Hey earth muffins! Plastic Free July starts tomorrow – will you be participating this year?? One of the popular activities to do during July is to host a plastic free morning tea. β According to the PFJ website, these teas are “a tangible and delicious way to get others involved and start having conversations around plastic free ideas, sharing solutions and making a real difference together”. I mean, who wouldn’t love to have a tea party?! In today’s post, I will be sharing my top tips for how you can host a plastic free morning tea during PFJ!
1. Make sure you have zero waste tea and/or coffee!
Tea (and talking about plastic use) is obviously the central part of this event… So make sure you have zero waste coffee and tea! I’ve written a whole post on how to reduce plastic when brewing your hot beverages. My top tip is to buy yourself a stainless steel tea infuser. There is no need for tea bags when you can opt for loose leaf tea instead!
It has always been important to you to respect the environment and do everything you can to reduce your impact on the planet. One of the things you do everyday is go about your normal work routine, whether youβre commuting into the office or heading to your local cafe for your morning coffee. When it comes to living an eco-friendly life, there are a number of ways in which you can tweak your everyday work habits so that you can go greener and protect the environment. Consider some of the following ideas and get started right away!
Hey earth muffins! Plastic Free July is just around the corner! Every year this challenge comes around, I try to pick an area of my house to focus on in terms of making eco swaps. If you are new to sustainable living, I suggest tackling your kitchen this year! A great way to zero waste your kitchen and reduce single use plastic is to switch to HoldOn bags. These bags are compostable and plastic-free… And they were kind enough to send me some to try out! π Let’s jump into a full HoldOn review.
Hey earth muffins! I don’t know about where you live, but the summer weather is officially here in Michigan. Last week we had a day that was over 90 degrees, and the lowest temp this week is 84. π₯΅ The sun always makes me happy – and a picnic is a great way to relax in the summer! For those of you looking to stay eco-friendly, here are my top tips for having a zero waste picnic during the hotter months.
Bring your own picnic blanket!
Can you really have a picnic without a blanket? I don’t think so! But, does that mean you have to have a checkered blanket specifically for picnics? Of course not! As a true sustainable earth muffin, use what you have already. Throw blankets, comforters, anything that can be washed if it gets dirty. A few years ago I found a vintage picnic blanket at an antique store – it even has little ants and picnic food on it! π I leave that blanket in my car year round for all my picnic/outdoor needs.
Hey earth muffins! With a big boom in sustainable fashion companies, there has been an increase in clothing created from deadstock fabric. You might be asking yourself, “Well, what exactly is deadstock?”. I was doing some reading on it recently, so I thought it would be a great post to write. Here is the truth about deadstock!
What is Deadstock Fabric?
“Deadstock fabric” encompasses numerous things:
Unsold fabric from mills
Overstock (fabrics that did not sell)
Scraps from production runs by brands
Damaged or imperfect fabrics
With the rise in popularity of eco-friendly living, there has been an influx in brands that use deadstock fabric in their pieces. But, is deadstock actually sustainable?
Hey earth muffins! While the pandemic isn’t totally over yet, there has definitely been an increase in traveling again. π I don’t have too many trips planned yet, but (especially now that I’ve already had COVID) I want to book a few more vacations before the summer months are over. It is so important to be sustainable even on trips; just because you aren’t in the same place doing your daily routines doesn’t mean you can’t stick to your low waste values. Here are my top tips for staying eco-friendly while traveling!
Hey earth muffins! I always seem to find myself doing more baking during the summer months. While I cook meals for myself almost every day, the summertime always makes me crave fun, home-baked goodies. With all this extra cooking, I find myself with more fruit and veggie scraps. And it is important to utilize these instead of just throwing them into the trash! Food waste is a huge environmental issue, so here are five unique ways to use up those fruit and veggie scraps! π₯ π₯¦ π
1. Make a “zero waste” recipe
The best way to reduce food waste is to cook/bake with a zero waste mentality – nothing (or almost nothing) will end up in the trash. If your recipe calls for peeled potatos, maybe leave the skins on. There are plenty of fruits and vegetables where the peel is actually delicious and nutritious! I was surprised to learn recently that you can even eat the fuzzy skin of a kiwi. If you search for zero waste recipes on Pinterest, there are plenty of options to choose from (like carrot top pesto)!
Hey earth muffins! A great eco swap for the kitchen is to opt out of plastic wrap and use other methods of keeping your food fresh. One way to do this is to use beeswax wraps – sheets of fabric coated in beeswax that cling to your food, bowls, and containers. I was gifted a set of wraps for Christmas a couple of years ago, so I thought it would be fun to write a review to answer the question “do they really work?”. Let’s jump right into it! π
What I Love About Beeswax Wraps
Obviously it is awesome that this is a sustainable alternative to plastic wrap! Cling wrap is single-use and causes a bunch of waste that ends up in the landfill (or even the ocean). Not great for Mother Earth! Instead of using plastic wrap, I keep my set of beeswax wraps in my mason jar hutch next to all my other reusable containers. Having them accessible makes it easier to remember to use them too!
Unlike the single-use nature of Saran wrap, beeswax wraps last a long time. Once you are done using them, just wash them with soap and water and let air dry. So easy! If you take care of them in terms of cleaning, they will literally last multiple years.
Plus, beeswax wraps work! They keep containers airtight in the fridge which is great for making sure your leftovers don’t go bad. You can also use them instead of plastic Ziploc bags too, as I’ve wrapped sandwiches in them for lunch. Just like with any plastic wrap, make sure you get a full seal to ensure the best result with your food.
Lastly, I love that these are accessible to everyone because you don’t even need to buy these – they are super easy to make yourself! All you need is some fabric scraps and beeswax. There are plenty of DIY tutorials on Pinterest sharing how to melt the wax onto the fabric. Super simple and a great way to knock plastic wrap this summer. π
What I Dislike About Them
When you first open the wrap, don’t be alarmed that it seems pretty inflexible. The beeswax has just hardened and needs to warm up a bit. I find that rubbing your hands over the wrap is a quick and easy way to warm up the wax. Once the wrap is more flexible, it will be easier to seal over containers. This tiny extra step may be annoying to some people, so I thought I would include it as a con.
The only other thing I dislike about beeswax wraps is that they don’t last as long as things like mason jars. Obviously metal and glass is going to outlast anything made from fabric and wax, so I often just find myself opting for containers instead of beeswax wrap. However, you can “mend” your wraps by adding extra layers of beeswax if you want… But I personally just find it easier to not even bother and just pull out a mason jar instead.
Pin now to read later!
Overall, I think beeswax wraps are awesome! While I often just use mason jars instead of wrapping up food, it is nice to have a set of these available to me whenever I need them. π They work just like plastic wrap and come in so many designs and colors too. Have you tried beeswax wraps before? Comment below and let me know your thoughts on this eco swap!
