As consumers, we all have an obligation to conserve our resources and reduce the amount of waste we dispose of. And it's not that hard, too. Everyone can start implementing little life changes that will make a difference.
ReduceWasteNow is the place to go if you're starting to get more concerned about the environment. Not only does the online shop offer sustainable products that will help you avoid plastic, but it also shares comprehensive advice on how to minimize your ecological footprint.
A good example of it is the 'old me vs. new me' meme.
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Graydon Lawson started ReduceWasteNow two years ago and has been operating it alone ever since. "I create all of the social media content, write the weekly blog posts, and manage the store — all while trying to balance school at the University of Victoria," Lawson told Bored Panda. "It's a lot of work, but every second is worth it. People seem to be really grateful to learn simple, actionable ways they can help the environment, and I love helping them do exactly that."
Lawson thinks social media is great for educational purposes mostly because of how convenient it is. "A lot of people use it every day, and if you want to see how you can be more eco friendly, all you have to do is visit ReduceWasteNow and you have access to hundreds of different ways you can help the environment," he said, adding that social media is also a really great place to share things you're interested in with your friends. "So if someone really likes this Instagram post about sustainable products that save you money, they can just tag their friends in it, and maybe that inspires them to try some of the tips and be more eco friendly as well."
As you might've noticed, ReduceWasteNow features touch upon various environmental topics. With the 'old me vs. new me' meme alone, it has already addressed excessive plastic use, food waste, and other themes. Lawson said he gets most of his ideas from the company's followers, paying attention to what they comment under his posts on various platforms. That way, he knows he's talking about what's important to the people.
People who frown at such changes might say that individual efforts toward a greener planet are meaningless set against the huge systemic changes that are required to prevent devastating global warming. But Lawson doesn't think so. He believes in the power of the community. "If more and more people vote with their dollars, try their best to live more sustainably, and continue to use their voice as well as their vote, change will come," he said.
"Cooper, one of my best friends, made a great point about this as well, and I 100% agree with him. He said, 'Due to the rise in popularity of social media, it has become easier for individuals to voice their opinion, and to have their opinion heard and shared. As a result, corporations are facing the largest amount of social pressure in history, which has the potential to create real change. The power of numbers has never been so great.'"
Lawson believes that nowadays individuals can speak louder than ever before, and that we can create real change "by using our collective voice to tell the big corporations what we want. All we have to do is step forward, and speak up."
You can replace almost every single-use item with reusable stuff, though
Or just chop and freeze them as soon as you buy them and skip the oil. I don't need oil for everything and herbs freeze really well.
THANK YOU. A lot of these tips are providing more expensive alternatives that just aren't in the budget.
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At the risk of sounding like someone who is a bit prejudice. It does seem that people that are "concerned about the environment" have more money than the rest of us working stiffs.
That definitely used to be the case , but now these products are becoming so common that the prices are going down and many are affordable .
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Old me: Bought jars of spaghetti sauce. New me: Makes my own from diced tomatoes, tomato puree, a couple herbs, a little garlic, mushrooms and whatever is lying around. Great way to save raw spinach that's starting to go bad.
Or you can make your own ragù and save it in bottles. Much healthier and pays of. You just need more time but can dedicate one morning to it.
This only makes sense if you reuse the glass container. If it's single use and you throw it out afterwards, plastic is actually more environmentally friendly in this case. Still bad, of course.
Thats why we have recycling containers for different glastypes in the whole country. And 'Mehrwegflaschen' glasbottles and jars who you can give back where youd buyed them and get som money (cents) back, this is also a System for plasticbottles only there gonna be resycled.
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Plastic... whaaaat? You have PLASTIC jars in US? and you sell acidic foods in them? sweet buttery jesus, why?! It is just making the food poisonous in the long run. We only use plastic containers for dry food where I live.
"Sweet buttery Jesus" is the best thing i've seen today xD
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It's really difficult to get things just right. In Germany we drink lots of carbonated water, you can get it in disposable plastic bottles, but also in cases of plastic or glass bottles that are returned, washed, and reused. Depending on how far the consumer is from the manufacturer, water bottles can be better or worse for the environment because of the additional weight. And if you recycle the disposable bottles but not the reusable plastic bottles, that also makes a difference... Sometimes I wish things were simpler.
Actually- where I live they don't recycle glass so we have to throw it away. So I buy the plastic so I can at least put it in the recycle bin.
But isn't glass biodegrade? It's just melted sand, right?
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I'm from the UK, ALDI and Lidl sell pasta sauce in glass for USA equivalent of $1, can you not get it from there. I haven't seen any plastic pasta jars here, so I'm quite interested in your countries equivalent items
So weird here in the UK the jars are glass, I save them to store other things.
Newest me: buys pasta sauce in steel cans, because it's cheaper than either option and actually gets consistently recycled into high-value items, unlike either plastic or glass.
Newest me: bought pasta sauce in a steel can, which actually gets recycled locally, and is cheaper than either of the above options.
Or buy a can of tomatoes and make your own sauce -one onion, garlic, herbs, salt & pepper (sugar depending on the tomatoes - zap in processor and heat to boiling. It takes very little time and tastes so much better.
you can also make your own so easily. just a tin of tomatoes, some garlic and basil in a blender, cook some, store some in a jar in the fridge, costs less than 50c
When I make spaghetti sauce I start with the ragu but add fried pepperoni chunks, hamburger and a bunch of spices. The plastic jar allows me to freeze what I don't use. I tried it with glass and it broke from expansion. (If I have too much to fit in the jar I use ziplock bags.)
I only have a small freezer, for just me. Anything that I can store in a ziplock bag, I do. Push the air out and flatten it. The least possible space and stackable
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Cheaper and easier to make your own - or look for a comparable one in glass not one a lot more expensive
We had this discussion in Germany too. They (plastic ones) argue, since glass weighs more than plastic, it consumes much more petrol to ferry them around to the customer.....
I honestly would buy either of the containers because I would use the glass after all the sauce is gone I would use it as a vase for small flowers and I would use the plastic for other things (probably give to yonger sis because she's little and would brake the glass)
In not long you'll start to wonder what to do with 87 glass jars with stained lids
There is no such thing as too many glass jars if you make food at home. You carry lunch to work in these, you make winter pantry staples in these, you picked and brine in these, you make bread starters in these...
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When I buy olive oil I go along the shelf clicking on the containers with my fingernails, looking for glass. I'm sure I look like a nut.
Look at the news from Quebec of a douche expensive pasta sauce having BOTULISM, was in a glass jar though
Poor thing, you haven't been good student at school, haven't you? Botulism comes from MEAT - it is when meat was not cooked properly and there still were raw bits that rotten in airless environment. It has nothing to do with plastic or glass or metal container.
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Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons olive oil
.
Directions:
1) In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Stir in water and oil. Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10-12 times, adding a little flour or water if needed to achieve a smooth dough. Let rest for 10 minutes.
2) Divide dough into 8 portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion into a 7-in. circle.
3) In a greased cast-iron or other heavy skillet, cook tortillas over medium heat until lightly browned, 1 minute on each side. Serve warm.
I’m sure they’re much better than store-bought but I assume we’re talking about an hour plus of work to save a dollar and a plastic bag.
again here… how much? people tend to forget that the price of that stuff it's not for everyone. it's easy to be eco-friendly when you can affort that stuff. if i had the choice between 3 toothbrush at the dollarstore of one who cost 10$ and be do the job for a month… my choice is easy to make. when this kind of choice it's what decide if you eat or not...
What kind of psycho keeps the avocado sliced, instead of just eating them within seconds?
I switched to an aqueous ozone laundry gizmo and don't use detergent at all anymore. I have teenage boys and this is the first time their underwear don't smell like perfumed funk. They finally smell clean now. Plus, it works best in cold water, so no plastic containers, no environmental impact from detergents, and we reduce our power consumption all while getting cleaner laundry.
Beeswax food wrap is $18 per roll (on average) and you can use it five time before pitching it. Saran wrap is $3.00 per roll and you get about 10 times as much on a roll. Beeswax does not keep food fresh as long so you are wasting money and resources by buying it.
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 tbs coconut sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1.5 tbs pumpkin puree (can use mashed banana/applesauce)
1 flax “egg” (1 tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 3 tbsp water)
1/4 cup almond milk
2 tbs peanut butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch salt
optional: handful of vegan chocolate chips
Note: please use a small loaf tin as this is a single portion! I imagine this will work if you bake them in several small ramekins to make a mini tiered cake. if you want to use a standard issue loaf tin, please double/triple the recipe!
Preheat your oven to 180C/360F and prepare a small loaf tin by greasing it well and lining with parchment paper. Prepare your flax egg as well.
Blend rolled oats until a flour-like consistency (or use oat flour). Mix in cocoa powder, baking powder and coconut sugar. Stir in pumpkin puree, flax egg, almond milk, vanilla and peanut butter. Batter should be thick and fudgy!
Bake at 180C/360F for about 25-30 minutes until the middle springs back to the touch -- it should be a little damp in the middle when a skewer comes out. cool completely in the pan on a wire rack and let chill overnight for maximum fudginess. I used my chocolate tahini ganache recipe:
For the tahini chocolate ganache, mix the following ingredients:
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3 tbs tahini
2 tbs maple syrup/liquid sweetener
1) Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with cold water and ice.
2) For the herbs, cut off the stems and remove any bruised, dry or damaged leaves.
3) Submerge the picked herbs into the ice bath.
4) Soak for about 15-30 minutes, or until they perk up and look refreshed.
5) Drain the herbs in a colander.
6) Dry thoroughly with a clean kitchen towel or salad spinner.
7) To store, place the herbs in an air-tight container lined with a thin cloth on the top and bottom to absorb any extra moisture. You can also do this in a reusable sandwich bag. Use within a couple of days.
How to make an activated charcoal face mask
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon bentonite clay
1 teaspoon activated charcoal
1 teaspoon organic raw apple cider vinegar
3 drops tea tree oil
Directions:
1) In a small glass bowl, combine clay, charcoal powder, apple cider vinegar and tea tree oil. Stir to combine. If the mixture is too dry, add a few drops of water at a time until desired consistency is reached.
2) Apply mask to clean face, spreading in an even layer. Wash hands and rinse out glass bowl.
3) Leave mask on for 10 minutes. Rinse mask off with warm water and a washcloth. If you have trouble getting rid of the colour, apply a bit of makeup remover with a reusable facial pad to stained spots.
4) Moisturize as normal.
Ingredients:
2 cups warm water 110 degrees F/45 degrees C
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
5-6 cups flour You can use all-purpose flour OR bread flour!
.
Recipe:
1) In a large bowl, dissolve the 1 TBSP of the sugar in warm water and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
2) Mix remaining sugar, salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Dough should be tacky and clean the sides of the bowl save for a small part at the bottom. Too much flour added in yields a dry loaf of bread, so if you're worried you added too much, add a bit more hot water, until you get the correct consistency.
3) Knead dough for 7 minutes. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
4) Punch dough down. Knead for 1 minute and divide in half. Shape into loaves and place into two greased 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
5) Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30-40 minutes. Let cool, then eat!
This one depends on many things. It takes longer for long hair, especially if you need conditioner. Also, if your water heating system takes a bit for the warm water to come out, a couple of minutes (and some water) will be wasted on waiting for the warm water alone. You may still turn it off while applying soap/shampoo/etc. and turn it back on to wash it off.
Note: this post originally had 65 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.
It seems right the opposite to me. "Old me" bought more and threw away while "New me" reuses objects, tries to not spoil food etc...
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A lot of good tips, but I would've liked them more if they acknowledged the fact that quite a few of them are pricier and/or acquire a big(ger) investment than the less environment-friendly options. Some simple solutions aren't even mentioned; Yes, if you own a big house and have enough cash and space, you can install a bidet. Or, you just can keep a botlle of water next to your toilet, to clean yourself with. €0 if you use an old bottle, vs €250-1000 to install a bidet. Yes, you can buy reusable sandwich bags for €10 a bag. Or, you can reuse the 'single use' bags. If you don't go crazy with it, 1 IKEA Ziplock bag will last a few months holding your lunch sandwiches. Start with the small things: Don't buy ammounts which you can't use, reuse/recycle what you can. You don't have to buy new things to start thinking about the environment.
Interesting tips. But a lot of them are a lot of extra work. For me I do not compost since I do not have a garden. I also try to buy only what I need and not buy perishable items that will likely just go off from sitting around (living on my own changes how I shop a lot). I freeze my bread to make it last longer without going mouldy.
Some of these tips are useful, some are very impractical and some are so cost prohibitive that I could not see how the average household could ever afford to them. Some of these tips are just plain gross.
For most of these tips you have to have an unlimited budget, access to special stores, storage space and a lot of time to spare. They just make me feel bad. Pick and choose I guess.
Not true really. You can order most things online anywhere.
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Old me, used toilet paper. New me, shares with my mum a sponge on a stick. Just like the Romans!
Why is composting seen as the bad option in so many of these?
The old me was to broke to do much of what you show. The new me is even broker so, sorry, you all can do what you feel is right.
We need to follow the 5 'rs' Refuse (leaflets, freebies etc) reduce - don't buy unless sustainable, reuse - buy 2nd hand tech, clothes etc., re-purpose - using old glass jars etc, recycle - always try to recycle responsibly a lot of stores/charity shops just bin stuff they can't sell - some stores bin returned clothes.
I can't help but feel like this list was compiled by a load of wealthy millennials who are looking down on those who don't make the same choice. As we ALL know, these companies who are trying to make us switch to ethical alternatives don't make it financially worth it. People will do what is best with the little money they have and what they feel is right for their own family. If that means buying a £3 pasta sauce in a plastic jar and saving the other £3 to go towards petrol so they can work, a school dinner for their kids or towards bills or even savings for a rainy day or special treat then absolutely no one has the right to judge a person for that.
I wonder how many of these plastic haters gave up their environment- and lung-destroying automobiles. There's plenty of plastic in cars, especially electric ones.
Interesting that you assume everyone has a car. I've never owned one.
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Depending on your lifestyle it is good to ask if you lack time or energy. It feels a bit the same. Making your own stuff and using it gives a feeling of pride and accomplishment (even if only in a quick flash) every time you look at it or use it, which helps you restore energy and feel like you have more time as a result.
Shelbi on you-tube has a good line. YOU cannot be all the good the earth needs, but the earth needs all the good YOU can be. No-one is 100% perfect, just do what you can and be mindful
Most if these are news only to urbanites. If you grew up on a farm or in an earlier age that took more self-reliance, it's just what you do.
There is a great company called "Ridwell" that will take away hard to recycle items for you. I have a box from them that sits outside my house and for $14 a month they take away old computer hardware, mailing packages, old batteries, lightbulbs, clothing, and tons of other stuff. If this kind of thing would be affordable and work for you, I definitely recommend them.
It seems right the opposite to me. "Old me" bought more and threw away while "New me" reuses objects, tries to not spoil food etc...
Load More Replies... A lot of good tips, but I would've liked them more if they acknowledged the fact that quite a few of them are pricier and/or acquire a big(ger) investment than the less environment-friendly options. Some simple solutions aren't even mentioned; Yes, if you own a big house and have enough cash and space, you can install a bidet. Or, you just can keep a botlle of water next to your toilet, to clean yourself with. €0 if you use an old bottle, vs €250-1000 to install a bidet. Yes, you can buy reusable sandwich bags for €10 a bag. Or, you can reuse the 'single use' bags. If you don't go crazy with it, 1 IKEA Ziplock bag will last a few months holding your lunch sandwiches. Start with the small things: Don't buy ammounts which you can't use, reuse/recycle what you can. You don't have to buy new things to start thinking about the environment.
Interesting tips. But a lot of them are a lot of extra work. For me I do not compost since I do not have a garden. I also try to buy only what I need and not buy perishable items that will likely just go off from sitting around (living on my own changes how I shop a lot). I freeze my bread to make it last longer without going mouldy.
Some of these tips are useful, some are very impractical and some are so cost prohibitive that I could not see how the average household could ever afford to them. Some of these tips are just plain gross.
For most of these tips you have to have an unlimited budget, access to special stores, storage space and a lot of time to spare. They just make me feel bad. Pick and choose I guess.
Not true really. You can order most things online anywhere.
Load More Replies... Old me, used toilet paper. New me, shares with my mum a sponge on a stick. Just like the Romans!
Why is composting seen as the bad option in so many of these?
The old me was to broke to do much of what you show. The new me is even broker so, sorry, you all can do what you feel is right.
We need to follow the 5 'rs' Refuse (leaflets, freebies etc) reduce - don't buy unless sustainable, reuse - buy 2nd hand tech, clothes etc., re-purpose - using old glass jars etc, recycle - always try to recycle responsibly a lot of stores/charity shops just bin stuff they can't sell - some stores bin returned clothes.
I can't help but feel like this list was compiled by a load of wealthy millennials who are looking down on those who don't make the same choice. As we ALL know, these companies who are trying to make us switch to ethical alternatives don't make it financially worth it. People will do what is best with the little money they have and what they feel is right for their own family. If that means buying a £3 pasta sauce in a plastic jar and saving the other £3 to go towards petrol so they can work, a school dinner for their kids or towards bills or even savings for a rainy day or special treat then absolutely no one has the right to judge a person for that.
I wonder how many of these plastic haters gave up their environment- and lung-destroying automobiles. There's plenty of plastic in cars, especially electric ones.
Interesting that you assume everyone has a car. I've never owned one.
Load More Replies... Depending on your lifestyle it is good to ask if you lack time or energy. It feels a bit the same. Making your own stuff and using it gives a feeling of pride and accomplishment (even if only in a quick flash) every time you look at it or use it, which helps you restore energy and feel like you have more time as a result.
Shelbi on you-tube has a good line. YOU cannot be all the good the earth needs, but the earth needs all the good YOU can be. No-one is 100% perfect, just do what you can and be mindful
Most if these are news only to urbanites. If you grew up on a farm or in an earlier age that took more self-reliance, it's just what you do.
There is a great company called "Ridwell" that will take away hard to recycle items for you. I have a box from them that sits outside my house and for $14 a month they take away old computer hardware, mailing packages, old batteries, lightbulbs, clothing, and tons of other stuff. If this kind of thing would be affordable and work for you, I definitely recommend them.
