1000 Flowers for the Planet - #572 Switch to Refillable Eyeshadow Cases

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #572 Switch to Refillable Eyeshadow Cases

Just as mentioned in Flower #571 Switch to Wooden Eyeliner Pencils, we need to reduce plastic waste and stop plastic from getting into our environment. By switching to refillable eye shadow cases only one plastic case is required and it is used over and over, preventing the need to throw it into landfill. This would at least reduce plastic eye shadow cases by half, perhaps even more. Plastic does not break down for 1,000 years. Wildlife can mistake small pieces of plastic as food, with various bird species even feeding it to their young, which then leads to their premature death due to starvation. If we can do as much as possible to keep plastic out of the environment we go a long way to looking after the planet, and every species that we share it with. Make the switch today.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #571 Switch to Wooden Eyeliner Pencils

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #571 Switch to Wooden Eyeliner Pencils

Here’s another way to get plastic out of your life and out of landfill. If you buy a wooden eyeliner pencil instead of one encased in plastic, you avoid that pesky bit of packaging that ends up being tossed ‘away’, and we all know there is no such place as away. These small lengths of plastic are not designed to biodegrade, and even if they did they would create even more havoc to the environment as tiny, tiny pieces of plastic. The plastic casings will pollute the environment for 1,000 years. Wooden eyeliner pencils are an easy option for purchasing and are probably more financially viable as there is sometimes a lot more liner running the length of the pencil. Don’t forget to use it all the way to the end before tossing the last little but in the bin. It’s a good switch – more for your money, better for your health, better for the environment and easy to do.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #570 Wear Organic Lipstick

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #570 Wear Organic Lipstick

Many lipsticks contain lead, which builds up in your system, and there are many more chemicals added to the recipe. Lipstick ‘may’ contain: cadmium (a carcinogenic), wax, synthetic fragrance, oil (vegetable, caster, mineral or lanolin), parabens (oil derivative) and aluminium (as well as many other ingredients – check your own choice of lipstick carefully). This is obviously not healthy, and many of these ingredients can cause serious health issues. If you like to wear lipstick every day and care about your health, the obvious choice is to wear organic lipstick. Organic lipstick is harder to find but once you’ve researched it online you’ll eventually succeed in purchasing a lipstick that works for you (and maybe other makeup items as well), and is better for your health while still making you feel beautiful.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #569 Avoid Liquid Soap

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #569 Avoid Liquid Soap

 

In the USA, 2.5 million plastic bottles go into landfill every year – just from liquid soap. Multiply this around the world by other populations and there are millions more going into landfill. Yes, you can buy refill bottles to enable you to reuse the one you already have, but that refill bottle is still going into landfill. Even if you recycle the plastic, there is a great deal of energy required to process the plastic. The solution has far less impact on the planet and uses far fewer resources – bar soap. Go back to the traditional bar of soap. It cleans your hands just as well when you wash properly and can be purchased without a great deal of packaging. Look for multi-packs in cardboard boxes or support a local soap maker at a craft market. This small change to your shopping habits will benefit the planet by using far fewer resources in plastic production such as oil, water and energy, reduce transport costs, save the earth from more landfill and maybe even support a local soap artisan.

 

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #568 Instal a Composting Toilet

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #568 Instal a Composting Toilet

Imagine if you could save 35,000 litres of water per year. That would be a tremendous saving, not only for you and your finances, but for the environment too. That’s how much water a composting loo can save. Composting toilets have come a long way. They are stylish, simple to install, odourless and easy to clean. On top of that, they only require about an hour of maintenance per year. Hands down they beat the old septic tank in so many ways. As well as using far less water than conventional toilets, a composting toilet is better for the environment because it doesn’t use any chemicals, unlike both septic and sewage systems which both use chemicals to treat the waste. Next time you need to instal a new toilet, investigate the possibilities of a composting loo and you’ll find heaps of benefits – another good tip for looking after the planet.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #567 Encourage Green Waste Treatments

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #567 Encourage Green Waste Treatments

Currently the ways most sewage treatment plants operate are not entirely friendly to our environment. Chemicals are used, particularly chlorine, which can be carcinogenic when it is put into the environment. When sewage is treated there is a great amount of sludge left over. Getting rid of this end product is not straightforward, but people are coming up with ideas for turning this waste into a valuable resource. We need to get behind these innovators and encourage governments to build green waste treatments that make use of the waste we all create. It will always come down to money, so we must think about the consequences of more than 7 billion people generating biological waste that goes … where? Down the loo is not ‘away’ like the rubbish bin. If you were responsible for getting rid of your own waste, if there was no toilet down which to flush it, what would you do? So don’t sweep this issue under the carpet – encourage governments to invest in green treatment plants and let’s do our bit for the planet.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #566 Take Unused Meds Back to the Pharmacy

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #566 Take Unused Meds Back to the Pharmacy

There was a time when we were told to flush unused medications down the toilet so they could not be misused or taken after the use-by date, and to keep them away from children. The reasons for disposing of unused medications haven’t changed – we still want to make sure they can’t be accessed by children and no one should take medication past its end date or inappropriately. Today, the best way to remove unused, expired and unwanted medications from your household is to return them to a pharmacy where they will be disposed of correctly. Flushing them down the toilet means putting chemicals into our water system. The same result occurs when they are tossed into landfill – rain or running water will wash through the landfill and take chemicals further into the environment, where they affect everything. All it takes is a small action from us to help heal the planet.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #565 Reuse Silica Gel Sachets

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #565 Reuse Silica Gel Sachets

Silica gel, in itself, is non-toxic. It is found most commonly in the little paper or tyvek bags in new handbags or shoe boxes, and they are there to absorb moisture which may otherwise damage the goods. It’s a very handy little product, but it can have a few nasties. If, for example, the gel has received an additive such as cobalt chloride to make it change colour to indicate saturation, then what has been added can be carcinogenic. The dust that comes from silica gel, particularly cat litter, can be harmful to lungs and cause respiratory problems. Therefore, if you come across some little silica gel sachets, don’t throw them away into the environment where they can do damage. The bags may be made of tyvek, which is plastic, and the little silica balls can be eaten by marine life – which then makes its way up the food chain and into our own stomachs.

Recycle the sachets you come across and use them to to protect handbags, electronic equipment, cameras, tools, leather shoes, computers, musical instruments, preservation packaging, silverware and all humidity sensitive products. When the gel has reached saturation point it can be heated to remove the moisture and used again. Keeping these things out of the environment to ensure a healthier ecosystem – it’s easy to do.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #564 Support No-Kill Animal Shelters

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #564 Support No-Kill Animal Shelters

People have overpopulated the country with dogs and cats by over-breeding and irresponsible pet ownership. Shelters are full of poor animals that have been abandoned, through no fault of their own. Some of these shelters will euthanize the animals once they have been held for a predetermined length of time. We need more responsible pet ownership and better controls on pet numbers to stop this happening. There are shelters where the people who run them care so much about the animals they refuse to euthanize them. They put great effort into finding homes for these pets and to look after as many as possible in the meantime. They need to be supported, both financially and by finding your next pet at just such a no-kill animal shelter. It’s time to be responsible when it comes to pet ownership and unwanted animals by ensuring you de-sex your cat or dog, encourage others to do the same, and buy your new pet from a no-kill animal shelter as your first choice. Fight against animal cruelty.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #563 Save the Monarch Butterfly

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #563 Save the Monarch Butterfly

Numbers of the Monarch butterfly in North America have decreased by 90% since the early 1990s, due to pesticides killing the milkweed plant on which the caterpillar depends for survival. This is a small example of the high price being paid when we use pesticides. Species become endangered and eventually they are wiped out altogether. We can keep planting milkweed in an effort to increase Monarch butterfly numbers, but this is only one part of the solution. As long as pesticides keep wiping out great masses of plant species, the chain reaction will continue to be a struggled existence for many animal species. You can learn more about this species and their plight at http://www.saveourmonarchs.org/ as well as ways to help. The statistics vary, and it’s not an easy thing to calculate, but on average we’re losing 3 species every hour, so it’s important we do something to slow and eventually halt that process – at least due to human causes. Everything is interconnected. Monarch butterflies are part of the whole process and provide food for other species, as larvae, caterpillars and butterflies. Let’s not keep breaking the chain. Look after the Monarch butterfly in your corner of the world.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #562 Get A Varidesk

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #562 Get A Varidesk

Many people work in office jobs that cause them to sit all day, or for many hours at a time, at a desk. This constant sitting is damaging health, creating issues that lead to heavy use of the health system. Whenever we need to use the health system we use massive resources, so looking after our health is not only good for ourselves, but for the planet too. A Varidesk is a desk that can be adjusted, allowing you to either sit at it or stand at it. Varying your working day between sitting and standing will improve metabolism and circulation and provide various benefits depending on the individual. Put more effort into looking after yourself in your work environment and you’ll be helping your body and the global environment. Win / win.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #561 Stop Making Excuses

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #561 Stop Making Excuses

I’m too busy. I already do stuff. I concentrate on the ‘big’ issues. I don’t have time to worry about the minutiae.

There are plenty of excuses out there. The biggest one is “it’s too hard”. Well, it will be even harder if we have to endure a future of warmer weather and more volatile weather patterns – oh, wait, we’re already experiencing that. If we let it get worse, there won’t be any room for excuses because we will be forced into action. Let’s pull together today for a better planet. Let’s stop making excuses and focus on every aspect of making this world a clean, healthy, sustainable place for all creatures to live. Excuses are just boring now. Ask yourself some better questions: Why are you too busy? Do you spend your time on things that matter, or do they only matter to you? What kind of legacy are you leaving your children and grandchildren? What is one new action I can take this week that will make a difference? Start with the one new action and make it a habit, then start another new action, and build on it from there. The fact that you’re reading this Flower suggestion already means you care, so take the next step. Question the excuses you make for not participating in the solutions and change your perception. Move in a direction that will create a better future – a more meaningful future – and make a difference

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #560 Ditch Adhesive Bandages

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #560 Ditch Adhesive Bandages

Adhesive bandage strips are usually made of plastic, are attached to plastic strips to keep sterile and come in plastic packaging. Over the years the size of the pad that’s supposed to cover the wound has decreased to such a small size the strip is practically rendered unusable unless you’re treating a paper cut. They certainly won’t handle the size of a scraped knee. So ditch the adhesive bandage, clean the would thoroughly with clean cool water, use a little soap if deemed necessary and maybe cover with some antiseptic ointment to help prevent infection. So long as the wound remains clean and dry, and does not rub on clothes, it should be fine without a plastic strip on it. [NOTE: This is for minor cuts and abrasions – if in doubt, seek medical advice.]

If we use fewer bandages we keep plastic out of our lives and out of the environment, helping to keep the world a cleaner, healthier place.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #559 Invest in a Rubber Return Address Stamp

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #559 Invest in a Rubber Return Address Stamp

For those who post a lot of letters, or maybe just at Christmas time when you send a lot of cards, writing out your return address on the envelope multiple times is tedious. Many people spend money on return address labels – these are made with a plastic coating, on a plastic backing, with adhesives that include ingredients that are toxic to the environment. An alternative idea is to invest in a rubber stamp, preferably the old wooden style one so the materials are wood and rubber. You then need an inkpad, but both of these items will last forever. If you end up purchasing a plastic self-inking rubber stamp, that would be a good second choice and still better than stickers. Remember that both the wooden type and the plastic type can be reused, even when you change your address – only the rubber part with the information needs to be changed. This saves the environment from waste, means you stop buying a single use item, saves resources over a longer timeframe and the tool will last forever.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #558 Observe World Population Day

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #558 Observe World Population Day

Today is World Population Day, a day that was put aside as a time when we can reflect on ‘Population Issues’. However, it has been very easy to take this idea and turn it around to concentrate on issues that are more under the ‘Human Rights’ banner than the real elephant in the room – human population explosion. 25 years ago there was a world population of 5 billion. In that short 25-year span we have now grown to a population of 7.2 billion. Take a look at this site http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/ and see if it doesn’t shock you!

So let’s think about ‘Population Issues”. What do you think the issues are? Education for girls and women was seen as the best way to combat population growth, and this is certainly true, because when girls are educated they have more opportunities, understand their choices better, can make decisions about their own bodies, including when and how many pregnancies they will have, and they can become leaders in business and the community. These are all wonderful things, but we have a long way to go to see equality and education for females around the globe and the resulting reduction in population growth that will create.

Overpopulation of the human species on this planet already exists and is going to become even worse. Humans take resources from the ground in the form of ores and minerals, use land for food production, fish the oceans with little restriction and pollute the whole environment by all of our actions. As a consequence, species are becoming extinct every single day, never to return. Elephants will all be gone within ten years, orang-utans within five! Humans build what they want, where they want, take as much as they want whenever they want, and despite the warnings of global warming and rising seas, and all the destruction forecast for our future, governments globally are washing over these issues and doing little to make the real change we actually need to ensure a sustainable, peaceful future for this planet. The focus is still on money.

We need to talk about that elephant in the room (before there are no elephants left to talk about!). Take today to think about ‘Population Issues’, what they are to you, and see if you can become part of the solution. We need ideas that are practical and which truly lead to solutions. If there were far fewer of us on the planet we could all lead comfortable, peaceful lives – all of us, everywhere. It may not be our personal future, but it can be the future of our descendants, so let’s make it happen.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #557 Foster the Art of Furoshiki

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #557 Foster the Art of Furoshiki

Furoshiki are a type of Japanese wrapping cloth, used for numerous things, particularly carrying objects of all types, from bottles to lunch boxes, or even clothes. There are also techniques for turning the cloth into carry bags of different shapes and styles. The art is typically masterful and considered, as is the case with so many Japanese arts. However, there are several countries around the world with a tradition of using a single piece of cloth to carry things. Furoshiki is easy to investigate on the Internet to find ideas and folding techniques: [http://furoshiki.com/techniques] is one example.

So how does this help you look after the planet? One idea is to replace wrapping paper/plastic for gifts with a furoshiki cloth that not only wraps your present but then becomes a reusable item for the receiver to either utilise as a carry bag or wrap the next gift in and pass it forward. It will create a talking point and could even be a bit of a hobby for a group of friends to learn lots of techniques and share the ideas around. Cloth doesn’t need to be purchased brand new, either. The furoshiki could be made from pieces of fabric already to hand, or a special find in a charity shop would give an old fabric new life. It would prevent trees being chopped down to make single use wrapping paper and save lots of energy that would otherwise be used to manufacture that paper. Christmas presents open a whole new avenue for using furoshiki and could add a fun new aspect to your next Christmas. Spread the fun and save resources.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #556 Download Movies

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #556 Download Movies

Your favourite movies are also on disc and just as explained in Flower #555, they are made of plastic and precious metals. If we were to save our precious metals for more interesting things like jewellery, then preventing silver from being used for the creation of discs would go a long way to having more beautiful things in our lives. To avoid buying DVDs, download your movies, ensuring you pay for them and it is completely legal. Just as musicians want to get paid, all the wonderful people who create movies to entertain us also want to be paid for their creativity and hard work. When you download movies instead of buying DVDs you keep people employed and support their work, you get to enjoy the entertainment and you declutter your home at the same time. How good is that? Furthermore, you also help save the planet by reducing the need to pull finite resources out of the earth, saving all the energy required to get the resources and turn them into goods, and preventing stuff going into landfill. It’s such a good idea, maybe they should make a movie about it!

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #555 Download Music

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #555 Download Music

Music CDs are made of plastic with a very thin foil layer to hold the information, which is usually made of silver, but sometimes can be gold or platinum. These last three are precious metals, yet they are used in such a throw-away fashion, with short life spans that sometimes even end up being hung in the garden to scare birds and insects away. What a waste.

Then there’s that other material that makes up 99% of the CD – plastic. For those in the community wishing to avoid plastic altogether, CDs are not going to make it into your home, and that’s great. The way to avoid all this plastic in your life is to download the music you want. BUT, do it legally and ensure you pay for the tunes you want, just as you would pay for a CD. Remember, all the musicians and creative people who produce the music you like deserve to get paid – it’s their job and they rely on the public to do the right thing by them. So put your technology to good use, download music that you like, support your favourite artists financially, keep plastic out of your life and save the planet from plastic waste. You’ll reduce the need to pull finite resources out of the earth, save all the energy required to get the resources and turn them into goods, and prevent stuff going into landfill. There are so many ‘wins’ in this idea.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #554 Always Use Real Cutlery

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #554 Always Use Real Cutlery

Just as Flower #553 Always Use Real Crockery, we should try to always use real cutlery for the same reasons. Wouldn’t it be much nicer to have friends and family around to share a meal and provide them with real cutlery, instead of plastic knives and forks that are difficult to use? Single use plastic is a huge waste of our precious resources: we have to take oil out of the ground, refine it, use energy to manufacture it into product, use more fuel to transport it to the shops, the consumer uses even more fuel to drive to the shop to purchase the product and take it home, use it once and toss it in the bin! Doesn’t that sound stupid? That’s because it is. So spend your money wisely on good quality cutlery that will last a lifetime and use it all the time. You’ll be taking a lot of pressure off the planet, and save money too.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #553 Always Use Real Crockery

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #553 Always Use Real Crockery

Food and the act of eating with other people is the epitome of human social activity. Breaking bread together is an important part of life, for some it’s even a ritual, and for others it makes the statement the “you are welcome here”. Considering the importance we attach to food and eating, isn’t is a better idea to really do it properly? So this flower suggestion is to always use real crockery, no matter what the event. The Victorians had picnics using real crockery, so can we. When you entertain at home, there really isn’t a need for paper plates – they’re for lazy people who can’t be bothered putting a few loads through their dishwasher, or (heaven forbid) washing their dishes by hand. When we use real crockery we avoid using disposable items such as plastic or paper plates, which use up valuable finite resources in their manufacture, including fuel and energy, and then they go into landfill! If it’s worth entertaining then it’s worth doing it with some style – and with some care for the planet.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #552 Compost Dryer Lint

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #552 Compost Dryer Lint

When you clean out your clothes dryer filter you will have a handful of dryer lint that doesn’t need to go out with the rubbish – simply compost it or throw it in the biofermenter with all your food waste, which will eventually be buried in the garden where it will all rot down. Dust bunnies and vacuum waste can also be disposed of in these ways. It’s a small action, but it means less stuff going into the rubbish bin / trash can to pay someone to take it off to landfill, using fuel and energy. It’s another way to take responsibility for your own waste and help the planet.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #551 Make Your Own Starch

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #551 Make Your Own Starch

Making your own starch is as simple as putting together some cornstarch and water – see the recipe at http://www.zerowastehome.com/p/tips.html and check out lots of other tips at this wonderful website. When you make your own starch you generate zero waste, save money and help the planet. You will not be buying plastic or metal packaging that uses valuable finite resources and may well be sent to landfill when you’re finished with it. You can store your homemade starch in an aluminium spray bottle that will last a lifetime. No waste = healthier planet.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #550 Stop Buying Landfill

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #550 Stop Buying Landfill

Every time I walk into a shopping centre (mall) all I see is LANDFILL! Junk, junk everywhere! There are two dollar shops or five and dime stores, or whatever you call them in your corner of the world, and they are full of JUNK. They are full of useless items that are not designed to do anything positive for your life. They are designed to take your money. Nick-knacks, toys, cheap kitchen utensils, decorations, ‘collectables’, plastic bags, storage containers, throw-away items, single use plastic, souvenirs – the list goes on and on. These things will not make you happy, they will not enrich your life and they will not make you more loveable. Go into a supermarket and try to find an item that does not have plastic in it in some way – even our fruit and vege is often wrapped in plastic. All of this junk and packaging goes into landfill, where it does NOT disappear, it is preserved. It doesn’t mulch down or become smaller, it just stays there and creates more problems for us. It is even contributing to global warming. Remember, there is no such place as “away”. Your rubbish has to go somewhere, and that is usually to landfill. So next time you pick up an item that’s cute or fun, consider whether it really will add something to your life or whether it will take up space in your home until one day you throw it into landfill.

I’ve tried to find some statistics about landfill worldwide but cannot find any useful up-to-date figures. There were 2,500 landfill sites in the USA 20 years ago – with population increase and therefore an exponential increase in the amount of waste, how many landfills must they have now? Aussies are pretty bad at throwing stuff away too – 42% of construction waste goes to landfill (what happened to recycling?).

We can make a start at reducing landfill by refusing to buy stuff we don’t need, particularly useless junk that is meaningless to our lives. Spend your money on family experiences, not landfill.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #549 Buy a Silk or Boar Bristle Wooden Broom

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #549 Buy a Silk or Boar Bristle Wooden Broom

Many brooms are made of plastic so if you’re trying to lead a plastic-free life – for the sake of your health and for the benefit of the planet – then steer clear of plastic brooms with nylon bristles. Buy a broom made of wood with silk or boar bristles and you will have an item that will last a lifetime and which can be composted at the end of its viable use. Natural products and long-lasting items save us lots of money because we don’t have to replace them several times during our lifetime and because they are lighter on the environment. Plastic doesn’t break down for a thousand years but even when it does it turns into tiny plastic particles, which will damage our environment and get into our food chain (as it is doing already). Look for items made from natural materials and help the planet as much as possible.

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #548 Collect Shower Water

1000 Flowers for the Planet - #548 Collect Shower Water

Water, as our most precious resource, can be saved in many ways. One small idea with a big impact is to put a bucket under the shower to collect all that water that would otherwise be wasted as you wait for the temperature to reach your desired level. No one likes to step into a freezing cold shower, and sometimes the hot water takes a while to come through, so collecting that initial run of precious water is one way to prevent waste. The collected bucket of water can be used to water plants, wash the dog, wash the car by hand, top up the birdbath or even flush the toilet. Using water wisely protects our precious resource, shows we value what we have and can also save money.