Category: Zero Waste

bookmark_borderWhat is Slow Living? & How to Adopt This Lifestyle

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Hey earth muffins! Sustainable living has been on the rise (thank goodness!), but I’ve also been seeing a trend towards slow living as well. You might be asking yourself, what is slow living anyways? Curiously enough, eco-friendly lifestyles go hand-in-hand with “slow” ones… So let’s jump into the basics of slow living!

What is Slow Living?

There are numerous definitions of “living slow”, which can be different depending on who you talk to. Wikipedia defines it as “a lifestyle which encourages a slower approach to aspects of everyday life, involving completing tasks at a leisurely pace”. Basically, exactly what it sounds like: living slow. Other synonyms for this style of living include: intentional living, holistic living, conscious living, and mindful living.

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bookmark_borderReusable Makeup Remover Pads: Another Fantastic Seek Bamboo Product

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Hey earth muffins! When I started my eco journey, I found that making swaps in the bathroom was the easiest place to start. A great first step is to find reusable alternatives to single-use items: Q-tips, cotton pads, etc. Seek Bamboo kindly gifted me some of their bamboo reusable makeup remover pads to try out; so, I thought I would share a full review with you all today. First up, here’s what I love about this sustainable product:

What I Love About These Makeup Rounds

I absolutely love that these reusable makeup rounds are truly sustainable. Just think about all the single-use pads you will save if you buy a set of these! On top of the reusability aspect of the product, they are made of bamboo. Bamboo is a great eco-friendly material… It is much better for the planet than cotton!

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bookmark_borderEasy Ways to Upcycle Old Oui Yogurt Containers!

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Hey earth muffins! I recently decided to try Oui yogurts for the first time… These are made by Yoplait and are “french-style”, which means the yogurt is prepared in the container it is sold in. The reason I wanted to give them a try is because they come in glass jars! 😊 This is a great alternative to buying individually packaged yogurts in plastic, and they are quite tasty too! Once you eat the yogurt, there are endless possibilities on how to upcycle Oui yogurt containers… Let’s jump into my favorite options!

~Use them as containers for a packed lunch.

The first way to reuse these yogurt jars is to add them to your reusable container collection. These are perfect for packing a zero waste lunch! While they don’t have lids, I use a small piece of beeswax wrap to keep it airtight. If you make your own yogurt or buy a bulk yogurt tub, these are perfect for packing individual portions. 😍

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bookmark_borderWhy Landfills Are Bad & Their Negative Effects On the Environment

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Hey earth muffins! When you’re on a journey towards being more sustainable, one of the biggest things to avoid is creating excess waste. Being completely zero waste is often an unrealistic ideal; but, you should try to follow the waste hierarchy before tossing things into the garbage. Why are landfills so bad?? There are plenty of reasons why you should prevent items from heading to the trash heap. Let’s jump into a few major ones in this post!

#1 – Difficult for organic material to decompose naturally

The first negative to landfills is that they don’t allow organic materials to break down correctly. If food scraps are put into a compost bin, they decompose naturally and create nutritious soil… Unfortunately, this doesn’t occur in landfills. The lack of oxygen and light in trash piles results in food scraps either not breaking down at all OR releasing methane as they do. Methane is 30% more powerful than carbon, which makes it a much worse greenhouse gas. Definitely a huge reason we should all avoid sending organic materials to the landfill!

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bookmark_borderHow to Dispose of Your Rotted Pumpkin After Halloween (The Sustainable Way!)

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Hey earth muffins! Halloween is almost here – are you ready for lots of tricks and/or treats? My carved pumpkins are ready to go on my front steps… And (unfortunately) they are already starting to rot a bit. Once Halloween is over, it is important to figure out how to dispose of your jack-o-lanterns… The eco-friendly way of course! 🎃 Keep reading for the best, most sustainable ways to get rid of a rotted pumpkin.

1. Leave out your rotted pumpkin for the squirrels!

Why not leave out your pumpkins for the local animals and/or birds? This is an easy way to use your pumpkin guts when carving AND after Halloween is done. You might have noticed a few squirrels snacking on them already…. So leave out the pumpkin in your backyard, the forest surrounding your house, etc. for a nice little Halloween treat.

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bookmark_borderIntroducing Seek Bamboo Toilet Paper: A Sustainable Alternative

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Hey earth muffins! Without a doubt we all use toilet paper in the bathroom. Even if you have a bidet, you still have to use some sort of TP… So what is an eco-friendly alternative to using all this paper? Before you jump into reusable toilet paper (which is actually a thing), I suggest trying out bamboo TP. Seek Bamboo kindly sent me some to try out, so I thought I would share a full review with you all today. Let’s jump right into it!

What I Love About This Toilet Paper

First off, I love that bamboo toilet paper is totally sustainable! It’s not a shock that pandas love bamboo – it is a great eco-friendly plant that grows extremely fast. Some even call it the fastest growing plant on the earth! Because it grows quickly, it doesn’t have a large negative effect on the planet when it is cut and turned into consumer goods. The alternative is to cut down trees which grow quite slow… Seek Bamboo’s toilet paper is 100% tree-free, which is awesome for the planet (and you!).

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bookmark_borderHow to Join Eco Organizations in Your Community

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Hey earth muffins! Are you a member of any eco-friendly groups in your city? An awesome way to make an impact on the community AND the planet is to get involved with others who care about Mother Earth. Don’t worry – it’s easy to join eco organizations too! Just follow these simple tips:

Do a quick search of the groups in your area.

The first step to join eco organizations is to (obviously) learn about all the groups in your area. Google is a great place to start if you aren’t sure of what is around you. Another great resource is to ask the owners and/or staff of sustainable stores in town. They most likely will be involved with the local organizations already, which is a great way to learn about opportunities in your area. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and ask.

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bookmark_border5 Ways to Use Pumpkin Guts After Carving!

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Hey earth muffins! Halloween is just around the corner, which means it is almost time to start carving those jack-o-lanterns! Once the spooky faces are carved, one question remains: what should I do with the pumpkin guts?? Never fear, this post shares all the best ways to stay zero waste and utilize your whole pumpkin!

1. Make pumpkin seeds!

This is a no-brainer in my house. Once there is a big bowl of pumpkin guts on the table, we sift through and take out all the seeds. This can be time consuming but listening to some spooky songs definitely helps! After all the seeds have been set aside, rinse them off and roast in the oven. If you don’t have a favorite recipe for this, there are plenty on Pinterest that turn out great! Some even include seasonings to make your seeds even tastier.

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