Why Eco-Friendly?
I think it is clear now more than ever that we need to start getting serious about our choices. The planet and it's wildlife are crying out and letting us know it is in crisis. The wildlife and our planet help us daily with our mental health and wellbeing. So maybe we should return the favour. Even if you can only help a little it is still worth you helping. Lots of little changes make a big difference. I hope to give you ideas and recommendations from the products me and my family try. Please read and thank you x
Product trials and more
Me and my family will be your testers and knowledge finders.
So me and my family are learning and aiming to become as eco-friendly as we possibly can. I will also use this space to put any useful information I find, petitions to sign and that sort of thing. So do check back from time to time.
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As we get to the end of our current products we have in our home we will be trying out eco-friendly, cruelty free, palm oil free etc... products. Every time we try a product I will put our thoughts into a review for you to read and see what you think and hopefully find products you will change to yourselves.
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We really do need to all make a change to our behaviours even if it can only be a small change, it is still important. So please give some alternative products a go.
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Thanks
Tracey x
Finding the right products for you.
So you have decided that you would like to be more eco concious in some of the products you use around your home, or self care, even for your beloved pets.
Now that thankfully there are more and more brands bringing us much better and eco friendly products, where do you start?
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It can seem a bit overwhelming as you may have been using the same products for decades.
My advice would be just do one or two changes at a time, use up what you have already and maybe start with some of the brands that will send you a free trial.
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We began with a free trail of dishwasher tablets by SMOL - they still do this so give it a try, there is no commitment when you ask for the free trial.
Where To Start
A good website if you want a really good nosey is Friendly Turtle. They have products covering all areas and many different brands. At the very least it will give you a good picture of the kind of products that are available.
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I would also encourage you to search locally as there are many places that deliver locally and have a closed loop system with the glass bottles. We use a local company who deliver our products to our door and take away the empties. ALL the products are fab and very resonably priced.
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Overall one of the common misconceptions is that ECO means £££££ - I have not found this to be the case at all and the quality in most cases is actually better.
Here is a list of places I have tried and use:
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SMOL.
Green Planet Beauty (I have an affiliate account for these which you can access on the GPB section of the website).
WEARWILD.
Beauty Kitchen.
Ecofill (local company that delivers to our area).
Cacao Deo.
I have an Etsy shop and I make and sell Eco Face Wipes, Reusuable Shopper Bags, Storage Jars and more (so we use items that I make at home).
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Website Links for you to check these out.
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Let's talk about plastic.
There are two types of plastic:
Thermoset - this cannot be recycled.
Thermoplastics - these can be re-melted and re-molded.
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Some plastics can only be recycled 2-3 times before it is no longer stabke enough to be used. However, glass, aluminium and metal can be recyled infinetly.
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Less than 10% of plastic actullay gers recycled - shocking I know. When you put it in your recycle bin and you think job done sadly this is far from the truth.
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I think one of the big problems is most people do not wash out the rubbish they put in their recyle bins, if there is any trace of food on the items they are considered contaminated and cannot be recycled. So please wash out your tins, bottles etc...
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There is also a number on the underneath of plastic items to indicate how recyclable something is. DID YOU KNOW THIS? I DID NOT?
This is a recycle score #1-7 with the recycle logo by it.
To make it easy the lower the number the better it is to recycle.
Generally aiming for #1. When you buy something plastic check underneath for the number and see what score it has, I will be doing this myself from now on and encouraging my family to do the same.
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SOME STATS FOR THE UK!
Over 2 million tonnes of plastic packaging are used in the UK each year.
88% of the sea's surface is polluted by plastic waste!!!!!
Between 8-14 million tonnes enters our oceans every year!!
Britain contributes an estimated 1.7 million tonnes of plastic annually!!!!
SHOCKING ISN'T IT?
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I hope this information has been useful and you can help spread the word and help us to sort out what is happening.
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Thanks
Tracey x
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If you have done this and have any tips to share please email:
keepmyheadstraight@gmail.com
You name will be credited unless you state otherwise.
Has anyone tried a Subpod?
If you have email me and let me know your thoughts as we are considering one when we move home. Thanks x
Getting to grips with composting:
A Beginners Guide To Composting At Home
Did you know that the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) discovered about 30% of the household waste we discard could be converted into useful compost instead of being piled up with the other non-biodegradable waste in landfills? With the state of the environment and climate change looming, composting at home has become more of a necessity than a choice. With this simple guide on how to compost at home, we can look at ways you can make it work around your our own homes. After all, the preservation of the environment is quite important to us all 🙂
Composting can occur on its own over a period of time, but, with human involvement, the process can be sped up for more significant benefits; what’s more? You can do it right at home! In this post, we will shed more light on how to make compost at home for beginners, and you will be a pro in no time.
Why Should I Compost?
Do It For Our Environment
The waste from your kitchen and lawns make up roughly 25% of the overall waste in landfills. Although this waste is degradable over time, when they are mixed up with other waste, they do not break down easily and become incredibly packed up, thus limiting oxygen flow. When oxygen is limited, the decomposition process becomes delayed, letting the organic waste emit methane which, as we know, is an incredibly toxic greenhouse gas. Any increase in methane emission is bad for the environment. We are all reminded of this when we read about global warming. And since landfills are incredibly inhospitable, it is very hard for waste to breakdown properly, preventing the release of methane, without the necessary amount of oxygen.
By creating our own compost, we are reducing our carbon footprint in many ways. Not only do we delay food waste from decomposing that in turn produces methane, but we are reducing the number of rubbish trucks on our roads that need to serve us. After all, our rubbish trucks also run on fossil fuels. Plus, aside from being more gentle on the environment, compost serves as excellent manure for your plants and reduces or eliminates the need for artificial fertilisers. So, what’s a great way to divert some organic waste? By Composting at home. Not to worry, we’ll show you how!
How to make Compost at Home
It is important to note that whether you live on a farm, house, bungalow or an apartment, you can definitely compost. All you need are bins (if you choose to compost inside your home) and some gear which might include pitchforks, small shovels, water hose, gloves, wheelbarrow. There are two significant ways to compost at home;
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From Your Garden: Choose a dry part of your garden, preferably one close to a water source and under a little shade. Add your green and brown materials as you collect them and ensure you shred the bigger ones. Ensure that they remain well moistened to speed up the breakdown process. When you have established the compost pile, mix the green waste and grass together into the pile and bury vegetable waste under it. You can choose to cover your pile with a tarp if you own a pet, so it doesn’t get destroyed. You could also try to build a compost bin from old pallets, make a quick and easy compost bin, or purchase a ready-made one for outdoors. When the bottom of your compost pile turns dark, then it is ready to use. The composting process can take up to 2 months to a year to be complete.
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In Your House: If you don’t have enough space to make a compost pile in the backyard, you can easily compost within your home with the use of a compost bin. You can purchase one from any hardware or gardening store near you (great article here for recommendations- obviously we love the stainless steel ones). Since this bin will be inside your home, you have to pay extra attention to what you put in it to prevent a bad odour and manage it properly, so flies and rodents are not attracted to it. With this method, your compost should be ready for use in about five weeks.
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What should go in a Compost Pile
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To successfully compost at home, you need to know exactly what should go into your pile and what shouldn’t. Items such as our Ecoconut dish brush is fully compostable at the end of its life, and we will try and let you know anything else you buy from us that can be composted Items like used tea bags, newspapers, leaves, sawdust, cardboard, wood chips, eggshells, hair, fur, ashes, cotton wool, animal bedding, raw fruit and vegetable trimmings. On the other hand, items like glass, scraps of metal, plastic, animal bones, human waste, cooked food etc. should not be included in your compost pile.
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Make sure you don’t add any of your pet’s poop to the pile though – this is something we get asked quite a lot. Even if you use compostable dog poop bags, always add this to your usual waste bin.
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This is just a small list and far from exhaustive, so be sure to check before you send it away to landfill.
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Benefits of Composting
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Composting from the comfort of your home makes it incredibly easy to monitor what goes in and out of your pile. As earlier stated, composting has a lot of valuable benefits. Besides reducing methane emissions from wastes in landfills, it can drastically reduce your overall carbon footprint and boost the growth of beneficial bacteria for the decomposition of organic matter.
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Well finished compost smells incredible, almost earthy and does wonders for your plants or vegetable garden without the use of any artificial additives or fertilisers. Organic plant food, just how we like it.
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Composting from home is incredibly easy with the right tools and information. It is a great way to do your part to preserve our environment and planet and also keep your plants healthy and robust in the process. The entire process might take a while to reach completion, but, the results will be worth the wait. So, if you have always wanted to give it a go but never quite knew how, take a little time to familiarise yourself again with these instructions and give it a go for yourself. Goodluck!
Information taken from: Friendly Turtle.
Time for change
We can all make small changes which will add up to big results.
Another important side of this is education.
An example of this is how many of us understand all the symbols for recycling? Until recently I wasn't too sure and even now I have to check.
This needs rolling out in schools and make it so that we know it with certainty. I feel that people just throw stuff in the bin because they don't know or put it in the recycle bin completely unaware if it is recyclable or not.
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I know there are many schools now that do focus on being eco-friendly and teach important facts.
It is the life skills knowledge that is missing. The day to day stuff that may seem dull but is important.
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If your children are like mine, they use up there listening tokens at school and have none left for home! Hahahaha
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Click button below for some ideas for fun eco-friendly things to do with the family.
Understanding all the symbols.
How many did you know?
Most of the people I have asked had not much prior knowledge at all of this, including myself!
I find it crazy that this is the case when so much help is needed.
Green Planet Beauty
To start with a little bit about the company.
We are thrilled to introduce our multi-award winning sustainable natural beauty range.
All hand made in the UK, vegan friendly, cruelty free and 100% plastic free, either biodegradable and compostable or reusable packaging.
We use natures finest ingredients in which the majority are certified organic.
They are also Palm Oil Free, SLS, SLES Free.
Above all no harm to you, animals or the environment.
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I began using/testing these products around ONE year ago.
Putting it simple I am a proud affiliate for this fab company.
I have used a wide variety of their products, hair, face, body and more. I always use the refills when I need more product. My skin has not been so acne and problem free in such a long time and it really does feel great to have one less thing to worry about.
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The hair bars are easy to use and give great results too, just takes a few uses to get used to how much lather your hair needs to get your desired result.
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Click the button below to use my link:
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If you subscribe you will get 10% off your first order and you can unsubscribe anytime.
I can also say they have regular offers on and really good value offers too.
This is a fairly new App and it is UK based and currently small scale with hopes of getting bigger.
Check it out and see if it runs with any food banks close to your home or let your local food banks know about the app.
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In turn we will be reducing our waste.