Is your favourite cafe responsible?

I don't drink a lot of coffee but when I do I like a proper coffee. Walking around the city I see that there are a lot of people who love coffee, particularly the takeaway kind. Those disposable cups and plastic lids are almost a uniform now that winter is here warming the inside and out. It is estimated that an unbelievable 1 billion takeaway cups and lids are landfilled or littered each year in Australia. That's a pretty scary figure.

My 1 Million Women KeepCup

The Responsible Cafes program encourages cafes to discount coffee for those customers who bring a reusable cup. Generally the discount is between 30c and 50c but some have been know to discount more. As part of the program, the cafes are placed on a map to make them easier for us to find.

As many cafes are not aware of this program, or Plastic Free July, why not spread the word.

Take care

Plastics in the Ocean

There are so many 'International Days' of this and that that I sometimes lose track and they're gone before I have had time to acknowledge them. World Environment Day and World Oceans Day fall within days of each other at the beginning of June and both were over for another year before I had blogged or Instagrammed about either.

1 Million Wonen have put together a great article about how our rubbish is ending up on the ocean. Reading through this reminded me of when I found nearly 100 of these bits of plastic at the beach.

After a bit of investigating I was pretty sure the these were cotton bud sticks. These were just on a local, metropolitan beach, all within a few metres of each other and all collected within half an hour. Grrrr.

Microbeads is another plastic that are mentioned in the article. These are tiny pieces of plastics put into face scrubs, hand soaps and toothpastes that wash down the drain and enter the waterways. Fish, birds and turtles mistake these for fish eggs and eat them.

If after reading the article and watching The Story of Stuff movie above and you are feeling that you would like to do something about this you could sign the petition. There is also an app that you can use to check items when you are out shopping or you could even use the product list.

There are so many alternatives to these plastic filled products and over the next couple of weeks I'll be looking at some homemade alternatives that will be better for your body, better for your wallet and better for the oceans. This will also be a great opportunity for you to share your recipes too.

Take care

It's been a while

Nearly 10 months.

It's incredible how quickly time can fly by and 10 months have suddenly passed.

I look back over the last 5 years and see how my life and the lives of my family have change (for the better, I think) as we have tried to live a little greener. We eat better, waste less and tend to appreciate the little things more. It has all been a gradual change but many of the changes have been permanent and I think it is because it all happened in small steps, when we were ready. It does get a little harder as the kiddoes get older as there are so many more influences in their lives. I suppose as parents we just hope that the little messages we try to teach embed themselves somewhere in their young minds.

With Plastic Free July less than a month away, it is time to get the focus back on reducing more single-use plastic from our lives. There is a lot that, as a family, we refuse but there are always the little things that sneak back in when we are feeling rushed. I think it is time to do a bit of an audit.

I'm looking forward to getting back into the blogging world and feeling excited about living a more waste-free life.

Take care

Upcoming Earth Carers

I can't believe it is the second half of the year already! Where is the time going? (I think I am starting to sound old)

That means it is time for Earth Carers courses again.

I just wanted to let you know about the two upcoming courses.

Mindarie Regional Council (MRC) will be starting their latest course on Wednesday August 6. To find out more about the content of the course, head over here.

Western Metropolitan Regional Council (WMRC) will be starting their course on Thursday 11 September and their course information can be found here. These lovely ladies are the wonderful people behind Plastic Free July.

Both courses are free and run for five sessions over three weeks. It is a great way to find out more about your waste as well as being able to meet amazing people. I thoroughly enjoyed my Earth Carer courses.

On another note it was great to get a mention on the PFJ latest newsletter. If you have come here via the email, please say hello and let me know how you are going with the challenge. Make sure to head over to Eight Acres for the PFJ Giveaways.

Take care

Plastic Free July Update

I am now three days into the PFJ challenge. 

On day one I had my first dilemma. After the virus I had last week I was left with a nagging dry cough that just wouldn't go away. As I had been keeping myself (and everyone else in the house) awake, I thought I should head to the chemist. I bought some liquid, opened the box to find a medicine cup (of which I already have many) and a plastic seal on the bottle. 

It is amazing where we find little pieces of plastic. Even when I bought a couple of sandwich wraps (before I knew how to make my own) the swing tags were attached to the wraps using plastic. Tiny little pieces making their way into so many of the everyday things we do.

In today's email from Green Lifestyle magazine there was a great write-up about PFJ.

Take care

Taking it Easy

I've been spending a little time taking it easy recovering from a virus. If I wasn't asleep I was

• listening to Lloyd Cole after a great show last week,

• reading and listening to Gavin about his busy few days here and here. Inspiring.

• eating biscuits from Inner Pickle's recipe. I'm sure these are medicinal.

• watching The Tunnel (I am waiting on Quikflix to see The Bridge)

• preparing for Plastic Free July (only 2 more sleeps). A newsletter arrived in my Inbox today full of great info and tips. It's not too late to join in the challenge.

Take care

DIY Beeswax Sandwich Wraps

I'm so excited. You know when a little kiddo is so excited that they do a little dance on the spot and have trouble getting the words out? That's how I am feeling at the moment.

I was on the lookout for something that I could do at an upcoming expo. I am so sick of the amount of plastic wrap that is used to wrap sandwiches and then thrown straight in the bin that I thought sandwich bags would be a good activity. My two concern here are the need for a sewing machine and the fact that a lot of the material used to make these waterproof as not so healthy.

After much searching I came across that fact that you could make your own beeswax infused fabric! Who knew? (I'm sure just about everyone is now saying, "Me, that's who".)

Well I had no idea.

  tuja wellness

I knew that I had everything necessary for this so I gathered ran around and grabbed all of the equipment.

I used the pinking shears to trim a piece of fabric I bought ages ago. By using the shears I didn't need to worry about overlocking the edges. I had washed and pressed it when I bought it but hadn't known what to make at the time.

I shaved some beeswax that I had bought to make lip balm a few Christmases ago. The peeler worked well but I will keep my eye out in the op shop for a grater that I can keep specifically for wax.

After scattering the wax over the fabric, and covering with some baking paper, it was time to get the iron out of the cupboard. It doesn't really see the light of day. The great thing about using the paper is that you can see where the wax has melted. It is also easy to reuse as long as you remember which side has had the wax on it. (Please watch the video above before you have a go as their instructions are great. I didn't see the point giving the specifics as they did a great job.)

Viola!

The finished product is quite stiff but easy to fold. After a few uses I am sure that it will get a little softer.

These are also pretty versatile as they don't just need to be used for sandwiches but you could also use one to cover a bowl in the fridge. At the moment we are using plates on top of bowls but I could certainly see myself using one of these instead.

From all of the articles I read that main points to remember are to rinse off in cold water and a little detergent as warm/hot water will melt the wax, and don't throw it in the dryer if you use one.

That was so much fun and I can't wait to have a go at another one soon.

I also thought it was pretty timely with Plastic Free July just around the corner. Don't forget about the giveaway. Only one more day and only one entry so far.

I would love to know if you have a go at this project.

Take care.

Green Drinks and a Giveaway

All over the world, generally hidden out of sight, there are groups of people gathering to listen to inspirational speakers sharing their knowledge and experience about sustainability. These events are Green Drinks.

In Perth, Green Drinks take place about four or five times a year. The most recent event sounded like it was going to be amazing, so amazing that this free event booked out before I managed to register.

I had wanted to listen to Rebecca from Plastic Free July talk about how the campaign originated and how they built it to the great success that it is in three years.

Imagine my excitement when I found that some incredibly wonderful person had recorded the talks and put these up for the world to see.

This years focus of PFJ is on reducing the use of takeaway coffee cups with the campaign 'Bring one, get one tree'. To help promote this, I thought I would run a little giveaway. If you would like to be in the running for a Keepcup leave a comment below and tell me one type of plastic (apart from coffee cups/lids) that you could live without in July.  The winner will be selected at random on Sunday 22 June at 8pm AWST so that you can get the cup in time for July. Edit: Thanks for entering, ladies.

If you are interested in having a look at the other talks from the evening, try here and here.

Take care

Plastic Free July Countdown

How can it be that time of year again?

With a month to go, I am starting to get myself ready for Plastic Free July. I first took part in the challenge in 2011 and each year since have found the challenge a little trickier, mainly because we are cutting more single-use plastic from our household permanently. The less that we are consuming, the harder it is to cut it out.

Those clever people at PFJ have made a great video. Please take a few minutes to have a look at maybe even join the challenge.

Do you think you could join the challenge? 

Take care

Almond Milk Green Smoothie

The cold weather (cold for Perth) has really taken hold lately and, with the recent school holidays, the desire to stay at home snuggled in the warmth of the kitchen, very little exercise has taken place. With mornings just above 0 and rain it has been way too easy to jump in the car for the normally walkable destinations. My trousers have slowly been feeling a little tighter around the waist and leaving the warmth of bed up in the morning was becoming more of a struggle. I explained to Mr Mouse that I was feeling like a blob of playdough.

Today was the day!

With kiddoes off to school, I headed to the beach for a walk. The fresh sea air was exactly what was needed to clear out that wintery feeling.

Last night I was surprisingly organised enough to soak some almonds as I had wanted to make some almond milk. This is something I have tried a few times (inspired by Plastic Free July) and have liked but generally forget to get the almonds on the go the night before.

I followed the steps from here and soaked one cup of almonds overnight.

Soaked on the left

I rinsed the almonds about 12 hours later and added these with 3 cups of water (I find 4 cups too watery) into the blender. With a dash of agave syrup this was blended for about 1 to 2 minutes.

Using a paint straining bag that I bought from the hardware store, I strained out the liquid.

The remaining pulp will be dried and there are numerous recipes out there for how to use the leftover almonds. That's a whole other post.

Almonds milk made!

I'm not a huge fan of the milk on its own but as the base of a smoothie I am sold.

With all of our recent rain, the spinach has gone crazy. Armed with a bunch of the baby leaves, an apple, ice cubes and almonds milk, I was ready for breakfast.

I can feel the wintery brain-fog lifting already.

Take care

It's Getting Closer

If posts could be written telepathically, this blog would have several new posts a day. I sometimes feels as thought I spend a lot of the day monologuing questions I want to ask and tips I would love to share rather than getting the opportunity to get fingers to keyboard.

It is nearly that time of year again. Plastic Free July is creeping up ever so quickly and with just over a month to go, preparations are being made for this year's challenge.

As part of a local event, Baby Mouse has been getting herself sorted to present a cooking demonstration of pikelets. She was telling me how at school she was talking about making homemade pancakes for breakfast and how one boy had told her how easy it is. "All you do is add water and shake!" I think she let out a little shudder. That's my girl!

She is following a really easy recipe and has had a few practise runs at getting the mix just right and perfecting the cooking time. The recipe is based on the Jamie One-Cup recipe that we use all the time around here but she has added a little bit of sugar along with some vanilla.

I know that the milk is in plastic but that is a whole other dilemma

As a bit of background research, we have been looking at (not buying) the shaker style pancakes/pikelets and the premade versions. I always find reading the ingredients amusing

• Shaker pancakes. (Scroll down the page to the ingredients link)
• Premade pikelets. Should the first ingredient we water? At my local supermarket these are were on special at $3.49 this week. That's nearly 44c each.

There are so many ways of reducing our use of plastic and often it just involves a little rethinking. I would love for you to share any great tip that might inspire others to join the challenge.

Take care

Plastic Free July with Jude Blereau

Late yesterday morning I jumped on my bike and headed 20 kilometres down the coast to the Plastic Free July event at The Grove. (Gav, if you happen to be reading this, I think you would love this building. It is amazing.)

The Grove Library has recently been beautifully designed. So much thought had gone into every aspect of the building, even the fact that the toilet systems are linked into the gardens. My family and I were involved in some of the planting of the gardens last year with Josh Byrne from Gardening Australia. It was a great day and the gardens are looking amazing now.

Yesterday was the Jude Blereau plastic free cooking event, and as usual, she was full of so much information and great recipes. 

Jude kneading the Barley, Wheat and Rosemary Crackers

I have included here for you a link to the notes from the session from the Earthcarers site. There are some great tips as well as two delicious recipes, both of which we were able to sample at the session. The notes also make mention of some recipes from the Nova website, so here is the link.

I must say I am a bit of a cereal fiend, and on some evenings, cereal for dinner is a possibility, so my ears pricked up at the idea of Homemade Cinnamon and Coconut Toasted Oat Muesli. Jude prepared this alongside a fruit compote. This is now on my 'to do' list (I am just trying to track down some Brown Rice Syrup). I thought I could get a start on the compote so squeezed a few oranges, cut of some dried fruit and threw in a cinnamon stick for good measure.

The plan is to add these to some slices apple tomorrow and cook it up into one big fruity concoction. With a spoonful or two of yoghurt, this should be a fairly substantial breakfast. The muesli will just have to wait.

After the 40 kilometre round trip yesterday I ended up falling asleep in front of a DVD at about 9pm. Although I only managed about 20 minutes of the movie, I still managed to pick the 'bad guy' without seeing the remaining one and a half hours. Woohoo!

I hope you all had a great weekend. What did you do?

Take care

Plastic-Free Preparations

As a way of getting ready for Plastic Free July, I have been looking closely at the plastic we use around here. We are all pretty conscious of plastic but there are still the bits that manage to make their way into the house.

One of my greener aims this year was to make all of the bread that we eat. Generally there are rolls in the freezer ready to be defrosted, filled and packed for lunches. I find rolls to be a better way to go for us as this way I don't need to worry about trying to cut even slices and there is a lot less no waste of leftover bits of a loaf.

Some days I need to rely on the local bakery for rolls and bread, and here is the dilemma. I had been trying to go for the compostable option of a paper bag but still wasn't happy with the production aspect of the single use bag. I know these can be reused, and generally are, but they still have a limited life span. With a perfectly good sewing machine sitting on the bench and fabric scraps in a box I thought I would have a go at a reusable fabric bread bag.

As is my usual way of doing things, I made a start by drawing a rough sketch using some size estimations, cutting the fabric, sewing some seams and then looking for a tutorial.

I was pretty much on the right track which was a relief. I decided to make a drawstring version (which had nothing to do with the fact that the bag would have been too short for the tie in the tutorial)

I used it for the first time this morning as I generally find that wet, cold weather and a sick child aren't really the best conditions for baking bread.

Edit
Linn reminded me how fabulous tea towels can be to store bread so I thought some of you might be interest in these gorgeous little tutorials.
I Eat Food Bread Bag Tutorial
Double Layer Storage Bread Bag from Mousy Brown's House
Midwestern Girl Drawstring Bread Bag Tutorial
Our Wee Farm

Plastic Free July Update
If you have signed up for the challenge, you should have received a Survival Guide email today. In case you haven't signed up, you may be interested in some of links that were included.

• Olive on Blonde has included 5 steps to be plastic free.
• Earthcarers have included some recipes for being plastic free.
• If you live in Perth, you might want to head to the Jude Blereau cooking demonstration on 30 June. Make sure to RSVP if you are planning to atttend.

Take care

Plastic Free Inspiration

Some of you may be toying with the idea of joining in with Plastic Free July, but might need a little information and inspiration to help you decide.

Jess via Plastic Free Freo and Facebook
A Plastic Free Year
My Plastic Free Life (formally Fake Plastic Fish)
Green Living Blog - The Guardian

Beth Terry - Living Plastic Free

Now I will step down from my plastic-free soapbox. I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

Take care

Plastic Free July

It is that time of year again. This was something that I really wanted to get involved in last year but it seemed to coincide with leaving Australia. During a seven hour transit in Kuala Lumpur, it was difficult not to buy a bottle of water.

My annoyance at the consumption of single-use plastic isn't a new topic, in fact it was the topic of the first real post I ever wrote. Not only is the production of single-use straws, cups, cutlery and bags a huge drain on the earth's resources, but the disposal, or just as regularly littering, causes problems on the land, in the oceans and waterways, as well at to so many animals.

Strawwars.org from Myoo on Vimeo.

Plastic Free July is a great way to commit to reducing your use of plastic. When signing up, you can start with something such as reducing you consumption of plastic in one shopping trip up to an entire month. As usual the Earthcarers think of everything and provide great support for those who feel a little uncertain. I am particularly looking forward to a talk by Jude Blereau on Wholefood Cooking - Plastic Free in a fortnight. No matter where you are, feel free of join. I was just reading that someone from Egypt has joined!

For some, eliminating plastic completely may seem too huge a challenge. Encouraging those around us to reduce their use of these products is a great way to raise their awareness.

I've signed up.

Take care

Please feel free to add your comfort food link to this post.