We all know it's a great idea. No waste and no single-use plastic. It's how the future is shaping up; if we want those crystalline waters and pristine beaches there's no time to lose. In fact, if we want a planet with life on it, we need to make those changes now. There is no planet B.
But where do you start? It can feel overwhelming. At Lucy & Yak, we are all about supporting one another to make the first step and then the next one. We love all things sustainable, eco-friendly and ethical. We also love to learn. It's a journey, and we are not there yet!
With your help, we'll keep on going, and maybe we can help you on your journey too!
Turns out there's an amazing campaign called Plastic Free July. Their website is fantastic! It's so inspiring to read their ideas and mission. And there are heaps of resources to help you go plastic free. Here are a few of the best bits; go and take a look for yourself to find out even more!
This is what they say about their mission: “Plastic Free July is a global movement that helps millions of people be part of the solution to plastic pollution – so we can have cleaner streets, oceans, and beautiful communities”.
It's all about finding alternatives to single-use plastics and their website is full of ideas. It's broken down into really useful sections with ideas for fruit and veg, plastic-free at school and work, ideas for how to reuse and recycle stuff and lots of info on why it all matters. And heaps more! They say this movement has inspired over 120 million participants across the world. One of the things I like about plasticfreejuly.org is that the guys there recognise that it's important to take small steps, one at a time to make a bigger, sustainable change. And their tips and challenges really help you to do it. When you're ready you can move on to the next steps, with suggestions and ideas for replacing cling film, looking at options for nappies and wipes, and different options for pet care. There's something there for everything, and each section is broken down into what you can do, how you can do it, and what impact that choice will have. What a great resource!
There's no shortage of inspiration online. One of my favourite zero-waste blogs is The Wild Minimalist. Check out this article on how to reduce and avoid food waste. There's some really pertinent stuff there. For me, a big one is a tip about buying food you actually like to eat. It's so easy to see something that looks amazing on Instagram and forget that I hate the main ingredient! Just because it looks pretty doesn't mean I'll suddenly like the taste, and then it'll just end up in the bin. I've also taken on her tip to write down the food that does get wasted – and then to avoid buying that again! Simple ideas that make it easier to make a change.
Another great blog is Trash is for Tossers (see what they did there? Clever huh?!). I particularly like their article on composting
- I didn't realize before that food waste in landfill doesn't decompose because there's not enough air getting to it to let that happen. So it's so much better to compost and it can benefit the garden too.
There's a really interesting article here about how to start talking to other people about issues of sustainability. It's really worth a read; we all want to share the message about zero waste and sustainability but we also want to do it in the right way. The message is all about positivity and sharing by example; encouraging and supporting and making it fun. Definitely worth a read, and then you can spend hours reading Kathryn's fab blog on all things zero-waste!
And I can't write a blog about zero-waste without a shout out to some of the amazing and inspiring faces on Instagram. Check out @sustainably_vegan, @f.laura_and_fauna, @lesswastelaura, @venetiafalconer and @zerowastehome for more ideas and encouragement to keep going on your own plastic-free journey.
At Lucy and Yak our packaging is biodegradable, and we are looking into changing this for a compostable plant based alternative. Our recycled sari bags are perfect for a thousand different uses once they've finished transporting your dungarees. We've made a start on our zero-waste range and we're loving our recycled totes and hats made from offcuts. But we want to do more. Send us your ideas on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and sign up for our mailing list so you can keep up to date with how we are getting on!