(This blogpost is not containing product placement. I am speaking from my own experience and research.)
The little things in life are the ones making an impact on you and your surroundings.
You cannot have a super sustainable lifestyle within one day. The system, we are already living in, is too complex to make changes that quickly.
But you can think about your daily impact on the environment and find little life hacks to reduce your carbon footprint.
In the following you find four hacks to green up my life a bit. Lean back and scroll down...
They are not world changing but they do go into the right direction.
And btw. it's incredibly fascinating to regard your daily life with a view on sustainability aspects. You will become more aware of little things.
And little things are the ones making an impact ;)
Stay curious and check out these easy hacks
1. The reusable 'coffee-to-go' Cup
The cup is aiming to replace all the paper or plastic to-go cups you are getting on every corner and which directly go to the trashcan after consumation.
This cup is not for tea or coffee you can put in your bag, since you cannot close it. I don't like these closeable cups because it is hard to clean them and they are never really water proove.
Since I really enjoy drinking coffee while wandering around in the street, I did some research which reusable coffee-to-go cup might be the best choice and after reading lot's of reviews and after I checked the company and the materials which are used, I ended up buying the cup from Zuperzozial which is available on Amazon or the German Avocadostore.
The cup is made out of corn and bamboo and is biodegradable. Only the lid and the protective ring are made out of silicon. You can put it in the washing machine. I use it a lot =)
2. A metal Lunch Box
I was looking for a replacement of to-go-meal packages and plastic lunch boxes.
In Germany it is very common that you have lot's of tuppaware at home and kids bring their 'school bread' to school in plastic tuppaware. But whatever you put in the tuppaware, it always tastes a bit of plastic.
Also I was looking for a replacement of paperwrapping when I am byuing sth. from a bakery or so.
After some research I found this metal box, which is very longlasting and originates from the military where these boxes were used back in the days.
This lunchbox is from MATO, a German producer (MATO Vesperdose Break 4175 Edelstahl gr. 0,75l 14x18 BrotDose LunchBox Bushcraft) But you can find similar ones from many producers. It is made out of stainless steel which cannot rust.
I put bread and even salad or soup into the box. You can even put it on open fire when camping. It always keeps the original taste!
3. Reusable Glass Waterbottle
I hate to buy water in plastic bottles. It is just so senseless to buy water which even may be filled up abroad plus it is plastic consumation which is definitely unnecessary.
Also many plastic water bottles are actually filled with tab water. You will know when looking at the term: 'Table water', 'Bottled water' or 'Mineral water' (Tafelwasser in German). You will actually be buying tab water, which you can easily get at home or in every restaurant when you kindly ask. Check out also this documentary (German link here) about Nestlé exploiting water resources world wide.
We can be lucky that we have permanent water access. Also water in plastic bottles can seriously harm your body. Find out more here.
As and alternative I bought a 1,5liter and 0,7liter bottle from a organic food store with water from a local source which I, since then, fill up.
Of course it is heavier to carry, but the small one is not that heavy and I am always asking in shops or restaurants if I may fill up the bottle with their tab water and never had complaints.
People were actually suprised and interested why I was doing this.
An issue still, is to avoid plastic bottles while traveling. Especially in Morocco, Panama and Thailand I had trouble finding alternatives because you cannot really drink the tab water there and they don't sell glass water bottles.
But also for the conscious travelers out there I found a solution: A straw which is filtering contaminated water from the company LifeStraw. Find out more here.
4. Cotton bags for shopping
You will always recognize Germans abroad by their cotton bags which they will bring for food shopping - Jutebeutel in German.
I remember my first time in the USA when I brought my bags for grocery shopping and I was at the cashier and there was this guy who's job it was, to put all items into two layers of plastic bags for every costumer. He was so pissed off, that I brought my own bags because, well I took his job away :P.
So I actually realized how uncommon it often is to bring your own reusable bags in some countries. This should be changed because we all know, how much harm plastic bags and items cause to the environment and animals. Especially in the ocean. You probably know about the plastic islands in the ocean, if not check this out.
There are actually more and more countries that prohibit the production, import and distribution of plastic bags, such as Morocco recently did.
I would always carry a cotton bag with me and so can you ;)
To finish, please keep in mind that nobody is perfect.
I try to change my habits but in some situations I just cannot keep my own promises and do little exceptions.
But to be aware of these things and do little steps towards a greener lifestyle is already something.
If you have any suggestions to green up your life please share your ideas in the comments below. I am very happy about any inspiration!
Stay curious!
Lot's of love.C.