Tag: environment

Lifestyle, Nature, Recycle Less

Recycle Less: The Elastic Band Hack

by natjtanLeave a Comment on Recycle Less: The Elastic Band Hack

The elastic band hack for twisty lids on jars you can’t open! 

Sometimes twisty lids are so tight on jars they won’t open with cloth or a towel over the lid for grip. I’ve no idea how this idea came to me. Maybe from ads years ago for silicone discs placed over lids for extra grip to open. Place a 5mm wide elastic band over the outside of the lid, twist, viola 9/10 the lid opens. 

Lids for beans, chickpeas etc I give the lid a tap/bang on the side of the counter. Lids like peanut butter, kombucha bottles that have more groove twists (is that the right terminology for those lids?!) an elastic band works better. It also works on under the sink plumping when you have to clean out all the gunk, shudder. The trap deposit thing can be on there tight.

Elastic bands can be free too. Save the ones that come on vegetable bundles. While I don’t eat asparagus anymore after reading how much of a water intensive crop it is, diverting water from the locals who need it (I chose avocados instead. I know just as bad for water. I decided I could only have one of the two. I don’t miss asparagus), most of the wider elastic bands I have stashed are from asparagus. I understand how elastic bands for farms to bundle lettuces, kale, more leafy vegetables together quickly and easily for sale, but I’d wish they’d find a more eco alternative. I have heaps of thin elastic bands from those kale bundles I don’t know what to do with. When you see how elastic bands are made, you think twice before throwing them out. You can’t put them in the recycling and while it’s made from a sustainable source, rubber, the plantations or new plantations contribute to tropical deforestation as it’s a quick cash crop due to the demand for rubber for tyres. For something so small and throwaway it has a huge environmental cost. Birds can mistake them for worms feeding them to their young, animals can choke on them, the bands can get wrapped around beaks, mouths, legs, paws and end up in the sea where they’re mistaken for food again.

Do you throw out elastic bands, reuse, repurpose them or just keep them in that kitchen drawer like me?

Lifestyle, Recycle Less

Recycle Less: September Challenge. Did I Do It?

by natjtan2 Comments on Recycle Less: September Challenge. Did I Do It?

Last Month in Fast Fashion’s Inditex Join Life Label and My September Challenge I set myself a September Challenge. Aside from gym leggings and socks not to buy any other item clothing for the month of September instead shopping my wardrobe. Did I do it?

Technically yes. Technically no. 

Technically yes: I did get a pair of gym leggings and much needed socks. Socks can be expensive! I prefer Decathlon invisible trainer socks for the gym, running and everyday socks and while they’re cheapish €4.99 for 2 pairs, 6 packs add up.  

If we’re going calendar dates from ‘money’ to ‘money’ I did more or less do the challenge. If going full calendar month from the 1st to the 30th no. I’m not a zodiac monkey for nothing. 

Technically no: I did get a hoodie under the pretence of teaching classes when it gets colder. However as for now it’s the only decent looking jumper I have until a coat or jacket hides jumpers, I’ve been using it as a regular hoodie. Naughty Nat. 

My Mum every year gives my sister and I winter coat money, although we can use it for what ever we want. I always forget every year she does and trust me my sister and I buy coats, shoes or bras with it. I usually wear a winter coat for 2 winters with the money covering a coat and maybe a bra or pair of shoes. It wasn’t my intention to get an in-between autumn and winter and in between winter and spring jacket. I saw one and decided it would break up being dressed all in black when short puffer jacket season starts. Buy it now before when I need it for when I can only find big winter coats. I’ll be shopping for a big non down winter coat then anyway. So, this is a grey area under my Mum’s saying if you see it, get it, as you might not see it again along with another of her’s it’s only a bargain if you need it.

Continue reading “Recycle Less: September Challenge. Did I Do It?” →
Lifestyle, Nature, Recycle Less

Fast Fashion’s Inditex Join Life label and My September Challenge

by natjtan3 Comments on Fast Fashion’s Inditex Join Life label and My September Challenge

Fast fashion is one of the world’s number one environmental polluters from the amount of water used in crops and production, pesticides growing crops, petroleum extraction for man made fibres, water pollution from dyes used, poor working conditions and pay of those in the garment industries and unworn or barely worn clothes going straight to landfill. 

I’m no angel when it comes to clothes. I shop at Zara, H&M, Oysho, Pull and Bear, Fabletics none of which are known to be the most environmentally friendly businesses. I have a budget for clothes and always try to get the best quality I can. Over the past few years I’ve been buying less clothes. Winters are easier than summers. Normally my summer clothes only last a season, two if I’m lucky. I live in Spain so it gets hot, but I cycle everywhere, I swim (more dip in the sea), I wear a rucksack, clothes and fibres get ruined quickly with sweat, sunscreen, salt water, abrasion from cycling and my rucksack. Summer clothes aren’t meant for cycling or rucksacks however cycling’s my transport and I’m not taking a change of clothes with me. I try to choose carefully clothes I think will last more than a few washes and try to get basic colours or a few colour tops. Summer though I like colour and wear those t-shirts or bottoms out. More expensive doesn’t always mean better quality either.

I noticed last year Zara started basics in organic cotton with this year a much bigger change in Indtiex brands, such as Zara, Pull and Bear, Zara Home and Oysho to name a few. They have a Join Life label which explain how much of the item is either made with organic cotton, recycled polyester, recycled polyamide, recycled cotton or water used. Garments produced under the Join Life label use better processes and more sustainable raw or recycled materials. 

All items produced under this label have to ensure suppliers achieved A or B in social audits. All wet process factories such as tanneries, laundries, printing, dying suppliers have to score A or B classifications and pass environmental assessments. In addition products manufactured using raw materials or production techniques have to be of environmental excellence. 

The Join Life label is split further into 3 categories according to their website:

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Lifestyle, Recycle Less

What I Learnt Hand Washing For 6 Weeks

by natjtan2 Comments on What I Learnt Hand Washing For 6 Weeks

Leave it to my washing machine to have a breakdown in a lockdown. For various reasons I didn’t via the landlord get a new machine until a few weeks ago, making in about 6-7 weeks of hand washing. With my 6-7 weeks experience of hand washing I’m sharing what I learnt manually washing clothes, towels and linen. Exciting huh?!

Source Giphy

Washing machines revolutionised the world. They free up time. They do the dirty hard work. All you have to do is pop the load in the machine, press a few buttons, leave it to do it’s thing, you go do other stuff until it bleeps all done, either air dry every thing or tumble dry. Done. I line dry which requires:

Timing. I couldn’t wring all the water out. It’s physically impossible. Not even a washing machine can unless it tumble dries too. I had to check the weather a few days ahead to plan laundry days for drying on the balcony. Thankfully I have a bath and the washing rack fitted in the bath to catch the run off. However leaving like that overnight nothing dried. I could have put a towel underneath the rack and let it air dry in the living room, but that would result in parquet water damage. Thankfully there were only a couple of stormy days and I wasn’t wearing much. Clothes were on repeat in lockdown and it was mostly lounge clothes. No pretty outfits. 

I already hand wash my bras so I thought I had how to hand wash down. Nope. You need buckets. A few buckets. I already had a bucket and salad spinner for help drying my bras (trust me. It’s a game changer!) but soon realised I need another. Thankfully my local big supermarket, the cleaning bucket isle wasn’t tapped off out of bounds. With 3 buckets, bowls I learnt:

You have to run an little bath with liquid (preferably environmentally friendly laundry detergent. I use magnesium balls (I use another brand) learning buying the gentlest for sensitive skin liquid detergent again is expensive) then add the clothes. Rather than dump them all in, each individual item you swish around a little, rub fabric together to start to lift dirt, repeat a few times like how a machine does. When all the items are in, swish them around some more. I found with towels I had, dump the water and start again with the detergent. One ‘wash’ wasn’t enough. I then left them overnight for the detergent to I dunno, lift anything else with enzymes. That was the easy part.

Source Giphy

Rinsing is the harder part. I’m dreading the next water bill. Although it’ll be interesting to see if hand washing vs washing machine uses more water. To ensure all the detergent is removed you have to rinse, rinse, rinse baby. I found the easiest way again was individually as each item and type of fabric holds the detergent at different rates. Cotton Continue reading “What I Learnt Hand Washing For 6 Weeks” →

Lifestyle, Photography, Travel

Nerdy Stuff You Notice Travelling. Information Signs California

by natjtan1 Comment on Nerdy Stuff You Notice Travelling. Information Signs California

It’s amazing the things you notice travelling outside your natural habitat. One thing that stood out for me on holiday earlier this year in California was the information signs.

Signs I’d seen a million times in photos and on TV in a pinch me moment I’m seeing in person. Universal information signs that need no words, but sometimes leave you guessing optical illusions or alternate different meanings. The for real am I here info signs? Or anywhere in the USA if you live outside of the USA. The psychology behind them. Knowing most people look down or only a little ahead walking. The grammar’s different too. I find the USA English uses a more formal language with signs than UK English making them seem at times a little old fashioned and proper.  

One of my favourite signs that caught my eye were No Dumping signs next to road drains. I’m a sucker for animal designs so of course I noticed these. I think every town has a different design. I didn’t get all train spotting looking out for them. Just when I came across them.

San Francisco Continue reading “Nerdy Stuff You Notice Travelling. Information Signs California” →