I am really struggling lately with living somewhere cold, needing warm clothes, wanting them to be sustainable but also, being vegan. I feel like I can not be the only person with this dilemma but also can not find an obvious solution! I can find sweatshirts and fleeces all over but nothing that I can wear in an office environment that doesn't contain wool. Which butts heads with the vegan part. I know I could go to a second hand store and find some vegan options, but they are never cotton (believe me, I have spent HOURS on this project) and I really don't want to wear spun plastic. So where does that leave me? Well so far, very cold in Michigan.
I happened to be on Everlane earlier this week as they had some new underwear (my current selection is reaching the end of it's tenure in my drawer...) and saw that have some cotton sweaters coming soon!! Everlane is such a great place to go to know that anything you get is made as fairly and thoughtfully as possible but I always see things I love made of leather or wool, so to see somethings that aren't tees or sweaters come out made of cotton makes me very excited. I have to wait a month or so but I am so hopeful this will be the answer to the issues I have been having over the past 3 winters! When I was in England it was never as much of an issue because it was never this cold...
Thursday 17 January 2019
Friday 11 January 2019
New beginnings
I recently wanted an episode of Adam Ruins Everything on 'Going Green' and his ending take away was that, as individuals, we will not make any differences significant enough to make real change and therefore, our best bet is to try and build community action and inspire each other as nothing apart from big business is going to change the environment in the dramatic way we need to.
As you can tell based on the name of my blog I do not totally agree with the sentiment... But it did inspire me to get back on my blog (and Instagram page!) and get back to writing about living zero waste!
I recently got a new job in a sustainability related department and it's so great being surrounded by people thinking about the environment and trying to make a difference on a truly global scale. I'm learning a lot about our research projects and meeting so many students with amazing ideas who are applying for funding to get to put those ideas into action.
Thanks to the generous endowments to the Institute, so many projects are getting off the ground and communities all over the world are benefiting from this work. From research into preserving the Great Lakes to conserving natural habitats in Ghana to helping build up communities in Detroit, so much is being learned and shared. And this wouldn't be possible without the one man who started it all with a donation to sustainability research... So Adam, I've said it before and I'll say it again. One person is plenty.
Tuesday 26 June 2018
Summer Living
It's been a month since my last post and boy, has it been a busy few weeks for me! Summer finally hit us here in Michigan and with it, a whole host of new zero waste challenges for grilling with friends, enjoying time by the pool and traveling. Sadly the weather has only been nice for one weekend since Memorial Day, but it's given me plenty of time to prepare for the rest of the summer without creating more waste in the mean time!
Being busy for me often means creating more waste. I have less time to prepare and think about what I need and therefore I inevitably have to buy something in packaging I don't want. Our first warm weekend we were desperate to get outside and hangout by the pool and eat with friends. Suddenly it became clear we have nothing suitable to bring drinks to the pool with us (we have rules about glass and open containers!), nothing for me to bring to grill on (as I'm vegan I don't generally like putting my food directly on a shared grill) and no suitable covering for our serving bowl to take a dish to a potluck. We quickly learned we needed to be more prepared if we wanted to maintain the low amount of waste we have been making.
I mentioned to a friend at work my issue with grilling and if she had any suggestions as to what I could buy to cook on a grill with. The next day, she brought me in a spare cast iron pan she had at home for me to use! It's the perfect size for a veggie burger and some veggies to grill and small enough to carry in your bag without weighing it down too much! How awesome are friends?? Patrick and I also purchased two stainless steel tumbler mugs and straws from Corkcicle to solve our outdoor drinks problem. They keep your drink cool for hours, even in the sun! Perfect for lemonade or maybe some sangria by the pool. They even have a special grippy surface on the bottom minimising the chance that it will be knocked over.
I'm still on the lookout for something suitable to act as a more secure cover for our serving dish but in the meantime holding a tea towel around the top seems to be doing the trick if we aren't going far.
This weekend is scheduled to be gorgeous here in Ann Arbor and with July 4th right around the corner too, I'm looking forward to getting a lot of use out of our new waste minimising additions!
Being busy for me often means creating more waste. I have less time to prepare and think about what I need and therefore I inevitably have to buy something in packaging I don't want. Our first warm weekend we were desperate to get outside and hangout by the pool and eat with friends. Suddenly it became clear we have nothing suitable to bring drinks to the pool with us (we have rules about glass and open containers!), nothing for me to bring to grill on (as I'm vegan I don't generally like putting my food directly on a shared grill) and no suitable covering for our serving bowl to take a dish to a potluck. We quickly learned we needed to be more prepared if we wanted to maintain the low amount of waste we have been making.
I mentioned to a friend at work my issue with grilling and if she had any suggestions as to what I could buy to cook on a grill with. The next day, she brought me in a spare cast iron pan she had at home for me to use! It's the perfect size for a veggie burger and some veggies to grill and small enough to carry in your bag without weighing it down too much! How awesome are friends?? Patrick and I also purchased two stainless steel tumbler mugs and straws from Corkcicle to solve our outdoor drinks problem. They keep your drink cool for hours, even in the sun! Perfect for lemonade or maybe some sangria by the pool. They even have a special grippy surface on the bottom minimising the chance that it will be knocked over.
I'm still on the lookout for something suitable to act as a more secure cover for our serving dish but in the meantime holding a tea towel around the top seems to be doing the trick if we aren't going far.
This weekend is scheduled to be gorgeous here in Ann Arbor and with July 4th right around the corner too, I'm looking forward to getting a lot of use out of our new waste minimising additions!
Thursday 24 May 2018
Sustainable Business
I recently went to the Positive Business Conference facilitated by Michigan Ross School of Business. It was a two day event focusing on positive culture in the workplace, case studies of great places, places that turned things around, research studies, and workshops to better understand why this is so important and how to ensure that your workplace is living up to this standard. It was so awesome and inspiring to be in a room full of such empowering people and hearing them speak about their journeys and the thing that struck me the most as the level of authenticity in everything they said. There was no hidden agenda, they were open with their personal experiences of hardship and depression and also with their business practices because they are all wonderful people doing wonderful things!
I was also struck by how much they talked about sustainability and how it is the only purpose that fits every business in the entire world. That it is no longer a sideline issue and for companies to succeed, consumers are forcing them to care more about these issues. Yes, that's right. WE, the consumer, are making a difference by acting with our wallets. Every time we buy something we are sending a message about the kinds of things we want and what type of product we are interested in and every time we buy something that is more sustainable than our alternatives, we are sending the right message - and they are listening!
Since Unilever bought Seventh Generation they have vowed to increase their sustainability efforts across all their product lines which I think is a massive step in the right direction. I always try and support small and local businesses where I can, but seeing a huge company make a commitment to being sustainable means that so much more of a difference could be made. I have realised from these comments from the conference, that I am making more of a difference being one person in a huge institution trying to make a difference by joining forces with other like minded individuals that I would be if I left and created my own perfectly sustainable company. I feel inspired to make even more of an impact during my time here and to keep that goal in mind as I move through my career. My three take aways: Be Authentic, Be Sustainable, Be Positive. What wonderful words to try and live by.
I was also struck by how much they talked about sustainability and how it is the only purpose that fits every business in the entire world. That it is no longer a sideline issue and for companies to succeed, consumers are forcing them to care more about these issues. Yes, that's right. WE, the consumer, are making a difference by acting with our wallets. Every time we buy something we are sending a message about the kinds of things we want and what type of product we are interested in and every time we buy something that is more sustainable than our alternatives, we are sending the right message - and they are listening!
Since Unilever bought Seventh Generation they have vowed to increase their sustainability efforts across all their product lines which I think is a massive step in the right direction. I always try and support small and local businesses where I can, but seeing a huge company make a commitment to being sustainable means that so much more of a difference could be made. I have realised from these comments from the conference, that I am making more of a difference being one person in a huge institution trying to make a difference by joining forces with other like minded individuals that I would be if I left and created my own perfectly sustainable company. I feel inspired to make even more of an impact during my time here and to keep that goal in mind as I move through my career. My three take aways: Be Authentic, Be Sustainable, Be Positive. What wonderful words to try and live by.
Wednesday 9 May 2018
Plastic Straws are the WORST!
OK so maybe not THE worst, but they are pretty fricking terrible. A guy at work just came and asked me when we would be getting more plastic straw coffee stirrers and when I responded with 'never' he said he'd just bring in his own instead. As the person responsible for our office procurement I am fortunate enough to be able to have a lot if not 100% of the influence on what we as an office consume. Now that the straws are gone there are only a few knives my predecessor bought and then we will be done with any single use plastic items. (Woohoo!) But people bringing in things from outside is something that is much harder to influence.
When he left my desk, I sent him an email with a link to The Last Plastic Straw which is a project to eliminate all plastic straws from being used, ever! The damage to the ocean and the ecosystem is mind blowing and so many people remain so ignorant of it. Straws are also so hard to avoid. Every time you sit down at a bar or restaurant they bring you water with a straw in before they even introduce themselves and give you a chance to say "I don't want a straw!" To try and cut down on this as much as possible I will always try and catch our server before any water is delivered to request our table doesn't have them and I carry a stainless steel straw with me everywhere in case I even want or need one (my teeth are pretty sensitive to cold!) and have a little brush to clean it with also which is super handy!
When discussing this interaction with a friend I found out the UK is planning to BAN STRAWS!! How awesome is that! Even McDonald's is on board and has begun phasing out their plastic straws, replacing them with paper ones. The UK is even going a step further to try and eliminate all single use plastics and disposables such as wet wipes that just never break down and more often than you'd hope end up in the ocean. I'm not sure I've ever felt quite so proud of a decision from Theresa May and sincerely hope this comes into effect soon! More countries should definitely adopt this measure, did you know that the amount of straws used in the US per DAY could wrap around the Earth 2.5 times??? That's 62,253 miles. Of straws. That individually are generally only around 8inches long. Mind. Blown.
When he left my desk, I sent him an email with a link to The Last Plastic Straw which is a project to eliminate all plastic straws from being used, ever! The damage to the ocean and the ecosystem is mind blowing and so many people remain so ignorant of it. Straws are also so hard to avoid. Every time you sit down at a bar or restaurant they bring you water with a straw in before they even introduce themselves and give you a chance to say "I don't want a straw!" To try and cut down on this as much as possible I will always try and catch our server before any water is delivered to request our table doesn't have them and I carry a stainless steel straw with me everywhere in case I even want or need one (my teeth are pretty sensitive to cold!) and have a little brush to clean it with also which is super handy!
When discussing this interaction with a friend I found out the UK is planning to BAN STRAWS!! How awesome is that! Even McDonald's is on board and has begun phasing out their plastic straws, replacing them with paper ones. The UK is even going a step further to try and eliminate all single use plastics and disposables such as wet wipes that just never break down and more often than you'd hope end up in the ocean. I'm not sure I've ever felt quite so proud of a decision from Theresa May and sincerely hope this comes into effect soon! More countries should definitely adopt this measure, did you know that the amount of straws used in the US per DAY could wrap around the Earth 2.5 times??? That's 62,253 miles. Of straws. That individually are generally only around 8inches long. Mind. Blown.
Monday 7 May 2018
My Introduction to Zero Waste
I've always recycled. In my house growing up that was just what we did. We did things we thought were more environmentally friendly such as walk everywhere we could and turn the lights off when we didn't need them. These things are something I took with me when I left home. Ways I thought I was helping with the ever growing concern that there are way too many people out there not caring enough about the environment or are perhaps under the illusion that using more and more of the earth's natural resources will not have a significant impact on it's future.
About 16 months ago, while searching for sustainable, fairly manufactured clothing after watching True Cost (a documentary available on Netflix about the fashion industry - if you haven't seen it add it to your list, it's eye opening!) I came across a blog by Lauren Singer called Trash is for Tossers. From there, I found Zero Waste Home and Bea Johnson. How I had not heard about her before this I do not know, and I felt awful to be so behind on something and someone who was clearing making a much bigger impact than I was. Both of these bloggers, and many others, have adopted a zero waste lifestyle where as little as possible goes to landfill. This blew my mind. There was so much they were doing that I could have been doing too. I decided right then to change as much of my life as possible to waste as little as I could. Turns out recycling is great and all, but a terrible place to stop.
These past 16 months have been a fun and sometimes extremely frustrating journey. I'm still not where I want to be (I mean, I don't even compost!) but overall I've made great strides and love living the way I do. People often ask me about zero waste and sustainability and I see small changes in their lives just because we had a conversation about something they saw me doing. Last September I started a new job where the amount of disposables used and trash produced blew my mind and honestly made me question if I could even work here. Then, instead of turning away, I stepped forward and asked if they had thought about in office composting in our building as I knew other buildings did it. They were completely surprised but amazingly receptive and now we compost, as well as recycle, all disposables we use are compostable, all our office purchases are the greener choices and all our events are 97% zero waste.
Everyone thinks that one person can't change enough to make a difference. One person is plenty.
About 16 months ago, while searching for sustainable, fairly manufactured clothing after watching True Cost (a documentary available on Netflix about the fashion industry - if you haven't seen it add it to your list, it's eye opening!) I came across a blog by Lauren Singer called Trash is for Tossers. From there, I found Zero Waste Home and Bea Johnson. How I had not heard about her before this I do not know, and I felt awful to be so behind on something and someone who was clearing making a much bigger impact than I was. Both of these bloggers, and many others, have adopted a zero waste lifestyle where as little as possible goes to landfill. This blew my mind. There was so much they were doing that I could have been doing too. I decided right then to change as much of my life as possible to waste as little as I could. Turns out recycling is great and all, but a terrible place to stop.
These past 16 months have been a fun and sometimes extremely frustrating journey. I'm still not where I want to be (I mean, I don't even compost!) but overall I've made great strides and love living the way I do. People often ask me about zero waste and sustainability and I see small changes in their lives just because we had a conversation about something they saw me doing. Last September I started a new job where the amount of disposables used and trash produced blew my mind and honestly made me question if I could even work here. Then, instead of turning away, I stepped forward and asked if they had thought about in office composting in our building as I knew other buildings did it. They were completely surprised but amazingly receptive and now we compost, as well as recycle, all disposables we use are compostable, all our office purchases are the greener choices and all our events are 97% zero waste.
Everyone thinks that one person can't change enough to make a difference. One person is plenty.
Monday 28 March 2016
The Next Step & Wedding Planning
Our visa petition has been approved!! YAY! As you know Patrick and I got engaged in November and he immediately petitioned for my fiancé visa which has now been approved! I've spent the last few weeks gathering the paperwork (copies of passport, birth certificate, passport sized photos, police certificate, application form) and I have my medical exam lined up this week and after that it's interview time. I have to say I'm a little nervous as to what the medical will be like and the interview process itself as there is very little information online but that's been the same for most of this process! We have had very little information on what happens next until that step is required and so many things hinge on other processes it's quite frustrating, but! We are nearly there!!
In fact it's less than three months until our English wedding celebration (yes we are having two! A symbolic wedding with friends and family in the UK and then a trip to the courthouse followed by a party in America) and I couldn't be more excited! We went back to England from Norway for a weekend a few weeks ago and picked out our rings and I can't wait to exchange our vows and give Patrick his ring to wear forever. We've asked our close friend and person who brought us together, Louise, to lead the English ceremony for us and we've written the working for it ourselves so it's completely personal to us. It's going to be such a wonderful day and sometimes I just wish it was tomorrow!
However once I go home to England for the six weeks before the wedding there are lots of little things to prepare to keep me occupied! My dress will be arriving into the store the week I return and then I have my fittings - pretty sure I'm not going to want to take it off!! And then I'm meeting with our photographers, having our menu tasting, arranging our seating plan and planning a sample playlist for the DJ! Plus buying some presents for special people and some finishing touches to the decorations. I heard a lot about how stressful planning a wedding can be and I think the level of stress is totally about your attitude. It's easy to get bogged down in little things that at the end of it all, aren't going to ruin your day. If you remember that the point of it all is about you and your partner joining your lives together forever and as long as you both show up on the day it's going to be perfect! Everything else is just icing on the cake - beautiful, fantastic icing of course, but icing none the less. I have to say that I honestly know our wedding is going to be the best day ever and I can not wait to spend the rest of my life with Patrick!
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