#low waste living | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

the-solarpunk-activist · 1 year

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A lot of stuff I hear in sustainability circles is oh, I still live at home what can I do?

Besties there is so much you can do.

You got chores? Dishes one of them?

You can fill up the sink with water and wash with just that. Less water than constantly running

I find that gross but my grandma does it. When I do dishes I use a jar with a drop of soap, fill it with water, and dip my scrub brush in that so I'm not wasting soap.

Dry dishes with a towel

Air dry your dishes

You can also ask if you can keep a potted plant (edible plants are bonus points) or a garden

Also bonus points if you use food scraps for a garden. That's a whole topic for another post another day but seriously look into it

Or you can trade plants with friends and neighbors

Or steal cuttings

You can wash your clothes on cold, ask if you can hang dry your clothes

You can use eco friendly laundry detergent, or just start using the actual amount needed. That stuff is so concentrated it isn't even funny

Use reusables whenever you can

Try to eat less processed foods

Try to eat more plant based

Try to limit your car trips

Take walks and pick up litter

Go to the beach and pick up litter

Bonus points for separating recyclables

Learn to repair your clothes, a basic sewing kit should be all you need for simple mends

Shop at yard sales, thrift shops, second hand, or local

Shampoo bars

Soap bars

Yes including hand soap

Weave baskets out of toilet paper rolls. No idea how you do it but I've seen it and they look pretty cool

Learn an "old fashioned" skill, like spinning yarn, canning, gardening, basket weaving, wood carving, etc

Try to be creative!! So much about Solarpunk and sustainability is about being creative with your solutions

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soniadiez · 1 year

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#zero waste #zerowaste #upcycling #reuse #reduce reuse recycle #sustainable living #sustainability #sustainable #eco friendly home #eco friendly #eco friendly ideas #low impact #eco conscius #slow living #low waste living #reduce plastic #life without plastic #plastic free #kitchen

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dumpster-divers-unite · 1 year

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Could any lovely plant ID/forager folk help me out with an ID? I’m trying to figure out what variety of Juniper this is for future reference

(Bonus points if you can spare the knowledge of if the berries are toxic; I know about the common juniper being the one for flavorings and w/e but I know this isn’t that)

(Pls be nice I’m a beginner forager ✨)

#plant #plants #plant id #forager #foraging #plant gathering #botany #botanical #juniper #juniper plant #plant id help #freegan #freeganism #low waste #low waste living #environmentallyfriendly

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urbancreative · 3 months

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Finding The Middle Path To Sustainable Urban Living

flickr

Sustainability and Urban living are often not seen as the best of friends.

As an example, in case of large metro cities, we don’t often get to choose where we live and where we work and are thus practically unable to choose the transport means with the least environmental impact which is to walk to work or not travel at all to work (work from home).

#Sustainable Living #low waste living #plastic free living #environment friendly

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thestudentfarmer · 3 months

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Good afternoon everyone~

It's cold, windy and it's been raining on and off all day but I finally got out to harvesting the sweet potatoes.

I started with the 'L' bed.

This is the bowl I'll be using to collect the spuds for this deep raised bed.

Those are full size scissors btw. This is the absolute biggest strainer I own and when I do harvesting I'm always glad to have it! Helps with carrying and washing off dirt outside so much easier!

It was pretty fun digging round for the spuds and to be honest the size and shape of some of them really suprised me!

For some size comparison, my hand is right on top of them.

All cleaned out!

Next was the little round bed in the corner. I wasn't really expecting much, but it filled the bin pretty good.

I've washed the spuds off and am letting them dry off but I'll be finding a spot inside soemwhere to let them sit and cure for a bit of time. (I probably will let them cure until end of febuary.)

Curing your sweet potatoes is what makes them sweet, you can eat them right away but their said to be bitter. (I will be trying 1 potato to see if this is true!) Curing them should be done for at least 2 week in a cool dry space (around 80*f). If you under 80*f space add 7 more days.

I thought this was neat and wanted to share it. since I've not seen a sweet potato grown or dug up before

I wasn't expecting so much differance in spud size from one single root.

And one last pic,

The ducks quite like the greens, while there's not much left of it I'm going to leave the vines a couple days so they can use it as enrichment/snack opportunity.

Weigh in on the spuds later!

🍠🌱Happy Homesteading and Harvesting!!

🌱🍠

1.11.2024

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sidewalkchemistry · 8 months

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6 Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Kitchen Sponges

Natural Cellulose Sponges, Reusable Cloth Sponges, Wooden Dish Sponges, Reusable Dish Rags, Copper Scours, Scours made from Natural Materials (eg. coconut coir)

Traditional kitchen sponges are made of a mixture of cellulose, a naturally-occurring wood fiber, and synthetic materials like polyethelene plastic mesh to provide durability and a scouring surface. This combination is what makes up the typically yellow and green colored sponges that are most commonly sold today. In addition to its mixture of natural of synthetic materials, kitchen sponges are also usually treated with antibacterial agents to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria (and then spreading it around your kitchen each time you clean). Add to this that most kitchen sponges have a lifespan of tops a few weeks – and they’re packaged in plastic – and you can see how these are not a low waste option for keeping your kitchen clean. In addition, antibacterial agents added to sponges typically include triclosan, and according to the Environmental Working Group, “the U.S. FDA advisory committee has found that household use of antibacterial products provides no benefits over plain soap and water, and the American Medical Association recommends that triclosan not be used in the home, as it may encourage bacterial resistance to antibiotics.”

#p #txt #mindful consumption #zero waste #low waste #eco friendly #eco conscious #ecofeminism #sacred spaces #solarpunk #mindful living #soft living #slow living #ethical consumption #green living #sponges #sidewalkchemistry

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oatmilck · 3 months

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some of my ‘ins’ of 2024

-wood wick or beeswax candles

-eco friendly cleaning products

-pleasure

-naturally non-caffeinated teas

-meditation & prayer

-used bookstores

-gratitude

-spending time in nature

-plastic free

-putting energy only into places and people that give good energy back

#most of these have been in for me for years but we vibe lol #oatmilck #ins and outs #aesthetic #self care #mindfulness #clean aesthetic #it girl #spiritual #angel numbers #prayer #good vibes #slow living #eco friendly #low waste

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lxndonorris · 6 months

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The face I made seeing its another sprint weekend.

#Im not saying sprints are a bad idea #Just the way its executed sucks #And its pointless #Just like triple header but I digress #Let the mechanics live their lifes #Less races and no sprints do the trick #Barely anyone I know watches them #Waste of time #Money #And life #The numbers are so low #Why bother

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beastofwant · 3 months

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guys can you help me understand the eldritch fucking logic my housing worker is on?

I have a hearing on Monday to terminate my lease on that day (Monday). My housing worker told me to, in court, ask it to be the 28th. I decided to ask my lawyer if this would be possible, and CC'd my worker on the email.

She is now claiming that she didn't ask me to change the termination date to the 28th. She is asking for the termination date to remain the same (the 12th, this upcoming Monday) but for me to move out on the 28th.

Does this make any sense to you guys

#mad scrawl #like am I just stupid. am I too low insight #am I confounded by my beastly fucking idiocy #or does 'terminate' not mean 'lease ends and you move out'#furthermore she knows all the ways this place has fucked me up and knows I'm living out of bags and knows this is a Nightmare Situation #but continues to just. push my move-out date #and not listen to me #my therapist caught her in gaslighting me #like. idk. it's insane #she's wasted my time so muchhhh

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miamicommune · 10 days

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#dreamt me and some of my friends were driving through the village i lived in as a kid and the sun was setting.#and i was taking pictures of the sun and moon which were both in shot and i had the exposure very low #and suddenly even with the low exposure there was a bright flash. and i instinctively said look away.#and we did for a few moments before glancing back. and there was a nuclear explosion on the horizon. and i said we should keep driving.#and we were within the blast zone i knew that. but it wasn't here yet so we kept going up the coast.#and finally got out as it was about to arrive. and i walked to the water's edge and sat with my feet in the esk for one last time #and it suddenly struck me as really funny that there was a chance the nuclear waste beneath the beach was the same stuff in that bomb #and when the blastwave hit we all survived but just badly burnt.#and i had the realisation that most of the people i knew hadn't. and i had the realisation that despite everything i was still alive.#and it was so horrible. and i couldn't do anything but crawl back over to the others and sob.#eventually a helicopter arrived. and i just wanted to be left there on the beach.#woke up sobbing. first time that's ever happened.

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the-solarpunk-activist · 2 years

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Here's how my grandma and I try to live a low waste lifestyle in the city

First thing is we reuse everything. We have a portion of our shelves dedicated to holding plastic food containers we have washed and are waiting to be used to hold leftovers, dried foods, as seed starting pots, etc. We also save any and all jars to hold dried herbs and food products.

Actually reuse is a big thing for us. We shop at places that use paper bags, which I then cut up to use as scrap paper for grocery lists, etc and then compost after that. We also have a small container with rubber bands from products, bread ties, etc.

If you can afford the start up costs and have the space, preserving your own food is excellent. We have a really small garden that produces a lot of food every year. My favorites are dehydrating (using a dehydrator that is at least 30 years old from back when my grandpa was into making jerky), freezing, and canning.

Also, use every bit of food. Right now in the freezer I have bags of apple cores and peeling, pear cores and peeling, and peach peels along with bags of bones and veggie scraps for broths. The fruit scraps will go towards making big batches of jelly when canning season is over. I'll probably use the pulp leftover to dehydrate and powder to add to baked goods following a success with crabapple jelly pulp. I've also made spaghetti sauce out of tomato peels. Anything rotting or absolutely unusable gets tossed in the compost.

Reusables!! Obviously in today's world you can't avoid plastic but you can reduce how much you use. We use reusable produce bags that I made out of scrap Tulle, reusable grocery bags, water bottles, ziploc bags, etc.

If you have a yard or space, composting is a big one! My grandma says she never realized how much food we tossed until we started one. You don't even have to spend money on it! I know people who use totes they drilled holes into, just toss it In a hole in their garden, etc. The one I use is an old hose winder (one of those cube ones( that broke and my work was going to toss. All I did was cut out the hose winding part and paint it pretty and it's held up for 2 years and counting so far.

Hang dry clothes. In summertime we almost exclusively dry our clothes on a line or on a clothes drying rack I found at a yard sale.

Keep your heat or ac a few degrees higher or lower depending on the season. This helps save energy being used to heat or cool your house.

Wash clothes in cool or cold water. I've been doing this for years and haven't noticed a difference.

Repair. You don't have to be a sewing genius to quickly repair a small tear, especially if it's just for household wear. A great winter time hobby to pick up when gardening season is over.

Trade! This can be as simple as hosting a clothing swap all the way up until trading items u grew/made for items they did! I barter with my coworkers all the time, just talk to them! I never would have known my coworker kept bees if she didn't really like my jellies and proposed a trade. I also trade any of my soft produce I don't have time to do anything with to my coworker with rabbits in exchange for poop for the garden.

Try to be in season from local sources such as garden stands, or just a local grocery store. One of our local farms grew bell peppers and was selling then 2 for a dollar! So we stocked up and dehydratedand froze lots of peppers for winter stews

Blended pumpkin guts makes an excellent pumpkin puree, even if you're just adding little bits of it to your dog's food :)

You can freeze a lot of stuff! Leftover spaghetti sauce, pumpkin puree, etc can all be frozen in a muffin pan and then put in bags for future use!

Forage! I personally mostly forage for greens and a few mushrooms I am confident in my ability in but that still bulks up your food supply as well as medicine supply! I made a salve using bartered beeswax and spring purple dead nettle and summer plantain (and some tea tree EO) for cuts and scrapes and it works miracles! My coworkers love it as well as friends and family

We really try to live by the waste not, want not and use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without phrases. Just figure out what works best for the life you live! Be creative!

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soniadiez · 1 year

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#kitchen #slowfood #grandmacore #autumn cottage #cottagecharm #cottage living #cottage core #cottage vibes #cozy #low waste living

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thebirdandhersong · 2 years

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sorry marvel grumbling below

not to be like.... gross..... but GROSS. Why is it that objectifying, ridiculing, and (to use an overused word) oppressing men is fine in real life and storytelling nowadays (source of comedy, even), and why is it okay for a female character to openly speculate about someone else's (a STRANGER'S) intimate life?? Why is Steve's virginity such a source of Interest and Obsession, like that's a pitiable or pathetic thing?? and WHY is the Fleabag-Captain Marvel-Netflix Anne Elliot model the template for most female characters now???

#this is about she hulk please ignore i am simply Beyond Exasperated #i just think this is a very low view of womanhood and a very narrow scope of what makes a good and complex character #and marvel's constant jabs at Steve are really.... something....... like that whole bit in civil war about him not liking foul language #and now This #hollywood...... you DO know that the obsession/degradation/lack of sacredness/shallowness you put on sex IS the problem right.... right..??#or at least ADDS to the problem anyhow. i don't really understand why it has to be steve in particular (a Christian character who is all #about virtue and defending the weak and doing the right thing) who keeps getting rained down on #but i suppose that's been extended to other male characters too. such as thor #in the same manner i've decided to disregard all the marvel mini series non-canonical i am also Not Seeing what they added in she hulk #as far as i'm concerned steve is a Christian character who observes and honours the seventh commandment #and should NOT be ridiculed or criticised for his morals beliefs and life choices #(screenwriters.... you know.... it isn't a 'waste' for someone to not have sex in their lives ever.... life is not about sex..........)

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antinausea · 1 year

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diabetes tech is so annoying sometimes like dont get me wrong i love my dexcom & my tslim and im very very thankful that i have them and i understand its a privilege to have access to advanced medical technology

but a lot of the built-in “safeguards” are really annoying and frankly unnecessary for most adults. why is my ability to make my own medical decisions being infringed upon by the manufacturers of the devices that are supposed to be assisting us in our care? why can’t i override or change certain settings if i acknowledge the risk associated with that choice?

#why does dexcom put banners i have to swipe away on top of my maps while i drive even though i have it set to temporary banners only?#why does my tslim have an alarm i can’t turn off that overrides my vibrate setting that goes off every 5 minutes at an extremely loud volume #when my cartridge is empty?#im an adult if i determine it is not urgent to refill my cartridge i shouldnt be punished with alerts i cannot snooze for more than 5 mins.#all of my alerts are set to vibrate only. this one is apparently not affected by that setting. it goes off every 5 minutes.#my blood sugar has been low enough for the past hour that my basal would be automatically set to 0 if there was insulin in my pump 🙄🙄🙄#also its wasteful for me to change my cartridge before its empty? its expensive given the cost of insulin and pump supplies?#like i understand it’s probably to protect the company from liability and litigation if someone doesnt refill their cartridge and goes into #DKA and/or dies but as an adult i should at least have the option to snooze it for more than 5 minutes or have it set to vibrate only when #im not asleep or something?????#what if i have a work meeting and ran out of time to change it beforehand??? is my only option to turn off my pump completely until i can #refill it?#what if i was in an earthquake and my cell phone died and my reservoir was empty but i still wanted to use my pump as a dexcom reciever?#do i and everyone around me during an emergency just have to suffer?#what about school shootings. or any situation where someone needs to hide from a dangerous person?#its just inconsiderate of the REALITY of the fact that people with diabetes live real lives that dont 1000000% revolve exclusively around #their diabetes every minute of every day until we die #its condescending and paternalistic and frankly doesnt prevent harm from befalling us.

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thestudentfarmer · 7 months

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Kitchen post today~

With prices being what they are I like a good deal on groceries when I can find it. Sometimes that leads me to buying large quantities of things.

This week the local scratch n dent market had 5 pound bags of golden potatos on sale, 2 for $4. We like potatos so I snagged a few bags. Since i had 2 from last week's groceries I decided to pick through them all.

I tossed a few rotten ones and sorted out the good from the ones getting on the going side. The good ones I put up in a storage tote (a cooking pot for now) for later cooking.

These ones are the contenders for the weekly meal/freezer prep. They had some funny or funky spots, things that can be cut off and thrown away or in the compost. I clean them after washing them well.

As a heads up, it's not suggested to feed chickens raw potatoes. So leave anything with raw potato bits in the trash or the compost bin.

The bad bits.

If you feel need to you can wash them up again. I move to peeling after words.

I save the peels for breakfast potatoes, or to make soup.

A few peeled spuds.

Afterwords, depending on how many potatoes needed to be processed will decide what im making. This time I had enough potatoes to do cubed potatoes and hashbrown potatoes.

Cube potatoes, then blanch them till all Dante in a pot. (Not quite to mash potatoes softness, but not crunchy.)

Drain, cool quickly. (If your into water conservation, save the water for your plants once cooled) I cool till just under warm and lay them out to drain/dry a bit.

Then take a pan and lay out a clean kitchen towel on it. Pour dry potatoes on and place in freezer till frozen.

Store in container and use like regular frozen potatoes.

Moving to hashed potatoes

Similar to the cubed potatoes except I grated them.

I like to destarch my potatoes a little so I do a soak for about an hour, drain and then blanch.

I did about 5 minutes to blanch the hash, every couple minutes fish out a peice and test it to see if it's crunchy or just firm. Drain, cool asap.

Lay out to drain and dry a bit.

Lay towel on baking sheet. Place drained hashed potatoes on top. Place in freezer and freeze a few hours.

When frozen package up. Date and use as necessary :)

Other potato freezing/preserving resources

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-to-freeze-potatoes

https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/dehydrate-potatoes-for-various-uses-zbcz1507/

🥔🌱Happy Homesteading!🌱🥔

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sidewalkchemistry · 4 months

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more eco-friendly holiday decor ideas than a large plastic tree shrouded in non-biodegradable ornaments

try to reuse & craft as much decor elements as you're able

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