Hello everyone! Just to let you know, episode 8 of the podcast is now on Spotify!
This episode is something that has been specifically requested by a few people.
So, I am suggesting some simple sustainable swaps that I’ve made, am starting to make and hope to make to help live in a more environmentally friendly and kind way.
I’m going to focus on the sustainable swaps we can make in our homes to reduce our waste, and limit our contribution to unethical practices that are damaging to other people, the planet and animals.
It’s really great to hear from you who listen to the podcast, as it helps me share information with you that can be most useful, and that’s super important.
The main reason I’m doing this podcast is to learn more about how to live with more balance and sustainability, why this is so important and connect with other people in the process to share this information so we can all help each other find practical ways to live more mindfully and in an eco-friendly way.
If you want more information on why sustainable swaps are so important, check out some of the previous episodes where there’s a lot of facts and content surrounding issues such as plastic pollution, food waste, food footprint and the ethics surrounding some industrial practices.
General Tips:
ELECTRICITY SWAP – Bulb, Octopus. Internet browser to Ecosia.
Say no to receipts – coated paper and ink makes them non recyclable.
Kitchen:
Reducing plastic packaging on fruits and veg – I am not always able to go to a greengrocers, and sadly some veg doesn't come plastic free...
Little swaps I’ve made:
- Tinned sweetcorn over frozen
- Looking for what fridge foods in plastic are in the freezer in cardboard. Also frozen is often cheaper than the fridge option.
- When I have my shopping list, if there’s a veg or fruit on there that I can’t get plastic free, instead I will find a different plastic free fruit or veg to purchase instead.
- Use what you already have before buying a sustainable alternative e.g. glass jars. Why buy an empty glass jar when you will have ones from pasta sauces/peanut butters/jams etc. rather than throwing perfectly good jars away, use what you already have! Most sustainable option.
- Jars/Tupperware over clingfilm!!! Don’t buy clingfilm. Store things in jars/ tubs that can be reused instead rather than single use plastic!!
- I use a fork and spoon from my kitchen to take when I leave the house to avoid single use plastic cutlery
- Kitchen towel – do you need it? Normally comes in plastic packaging!!! Utilise the option of a kitchen rag instead.
- Kitchen rag – also often come in plastic – I've started cutting up old socks, and using them as kitchen cloths and they work great! Gives them an extra use also rather than throwing it straight away.
- Cleaning spray – doesn’t take long to make!!! And non toxic ingredients – just water, vinegar, lemon zest or essential oils to make it smell nicer. All-purpose cleaner!!
- Do you have a Zero waste store nearby? If so, Check it out! The price can be so reasonable on the food too.
FOOD WASTE REDUCTION:
- Chopping off the gone off part of a fruit or veg rather than binning the whole thing.
- Overripe bananas – smoothie, banana bread, freeze for smoothie.
- You can freeze coconut milk in an ice cube tray
- Stale bread to bread crumbs and freeze. Or wet the bread and place in the oven for a few minutes!!
- Keep the skin on veggies and ginger. Edible and can add flavour
- YOU CAN EAT CAULIFLOWER LEAVES!!!! I roasted them and they were so nice, bit like kale, sweet stems.
- Lemon zest for DIY cleaner
- Wonderful if you can compost – I can’t sadly right now but hope to in the future.
Reducing your Consumption of Animal Products
For those of you who may not have listened to the podcast before, I am vegan, so I don’t consume or use any animal products, and this is because of the detrimental impacts that animal agriculture has on people the planet and animals.
I’m trying to live in a way that avoids damaging, harmful practices, and of course going vegan doesn’t mean you are then not contributing to harmful practices, because other practices are incredibly damaging such as fast fashion, human exploitation in certain food industries, which are also super important to consider, but it really is such a positive step to take to help in so many areas.
The most important thing if you’re looking to reduce animal product intake or to go vegan, is rather than just cutting something out, bring something in that you really like. Don’t feel like you suddenly need to jump in to a completely wholefoods diet and then feel like you’re missing out on your favourite foods.
Some good places to start:
- If you love yoghurt, give soy yogurt a go. In Lidl and Aldi they now do their own which basically costs the same as the dairy alternative.
- Scrambled egg – try tofu scramble!!
- Milk swap – difficult as my favourite is oat, but sadly price hasn’t reduced as low as dairy milk. But in Aldi/Lidl, oat and almond milk is now down to 80p per carton which is so much better!!!
- Plant based spread over butter.
- Mince swap!! If you love making a cottage pie – try lentils and gravy granules/marmite as they give a meaty flavour and the texture works great. Rather than beef mince, also use more mushrooms and dice them really small also works really well!! Cheaper than mince, better for your health, the animals and planet!!! If you like making a chilli, try using more mushrooms and beans like kidney beans/cannellini beans. It can still taste amazing without the meat.
- Think of what foods you already like free from animal products, and see what dish you could make.
Surprising products containing animal products:
- Veg stock cubes sometimes contain milk.
- Some thai pastes, Worcester sauce containing fish sauce. Some breads contain milk.
- Wine and beers filtered with fish bladders.
- Cereal bars may have milk powder or egg white in them. Just be sure to check.
- Sweets – gelatine.
- Dark chocolate – may contain milk.
- Veggie burgers – egg. Noodles some are wheat but egg noodles!!!
Once looking, you start to realise how many things they are in it’s crazy!! The often don’t need to be there when an alternative brand doesn’t have it. It can feel annoying and overwhelming at first to need to check, but once you start to know its so much easier.
Surprising vegan foods:
Loads of vegan alternatives but some can be very expensive, especially those using the vegan label as a marketing tool!!
- Follow accidentally vegan on Instagram to find hacks.
- Vegan biscuits – hobnobs Some bourbons and custard creams etc. if you need a quick fix. But also worth checking as some brands aren't vegan.
- Crisps e.g. hula hoops, certain Doritos (hot ones I think, not cool ones! Maybe some others…) skips
- Coop doughnuts. Lots of amazing vegan ice cream! Skittles, Starburst.
- Supermarkets bringing out own versions of vegan alternatives
- Get food out/takeaway from independent businesses. If they have a vegan option, try it!!
Find vegan snacks you like – PB banana on toast, pitta and houmous, soy yoghurt, fruit and dark chocolate. Beans on toast, trail mix, I LOVE ROASTED CHICKPEAS, popcorn
Purchases I do advise – bottle, canvas bag reusable coffee cup, metal straw
Bathroom things:
- Bar of soap rather than bottles.
- Toothbrush swap!!!
- Shampoo bars/moisturiser. Lucky to be gifted, heard coconut oil is good for moisturiser, haven’t tried yet but when I run out I'll be trying and let you know.
- Steer clear of disposable razors!!!
- Menstrual cup/period panties.
- Deodorant – if cant afford plastic free bar, go for roll on as better for environment. But bars last AGES even though more expensive at first.
- I'm not a massive product person, so isn’t as hard for me. Would advise cutting down on number of products – quality over quanitity!! Kinder ingredients for skin and planet too.
Bedroom – Makeup and Clothes
Makeup is tough!!!! I am fairly minimal in my makeup – better for skin, bank account and planet. Also a lot of vegan good quality brands are far too expensive, so I really make it last!!!
Few tips:
- Glass bottles over plastic. CRUELTY FREE!!!!
- Replace hairbrush with wooden/bamboo
- Use what you have first, don’t bin anything unused.
- Old notebooks – before starting a new one, do you have some barely used??
- BOOKS – do you have some sitting on your shelf never read? Book swap with a friend, or give as a gift to someone who will enjoy it. Give it a purpose, don’t just throw it away.
- CLOTHES – I've never been an excessive buyer of clothes. But I have accumulated things over the years that I definitely don’t wear anymore, but I will look into decluttering in another episode and how to do this in a more eco-friendly way rather than lots of disposing and wasting.
- Next time you need something – look in a charity shop before going to big retailers. Better to give clothing a second life rather than it go to landfill!!! I find it has more personality. Also helps you avoid putting money into fast, unethical fashion brands if you’re unsure/haven’t yet had the time to research which ones are most damaging. But quick hint – if they are producing a lot of the same item, their lines change often, then it’s fast fashion!!!!!
- Charity shopping is also cheaper, supporting a charity with your purchase.
- Clothes swap with friends – help you get rid of what you no longer wear, and might gain an item you’re in need of. Don’t buy as soon as you have the urge, you want to make sure you really want it and will keep it for a long time. If it’s on offer, as yourself – would you still be tempted to buy it if it was full price, or are you buying into the bargain….?
Rather than focusing on what you’re missing, focus on how you’re helping make little changes at a time. Doesn’t happen overnight, taking the time you need to make habit s sticks will make them sustainable in the future.
Here, I also want to make a point about the swap we need to make in our perspectives – yes, in some situations, more sustainable options can be more expensive, but it’s important we consider why.
In a lot of cases it’s because those producing the items are being exploited, they are produced on a mass scale meaning it’s not sustainable, so much damage is caused because there is more focus on speed, large quantities and making a larger profit than on the ethics of the production.
Make a wish list – what are some sustainable items you’d find really useful but can’t really afford to purchase at the moment? Either start putting a little money aside that adds up so you can buy it, or come birthday/Christmas, let family/friend know that if they want to get you something, that is something you’d be incredibly grateful for. E.g. reusable food wraps, coffee cup, non-plastic hair brush/makeup brushes, plastic free shampoo etc.
Some of these tips we’ve talked about don’t cost anything and aren’t incredibly time consuming either, so hopefully there are some swaps in here that can be achievable in a huge variety of living situations. And I recognise some may not be feasible – some aren’t for me in my situation either, but it’s about doing what you can.
Make the swaps which feel possible at the moment for you. You want to feel motivated not defeated.
I hope these tips prove useful in some way, and I'd love to hear about the sustainable swaps you are making. You can drop me an email to alittlebitoflagom@gmail.com, or drop me a message on instagram @alittlebitoflagom, I'd love to hear from you.
Next week, there will not be an episode released, so you can catch up on any episodes you haven't listened to yet!
Also, I need this time to continue raising money to support the continuation of the podcast - once I reach 5hrs of uploaded content, I must pay for a media host subscription.
I love making these podcasts, and have received such lovely feedback that I'm incredibly grateful for. This project is unfunded, so if you would like to support the podcast further please check out my Ko-fi account:
Any donation would be incredibly appreciated as I really want to continue sharing episodes with you all.
Thank you so much x