Wrap it up

My friend Naomi gave me an incredible gift! It's a beeswax food wrap! They are the perfect replacement for using plastic on your left overs, or to put over a bowl to transport. The plastic is virtually impossible to reuse and recycle (unless I'm wrong and you can recycle them) which means every time you use them  you have to throw it out and it goes right to the landfill and could end up in the ocean killing fish. Which sucks.

These come in three sizes. Large, medium, and small. The largest size is 13" by 13" and the smallest is 7" by 7". They are a good range of sizes. I have yet to see how they work and if 3 is enough.

They are made with beeswax, tree resin, jojoba oil, infused into a hemp and organic cotton cloth. All natural ingredient acting like a second peel for my food keeping it fresh. They last about a year with proper care, and once they are worn out I can compost them! I feel much better using this product on my food then plastic.

Also they smell really nice.

Clothes

Hi my name is Bronwyn and I am insecure. Who isn't? Maybe if I talk about it then other people will be more comfortable talking about it and we can all lift each other up. Also I wear clothes.

Originally this post was just about clothes. When you have a lot of clothes you can look at a jammed closet and not be able to find a outfit. Which means descending into the endless cycle of "I have nothing to wear." Then going out to get more clothes so you have something to wear but then just putting those clothes into an already crowded closet. Then the next morning you have the same conundrum. Everything sucks and you have spent a lot more money and don't have a beautiful functional wardrobe. I had this problem and it was compounded by a deep sense of insecurity. Because I had so many clothes I could never put together something that fit me nicely, went together, or made me feel comfortable. So I got upset with myself. My insecurity about myself wasn't just about clothes but this sure didn't help

I am learning that my insecurity does not reflect my worth. It is not what I think about myself that matters. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am a ghost inside a machine. My body is not my beauty. These are the things I tell myself when I get myself down. I also know that faith without works is dead. If I just say these things and do nothing then insecurity with overcome me and crowd my thought life. I've learned to do tangible things to help me. For example one time I dyed my hair pink. In short it was a lesson in looking at myself differently.

I applied the same concept of looking at my hair differently to looking at my clothes and wardrobe differently.

I dyed my hair to remind myself that I am art. That my hair is not a signal of my worth as a woman. I had a tangible reminder of that for awhile and now I look at the mirror and remember the lesson of my pink hair. I adjusted how I viewed that portion of myself. I have felt the need to work on my clothes for a long time. So I purged them. I followed the Kon Mari method loosely. Holding each item and deciding whether it sparked joy or not. What didn't spark joy I donated. It ended up being garbage bags full of clothes that didn't fit, or I bought when I was sad that I didn't have enough clothes, or that I bought to impress people. Like my hair I decided to think of my clothes as art. Not only when they are hanging in the closet but when they are hanging on me. I am aligning every part of myself with my values.

All this to say now I own less clothes. Its the simplest solution I found to my problem. I was stressed out every morning by having too many options, I couldn't pick a outfit that was comfortable to me, and I got frustrated and felt insecure. It was not cool. When I moved home from Manitoba I got donated most of the clothes I had. Again when I was getting ready to move into the apartment with josh. And again a couple of weeks ago. Each time I do I shed a layer of choice. I shed clothes that don't suit me. That don't make me feel comfortable. I keep items that 'spark joy'. These items go well with other items in my wardrobe. I chose a colour palette that I loved: greys, blacks, blues, dark greens, stripes, and plaids. Colours and patterns that I love. I want to adorn my thought life with things that I love and I want to dress the same way.

Excluding work out clothes, pjs, and jackets I now own 60ish items of clothing.

Besides alleviating my frustration and insecurity it helps me in other ways. I no longer shop in quantity. Old habit: walk to value village and buy some clothes that don't fit well or that just were not me in order to feel better about myself and not actually addressing the real problem. New habit: have fewer items of clothing and only buy high quality things that fit me beautifully and make me feel pretty and comfy. This saves me money. Instead of buying a whole bunch of unnecessary items I'll only buy things that I know I need and that will add value into my life. Not only that but with my closet less jam packed looking at it causes me less stress. I can easily see everything and I know what does with what.

Hi my name is Bronwyn and I am insecure, but I am working on it. Beginning with how I look at my clothes.

I Like Clean Clothes and I Cannot Lie

My sisters are a wellspring of information and ideas for me in this blog. G suggested I try using soap nuts for my laundry. I looked up some options on amazon but couldn't justify the cost and the shipping and I didn't know if they would work. So I didn't get them. Which was a bit of a bummer because I was using some laundry pods that Josh and I had left over, and I was feeling weird about the A) amount of trash and B) having no idea what was in them. I was still very interested in figuring out a good swap for my laundry.

I have a small wardrobe so taking care of the few clothes that I do have is very important to me. Using laundry pods didn't feel in line with being a good steward of my possessions.

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Today I went to bulk barn to pick up some pasta and a shampoo/conditioner soap bar that comes without any packaging. While I was looking at the soap I found some soap nuts right by them! They were a bit cheaper then the ones on amazon, I didn't have to pay shipping, and I didn't have to wait for them to come! In order to use soap nuts you need a small bag, which I didn't have. Lo and behold right beside the shampoo bar was some soap nut bags for less then a dollar! Best day ever!

My only concern is that I won't like the smell, or it won't fully clean my clothes, or that it will just be super annoying. I did a test run with some towels and it turned out amazing! It smelled lovely and was beautifully clean. I am really happy about it! Even better is that I can easily compost the soap nuts once I have used them up. I can also compost the bag I have my soap nuts in if it wears out. My building will be getting a composting system soon and I plan on taking full advantage of that.

There are a few downsides to using soap nuts. You have to wash in hot water, which uses more energy then washing. in cold water. It is also requires smaller loads in the wash, it really doesn't matter to me currently because my washer is so small but for someone with a larger washing machine that may be annoying. Some people said that the soap nuts left stains on their clothes. I will keep you updated about how they work .

I am very excited about my laundry set up. I use wool dryer balls in my dryer to reduce the amount of trash I would be making if I used dryer sheets. Which is also less expensive then dryer sheets, and I don't have to dig around in my laundry to find an annoying sheet. And now I am using these soap nuts which are compostable, save money, and I feel better about what I am putting on my skin.

The Bags Under my Eyes are Designer

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

I mean it's just October but it snowed so now I'm thinking about Christmas. And Christmas means watching Alien at 2 in the morning, eating a lot of cinnamon buns,  as well as giving and receiving gifts. Every Christmas my family gathers together and we exchange gifts, there is usually a huge garbage bag in the middle of the room were we put all the wrapping paper, ribbons, and tape. Wrapping paper we recycle, and the bags we reuse. Still it feels like a lot of waste.

My parents wrap our gifts in clothe bags that my mom has had for as long as I can remember. They are beautiful and each of us have our own patterns. It is easy to wrap, just throw the gift in a clothe bag and cinch up the top! Boom wrapped. Then you reuse that bag again the next year. I love it. It is a beautiful no waste solution to gift wrapping.

Another solution I have read is giving 'experiences' so you tell the person you'll go to the zoo, or for a meal, or some kind of trip. I also love this solution and have started doing that with my Calgary nieces for birthdays. It's a fun alternative to giving them another thing they will break, or forget, or discard.

My sister Meghan actually suggested I make my own gift bags, and supplied me with a sewing machine and a lot of fabric! Shout out to her for making this possible.

Making these bags was incredibly easy! I didn't follow a pattern and kinda just made it up. I also haven't added strings to cinch it up yet because I haven't decided what I want to use. I made 8, not pictured are the ones I gave to my brother, it took about an hour. Now if I have a gift to give someone I can put it into this bag and not only is it zero waste and beautiful, but the gift bag is part of the gift! And they can continue on to use that to add value to their life.

If I don't use these bags as gift bags they are also perfect for storing things, packing small things like socks or underwear or toiletries so I don't lose them in a big bag, I can also put produce in them if I'm at a store and don't have enough, if I am out and about I buy something, instead of getting a plastic bag for it I can throw it into one of these. (can you tell I really don't like plastic bags??) I already had a few bags like this that I use them all of the time!

What I Carry

Since I have decided to pursue a reducing waste life style I have been rethinking a lot of the things I do everyday.  

I used to not carry anything with me. Just my wallet, and phone.So when I went out for coffee I would get once per use items. When I ate food I would usually end up with disposable  forks and spoons. And I used a bazillion different Kleenexes. So I reevaluated how/what I should cary with me everyday. 

My thought is that if I come prepared everyday with the basics I need I won't create as much waste. I don't notice the amount of waste I create it just disappears into a large bin outside, or at the place I bought it. So I decided to be more aware and to start carrying a few basics with me. 

My bag is a hilarious cotton tote, with a jazz festival ad on it from 1996, it made me laugh so I bought it. Now I use it as a purse and it's perfect.

Here are a few things I carry around in my bag now:

-A spoon/fork combo. It's not a spork but it serves the same purpose

-I carry a large cloth. I bought it at ten thousand villages and it was meant to be a gift wrap. I use it as a napkin, a spare cloth bag (by tying the corners), or as a hankie.

-Either a nice to-go mug I got from Starbucks for a dollar, or a sturdy thermos. It depends on what I anticipate the day will bring.

-Sometimes I carry a reusable straw with me. 

-I also try to bring a Nalgene water bottle with me. Hydration is important! 

-For our wedding we were given some reusable produce bags and I carry one of those around with me in case I stop by a grocery store to grab a couple things.
-I also carry my keys and a hair tie

These things all take up about half of my bag, so I can use it to put things I purchase, so I don't have to take a plastic bag with me. It takes a tiny bit more effort but I like being able to use my own things and to avoid landfall waste. 

A lot of these ideas I got from other blogs or youtube videos. I plan on creating a post with a list of some of them so you can see my sources and see what it looks like when you've been living waste free for longer then a month! 

Being Prepared

Snacks are my favourite road trip ritual Unfortunately my habit at stopping at a gas station, getting some bad coffee, and as many snacks that can fit in my hands as possible creates an insane amount of trash. This is a breakdown of a typical raodtrip snack haul. One coffee, one cold drink, one bag of chips, one bag of candy, and probably some jerky (shout out to the Longview jerky store I love you.) Technically I could probably recycle the cold drink container, but I never do. So that means eleven pieces of trash, if you include the two creamer, two sugar packets and weird stir stick thing I used for my coffee. Depending on exactly what I bought that's half a grocery bag of trash. Not to mention the arm and the leg they charged me for those snacks, which also sucks.

This weekend Josh and I drove down to the pass to celebrate our nieces birthday. On Friday I had no work and it was another perfect opportunity to practice no waste.

Basic truth about Bronwyn: I love snacks. Problem: the snacks I usually buy are unhealthy, create a lot of waste, and are expensive. I would like to mention that me liking snacks is not the problem, I need food to sustain my body. Food is not something I want to attach words like 'problem', 'bad, or 'guilty' to, that creates a negative thought process around something I need to live. I'll probably write more about that later, I just wanted to clarify. Food=sustenance, how I buy food=problem.

My solution: make snacks ahead of time. Sounds easy but when your habit is a ten second mad scramble around a 7-11 the thought of prepping ahead is a little daunting.

So I made cookies. After ten seconds of googling I found an easy recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I had all the ingredients, I had tons of time. Easy. This took about 20 minutes not including how long it took to cook. Not the most healthy thing but better then inhaling a whole bag of Swedish berries and regular lightly salted chips.

I recently learned how to make smoothies. (Lol @ me I should have learned this skill way earlier in my life). I made one for breakfast with enough left over for to bring two mason jars of smoothie along for the ride. Cold drinks covered!

My only regret was not bringing along a to go mug with coffee, or for coffee, my last road trip essential. So I just didn't get a coffee. Don't worry I survived.

Replacing my old habit will take some time. But when I do the work I am happier with the choice I made and enjoy myself more! I replaced my gas station frenzy with some home made snacks, and drinks. I saved money, created less waste, and felt more accomplished!

Bulk Barn aka my new best friend

I went to bulk barn. In my reading I found that most 'zero waste' enthusiast shop bulk with their own jars. The idea of doing a whole shopping trip and bringing enough jars and cloth bags and produce bags seemed very intimidating to me. I didn't know how many jars I would need, I didn't know where exactly to buy things bulk. 

Earlier this week I had a small trip of errands to run. I needed three things: milk, trail mix, and icing sugar. A good practice run. 

I tried to find a way to buy milk that is totally waste free and most of the places I looked said to make your own. I am pretty stoked about zero waste, but Josh and I drink milk at an astronomical rate and if I had to make us milk I would never stop making milk. The two litre jugs are recyclable and thats good enough to me. If I ever try to make my own milk I will let you all know. I probably won't.

While at superstore picking up milk I saw some sweet mason jars, they were also on sale, and I bought them. They are wide mouth ones, a bit bigger then the ones I had to pick up trail mix with. I am very excited about them because I might try to make soup in a jar for work. That's another story, moving on. 

Next stop was Bulk Barn. Which I already think is a wonder land. Using jars are super easy! All I had to do was to bring the two jars I wanted to fill to the lady at the front, she weighed them and put a sticker with the weight on the lid. Then all I had to do was walk around, fill my jars, and then take them to the front. It's only one extra step and I am not collecting two plastic bags that will just be thrown out! I love it. 

To me going 'zero waste' is not about creating no waste as well as no recycling. But to actually recycle my recycling. I learned that to day while figuring out how to buy milk. I put another bag under my sink for recycling, that way it is just as easy for me to recycle. 

I also learned that it is one more step in my shopping trip to reduce the amount of trash I create! I also really enjoy using jars and figuring out how many I'll need and using produce bags because it feels like a puzzle! I am loving this adventure.

Tooth paste and Kindness

My mother is a well spring of information and grace. I spent hours yesterday talking to her about reducing waste, saving money, and making food. She was a gentle listener, giving me time to work things through and then giving her advice. She was always kind.

In this journey I want to give that kindness to myself.

My first intentional step is toothpaste. I already have already been doing things that reduce waste, I use two wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets, I don't really use paper towel, I like reusable bags over plastic (even if I forget them more often then not), and I would rather purchase second hand. These are a wonderful foundation! For the last week I have been squeezing the last bits of toothpaste out of my tube, it was well and truly empty at this point and i tossed it in to the garbage beside my sink. This is the perfect opportunity to expand my list of waste reducing habits.

We were given a bunch of jam this summer, I don't really know how but we have an insane amount of jam. Yesterday morning Josh finished one of the 10,000 we have and the container it came in was the perfect size to put a little bit of toothpaste in! Recipes for toothpaste are really easy to find with a quick google. I used this one. I didn't add stevia or mryhh because I didn't feel like it and stevia makes me nervous.

I had the perfect container and an easy recipe waste free toothpaste here I come!

Fun fact, after 21 years of using commercial toothpaste homemade toothpaste tastes real bad. I almost got discouraged, almost threw out the toothpaste, and almost just used Josh's toothpaste til we both ran out. But I remember my mother, and how I want to show kindness to myself. The toothpaste was a success because I was acting on my values! It was a success because I tried something new! It was a success because I like trying new things! I will be patient and kind to myself while I learn how to be more mindful.

Values

How I function in the world displays clearly what I value. The clothes I wear send a message about who I am. What I chose to eat, and how I chose to grocery shop is a message about values. I don't eat at my parents expense anymore, so I have to make choices for myself about how I want to consume. Is the way I shop ethical and sustainable? Do I have more than I need while others are in want? How can I use my privilege to promote equality?

Waste:
Do you ever think about landfills? Until I watched a video of a man who wore all the garbage he created for a month I never thought about them. It was disgusting. Within the first day he had collected a couple pounds of trash. To-go coffee mugs, granola bar wrappers, chip bags, plastic bags, it just kept coming. It never really crossed my mind how much waste I produce everyday. It was a very tangible example of how much garbage a single person sends to a landfill in a short period of time. Gross. After this I started thinking about landfills.

I have a lot of spare time right now, so I read a lot of blogs. I stumbled on a zero-waste blog. The first thing I saw was a picture of the author holding a large glass jar with some trash in it. That was the entirety  of the trash she had created in a year! I kept thinking about landfills.

I don't want to go from being 'wearing my garbage man' to 'my garbage is literally non existent lady' in a day. But I want to move towards being a more responsible consumer. The landfill is full enough without the 47 cups of coffee I drink every single day, the paper towel I use to clean my counters, and the plastic bags I horde from the grocery store. It may be more work to become 'zero-waste', but I think it's worth it.

Food:
One of the steepest learning curves of being married and adulthood has been eating/grocery shopping/cooking. What works for me and Josh in regards to meal planning? How can we save money on food and still eat stuff we like? What is healthy but also reasonable for our lifestyle? What is our lifestyle? We are learning.

Clothes:
A couple years ago I lived out of a suitcase for a month. Just for kicks. I wanted to challenge myself, to be more aware of what I need and what I can do without. The problem was that after that month I didn't donate the clothes I hadn't worn to the thrift store or change my shopping habits. I would walk to the thrift store near my house regularly and return with a pair of shoes or a sweater or some pants that I NEEDED. It didn't matter that I already had six of the same thing already at home. It wouldn't cross my mind that someone else may need that thing more then me. And I never thought about how my clothes were made, or who made them. The suitcase experiment was a failure because it didn't translate into real change.

I am trying to change my shopping habits, to reduce the amount of clothes I have. And so purchase 'slow fashion' items and second hand. Sustainable, ethical, fashionable.


Josh thinks I'm just a hippy who loves the earth. I don't see the problem.

I want to share my journey with others of what it looks like for me to reduce waste, grocery shop responsibly , and dress sustainably.