I had a gift certificate to enjoy from a local shop that specializes in sustainability with quality products and food items. (Grey Horse in Langley) What a treat that is - to have money to spend at a quality store - an indulgence with no guilt! There I discovered an interesting product that I wish to share with you. It is a reusable cup featuring coffee husk as a raw material. It looks super neat and the tactile experience of holding it is very real for me! Not only is it reusable, BPA free, dishwasher safe and has a universal lid, there is more. And although there are few options around just yet, I think this could take off. And I hope it does because it is so needed! Read on...
Huskee.swap. Cafe's that participate in their Huskee.swap will take your cup when you order, then deliver your coffee or tea order in a clean version of your cup. Imagine if we could eliminate the waxy cups and plastic lids from our favorite take out coffee stand or café! (I know it can be a pain for the barista when I say - I brought my own lid. ;-) This is an Australian company, although the cups are made in China, that is Certified B Corp. Check it out and together we can help grow something hopeful! Huskee.swap
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I hate to break it to you, but the items you order which don't work out, especially clothing that does not fit, don't necessary make it back to the warehouse to be sent out to another customer. Instead, many companies chose to throw the perfectly good items away, rather than look them over and re-enter in the inventory to be re-sold. Mostly because it is "cheaper" for them to do this. It is especially bad, like I said, within the garnet industry. The BBC reported on this with their article HERE Here is an expert...
Sarah Needham from the Centre for Sustainable Fashion at University of the Arts London says the flow of goods to customers and back to retailers is flawed both from an economic and environmental perspective. “We know that many of the products that are returned end up in landfill before we even use them which only adds to the vast amounts of used items already ending up in landfill... These products use precious resources which are becoming scarce and we are throwing them away unnecessarily,” says Needham. It turns out that returns not only create a giant carbon footprint, but a real headache for companies. That new pair of shoes you sent back, with the open box and the untied laces, needs to be handled differently to, say, a t-shirt with a rip in it. Many companies simply don’t have the technology in place to handle these nuances in returned goods, so it is often most profitable for them to sell them cheaply to discounters via a web of shipping, driving and flying them around the globe, or to simply truck them to the dump. A recent petition arrived into my email box asking Amazon to stop sending so many perfectly good returns to the landfill as reported by whistle blowers in the UK who were asked by management to destroy a staggering number of items per month. Items destroyed are not limited to clothing. We are smart and creative and I am sure a better solution can be found. What a waste of all the resources it took to make, sell, ship, and return it. Then have it add to our ever growing trash problem. In the mean time and keeping this in mind, when you order online next, please consider your options. Can you return the items yourself to a brick and morter store? Consider contacting the company about how returns are handles. Would you be willing to donate it to a local charity, thrift store, your neighbor etc. if it isn't right for you? Perhaps you can find the item locally where it is easier to return it. Do you REALLY need it? Pause and think before you hit the "place my order" button. Mother Earth and all future generations say a big THANKS when you do! Did you know? Food waste actually has a more significant impact on our environment than fossil fuels? And that you CAN make a difference?
Rotting food in our garbage cans, and then landfills, waste not only all the energy and water it took to grow, harvest, transport, sell and buy it, but it also produces methane as it rots. Methane is a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide. Human-caused greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced if we reduce wasting food (buy only what you need and can eat, freeze stuff before it goes bad, eat up leftovers etc.) and if we compost our food scraps and waste instead of tossing them into the garbage. According to the World Wildlife Fund, in the US alone, the production of lost or wasted food generates the equivalent of 32.6 million cars' worth of greenhouse gas emissions! Subpod, the makers of tools for composting and vermicomposting (worm bins) for apartment dwellers and home owners alike, is rocking the common person's ability to do something about it. They just came out with a new grow bag! I bought my daughter a worm bin for Christmas for use at her apt. But we quickly realized that the neat metal surround that she also got to place it in, make it look nice and give the worms somewhere to move about plus grow some herbs etc., was not going to work. Her patio is cement tiles, and that metal surround had no bottom! And their cedar box on legs was a little pricey for her taste, especially since she didn't know how long she would be at that apt. and it might be so heavy once filled with dirt, to move easily. Never fear! Along comes some new grow bags! They can be used to grow veggies, flowers etc., but also a subpod mini will fit inside! Happy dance! I hope you will read on and consider how you can make a big difference in reducing greenhouse gases on the planet. I am sharing this myth bust from Subpod then click the link below to read the full story: Myth: There’s no point in composting if you don’t have a garden Composting is one of the easiest ways you can cut your carbon footprint and help reduce the impact of the food waste problem. If just 1% of people living in cities worldwide started composting, it would have the same environmental impact as planting a 3.5 million acre forest. If that's not enough of an incentive alone, starting a worm farm like Subpod can even help you make a few bucks, since gardeners in your neighborhood might be willing to pay for a few bags of compost – or even some worms to get their own compost started! CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE |
AuthorBringer of Light and Love. Transformation Facilitator. Lover of Mother Earth & Nature Archives
January 2025
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