After reading (and highlighting) this book, it has changed the way I think about food, resources, and trash. I will not contribute to water bottles or plastic bags ever again. I have told myself to start eating better so I can lose weight, but that was not working. Now, I will eat better for my planet.
This post was submitted by Roxy Murray.
When you say no to disposable culture and invest in more permanent products you take less trips to the store, which saves time and money, and eliminate the waste you generate. Here are a few of the simple lifestyle changes that have made a big difference in the way I consume:
- Carry reusable bags in your car all the time and use them at ALL stores. Ever notice how much trash you have to throw away after a trip to the grocery store (packaging, tons of small plastic bags, receipts, etc.)?
- Stop using the little plastic bags in the produce section. Put your fruit & veggies straight into your cute cloth bags or ask “does this vegetable that I’m going to wash & peel really need to be transported in it’s own plastic wrap?”
- Give up paper towels. Seriously, you won’t miss paying for them, using them, or carrying the huge bulk pack home. Invest in more kitchen towels, use old t-shirts as cleaning rags, get pretty cloth napkins.
- Use cloth bags to buy from bulk bins when you purchase food such as beans, rice, nuts, etc. instead of buying from a box or can. When you get home, transfer the food into glass canisters & jars (I save all glass jars from pasta sauce, pickles, etc., remove the labels, and wash them for this very purpose).
-Invest in a sturdy set of tupperware (all different sizes) so you never have to buy plastic baggies again. I use my tupperware for everything from sandwiches to pre-portioned homemade trail mix. Best of all it can go in the freezer, oven, and dishwasher.
-If you order take out or delivery, save the plastic containers and utensils to reuse. Let the restaurant know if there is anything you won’t use, such as ketchup or napkins. They’ll appreciate saving their product & you’ll appreciate not wasting.
-Buy larger bottles of items such as shampoo in order to save money and generate less waste
-Lastly, choose your stores wisely. Every shopping trip and every brand selection is a ballot cast. Make sure you are voting for the company that respects your health and values.
This post was submitted by Destiny.
My friend lachlan and I have been thinking about no impact project.We decided to have no wrappers at school and instead have reuseable containers for our lunchs. At home we have also been useing no technologie, walking to school, no takeaway, no luxary shopping walk our dogs, playing board games, no tv and heapps more. Also at school we have also been useing least power.Tommorow we will have a class bike ride, WE feel very proud and it was loads of fun.
Sincerely Paula and Lachlan.
This post was submitted by paula.
this week 5/6C havr been doing a no impact week.we have been having naked lunches and not watching much tv.we have been walking to school Shannon has been using an eski to cool her food.Bridget has been having 3 minute showers with no heater or fan.we have been collecting water from our showers and then watering the plants.Shannon has been washing her clothes in the bath by stomping on them.we have been turning off our power and using candlelight.
This post was submitted by bridshan.
Hi it’s Chelsea and Nikita from Yinnar primary school. This week we have had a no impact week in our grade! the things that this involves are turning off all the lights in our classroom, having nude snacks and lunches, bringing in refillable waterbottles, composting our scraps and feeding them to the our worm farm, we are not allowed to bring any packaging to school, ride or walk to school instead of driving and doing the huff and puff course around the school to keep us fit. We have also created a list of things to do at home such as turning the tv off at the powerpoint, no internet, no electronics, using candlelight, doing more things outside, using your idea of washing our clothes in the bath, no aerosols and sooo much more! Tomorrow our grade is hosting a bike ride where we will ride our bikes around and have some clean green fun!
Sincerely Chelsea and Nikita!
This post was submitted by chelnicka.
this week at school we have been having naked lunches and tuning the lights off also we he have been trying to ride to school and at home we have been tyring not to have any takeaway also saving as much power as possible we hope we can keep these habit for a long time and hopefully we made a difference.
This post was submitted by save the treeeeeeeeeeeeees.
this week jess and i have been contributing in no impact week its where our class is trying to save the environment some things we have been doing is riding or walking to and from school, bringing naked lunches, no internet,no electronic games or devises,less than 3 minute showers and lots more
This post was submitted by brit and jess.
I’ve been making my own cleaning and personal care products for about a year. My favorite is a fabric cleaner/freshener. Here is the recipe:
1 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup alcohol
2 tablespoons baking soda
50 drops essential oil (I like lavender for the scent and it’s also antimicrobial!)
Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle (there will be some foaming action with the baking soda and vinegar) and spray liberally! Works great on carpet! I sometimes use it as an all-purpose cleaner in a pinch.
Other favorite thing: I use Dr. Bronners castille soap for just about everything: Hand soap, shampoo, shampooing carpets, bathing my dog ect. I do not recommend for dishes!
My husband and I are doing the No Impact Experiment in a week and I’m excited to see what lasting changes we can make.
This post was submitted by Jenna.
I use oranges shells to mop the floor.
You just have to boil them, and you save money and recycle!
This post was submitted by Alejandra .
Food waste - from fields and oceans, to stores and restaurants, to individual purchases and homes - is a huge contributor to climate change and other environmental problems, and equally a huge opportunity to turn things around. In November I started logging, on a whiteboard on my home refrigerator, every bit of wasted food, by type of food, date, and reason wasted.
Surprise - my household food waste has already gone down, I’m buying smarter (and a bit less), my fridge is less crowded, and I’m approaching cooking dinner more as a puzzle to solve (what can I make with what’s here) and less as an onerous chore. Somehow logging food waste has engaged my “game mind” - it’s a lot more fun than I would have expected. I feel satisfaction when I see that I haven’t written an “entry” for days, sort of like scoring points.
My husband and I already compost food scraps and some other organic waste, and use the rich dark compost in our garden. But there’s no reason to feed “our friends the micro-organisms and worms” expensive food gone bad!
Logging food waste is something almost anyone can do, for a week or indefinitely. I’m curious how my log will look a few months into 2013.
This post was submitted by Janet Weil.