How to cook less, use leftovers AND save money

I've grown up being literally force fed. I wasn't allowed to be fussy with my food or not finish my dinner. But luckily I've grown up to like pretty much anything and I love trying new food. I've also learned to not be wasteful and to always finish what I'm eating or to put it away for another time. I can't count the number of times my mother told me that there are hungry people in the world who would do anything for a bite to eat. So putting perfectly good food in the bin is not an option for me. I'd feel too guilty.

However, one thing that I am guilty of is buying too much food (I really need to stop shopping when I'm hungry) and then it never gets eaten quickly enough before it expires. So I have to throw it away.

Thankfully, there is a campaign, which you may or may not have heard about, called Love Food Hate Waste. It is full of resources that shows you how much food to cook depending on how many you are cooking for and also how to store food to keep it fresh. My favourite part of the website is how to use up leftovers.

So check out the website and tell your friends. Let's all minimise waste together.

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Back to school the green way

(Clockwise from top-left then centre)

Pink A5 packaging notebook (Nigel's Eco Store)

Wrap 'n' Mat (Nigel's Eco Store)

Uni-ball Power Tank Eco pen (Fred Aldous)

Clear Skies Eco Journal (Papernation)

Action Pencils by We Are What We Do

Linex Nature biodegradable ruler (Fred Aldous)

Aladdin Recycled Tumbler (John Lewis)

And, of course, a juicy organic rosy apple for teacher ;)

Say NO to cruel cosmetics

You'd think that in this day and age testing on animals for the sake of vanity would be long dead. But not only are many companies still testing ingredients/ products on animals (or getting someone else to do the dirty work for them), EU officials are considering allowing it to happen beyond the previous ban deadline of 2013.

I personally think it's unfair that animals are being treated this way just for the sake of giving us even longer lashes (if you believe those ads),  100% more voluminous hair (I'm pretty sure those are extensions) or yet another wrinkle cream that doesn't work (I hear rosehip oil works wonders).

If you don't use products that are tested on animals then that's great but there are still many companies out there that get away with selling animal tested products to customers. One thing you can do to stop this is to fill in this petition telling the European Parliament that we are against animal cruelty and don't want animal tested products, and to urge them to vote against delaying the ban.

Remember to share this with your friends so we can get as many signatures as possible!

xx

Happy Earth Day!

The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.


Happy Earth Day! :)

xx

Know your food labels and help reduce waste

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has claimed that they will be working with the food industry to make food labels easier to understand. It is believed that chucking out food that is past its Best Before date but not its Use By date is costing Britain billions of pound. This is because consumers may not be aware that food may still be safe to eat after the Best Before date so they throw it into the bin. Bread, for example, may not taste fresh after its Best Before date but up until its Use By date it can be used to make breadcrumbs, croutons or puddings.

There won't be any changes to the laws and regulations but simply guidance for food manufacturers and retailers to help their customers understand the labelling more clearly. Read more about it here.

What do you think about this? Will it help reduce waste? Do you use up food past their Best Before dates?

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How to save the world

Who remembered to switch off for Earth Hour? If you haven't, fear not. There are many ways to contribute to saving the planet that will also help you keep fit and save you money! Here are a few easy-peasy tips:

1) Recycle. Your local council might provide a collection service. If you're unsure, contact them and find out. Otherwise, walk to your local recycling bank. The fresh air and exercise will do you some good. My mum and I like to recycle every last bit of paper and the amount of paper we collect by collection day is just unbelievable.

2) Don't use plastic bags unless necessary. Invest in a shopping bag, which are really cheap. High Street shops have some from 99p so you can be a chic eco-warrior without breaking the bank. If you already have plastic bags at home, take them with you on your next grocery shopping trip.

3) Buy a reusable bottle and refill it instead of purchasing bottled drinks.

4) Turn off any lights and appliances you're not using such as the odd phone charger.

5) Never leave anything on standby unless you really need to.

6) Leave the car when you don't really need it. Walking can provide you with good exercise and using public transport means you don't need to pay parking fees at the car park.

7) Don't be a litter bug! If you have rubbish, throw it in the bin. Or put empty wrappers in your handbag or pockets until you do find a bin.

8) Turn off taps when you're not using them even whilst brushing your teeth.

9) Put on a jumper. I might sound like your dad but he's right.

10) Don't throw away food. Leftovers can be reinvented and eaten the next day. Leftover chicken? Make a chicken sandwich or salad for lunch tomorrow.

Don't worry about following all of these tips. Just incorporate one tip into your daily routine at a time.

Good luck saving the planet!

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Earth Hour Reminder

Just a quick reminder that Earth Hour will take place at 8.30pm (wherever you may be) tomorrow. Also remember that if you'll be lighting candles, go for natural wax instead of paraffin.

So, what will you be doing during Earth Hour?

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Is recycled food packaging safe?

I have found an interesting article about how mineral oil from recycled cardboard packaging can contaminate our food. Eek!

Read about it here. There is also a similar article by the BBC here.

Will you continue purchasing food packaged in recycled cardboard?

xx

Breathing Earth

Isn't this funky!

It's really interesting to compare statistics from around the world, especially when it's presented this way. You can also find out how much CO2 each country is emitting and whether it is more or less than last year. Unfortunately, it seems that most countries are emitting more :( On the plus side, the most recent data available is from 2006 so hopefully more people have been making greener changes to their lifestyles since then.

If you scroll down a little to 'What can I do?', you can find tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint.

Have you been greener since 2006? Even if it's one small change, it can really make a difference.

xx

Save our forests!

source

Have you heard that the Government is planning on the privitisation of some of our woodland forests?

Imagine who would get their hands on them. They would do as they wish with the land! Instead of endless trees giving a home to so many birds there may be a golf course. Instead of acres of beautiful flowers and bunny burrows there may be new offices.

It is very important to have our voices heard so if you oppose this plan please spare a few seconds of your time to sign any or both of these petitions.

Petition 1

Petition 2

You can also write to your MP to let them know your views.

Thanks!

source

xx

2/3 off Bentley Organic cleaning products

Bentley Organic cleaning products are 100% naturally derived and many ingredients are organic too. Right now they are down from £2.99 to only 99p!

So if you're looking for a safe (and super cheap!) way to clean your home, visit lakeland.co.uk to take advantage of this offer. You can try and see if they have them at your local store too.

xx

Italy banning plastic bags

Italy has banned plastic bags!

Stores can no longer provide polyethelene bags to their customers. Instead, stores can provide biodegradeable plastic, paper or cloth bags, for example.

This is great news considering Italians use 20 billion bags a year! Imagine adding 20 billion plastic bags to landfill each year!

Source

What do you think about this? Would you like to see a similar law in your country?

xx

Eco-friendly feminine hygiene

I don't know why menstruation is such a sensitive subject. Half the population either has it, will have it or had it. Yet not as many people talk about it. But we should because, believe it or not, sanitary towels/ tampons can contain chemicals and may impose risks on our health and the environment.

We like to share what beauty products are great or what restaurants have great food, so why don't we share what sanitary products we rate or hate?

Do you ever wonder where your sanitary towel ends up? Nor do I. But considering each woman uses 12,000 sanitary towels in a lifetime (yep that's the correct number of zeros), we are contributing to the amount of rubbish on landfill. If you're thinking "well there's nothing I can do about that", there is. There are a few brands out there that manufacture more natural alternatives.

Natracare (from £1.39, Love Lula) produce biodegradable towels and tampons made entirely from organic cotton. So no plastics or perfume. And the cotton isn't bleached with chlorine either. I never really understood the point of perfumed sanitary towels! And do we really need plastic or chlorine anywhere near our private parts?

The towels sound great in theory, but do they work well?

In all honesty, no. The quality is quite poor. In fact, similar to the supermarket own-brand. I wouldn't recommend it without wings at all but I would assume that the one with wings would be much better.

So what other alternatives are there?

There is the mooncup, which I have read positive reviews on. I'm sure many of you have heard of it but for those who haven't it basically looks like this...

... and is used just like a tampon, except it can be worn for up to 8 hours because it is even more absorbent and because it is safe to do so as it contains no toxic chemicals.

There are also reusable sanitary towels, which you can just wash and reuse so they would save you a lot of money overtime too. You can find them in many websites such as Earthwise Girls.

I can't review these two options as I've never tried them. So if you have tried them or tried any other similar products, please let me know what you think.

xx

Plastic State of Mind

Plastic bags can cause so much harm to the planet and all who live on it, including humans and animals. It's so easy to carry a reusable bag in your handbag. One of mine actually only costs 49p from Holland and Barrett.

Help spread the message by sharing this video...



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Give your unwanted clothes a loving home and make money too!

Every year, British consumers buy 2 million tonnes of clothes. 1.2 million tonnes of this goes to landfill! source

Crazy, right?!! But unfortunately this is the truth. As you all know, this can be reduced by donating unwanted clothes to charity. But if you're strapped for cash, then it's perfectly ok to make some money out of these unwanted items.

I won't drag on about ebay as if it's the latest innovation to hit the world wide web. But that is one option if you want to sell cheap items. But if you have pricier items to sell, such as designer or vintage, you probably won't expect to get yourself a good deal on ebay. It's like selling Gucci at a jumble sale. A better idea is to sell them on Asos Marketplace.

Asos marketplace is where you can sell (or buy) clothes. You simple upload a photograph of whatever it is you want to sell, write a description and name your price! Then sit back, maybe make yourself a cup of tea and your item will be viewed by fashionistas around the globe.

You don't even have to pay to list your item. Any fees are taken after you have made any money.

If you're looking to turn this into a business then, if you're lucky, Asos may let you open your own cyber boutique on the Asos Marketplace website!

So why not give it a go. It costs nothing to start!

xx