Every Little Bit Helps

My approach to most things in life has always been, baby steps. As long as I am moving forward, even if only a little bit, that is better than be said of my approach to being good to the planet. I do what I can, and I am always looking at ways I can improve. In our house, we are not trying to be perfect, but we are trying to be good, and with that in mind, I thought one way I could help the planet, is to let you in on the tips and tricks we do as a family, in the hope that it helps you (and the planet):

• We recycle soft-plastics. Now I know that the REDcycle program has just been suspended, but up until that happened, we collected all soft plastics and returned them to the supermarket so they could be turned into other things. I am hopeful that this is just a temporary issue and that the program is up and running again soon, because I actually feel it physically when I have to put the soft plastics in the rubbish bin.
• We collect our food waste for composting, and luckily, our council is participating in a program where the food waste can be added to the green waste, which is very handy indeed. Separating out the food waste (and the soft plastics) has made a huge difference to the amount of times we have to empty our regular rubbish bin - it has been quite noticeable.
• We participate in recycling programs. We have reused 2 big coffee jars (I need my coffee in the mornings) to collect milk bottle tops and plastic bread tags. Both of these small plastics are unable to go into curbside recycling bins, because they are too small and they clog the recycling machines, so separating them out is a great way to help out. They can then be recycled and made into all sorts of useful things, and there are several programs that you can drop off your bread tags and milk bottle lids to - a great place to start is the Terra Cycle Australia website and the Aussie Bread Tags for Wheelchairs initiative.
• We get involved at school in any of the initiatives they are running, such as the Colgate Community Garden Challenge - it is a great way to show the kids what they can do to help Mother Earth, and your school can win some great prizes.
• We do nude food lunchboxes as much as we can. We try to put all the lunchbox items in reusable plastic containers or reusable bags. Now, sometimes this is just not practical, and that is okay, remember, you don't have to be perfect, every little bit helps.
• We think about our energy efficiency when doing things around the house. Our house was built in 1960, and is not very energy efficient, so because we are renovating at the moment, we try to make decisions now that will build up over time, such as installing double glazing when we get new doors or windows, getting the roof ready for solar panels, adding insulation every time a wall is opened up.
• Forward planning for an eco car purchase. I need a pretty big car because I have three kids who do a lot of activities, so I carry a lot of people and a lot of equipment most of the time. A smaller car or no car at all isn't practical for us, but, we are forward planning for a hybrid or full electric car. We cannot afford to change it over just yet, but I am keeping an eye on what is coming to Australia, and how much it will cost, so that we are ready when the time comes.
• We try to buy from small Aussie businesses who are doing their bit for the planet. One of the great things about starting a small business is all the other like-minded small businesses that I have been able to connect with. I have made so many friends through business groups and social media, so i try to make sure I am supporting them when I am purchasing gifts throughout the year. There are some really innovative products out there, including towels made from recycled plastic bottles, picnic rugs from recycled cotton, or lip balm in recycled cardboard containers and made from natural ingredients.
• Being mindful of the impact my product has on the world. When I started my business, I knew I wanted to be as good for the planet as I could be, so that is why when I found GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) I knew I was on the right track. GOTS organic cotton is certified all the way from the farm to the factory, meaning it has to meet certain criteria to be given the tick of approval. One of the best things about GOTS is the fact that it encompasses so many elements of the process and production of a textile item. For example, cotton uses a huge amount of water when it is being grown. With GOTS, each step of the fabric being produced has to have a water conservation and collection element (CHECK FACTS). It also included ethical standards, so the factories are audited to ensure the workers are being given proper wages, hours and conditions, which was a very important factor to me.
• Choosing fabrics and fibres carefully. Some of you may know that polyester has a pretty bad wrap when it comes to its environmental impact. You may also know that it is used in a huge amount of products across lots of textiles, and has some excellent qualities too, one of which is that when it is used as a filling, it is machine washable (something that I, as a mum, was pretty keen on with my blankets). Well, that presented me with a dilemma. How do I fit my values regarding my products' impact on the environment with the need for them to be as easy to clean as possible? This lead me to talk to my manufacturer about what we could do, and he was able to source pre-used polyester, meaning it had been collected, washed and could be reused, therefore eliminating any further polyester being manufactured.
• Re-use/re-home/swap/re-purpose/repair. We try to come up with ways we can do something else with an item instead of just throwing it away. We re-use gift bags all the time, we swap books and boardgames with friends, I give away the kids clothes when they get too small and we receive clothes from other people too. We re-purpose bookshelves, desks, drawers (these are great for storage in the shed if they no longer suit the house), we swap or give away furniture to family members, and we restore or reupholster old pieces of furniture too - YouTube has some great tutorials to help you get it right. Also, I have a lot of fabric I have collected over the years, and when I do a bit of a clean out, the local Kindergarten is stoked to receive a big bag of offcuts for crafting and sewing.
• Companies to follow for more helpful tips. I love the work that Upparel is doing, and their recent announcement that they are going to have bins for textile recycling at Chadstone Shopping Centre is such awesome news! Another great resource is the Terracycle website - it has loads of information on what programs are in place for other recycling that you and your school or office can be involved in.

Well, there are a few things that we do, I hope that was helpful, and just remember - every little bit helps!

 A big squeezy hug to you

xo