform people of greenwashing, and that a company with recyclable packaging doesn't necessarily always have eco friendly products or use anything close to ethical practices. that more expensive doesn't always equal better practices or quality.

we need to keep fighting for our future, guys. there are still so many people who don't even know what they don't know - please keep raising awareness.

[lets-close-the-loop]

[unfauxgiven]

so the news today is that H&M is doing a "traffic light" setup for how sustainable each product is (green = most sustainable, yellow = partially sustainable, red = not sustainable from what i understand), sounds like greenwashing to me. if they cared about the planet and the people on it, they'd make all of their products sustainable. they'd pay their workers a living wage.

they're on the right track, understanding that we care about the planet and need to see improvement, but this seems more like a marketing scam to lure in buyers that are on the fence more than anything.

[environmentalistonmain]

Posing a question to environmental/sustainability blogs out there - do you think there’s a certain point where learning too much about the ins and outs of things (pollution, climate change, or the agricultural and plastics industry for example) can become almost crippling? Because I’ve noticed that when learning about recycling, I then come across information they recycling doesn’t even work and is inefficient so then I question whether I should recycle? I still do but I wonder how information is enough for the average person to change their behaviors without confusing them and scaring them off?

[unfauxgiven]

yes, absolutely. i know i cant scroll through instagram in peace anymore because the explore page and advertisements make it so i see tons of promotions for fast fashion, people posing with drinks in plastic cups, etc. and it bothers me so much how people can mindlessly consume and produce so much waste. the photos don't look happy to me anymore- they look like waste and unethical labor with a discount code and a smiling face.

there's not really a clear line as to how much knowledge is too much, sometimes it feels like ignorance is bliss. what happens to recycling right now is unfortunately, for the most part, out of our immediate control. sustainable living is about doing what we can, when/where we can. before recycling or disposing of, i like to see if there's a way i can repurpose the item (can i store something else in this cereal box? would this plastic cup work as a planter?). usually, the answer to that question is yes. i'd recommend that as the first alternative to recycling.

don't let yourself (this goes for everybody) get too worked up or discouraged by it. your emotional well being needs to come first. we're doing what we can to make an impact as individuals, but unsustainable options are the only choice sometimes, especially depending on where you live. there's no perfect answer or perfect sustainability, it's just about staying motivated and doing your best.

[peachybedtime]

honey bee body language guide

a quick reference for understanding honey bees !!!

🐝 approaching you

🌱 they want to know if you’re a flower, a threat, or neither ! don’t swat or get too close to their hive, and you’re not a threat.

🐝 landing on you (often you can see her cleaning herself, if you watch carefully)

🌱 she’s either tired or, on the rare occasion, deciding to sting you. don’t squish her !!! she’s probably just chillin with you, but if you want her off, blow her off. she’ll fall and fly away !

🐝 buzzing becomes high pitched

🌱 think angry bees in a cartoon. you can actually hear the change ! this means they’re getting agitated

🐝 circling your head

🌱 this is a warning that you’re being threatening and you need to leave ! calmly move away from the hive or the bee.

🐝 if you’re close to the hive: sending significantly more bees into the air

🌱 usually means they either want to know what’s happening or there’s a threat to the hive ! you should probably leave.

🐝 divebombing you in a headbutt, bouncing off

🌱 this is the most explicit “if you do not leave, i will sting you” that honey bees have. it’s the last warning !

💞some extras !💞

🐝 laying on the sidewalk

🌱 if she’s alive, she’s either resting or in trouble. she could be diseased or usually, in winter, too cold. some folks feed them honey or sugar water ! i’ve had a few good experiences in just letting them sit on my hand and warm up for a while before she flies off. if not, i leave her somewhere she won’t be stepped on. if you’re afraid to touch a bee but still wanna help, try getting her somewhere safer with a leaf or something ! if it doesn’t work, don’t feel too guilty. they’re like cells in an organism, some are always going to be dying as new ones are being born.

🐝 a BUNCH of bees clumped onto something or flying in a slow cloud

🌱 more than likely a swarm ! bees “swarm” when their hive is big and healthy enough to branch off into two hives, or when they’re moving houses ! you’ll never find a honey bee in a better mood than when they’re swarming. observe them from a safe distance, it’s super cool !

🐝 moving her front legs from her mouth over her face

🌱 she’s cleaning herself ! just like how cats do !

🐝 moving a leg from her mouth to her rear leg

🌱 she’s packing pollen ! she wets it with her mouth and then packs it into her pollen sac, which is basically just hairs on her leg shaped into a basket ! that’s why you see the yellow / orange dots on their back legs. they’re bringing it back to the hive !

🐝 dragging another bee out of the hive

🌱 they’re either moving a corpse or a diseased or malformed bee that will die soon. think of it like your body flushing out bad stuff– the bees are like cells of an organism, working toward the whole.

🐝 standing away from her hive on the landing pad, beating her wings

🌱 she’s fanning the hive !! this keeps the brood and honey at a safe temperature.

💞 feel free to add on or ask about more !! 💞

[unfauxgiven]

couple notes from OP/other responses:

🌱 do not feed bees honey unless it's from their own hive, this can hurt them. sugar water is okay if one bee has a little bit, but dont have whole hives living on it. plain water is best

🌱 some bees see being blown on as a threat because of the Co2, proceed with caution. i'd say if one lands on you just dont make any sudden movements and you should be fine

🐝🐝🐝