Yes yes it is almost that time and I am already tired of the commercials and ads for back to school. So here are my tips to go back to class with eco-friendly products and reducing your footprint!!
1) Look through all your old pens, pencils, glue sticks and rulers. Chances are you already bought enough last year that you have enough left-overs for this year! I know I have enough! Also, coordinate with others in your house that might have some extra products you might need. And even buying things in bulk if multiple roomates/family members need the same thing. For me, living in a house with a teacher, an artist, and another student, I'm more than positive my BTS bill will come to no more than $20. Look at old binders and duotangs and if they aren't ripped, they are still good! BTS fashion isn't worth buying new ones that just have a jazzy design.
2) Look for eco-friendly products. Ones that are made from almost 100% recycled materials, are biodegradable, or have reduced their waste in the making of the product. Some companies I would recommend are New Leaf Paper and Buffalo Natur
3) BTS clothes - recently I have found the gems of Value Village and Winners. While VV is a 2nd hand shop (re-using!) Winners isn't but it gets shipped all the extras from other stores and companies so it's kind of like "saving" the clothes from the garbage dump lol. I recognize that it is a gamble going to stores where they might not have exactly what you want in your size but I was able to find all my tops there while shopping for my bottoms at regular stores, I think it is a good compromise as bottoms need to be a bit more specific :P
Happy shopping! Happy school-ing!
lovelove
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Lotsa Magazines! DIY
One of the most popular DIY recycled things I have stumbled upon recently has been recycles magazines/junk mail turned into photos frames and mirror frames. Apparently this all stemmed from Urban Outfitters and there has been a blast of support for this kind of combination between recycling and style!
There are lots of sites that tell you hot to make these hot style frames and here is one I like (because I like pictures :P): Wonder How To
Once you have untapped the wonders of rolled magazines there is an endless amount of things you can do with them! One company has fastened these magazine rolls so beautifully and made so many things! Check out Green Veranda and get your diy gloves on ;)
lovelove
There are lots of sites that tell you hot to make these hot style frames and here is one I like (because I like pictures :P): Wonder How To
Once you have untapped the wonders of rolled magazines there is an endless amount of things you can do with them! One company has fastened these magazine rolls so beautifully and made so many things! Check out Green Veranda and get your diy gloves on ;)
lovelove
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Morning coffee
It it appropriate for me to point out the obvious eco-friendly and fair trade solutions to coffee as it is the second most traded commodity in the world (second only to oil)! Yes I know your one or two (ok fine two or three) cups of coffee a day don't seem like much and how are you, one sole person, going to change the world by changing your coffee routine? I think the magnitude of coffee being the second most traded commodity in the world might make you feel less helpless :)
By now I know you fellow green-ers and fairtrade enthusiasts take care to buy fair trade coffee and bring your own mug around with your instead of paper cups :) but another way to help out (and save money!!) is to brew your own coffee at home. You can then make sure that the coffee you are making is 100% fairtrade (I'm convinced that coffee shops sometimes forget to mark fair trade or not and signs are easily interchanged). It can save on paper waste, gas waste, plastic waste the list goes on! Another eco-friendly and healthier option for making coffee at home is to buy unbleached coffee filters. Trust humans to bleach something white just for aesthetic purposes eh? The coffee filters we all know are chemically treated to be white and therefore you are accumulating chemicals in your body and the earth. Another option is re-usable coffee filters which are now able to be purchased or made (score diy!).
On the fair trade coffee front I IMPLORE you to buy fair trade coffee as it makes SUCH a big difference in these people's lives. I am in the middle of reading Javatrekker thanks to a friend and I have to say, so far, I am converted. The author travels around everywhere interacting and helping people to start their own sustainable fair trade coffee co-op and his company roasts them! This is big because the roasters are the ones who make the big bucks in the middle and nothing goes to the people who actually harvested them (see Black Gold) You can buy this man's coffee on Dean's Beans. Another great resource is a documentary called Black Gold which I found at my local movie store.
So now that I have shared my coffee stories with you, I must finish my own cup. Salud!
lovelove
By now I know you fellow green-ers and fairtrade enthusiasts take care to buy fair trade coffee and bring your own mug around with your instead of paper cups :) but another way to help out (and save money!!) is to brew your own coffee at home. You can then make sure that the coffee you are making is 100% fairtrade (I'm convinced that coffee shops sometimes forget to mark fair trade or not and signs are easily interchanged). It can save on paper waste, gas waste, plastic waste the list goes on! Another eco-friendly and healthier option for making coffee at home is to buy unbleached coffee filters. Trust humans to bleach something white just for aesthetic purposes eh? The coffee filters we all know are chemically treated to be white and therefore you are accumulating chemicals in your body and the earth. Another option is re-usable coffee filters which are now able to be purchased or made (score diy!).
On the fair trade coffee front I IMPLORE you to buy fair trade coffee as it makes SUCH a big difference in these people's lives. I am in the middle of reading Javatrekker thanks to a friend and I have to say, so far, I am converted. The author travels around everywhere interacting and helping people to start their own sustainable fair trade coffee co-op and his company roasts them! This is big because the roasters are the ones who make the big bucks in the middle and nothing goes to the people who actually harvested them (see Black Gold) You can buy this man's coffee on Dean's Beans. Another great resource is a documentary called Black Gold which I found at my local movie store.
So now that I have shared my coffee stories with you, I must finish my own cup. Salud!
lovelove
Friday, August 6, 2010
ORGANIZATION! Eco-friendly
Being the organization freak that I am, I went on the hunt for a new agenda for the end of summer and school in September. And when I say hunt, I mean it quite literally. I am very picky about agendas. They need to look a certain way, be spiral bound, be about half the size of an 8 ½ by 11 piece of paper, be colourful, and durable for being the “goes everywhere with me” kind of book. Needless to say I had already looked for one and left empty handed.
However I succeeded last night! A recent favourite and dangerous place for me and my boyfriend to go to has been Chapters. Just ask my Visa. They have some pretty awesome agendas though and I found a 100% RECYCLED 16 month agenda there for $15. The company is called ecojot and I think I am in love. They not only make their journals, notebooks, calendars etc out of 100% recycled paper products but it is made in Canada (no sweatshop!) AND the have a “buy one give one” policy that gives notebooks away to schools in developing countries when you purchase one! (Unfortunately not agendas but I will keep them in mind when I need a notebook or journal). They also use a plethora or eco-friendly options when making their products and they just basically make my heart smile a bit.lovelove
Clauses
Happy that I finally put my recent thoughts down on a digital journal, I realize that there are a few clauses to my new eco-friendly and fairtrade conscience which I have to admit to :(
Mainly transportation. I recently moved back home (yay being broke!) to a small suburb in the west end of ottawa which means I need to now commute to my downtown university and job for the next few months. Normally I take the bus or drive and yes, this is not very environmentally friendly. I play soccer and visit friends during the week and weekends via my shared car with my sister sooo my bad on this front. Although I will attempt to take the bus more often as a sign of respect for my new blog :)
Also a problem with transportation is I LOVE traveling! Montreal and Toronto are going to be frequent destinations this coming year to visit friends and attend some uber cool conferences (let' go global fair in Toronto in September!) to enrich my mind and networking circle :P But planes and trains will probably also be in the forecast as I want to go into international health for my career.
Another area I must account for is the possible contradiction between my humanitarian attempts at fair trade and supporting international cooperatives and shopping local. I am a fan of websites selling artisan wears from around the globe and yes that does mean shipping it and yes more transportation costs but I like supporting local areas I have worked in and cooperatives looking to increase their independence and income!
Hopefully I will be able to work with my family and friends to try and limit any more clauses! Cheers to a new way of life!
lovelove
Mainly transportation. I recently moved back home (yay being broke!) to a small suburb in the west end of ottawa which means I need to now commute to my downtown university and job for the next few months. Normally I take the bus or drive and yes, this is not very environmentally friendly. I play soccer and visit friends during the week and weekends via my shared car with my sister sooo my bad on this front. Although I will attempt to take the bus more often as a sign of respect for my new blog :)
Also a problem with transportation is I LOVE traveling! Montreal and Toronto are going to be frequent destinations this coming year to visit friends and attend some uber cool conferences (let' go global fair in Toronto in September!) to enrich my mind and networking circle :P But planes and trains will probably also be in the forecast as I want to go into international health for my career.
Another area I must account for is the possible contradiction between my humanitarian attempts at fair trade and supporting international cooperatives and shopping local. I am a fan of websites selling artisan wears from around the globe and yes that does mean shipping it and yes more transportation costs but I like supporting local areas I have worked in and cooperatives looking to increase their independence and income!
Hopefully I will be able to work with my family and friends to try and limit any more clauses! Cheers to a new way of life!
lovelove
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Welcome!
Inspired as I always am after returning from a summer volunteering adventure (Hero Holiday) I have decided to blog my future challenges and adventures as I try to live nicer. And by nicer I mean being nicer to the planet, nicer to local artisans and shops, and nicer to the people who make the products I consume (fair-trade!). This is quite honestly an experiment and a challenge to myself to see how hard it is to change my ways and learn to shop smarter (and less!) as well as a hopeful attempt to prove that we can ALL live this way by critically thinking, being a little creative and caring about what kind of imprint we leave in this world. I also hope to be a little bit of an activist along the way by the things I learn and read! Everyone needs some rebellious anti-corporation activities once in a while :)
So welcome to my blog! I hope the things I read about, learn about, create and stumble upon help inspire you as well!
lovelove
So welcome to my blog! I hope the things I read about, learn about, create and stumble upon help inspire you as well!
lovelove
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