Day 5 – Earth Week Challenge
Today we're talking about zero waste, closed loop systems, how to minimize our waste through reusable items and ditching plastic as much as possible!
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Our last day!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking part in this challenge. I'm in awe, truly. The conscious humans that have come together around this challenge - MIND BLOWN. That's all I can say about that.
Today's topic is all about closed loop systems and zero waste concepts. Minimizing garbage and recycling. Helping with the landfill crisis. Reusable items. Everything disposable/plastic has a reusable alternative... that you likely only have to buy once and never again.
Please take get your earbuds, make your morning tea or breakfast and listen to the information.
In my video above, I mention the video that I made a couple of years back with all of my zero waste tips at the time:
I also want to share this video that Julia and I shot yesterday, on Day 4, we share about how Julia is giving away 100 trees this weekend, our Community Clean Up, and how to shop Zero Waste Style 🙂
You can also head to Facebook and say Hi to us there 🙂
And now, in this last day of our challenge, I want to hear from YOU!
What is your takeaway from day five?
What have you been implementing or what are you excited to try? What on your favourite resources how to reduce garbage? Reduce recycling?
Favourite blogs, Information, Local Stores, Programs that help with these issues? What are your favourite pages, books, brands and channels on this particular topic? I'd love to use this page a place that we can all come back to for a wealth of resources on all things around "zero waste"
Post your comments, reflections and resources below
Reminder: For a chance to win one of our awesome prizes, post once a day on instagram or Facebook (using the hashtag #earthweekchallenge2019 so that we can all see what each other is sharing online!)
If you post on instagram all 5 days, you could win a sweet prize pack from @rasa_ayurveda or @sweetfloweringyogaandwellness, as well as an awesome zero waste prize pack from @cntrycupboard in Fenelon Falls, a prize from Green Street Peterborough and a FREE RETREAT from @sarovarayoga and a free month of unlimited yoga from @livingyogalove (Peterborough Living Yoga!)
Remember to use the hashtag #earthweekchallenge2019
We will be pulling the winner's names on May 1st and you have up until then to post about all five topics online. Sharing socially is spreading the word about sustainability. You never know who's life you are going to positively touch with your reflections and resources on this topic!
Thank you endlessly for joining me on this journey this week. My heart is full of hope. I'm inspired and feeling a renewed sense of faith in humanity on so many levels. Thank you for being here with me.
Love, Ally
About the Author Ally
Ally Boothroyd is a yoga educator and meditation teacher with a passion for yoga nidra and the healing power of conscious rest. She is the founder of Sarovara Yoga, a yoga space and women's retreat centre in Ontario, Canada. A sanctuary on the water where she fosters local community and supports health, personal growth, emotional resiliency, authenticity, awareness, and awakening. Ally also leads Retreats and Yoga Teacher Trainings in Nosara, Costa Rica
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I wrote on Instagram today about zero waste and some of my challenges with it. I am excited about the fact that sustainable products are becoming so much more available. If you haven’t checked out ‘life without plastic’ they have many great resources. They have recently released a book that I think would make a great summer read!❤️
So, I posted a video this evening to my IG, buuuuuut it didn’t show the whole video. I’m loooong winded lol
I have a butt load of work to do on this subject, after looking in my cupboards today and really paying attention to what I buy. My recycling this week (2weeks worth) was a full big bag of plastics and paper. Oh! And I just discovered those stand up pouches are not recyclable!!!! I reuse as much as I can, but seriously the is. waaaaay too much plastic coming into my home. Biggest area for me to work in for sure!
I’ve been loving all of your instagram posts and your honesty, vulnerability, your ideas, and how much of an environmental advocate you are! It sometimes blows my mind when I see parents of young children who AREN’T this way… but so refreshing and inspiring when I witness people who are so dedicated to making a difference.
Thank you for being a part of the challenge Lyndele, it’s been a blessing how many incredible beings have stepped up and shared, reflected and implemented more little baby steps…
I can’t explain how uplifting it’s been to be surrounded by so many people who truly care and who are doing great things for this world. Thanks for caring so much. Ox
Zero waste is really hard. But looking for ways to decrease remains a goal. Julia Taylor initiatives at the country cupboard have made it easier. I don’t drive anywhere I don’t have to. So driving to Lindsay in order to get something in bulk in my jars doesn’t make sense to me. So now I can get so many of the things I need right in town. My kids and I often ride our bikes (5km each way) as our main way to travel in the summer. We can now use our jars to refill laundry soap, dish soap, shampoo at Julia’s store. We can now (also thanks to Julia) refill our water bottles at her store and soon (also thanks to Julia’s advocacy) at the water bottle refilling station at the splash pad in Fenelon.
We look at the options at sobeys (again because it doesn’t make sense to me to drive to lindsay) and get what we need with as little packaging as possible. We roll our fruit and slide our veg down the belt without any little bags. We never remember the little bags but always remember our reusable bags. And if we forget…we just load it back into the cart loose and load it into the car loose and carry it in when we get home.
My oldest daughter would lock me out if I used a plastic bag. Not kidding.🌎❤️ Lol
The kids are showing us the way, they seem to understand at such a young age that so much is at stake. They give me the energy and the drive to do better.
So don’t go for “easy”, go for “right”. And pizza comes in cardboard so that’s still IN!
Candice
You are really an inspiration Candice, for everything that you do and for everything that you are doing with the kids. I love that your daughter would lock you out if you use a plastic bag!!! Such a little Earth warrior. I feel the same about the grocery stores. I do have to drive to Peterborough once/twice a week for work things and Aud’s preschool, so I tend to do all my package free shopping there. Then I just do my best when I have to do my shopping here in town. It’s never perfect but it makes a huge difference. I can tell by how often we have to take out the trash 🙂
Thank you for being a part of the challenge Candice, it’s been a blessing how many incredible beings have stepped up and shared, reflected and implemented more little baby steps…
I can’t explain how uplifting it’s been to be surrounded by so many people who truly care and who are doing great things for this world. Thanks for caring so much. Ox
Hey, I have a question that is related, but wasn’t really covered this week. Its about our water. As you know I am still rather new to the area. I moved in to what use to be our cottage. Our water is well water with lots of iron, sulphur and manganese. So it is yellow, stains everything and smell like eggs. Yuck! For cooking and drinking I bring in Spring water. But I am looking to upgrade my life with a whole-house water filtration system. They are expensive and there are lots of option so it’s a bit overwhelming. It’s important to me to get the job done while minimizing the impact on Mother Earth.
Some of them are devastaring on the environment! So, do any of you have any advice/recommendations? What do you girls use? What have you researched? I dont want to chlorinate but I am not sure that food grade hydrogen peroxide is any better. Have any of you had any success with just aeration? I have heard you dont get very good results with just aeration, but that was from the people trying to sell me the equipment. If you have an exo-friendly company you’d like to recommend, that would also be awesome too. Thanks.
Hi. Would there be any rebates or even county municipal grants you can apply for to help offset the cost of the filtration unit? You might be able to get away with one just for drinking water, that attaches to the kitchen sink. When I was little we lived in the bush up north, and not father dug our well: we had a lot of limestone deposits and our water was amazing! Only had issues during heavy rains. Is there any way to add natural limestone to your well?
Hi Lyndele:
Thanks for your comment.
The water here is pretty yellow. It stains everything. Toilets, sinks etc. But worst of all, it stains laundry so no chance of having a washing machine to do laundry at home. I have to go into town to wash. Ughh.. We really need a whole house system but I hate the idea of having to use a chlorine system.
We considered digging a new well. It can cost $10k-$15k but there are no guarantees it would come up any better.
In fact chances are slim. Hi Iron Is common around this are.
I wish I knew more about this for you Angel!!! I have no idea! We have to pull our water straight from the lake (surface water) here!! It smells like fish at certain times of the year lol… it’s interesting. I did get very sick from it one time so I do get our drinking water from a remineralized RO water in town
Hi Ally. Thanks so much for sharing about the Country Cupboard in Fenelon Falls. I will definitely make a trip over to see her. My son and his buddy are doing a neighborhood clean-up here in Oakshores this weekend. So we will take pictures and I will bring them in for frozen yogurt next week for all their hard works (and so I can do a little shoping). So glad a business like hers exists. So worth supporting!
I am just embarking on the zero waste journey. My environmental mentor/heroes are you and my very own father-in-law. Those old timers didn’t grow up in this “disposable” society. He grew up in Italy during the war and had to really use resources wisely or go without. He reuses every single little thing. I love it! String, wine bottles, peanut butter jars, bags… you name it. It all has a 2nd (& 3rd & 4th) life. He also grows an amazing veggie garden. (Zero waste there too).
Thanks so much for all the inspiration this week. 💖
That’s wonderful that you can take Julia up on her frozen yogurt offering!! Her business is amazing. Your father-in-law sounds amazing!! I would love to learn from him too!! I am determined to learn and create my own veggie garden as well. I’ve tried many times in the past, I have a lot of critters that like to eat my veggies lol… I am going to try again this year with raised beds and see how that goes!
Thank you for being a part of the challenge Angel, it’s been a blessing how many incredible beings have stepped up and shared, reflected and implemented more little baby steps…
I can’t explain how uplifting it’s been to be surrounded by so many people who truly care and who are doing great things for this world. Thanks for caring so much. Ox
My boyfriend has been pretty good with understanding why I’m saving the plastic wrap and container from mushrooms (and re-using them), however I needed to be reminded that buying the loose mushrooms with a reuse-able bag would be a much better option! Sometimes I forget the bigger picture, no matter how much I’m trying to do my best to consider the environment. Thanks for all of the reminders this week Ally! Fantastic job!
Thank you for being a part of the challenge Maggie, it’s been a blessing how many incredible beings have stepped up and shared, reflected and implemented more little baby steps…
I can’t explain how uplifting it’s been to be surrounded by so many people who truly care and who are doing great things for this world. Thanks for caring so much. Ox