How I went from consumerist to minimalist:

     

http://ninamarieblogs.com/page/3

     I have become anti-Black Friday. In the past, I got caught up in the novelty of the deals. I worked in retail and deals plus employee discounts meant crazy town on my wallet and the environment. I would go out at midnight on Black Friday and I would wait in the lines and throw my hard-earned money at items I didn't need but wanted JUST because it was on sale. Bath and Body Works, I'm looking at you. Just recently in 2016, I went to my Bath and Body Works and dropped $300 on body sprays, lotion, shower gels, you name it, it was in my bag. I then made my way to Victoria Secret where I spent another $200 and lastly Aeropostale where I spent at least $100. Ridiculous, I know! 

     My favorite thing to do after spending all my money was come home and watch Youtube videos of other people that did the same thing as me! They'd go out to their malls and needlessly shop. Black Friday is over-consumption at its finest. The worst part is, these people don't know the impact they are making. I sure didn't have a clue, and if you do know the impact and still choose to participate I urge you to stop. The. Deals. Are. Not. Worth. It. They are not worth the footprint you are leaving behind. Not to mention, not only the amount of waste being made but also the amount of water being wasted, and carbon emissions being emitted by travel to the mall and other stores. This needs to stop! 

     So I bet now you are wondering how I made the change. First, I educated myself. Did you know that on Black Friday millions of shoppers throw their smartphones and TVs away just so they can buy a new one? This contributes to the 50 million tons of electronic waste we produce in a year. Items that are delivered to your door for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals are putting unnecessary diesel trucks

out to deliver your "deals" while polluting the air. Buying fast fashion will always end up in the landfill as they are not made by quality but quantity. The amount of waste, shopping bags, tissue paper, price tags, etc. is polluting our environment and landfills. 

     After educating myself, I applied the things I learned to the everyday world, not just Black Friday. I used to go to TJ Maxx and Marshalls and grab whatever I felt I "needed," one of those things was always makeup. My makeup collection was piling up and guess what? I slowly stopped wearing it and it all just piled into my collection. I no longer buy or even wear makeup unless it is a special occasion and even then it is cruelty-free, vegan, and as waste-free as possible. I still have urges to buy makeup every once in a while but then I remember that I don't need it and will not wear it. 

     I used to be a frequent shopper at Bath and Body Works and then I started working there and addiction became real. I was constantly buying new products left and right. I just did a deep clean and found an entire bathroom drawer full of BBW products. Never touched, never opened, just sitting in my drawer waiting to be used. Unfortunately, a majority of it was so old it wasn't even good to give away, but what was still good I donated to some middle school girls. So that is where my BBW addiction ended, because not only did I waste all that product and plastic but that was at least $500 of my hard-earned money just thrown into the trash...literally. 

     I also have cut back on my clothing, when I moved to Florida I donated almost all of it to thrift stores and I have donated more since. I have enough t-shirts to get me through two weeks and enough pants to do the same, as long as I re-wear ones that don't get dirty or sweaty. I also know that re-wearing is looked down upon but clothes are not made to be washed after every use unless they are dirty, stained, or smelly. My shoe collection has also dwindled down to only a few pairs of shoes. I was never one to buy shoes in excess but I definitely had more than the average person needs. 

     A lot of my consumerism was due to working in the mall and having easy access to everything. If I was sad, I would shop. If I met a personal goal, I would shop. If I saw something I "needed" I would shop. But all of that has died down. I used to walk into a Walmart and couldn't leave without buying something stupid, but now I can rationalize in my head whether I need it or want it. I wouldn't quite say I am a minimalist, but compared to my old habits I have definitely cut my carbon footprint in half. It takes some willpower to not buy that thing that looks really cute or that you think you'll use but it is worth it at the end if our environment isn't suffering even a quarter as bad as it currently is. 

Here are my biggest tips:

1. Need vs. want

2. Letting go of desires that do not benefit you, and being mindful of your decisions

3. Sell or donate things you do not need

4. Do not pay attention to deals and advertisements, they are trying to coax you into unnecessary consumption  

5. Educate yourself and others on the effects of consumerism 

DIY mason jar upcyle!

     This week I've compiled 3 DIY mason jar ideas to upcycle your mason jars and reduce your plastic waste! 

Salt and pepper shakers! These simple cute shakers will be a staple in your house AND it's super quick and easy! Find out how to make them here

Toothbrush holder! This DIY only needs 2 items, a mason jar, and chicken wire! Find out how to make this DIY here

Soap dispenser! If you use liquid soap in place of bar soap this is a simple way to spice up your bathroom counter and its plastic-free. Find out how to make this DIY here

How To: Recycle

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     Why recycle?

     Prevention is better than trying to fix something when it's too late. By recycling, you are helping the environment out tremendously, because not only are the effects of pollution and greenhouse gasses killing animals, they are slowly killing you too. 

1. Dumping our trash into landfills is not sustainable. Our landfills can leak and contaminate soil and groundwater. 
2. Recycling white paper creates 74% less air pollution and 35% less water pollution.
3. Recycling creates jobs, the recycling industry employs more than the auto industry. 
4. Recycling saves money, and not only that but some places even pay you to recycle. 

     What happens to recyclables?

1. Glass bottles become new glass bottles.
2. Steel cans are used for automobile parts and construction material. 
3. Plastic bottles are recycled into carpet, clothing, auto parts, and new bottles.
4. Paper is recycled into new paper. 

     What are the benefits of recycling?

1. Reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills, which in turn saves landfills from leakages of toxins. 
2. Conserving natural resources.
3. Prevents pollution.
4. Saves energy 
5. Reduces greenhouse gasses, which in turn helps eliminate global climate change. 
6. It helps sustain the environment for years to come. 

     What are the statistics?

1. One ton of recycled newsprint paper saves 601 kilowatts of energy, 71 gallons of oil, 60 pounds of air pollutants, 7.000 gallons of water and 4.6 cubic yards of landfill. 
2. One ton of recycled office paper saves 17 trees, 7,000 gallons of water, 463 gallons of oil, 3 cubic yards of landfill.
3. One ton of recycled plastic saves 5,774 kilowatts of energy, 16.3 barrels of oil, and 30 cubic yards of landfill.
4. One ton of recycled glass saves 42 kilowatts of energy, 5 gallons of oil, 7.5 pounds of air pollutants, and 2 cubic yards of landfill. 
5. If every American recycled one-tenth of their newspapers it would save 25,000,000 trees a year.
6. Americans use 2,500,000 plastic bottles every hour and more than 75% are thrown away. 
7. 100,000 marine creatures die per year from plastic entanglement or digesting it. 

     What can I recycle?

1. Aluminum cans. 
2. Aluminum foil and bakeware. 
3. Steel and tin cans. 
4. Cardboard.
5. Magazines. 
6. Office paper.
7. Newspaper.
8. Paperboard. 
9. Paper cardboard dairy and juice cartons. 
10. Junk Mail.
11. Phone books. 
12. Clear glass.
13. Brown glass.
14. Green glass.
15. Plastics.
16. Car batteries. 
17. Household batteries. 
18. Rechargeable batteries. 
19. Incandescent and LED lights. 
20. Compact fluorescent bulbs. 

     What can't be recycled?

1. Glass contaminated with dirt, rocks or food. 
2. Ceramics.
3. Heat resistant glass.
4. Mirror or window glass.
5. Metal or plastic caps and lids.
6. Crystal. 

     How can I recycle?

1. Call a recycling pick up service 
2. Use a recycling service like Clynk 
3. Reduce and reuse (Pinterest is a great tool for DIY)
4. Compost
5. Donate or sell used clothes 

     Resources and more about this topic:

- http://www.lessismore.org/materials/28-why-recycle
- https://www.epa.gov/recycle/recycling-basics
- https://www.ecocycle.org/files/pdfs/why_recycle_%20brochure.pdf
- http://www.wm.com/thinkgreen/what-can-i-recycle.jsp

How To: Go Green

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     What is going green?

1. Going green is making conscious decisions to live environmentally friendly. For example: "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle." 
2. Going green means you want to live a sustainable and renewable lifestyle.  
3. A green lifestyle is trying to be as aware of Earth's natural resources as much as possible. 
4. Knowing that you can choose how little or how much you want to engage in the green lifestyle and you don't need to change your whole life at once. That there is a large difference between green living and sustainable living. Green living is a pathway to sustainable living, but to live a sustainable lifestyle you need to be fully committed, and it's totally okay if you don't get to that point. 

     Why should I go green?

1. Going green is a choice you should want to make and not let other opinions shadow you. But there are many reasons why someone would want to transition to green living and I have compiled a list of reasons why someone would convert to a green lifestyle. 

      - The dangers of:

• Nuclear Energy 
• Pesticides
• Herbicides 
• Fertilizers 
• Genetically Engineered Food      
• Climate Change
• Oil
• Environmental Impacts 
• Health and Wellness
• Frugal Living 
• Economy 
• Minimalism 
• Religion and Spiritual Beliefs    

      The list of why someone would go green goes on and on, choose what is best for you and evaluate the reasons you are wanting to become green. Some examples I have listed more in-depth below:

      2. 1.5 acres of rainforest are lost every second to deforestation. With this, there are losses to habitat and biodiversity.

       - Deforestation: the action or process of clearing forests 

       - Biodiversity: the biological diversity in an environment as indicated by numbers of different plant and animal species 

• 137 plant, animal and insect species are lost every day to rainforest deforestation, which means there is roughly a loss of 50,000 species per year.        

      3. Less than 1% of the world's fresh water is readily available for human use. Pollution and contamination are large contributors as well as 87% of our water resources are used for agriculture and 60% of that water is wasted. By mid-century we will be fighting over water. An average American household will use about 300 gallons of water per day, and citizens of other countries only use about 550 liters per day. 

      4. Everyday America produces enough trash to equal the weight of the Empire State Building.  

• On average we throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour.
• We produce enough styrofoam cups to circle the earth 436 times.
• Throw away enough paper build a 12-foot wall from Los Angeles to New York City. 
• Throw away 570 disposable diapers each second.
• Toss out enough aluminum cans to rebuild commercial air fleet every three months.
• Each year we fill enough garbage trucks to stretch from the earth halfway to the moon.
• The Pacific Ocean is believed to hold almost 100 million tons of garbage.   

      5. Recycling 1 ton of paper saves:

• 17 trees
• 2 barrels of oil
• 4,100 kilowatts of energy
• 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space 
• 60 pounds of air pollution

       6. 1 in 4 mammals is at risk of extinction. Humans are the main cause to blame, as we've destroyed their habitats, polluted the earth and hunted far too many. Across the world, 78 percent of marine mammals are threatened by accidental deaths such as getting caught in fishing nets.

       7. If the entire world lived like the average American we'd need 5 planets to provide enough resources.   

     

       How do I start?

1.  Stop receiving junk mail. When you opt-out of junk mail you save 69 lbs of junk mail sent to your home each year. 
2. Give up bottled water. Nearly 30 billion plastic bottles are sold in the U.S yearly, and less than 20% is being recycled. 
3. Conserve energy. 

• Turn off the lights
• Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs such as LED
• Open your curtains and shades during the day to avoid using light energy. 

      4. Use your refrigerator/freezer sustainably. 

• Close the fridge
• Get a freezer that is on the bottom of the fridge
• Fill all fridge/freezer space
• Do not place hot food in the fridge.

      5. Use your dishwasher sustainably. 

• Pre-rinse dishes in cold water
• Skip the dry cycle
• Only wash full loads
• Consider hand washing

      6. Use your washing machine sustainably. 

• Wash only full loads 
• Wash less often
• Wash in cold water
• Purchase a front load washer

      7. Drying clothes and use your dryer sustainably.

• Line dry whenever possible
• Keep lint filter clean 
• Don't overload dryer
• Don't over dry clothing 
• Dry light weight clothing separately from towels or jeans
• Dry loads back to back
• Stop using dryer sheets

      8. Electronics.

• Use power strips 
• Buy all in one electronics like a tv with built in DVD players 
• Laptops are more efficient than desktops
• Turn off your screen
• Use energy saving settings
• Use sleep mode or shut down
• Unplug chargers when not in use

      9. Use your stove and oven sustainably.

• Avoid pre-heating and stick food in right away to use all the heat
• Consider a slow cooker
• Use oven light instead of opening the door 
• Turn oven off early, the heat that is captured will finish the job
• Warm the kitchen, after cooking in the winter let the heat out into the kitchen 
• Use lids on pots and pans 
• Use the correct size burner 
• Use an electric kettle 
• Invest in a convection or toaster oven

      10. Recycle. 

      11. Take your plastic bags to a recycle station. 

      12. Buy reusable grocery bags.

      13. Take your own mug to a coffee shop or buy their refillable cups.

      14. Get E-Tickets to events like movies and concerts as well as for traveling.

      15. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

      16. Bring your own container to a restaurant for leftovers to avoid plastic or styrofoam. 

      17. Walk or ride your bike to places nearby.

      18. Shop at a local farmers market.

      19. Use cloth instead of paper to clean

      20. Repurpose and upcycle things, Pinterest has great DIY ideas. 

Resources and more about these topics:

- http://www.sustainablebabysteps.com/
- http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/definition-going-green
- http://www.treehugger.com/htgg/how-to-go-green-why-to-go-green.html
- http://webecoist.momtastic.com/2008/11/26/amazing-frightening-green-facts-environmental-statistics/
- http://www.sheknows.com/home-and-gardening/articles/807479/52-cheap-ways-to-go-green
- http://theartofsimple.net/tips-to-go-green-at-home/