radiofree.asia

Category: Eco Lifestyle

  • 20 Sustainable Christmas Gifts For the Holiday Season

    A person wrapping presents
    7 Mins Read

    The holidays are upon us, and, for many, that equals food (lots and lots of food), quality time with family and friends, glasses of bubbly, and, of course, presents. But the holiday gifting season can be unnecessarily wasteful, with millions of products wrapped in plastic. However, if you want to treat your loved ones, but you’re trying to limit your impact on the planet, it is possible to give more sustainable gifts this Christmas and holiday season.

    From planet-forward foodies to plant-based fashionistas to climate-conscious bookworms, we’ve put together a guide to the most environmentally-friendly presents to buy this year – with a focus on plastic-free materials and packaging, ethical and vegan brands, and sustainably-designed products. (And remember to buy recyclable wrapping paper and decorations too.) Happy shopping!

    A person holding a present
    Give the gift of sustainability this year. | Courtesy of Superkitina via Unsplash

    For the planet-forward foodie:

    1. The Green Queen Zero Waste Vegan Meal Plan & Recipe eBook

    Food waste is a major issue. In fact, research suggests that globally, around 2.5 billion tons of food is wasted every single year. But there are ways we can each try to reduce this number, and one of them is by being more conscious of how we cook. Green Queen’s Zero Waste Vegan Meal Plan & Recipe eBook talks the reader through how to create tasty, innovative, plant-based recipes, all while minimizing waste in the kitchen.

    2. Moonshot Climate-Friendly Crackers

    The first rule of holiday soirées: never turn up empty-handed. Produced with a small planet-friendly supply chain, Moonshot crackers are as delicious as they are sustainable. They come in three different flavors (Sourdough Sea Salt, Rosemary Garlic, and Margherita Pizza) and are the perfect addition to a festive sharing board.

    Rocio Egio 2023 Calendar
    Inspire the chef in your life with a recipe calendar | Courtesy of Rocio Egio

    3. Seasonal recipe calendar

    For the loved one who enjoys cooking up a storm in the kitchen, give the gift of monthly recipes. (And perhaps New Year’s Resolution inspiration!) On this calendar by Rocio Egio, each month comes complete with a recipe card (printed on recycled paper) which walks the reader through new exciting dishes, each made with seasonal fruits and vegetables.

    4. Sustainable vegan wine

    Cameron Diaz is known predominantly for her movie roles, but lately, the star has moved into the world of vegan, sustainable wine. Her brand Avaline, which she founded with her friend Katherine Power, offers delicious, sophisticated wines, all produced with 100 percent organic grapes. For the pal who loves a tipple, a bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon or the Granache Blanc is a must-buy.

    For the plant-based fashionista:

    5. Vintage bag from a resale platform

    For that someone who just exudes great style and loves handbags, don’t trawl the high street or luxury labels to find them something new. Make your gift more sustainable by choosing a resale platform instead. The RealReal, Vestiaire Collective, and Depop are some of the best marketplaces to find a vintage gem for your pal, handbags included.

    6. Plant-based sneakers

    Most of the sneakers on the market are either made with leather or plastic-derived synthetics, neither of which are great for the planet. But good news: you can buy the sneakerhead in your life sustainable kicks instead. Unless Collective’s stylish statement Degenerate sneakers, for example, are made with plants and minerals thanks to materials by leading plastic-free plant-based materials maker Natural Fiber Welding.

    7. Plant-based tee

    For your vegan loved one who wants everyone to know about it (and why wouldn’t they?), a statement tee is a winner. These options by Vegan Outfitters, which include everything from a simple “Kale” slogan to “Yes, I get enough f*cking protein,” are made with soft, WRAP-certified cotton, and will arrive in plastic-free packaging.

    t-shirt with a Kale slogan
    Vegan Outfitters offers a range of fun slogan tees. | Courtesy of Vegan Outfitters

    8. Pay for a repair

    If you know a pal who just ripped their favorite pair of jeans, or damaged their beloved winter sweater, instead of buying something new, treat them to a repair this holiday season. Platforms like Make Nu or Sojo, dubbed the Deliveroo of clothing repairs, charge for creative repair services on all sorts of garments, or you could find a local seamstress in their area and ask for a quote.

    For the sustainable homebody:

    9. Coconut wax candles

    There’s nothing like that feeling of settling down for the evening by turning down the lights, grabbing a cozy blanket and a good book, and lighting a candle. Mar Mar, which is based in Los Angeles, offers hand-poured scented coconut wax candles in reusable glass jars in a variety of scents. But if you can’t pick just one, it also offers mini gift sets. 

    10. Climate-negative soap

    By now, most of us know that carbon dioxide is bad for the atmosphere. But it is possible to capture CO2 and use it to make things, like soap. This quirky and unique vegan Body Bar by CleanO2 is made with captured carbon and beer, and thanks to the addition of geranium oils, smells delicious.

    Mono Skincare moisturizer
    Mono Skincare uses refillable packaging | Courtesy of Mono Skincare

    11. Low-waste skincare

    For many, their nightly skincare routine is a calming and enjoyable ritual. If you know someone who never hits the hay without pampering their face first, treat them to Mono Skincare’s nourishing Face Moisturizer, which minimizes packaging waste thanks to the refillable bottle design or one of their dissolvable skincare pastilles, a zero packaging option. All the products are vegan and made with certified organic ingredients where possible.

    For the nature-loving fitness fanatic:

    12. Yulex rubber wetsuits

    Watersports lovers usually end up having to wear wetsuits made from neoprene, a synthetic rubber material, which, unfortunately, harms the environment through its manufacturing process. But now, some brands, like Patagonia, offer more sustainable wetsuits made from Yulex, a plant-based neoprene alternative. 

    13. Plastic-free flip flops

    If you know a gymaholic, they might be grateful to receive a pair of flip-flops to wear after that post-workout shower. While many options on the market are made from plastic, there are alternatives. Waves Flip Flops, for example, are made with natural rubber.

    A person riding a bike wearing Flip flops
    Flip flops don’t have to be made from plastic | Courtesy of Waves Flip Flops

    14. Seed bombs

    For your outdoorsy friend, who always loves working away in the garden or heading out to trek in the wilderness, a seed bomb is a great gift. This is an easy and fun way of spreading about wildflowers, which attract vital pollinators, like bees. Platforms like Etsy, for example, are packed with uniquely crafted seed bomb options (and as a bonus, you can support the local artisans in your area).

    For the climate-conscious bookworm:

    15. ‘The Climate Book’

    In the fall of 2022, world-famous teen activist Greta Thunberg released “The Climate Book,” with the help of more than 100 experts in the climate field. This is a great gift for anyone experiencing a little bit of climate anxiety; it is intended to be a source of hope and motivation for action. 

    The Climate Book
    Greta Thunberg has just released ‘The Climate Book’

    16. ‘Regenesis’

    Activist and writer George Monbiot is one of the most influential voices in the climate movement. With this thought-provoking book, “Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet,” he guides the reader through the need for food system transformation, and the innovative solutions that are right in front of us when it comes to sustainably feeding the world’s population.

    17. ‘The Ministry for the Future’

    Described as “a masterpiece of the imagination,” this book by Kim Stanley Robinson, which impactfully envisions how climate change will begin to impact all of our lives, has Barack Obama’s approval. So if it’s good enough for a former president, it’s good enough for your loved one this Christmas.

    For activist kiddos: 

    18. ‘The Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastics’

    “The Last Straw” was written for kids, but it’s inspirational for their parents and caregivers too. It discusses the issue of plastic pollution but also introduces children to the solutions, and all of the young activists working together to help protect the oceans. It’s guaranteed to turn your little one into a budding environmental activist.

    19. Non-toxic eco fingerpaints

    For the little artist in your life, gift these finger paints from Eco-Kids. All of the paints are made with natural, food-safe, organic ingredients, like potatoes and beans (so you don’t have to worry so much about fingers in mouths!).

    20. Bug House Hotel

    Get your little one interested in nature with this cute Eco-Friendly Bug House Hotel. Made with environmentally-friendly materials, it’s ideal for teaching kids all about butterflies, bees, ladybirds, and other insects, and the important role they play in the world.

    Lead image courtesy of Pexels.

    The post 20 Sustainable Christmas Gifts For the Holiday Season appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 9 Kind & Eco-Friendly Christmas Activities To Do This Holiday Season

    4 Mins Read

    Have you been doing the same activities year in year out, every festive season? Maybe it is time to try some of these not-so-typical alternative activities that are eco-friendly, fun and positive. Here are 9 ideas to get you, your family and friends started this (green) Christmas! 

    1. Volunteer 

    Source: Atlanta Humane

    Christmas is meant to be a time for giving, yet many of us have strayed away from the season’s meaning thanks to our mainstream consumer culture. Instead of buying more things that most of us don’t need, gift someone your time and energy this year. Take a day out to volunteer at a local shelter or food bank with your family and friends, it’ll be a heartwarming and rewarding experience, guaranteed. 

    2. Create Some D-I-Y Eco Ornaments 

    Source: 365 Greetings

    Put your creative hats on and get crafty! Sit around a table and make some eco-friendly ornaments with recycled and upcycled materials lying at home. You could make a wreath out of old buttons, for instance. Need more ideas? We have a whole list of D-I-Y decorations to keep yourself and your kids busy this season. 

    3. Go Ice-Skating 

    Source: Unsplash

    This is kind of basic, but when was the last time you gathered a group together for some ice-skating fun? Even if you can hardly balance on those scary skates, this activity all but guarantees loads of laughs and lasting memories. 

    4. Host A Christmas Bake-Off Party

    Source: Unsplash

    There’s hardly anything that smells better than freshly baked cookies and cake on a cold wintery day. Gather your friends and relatives together for a vegan cookie party and get baking! From gingerbread biscuits to panettone, there are loads of plant-based recipes online. Take a look at some of the Christmas recipes we’ve curated for inspiration, and make sure to check out our ultimate guide on how to be an eco holiday party host.

    5. Video Chat Or Call Your Friends & Family Abroad 

    Source: Pexels

    If you have family or friends that live abroad, the winter holidays is the perfect season to video chat or call in just to catch up. Ask about how they’ve been, what they have been up to and make plans to meet up in person soon (IRL for those of you who can’t take their eyes off your screen). And btw you screenistas out there, perhaps you want to consider breaking up with your phone? Or going on a break at least..!

    6. Make Some Homemade Vegan S’Mores 

    Source: Picky Eater Blog

    Who doesn’t love s’mores? There’s no need to limit the fun to a campfire, you can make this in the comfort of your own home. All you need are some vegan digestive biscuits, gelatin-free marshmallows and dark chocolate slabs – all of which are now commonly stocked in supermarkets and specialty health stores – and a stovetop (or loads of candles!). Perfect for a cold night-in and 100% delicious. 

    7. Put Together A Playlist

    Source: Unsplash

    Curate your favourite holiday tunes for every activity. Make an upbeat playlist for a dinner party, a warm jazzy one (Billie Holiday anyone?) for your festive cooking adventures, and another one for when you do some much-needed holiday decluttering. 

    8. Gift Homemade Treats & Ornaments To Someone Unexpected 

    Source: Fly For Good

    Make someone’s day by! In past years, we’ve shared about Kindness Advent Calendars whereby you perform random acts of kindness every day in December but it doesn’t have to be a prescribed formula. Whether it is your local cashier, next-door neighbour, or the person in front of the line when you grab a coffee, it’s for sure that they will feel the love with a delivery of homemade treats or an adorable D-I-Y upcycled ornament.

    9. Read A Book 

    Source: Pexels / Thought Catalog

    Sitting down with a book used to be a basic Christmas activity, but not anymore. It feels like we hardly get the time to dive into a novel nowadays, so take the opportunity this Christmas to do so – Bill Gates has a great end-of-the-year reading list you may want to check out.

    Lead image courtesy of Unsplash.

    The post 9 Kind & Eco-Friendly Christmas Activities To Do This Holiday Season appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 10 Ways To Host An Eco-Friendly Christmas Holiday Party

    5 Mins Read

    It’s that time of year again! Over the Christmas season, most of us gather with our friends and visit family members to celebrate. But all those dinner parties and festivities do add up – think about the non-recyclable bunting and tinsel to the food waste from overflowing buffet spreads. This doesn’t mean that we can’t host a greener, more eco-friendly party this year! Here are 10 ideas that might inspire you.

    1. Eco-Chic Decorations

    Source: Pantone Canvas Gallery

    From a sustainable Christmas tree (that isn’t a real tree) to other D-I-Y upcycled holiday ornaments, there are a ton of ways to decorate your home eco-style. If you need additional pieces, you can always rent, buy secondhand online or visit a thrift store to find them. 

    2. Plant-Based Dinner Spread

    Source: We Are So Vegan

    Host a vegetarian or vegan meal. Did you know that one of the single biggest ways we can reduce our carbon footprint is to ditch meat? This doesn’t mean a boring meal at all – check out all these vegan Christmas recipes to get started.

    3. Buy From Local Farmers, Shops & Bakeries

    Source: Unsplash

    When you go for a grocery haul before you whip up all those (plant-based) Christmas dishes, make sure you buy ingredients that are locally sourced to avoid air-flown emissions. If you’re thinking to purchase some cake, support a local business – there are loads of vegan-friendly bakeries around town. 

    4. Only Use Reusable Cutlery, Dishware & Serveware

    Source: Unsplash

    One of the biggest culprits for waste at parties are disposable plates, cutlery, cups and other utensils. It’s totally easy to avoid this – just use the real stuff, which is what you probably already have at home. And if there aren’t enough sets for everyone, you can always purchase secondhand or ask friends to bring some over. You can also make wine or drink charms to label plates and glasses.

    5. Avoid Food Waste

    Source: Getty Images

    Loads of leftovers? All these extras should never go straight in the bin. Encourage guests to take home servings of food and drinks, or share with your neighbours and colleagues at work! Still more leftovers? Take them to a food bank. Need more ideas? Here’s a great guide to conquering food waste at home.

    6. Encourage Waste-Free Gifts

    Source: Fotolia

    Tell your guests that all gifts exchanged should be waste-free! No plastic, no excessive packaging. In the spirit of hosting a green holiday party, presents don’t have to be “things” and can be as simple as a donation to a good cause or tickets to your favourite play. 

    7. Set Up Recycling Stations

    Source: Recycle More UK

    Set up recycling bins throughout your party, for cans, bottles, paper products and food compost. Make sure your guests know where to dispose of their items, and how to do so properly at the beginning of the party – it could be a great icebreaker and with the festive spirit abound, friends & fam may be open to ways they can reduce their environmental impact.

    8. Mood Lighting With (Eco) Candles 

    Source: Freepik

    Light up your home with candles. Not only does this make for an eco decoration, it’ll save on electricity while creating an intimate, festive mood. Looking for eco, petrol-free options that offer a safe burn? We’ve got the ultimate green candle roundup.

    9. Throw In A Sustainable Dress Code 

    When you invite your guests, invite them to join in on a sustainable dress code policy. Make the rules fun, like telling guests that they must wear a Christmas sweater that is secondhand, recycled or a hand-me-down, and accessorise with D-I-Y upcycled home pieces- or if it must be new, they have to wear sustainable fashion brands. Another great icebreaker for your guests: you can all exchanged preloved fashion tips!

    10. Give Guests An Eco Conscious Parting Gift

    Source: Pexels

    Finish off your eco-party with a gift bag that doesn’t leave behind any waste. Homemade granola bars or gingerbread men wrapped in paper, for instance, would make a great treat. Little bags of seeds to grow their own herbs at home would make another green gift. We love these homemade jar gift ideas if you need more inspo.

    Lead image courtesy of Canva.

    The post 10 Ways To Host An Eco-Friendly Christmas Holiday Party appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Trail Running 101: What You Need To Know About Asia’s New Favourite Sport

    3 Mins Read

    Chances are you’ve heard about trail running lately. Perhaps your work colleague happens to be an avid trail runner, maybe your friend has just picked up the sport, or it just keeps coming up during family dinner conversations. Long story short, trail running has become a big hit in recent years all over the world, including our home city of Hong Kong. But wait – what is trail running, really? Here, we explain why trail running is different from other types of running and what makes it such a unique outdoor sport. 

    What is trail running? 

    Trail running is a long-distance endurance form of sport involving a combination of running and hiking. While similar to mountain running or hill running, trail running is distinguished by its exclusively unpaved terrain, such as soil, mud, ground and grass. It tends to take place in warmer climates, such as Hong Kong, and is typically a slower, more “concentrated” form of running compared to road running. 

    Source: Action Asia Events

    Your brain has to move with your body

    Unlike some other forms of running, trail running will naturally involve a few obstacles, whether it be uneven terrain or rubble and rocks along your path. Going through the ups and downs of each trail requires thinking and concentrating on the task ahead of you while you run. British ultramarathoner Robbie Britton, for instance, has previously described it as a “real boost for the brain”.

    Read: Vegan ultramarathoner Vlad Ixel shares his journey to becoming an elite plant-based trail runner

    Never a boring moment

    Each run is much like an adventure on the trails! On a treadmill, you might have to try and entertain yourself by watching the television screen in front of you. That couldn’t be further from the reality when you’re running somewhere surrounded by nature and wildlife, where the changing landscape will ensure you’ll never be bored. 

    Source: Unsplash

    Less impact on your joints

    Trail running typically involves softer surfaces, which reduces the pounding and impact on your joints and body. By contrast, running on hard man-made mediums such as asphalt or concrete creates more pressure on the cartilage cushioning, which can accelerate the natural rate of wear-and-tear of your joints. 

    Improves overall fitness

    Running on trails provides a much more balanced and all-rounded exercise activity than running on concrete pavements. Going uphill improves strength, while uneven surfaces boosts flexibility, balance, core strength and ankle strength too. Tackling changing trail environments will also require runners to vary length of strides, shifting from left to right – all of this helps coordination and agility. 

    Source: Unsplash

    Boost for your mental health

    Sure, we all know that any exercise is good for our physical health, but did you know that trail running can be a real boon for our mental well-being too? Not only will you benefit from the endorphins or “happy hormones” released by any kind of exercise, spending time outdoors in the midst of nature has been shown to have therapeutic effects, from calming nerves to improving mood and self-esteem. 

    Lead image courtesy of Stock Images.

    The post Trail Running 101: What You Need To Know About Asia’s New Favourite Sport appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Zero Waste Holidays: 10 Decorative Christmas Plants That Last All Year Round

    5 Mins Read

    We all love to decorate our homes with festive plants during the holiday season, but most of the time, their time in the spotlight ends pretty quickly and they up being tossed out once the new year rolls in. This year, why not give your indoor plant decorations life beyond the holidays? Here are 10 beautiful plants to deck your home for some Christmas cheer that can be kept all year round. 

    1. Poinsettias 

    Source: She Knows

    Poinsettias are of course the most popular Christmas houseplant. Their pointed red flowers are well known for appearing on tables and windowsills everywhere during the festive season, but they are in fact tropical plants that grow best in direct sunlight and humid temperatures – making them perfect for our climate, all year round. 

    2. Amaryllis 

    Source: Gardener’s Supply

    A less well known Christmas plant is amaryllis, a bell-shaped red bloomer. They appear more and more often during the winter months, but they again are tropical plants that love relatively warm temperatures and humid climates, so they can totally be kept beyond the holidays. 

    3. Rosemary

    Source: The Spruce

    If you don’t have room for a large plant, why not a potted herb? Not only is rosemary a total Christmas charmer and can be used in so many festive recipes, their sweet-smelling fragrant sprigs will no doubt come in handy all the time, regardless of season. 

    4. Christmas Cactus

    Source: Jackson & Perkins

    The succulent trend isn’t confined to the winter or summer months. This popular houseplant is called the Christmas cactus because of its beautiful leaf-like pads and white, pink and red flowers that warm up your home. Originally from the rainforests of southern Brazil, these succulents will remain green for most of the year. Some say they can live for as long as 30 years.

    5. Paperwhites

    Source: Home Depot

    These fragrant tall flowers grow all year round, and keeping them is as simple as just adding water. Their bulbs will look great under some Christmas mood lighting, but will still shine bright in your home come the spring season, not to mention they’re perfect for Chinese New Year. 

    6. Norfolk Island Pine 

    Source: Mulhall’s

    Norfolk Island Pine trees are an excellent selection for the holiday season- they look like a mini version of the Christmas fir but they are actually tropical plants that require humidity and warmth to flourish. They love to sit in bright indirect sunlight, and will totally spruce up your home no matter what time of the year it is. 

    7. Winter Cherries

    Source: St Pauls Garwood

    Winter cherries are known for their tomato-looking berries that appear around the Christmas season and which look super festive nestled in their green leaves. But don’t throw them out once these berries disappear. In the summer, the plant blooms small white flowers. Do be careful though if you have small children and pets at home- winter cherries are toxic.

    8. Christmasberry 

    Source: Pixabay

    Christmasberry grows in shrubs, and are usually found along outdoor coastlines but can be kept indoors in a pot. They earned the name of being the berry of the festive season because it yields fruits that are red and plump. But they also do very well once winter is over. Christmas berries love sunlight, warm temperatures and humidity – perfect for our climate – and their dark glossy leaves will produce white star-shaped flowers in the summer. 

    9. Pothos Ivy

    Want to ditch the traditional? What better way to do so than to add one of the most low-maintenance houseplants there is out there to your home collection? Hang this plant and their trailing stems up in a dangly basket, and they’ll look great with or without your (eco-friendly D-I-Y) Christmas decorations. Bonus: they purify the air by absorbing toxins in the atmosphere! 

    10. Areca Palm 

    Source: Shpock

    Last but not least, areca palms are a tropical favourite. Why bow down to conventional wintery plants when we have warm temperatures for most of the year? In addition to needing very little care, they come in all sizes from big to small, so there is no doubt one suitable for everyone.

    Lead image courtesy of West Coast Gardens.

    The post Zero Waste Holidays: 10 Decorative Christmas Plants That Last All Year Round appeared first on Green Queen.

  • The High Carbon Cost of the Internet

    The High Carbon Cost of the Internet
    5 Mins Read

    One of these is the impact of the internet on the environment and how it also contributes to climate change. Most of us spend hours glued to screens and devices, but few of us consider the greenhouse gas emissions toll of this behavior.

    The internet has become a thoroughly integrated part of our lives that many of us long ago started taking for granted. You’ve probably already responded to a handful of emails today, maybe replied to text messages from friends, or scrolled through social media. But

    Advances in internet connectivity have brought profound changes in our world. It has been a blessing and a curse for many. We are connected to thousands of people and more able than ever before to access information, education, social connections, and much more with the click of a button. However, this connectivity has taken its toll in allowing many of us to overindulge in our screen time, dampening the number of face-to-face interactions and connections we make. 

    As revolutionary and great as the internet is for humanity, it also has some other hidden costs that we don’t always think about. One of these is the impact of the internet on the environment and how it also contributes to climate change. The idea that sending emails saves paper and makes the world a greener place isn’t exactly all it is cracked up to be.  

    Small Costs That Add Up

    You may be thinking “But wait, I keep my phone in battery-saving mode and charging it can’t take that much energy!!”

    Well, you’re right… to some degree. 

    The energy cost of charging a phone or a single internet search really isn’t all that much, maybe a couple of grams of carbon dioxide. But add that up for all of the internet searches, text messages, shared photos, and songs you play in a day. What about over the course of a week or a month? Now multiply that by the 4.1 billion people who are currently using the internet across the globe every day. 

    We haven’t even begun to consider the real drivers of internet energy use such as the servers, power banks, and cooling systems that are required to keep everything up and running. The vast majority of the carbon cost of the internet comes from keeping it all going and manufacturing the technology that eventually winds up in someone’s hands. All in all the internet adds up to nearly 4% of global carbon emissions. 

    “The energy use in our digital consumption collectively emits the equivalent amount of carbon as the entire airline industry,” says Vaughan Lindsay, CEO of Climate Impact Partners. That’s a ballpark figure — the aviation industry actually creates just over 2% of global carbon emissions. 

    Meanwhile, as a matter of comparison, the meat and dairy industry is responsible for 14.5% of the carbon we’re pumping into the atmosphere. Using the internet everyday certainly doesn’t out-pollute eating meat, but it is more carbon-intensive than taking an occasional flight. Plus, there’s a good chance you’re going to use the internet to book your flight and while you’re flying, which compounds the issue.     

    Bigger, Faster, Better

    Of course, this is just the beginning. ISPs — internet service providers — are always striving to offer their customers the best technology has to offer. This can mean faster internet through the installation of fibre optic networks or bigger data packages that allow users to do more with the internet. Even new technology like 5G is starting to be offered in some areas. 

    All of these new technologies are great for increasing internet capacity and capabilities, but they are more energy intensive than ever before. Some studies suggest that in growing countries such as China, electricity consumption from the digital sector — including things like data centres and 5G base stations — is set to increase by nearly 300% in the next 15 years. 

    The rise of crypto is another cause for environmental concern. The process of mining cryptocurrency is extremely energy intensive and requires large computers and servers working 24/7. Some cities and countries that are friendly to crypto are seeing massive increases in energy consumption. Though many advocates see the potential for a green revolution in things like cryptocurrency, there are many grey areas in their assumptions.  

    Helping to Offset the Cost

    Recognizing the impact of internet use can be extremely sobering for many users. However, it gives us another opportunity to reflect on our actions and examine how we can work to lower our carbon footprint and ultimately make a more positive difference in the environment. Encouraging power companies and data centres to lean into renewable energy sources may lead to positive changes. You can do this in a variety of ways, from advocating that local government leadership make policy changes all the way down to directly calling your local power company and asking about their renewable energy plans.

    Changing the way you use technology can also have a real impact. Small decisions such as not upgrading to a new phone every year can make a profound difference in the manufacturing demand for devices. Sending SMS messages is less energy intensive than Tweeting or posting to other social media outlets. Phone calls and emails use less energy than video chats and shared photo albums. Making conscious decisions about how we use the internet can be both good for the environment and good for our mental health.  

    Additionally, you can work towards ensuring that the energy consumption within your own household is more environmentally friendly. Greener, more energy-efficient upgrades to your home are a powerful means of beginning to address your personal carbon footprint. And there are hundreds of things you can do to start that process, from installing more energy-efficient insulation to upgrading your windows to purchasing LED lightbulbs. 

    The internet has always been a double-edged sword. It is full of both possibilities and pitfalls. Our lives have been forever changed by the presence of the internet, now we just have to figure out how to live with it. 

    Cutting Down on Your Internet Footprint 

    If you’d like to cut down on your internet emissions, consider doing the following:

    • Install solar panels on your house to power your home internet use with clean energy.
    • Power down your devices if you’re not using them and dim your display — dimming the display to 70% can save nearly 20% of the energy used by a monitor.
    • With cloud storage and email, delete what you don’t need and download necessary files onto your device so they’re not taking up space in a data centre.
    • Cut down on streaming and do away with autoplay, as streaming video contributes to 60% of internet traffic. 
    • Cut down on emails — if every adult in the UK sent one less email per day, it would save over 16,000 tonnes of carbon a year. 
    • Don’t charge your cell phone overnight — every time the charge level dips below 100%, the phone starts drawing energy again. Instead, charge it to 100% and then unplug it.

    Daily small changes like these can add up to huge carbon savings over the life of your internet use. 

    Lead image courtesy of Pexels.

    The post The High Carbon Cost of the Internet appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 Simple Ways to Have a Greener Thanksgiving

    Greener Thanksgiving
    3 Mins Read

    A happy holiday also brings with it traditions of excess. Check out our simple guide for a greener pumpkin day!

    Pumpkin centerpieces, sweet potato mash, caramel apples…not to mention pecan AND pumpkin pie! Thanksgiving is fast approaching! While the holiday is a wonderful time of the year full of merriment, delicious food and family togetherness, it is also a time of extraordinary waste and what we at Green Queen like to call a ‘Too Much’ holiday. We cook too much, eat too much (especially animal foods), drink too much, throw away too much, and use WAY too much packaging, paper, plastics and other non-renewable resources. Nobody wants their holiday parade rained on, but there are ways to make the holiday a little friendlier on the environment and on our health. Below, our simple guide to a greener Thanksgiving.

    Try A Vegan Main

    The environmental cost of producing meat can be anywhere from 25 to 250 times the cost of producing plant-based food. And dairy is a sustainability disaster. While for many, the turkey is a must, there are actually so many delicious animal-free alternatives. We have a full list here in fact. Beyond the main, it’s a cinch to make all the rest of your dishes vegan. Use olive and coconut oil instead of butter, substitute plant-based milk and cream for dairy products and use nuts, spices and herbs to give your dishes flavour, instead of relying on butter, bacon or cheese.

    Go Local

    This is an easy one! Just pop down to your local farmer’s market or order locally grown vegetables and fruits online or even pick them up in your neighborhood supermarket. Eating locally (and seasonally as a result) takes away a huge amount of energy consumption cost from your meal. Plus, locally and seasonally grown fruit and vegetables taste better and offer greater nutritive benefits to your family than vegetables that have traveled from afar. Extra bonus: the more you support locally grown produce, the more incentive the local farmers will have to grow their businesses. Plus, you will be saving your dollars: locally-grown plant-based foods are far more cost-effective than imported animal-based ones.

    Say Yes to Candles

    Candlelight emits a glow that electricity cannot compete with- it’s more romantic, warmer, and softer, plus it gives us a fuzzy feeling inside. During the festivities, save on electricity costs and carbon emissions and switch off all the lights ( as well as computers and all appliances you won’t be using) and fill your home with soy-based or beeswax candles. Avoid petroleum-based candles at all costs: they are made from non-renewable resources and they release toxic fumes into your home and your family’s lungs. 

    Recycle & Decorate

    Don’t be one of the TOO MUCH (see post introduction above) and make your own homemade thanksgiving decorations. Involve your family and friends in the activity. Kids will love it! Make the event more fun and into a game by limiting yourself to materials found within the house and in your backyard if you have one. Recycle used paper, magazines, and newspapers – make ‘celebrity name cards’ by matching a photo cutout of a famous person with a family member; make use of leaves, branches, and pinecones – make ribbon with vines and use them as a napkin holder; try using fresh fruit wiped with coconut or olive oil in a glass bowl as a table centerpiece.

    Get The Little Ones Involved

    Holidays are also the perfect time to teach little ones greener, kinder and healthier habits. Involve them in food shopping by making a day out of a trip to the farmer’s market or a local organic farm. Have a craft party with their friends and make recycled, home-made decorations. Include them in the cooking and food preparations duties- this is the ideal way to inculcate your children on how to make healthier and smarter eating choices.

    Lead image courtesy of Karolina Grabowska via Pexels.

    The post 5 Simple Ways to Have a Greener Thanksgiving appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • I Grew My Own Produce in Hong Kong. Here’s What I Learned From Urban Farming.

    5 Mins Read

    As a vegan and sustainable food advocate, growing my own organic produce had always been something I wanted to do.

    I never thought it was possible to grow my own food right here in Hong Kong, a city famous for its skyscrapers, bright lights, and bustling traffic. But turns out, it is.

    Here’s what I learned during my urban farming journey.

    1.   Farming in the city is possible

    I made endless excuses to not fulfil my farm-to-table dream. Despite writing about slow food pioneers like Alice Waters and the dedicated social entrepreneurs behind urban farming concept The Farmers in Singapore, I somehow convinced myself it was a task too difficult in Hong Kong. It would be far away from the city centre, I thought.

    Locally grown lettuce.

    I was proven wrong. Hysan, a mall in the heart of Causeway Bay, runs a rooftop urban farming initiative. Yes, dozens of mini-farming plots right on top of a mall. The program is open to the public, and successful applicants will learn the basics of organic farming over the course of 13 weeks. By the end of it, you’ll be able to harvest your own seasonal produce. 

    2.   It doesn’t take as much time as you think

    Another excuse I made for myself was that urban farming would take up too much of my free time. False. It’s a weekly commitment, yes, but it only took up an hour or two of my Saturday mornings.

    3.   Growing your own produce is a labour of love

    At first, I thought the whole point of urban farming was getting the goods, so to speak. The day when I’d get to harvest my own beautiful kale or Swiss chard, especially after the grueling first week of weeding, hoeing and ploughing. That wasn’t easy, my back was a little achy and my muscles were definitely left tired. I wanted to be rewarded for my hard work.

    Examining my lettuces.

    But as the weeks went on after sowing our initial seeds, I became immersed in the process of tending to my seedlings. I not only looked forward to seeing how my plants would grow, but found the routine of watering, trimming, weeding, and loosening the soil enjoyable.  

    4.   You’ll gain a new sense of respect for farmers and food

    Locally grown radishes.

    That being said, I was just responsible for my own little plot of farmland on a rooftop–and it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. It was frustrating when some of the seeds I sowed never sprouted, or when some of my baby lettuces were blown away thanks to the typhoon one week. In addition, manually hoeing and shoveling is way harder than it looks. It made me imagine having to work in a much larger field for commercial agriculture. I gained a new sense of appreciation for farmers who, despite keeping our global food system alive, are often vulnerable to workplace exploitation and are typically paid extremely low wages for their labour. Realizing the work it takes to get those ingredients onto your plate also makes you respect food itself and become much more mindful of food waste.

    Read: 13 ways you can reduce your food waste footprint

    5.   Urban farming is therapeutic

    Saturday mornings became the snippet of my week when I felt most at peace. It was almost like a refuge after a busy week. You’d think that being in Causeway Bay–Hong Kong’s shopping haven–would be anything but relaxing. But it’s quiet up there. You can hear little rustling sounds coming from grasshoppers trying to nibble your Pak Choi leaves. Shooing the jumpy insects away while trimming my coral leaf lettuce and watering my cherry radishes gave me the same sense of calm that a countryside hike would. Urban farming became my nature therapy. 

    A lettuce closeup.

    6.   Organic produce tastes better 

    Organic farming means no synthetic pesticides or fertilisers that wreak havoc on soil health. Instead, we rely on natural methods such as growing shallot bulbs around the plot and spraying our plants with garlic water to repel bugs. It’s not foolproof, which inevitably means that soil insects like wireworms and herbivore grasshoppers will chew through stems and leaves. My Pak Choi and daikon radish greens bore the brunt of the damage, with many leaves punctured with tiny holes. While they look a little misshapen and imperfect, I promise they taste better than the commercially grown veggies available on supermarket shelves. My cherry radishes were mildly peppery and crisp, and my butterhead lettuce tasted sweeter than I imagined. Plus, knowing my veggies could be a potential climate solution made them that much more delicious.

    Locally grown daikon.

    7.   It’ll become your new addiction 

    After spending a few weeks at the urban farm, I realised this was going to be my new addiction, even for a big-city person. I came to enjoy getting my hands dirty and my shoes muddy every Saturday. There’s something so satisfying about planting, tending and finally eating your own fresh harvest. As the weather begins to cool down in the weeks ahead, I’ll be able to harvest and enjoy my daikon radish…and I’m already thinking about what to plant next in time for Spring. 

    All images courtesy of Sally Ho.

    The post I Grew My Own Produce in Hong Kong. Here’s What I Learned From Urban Farming. first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post I Grew My Own Produce in Hong Kong. Here’s What I Learned From Urban Farming. appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Why Climate Grief is the Next Mental Health Crisis

    5 Mins Read

    As climate change and environmental degradation intensify, our psychological health is at stake. Climate grief is a natural response to threats to our physical, cultural, and community well-being.

    The ice shelves are receding, sea levels are rising, natural disasters are intensifying, and deforestation could create a financial crisis as big as the 2008 crash.

    It’s no wonder that many of us feel a sense of loss and anxiety when we think about the climate and the direction we are headed in. It’s easy to feel powerless when energy giants continue to exploit natural resources and governments are slow to invoke change.

    In fact, this sense of anxiety and loss has a name — climate grief. And, as more people become aware of the climate crisis, more people are experiencing climate grief than ever before.

    Physical Health

    The connection between our physical and mental health is clear. When we can’t be certain of our physical well-being, our mental well-being deteriorates. We know this from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which places physiological safety and self-protection at the base of its illustrative pyramid.

    However, as climate change intensifies, we are less sure of our basic safety. There will be more frequent and intense tropical storms in the Atlantic and heat waves are becoming part of our everyday lives. Coastal cities, like Hong Kong, will be at increased risk of storm surges. Natural disasters of this scale threaten lives and undermine our basic need for a safe space to live in.

    Climate change may also increase the prevalence of pests and pest-borne illnesses. This is already happening in some parts of Africa where the pest known as the “maize stem borer” is running rampant due to a decline in its natural predator, cotesia flavipes. Increased pest populations threaten to disrupt food supplies and increase the spread of disease.

    As our physical health becomes less secure, we may lament the loss of safety and certainty. This manifests itself as climate grief, both for those who are directly affected and those who consume the news through digital media. The sense of loss can undermine our sense of togetherness and potentially wipe out entire cultures. 

    Cultural Heritage

    Connection to cultural heritage is an important part of everyone’s mental health. Feeling a sense of belonging can help folks navigate turbulent times and feel secure within their environment. However, climate change and climate disasters threaten to wipe out our connection to cultural heritage and change the way we live forever.

    At a recent UN Youth Climate Summit, delegates from Greece described the repercussions that climate change has on their ancient ruins. Rising sea levels and violent storms threaten to irreparably damage the structures. This loss will uproot communities who gather around the structures and lead to a loss of traditional knowledge systems that have passed from generation to generation.

    Of course, it is also during times of turmoil when we look to our ancestors to find hope and insight. In this way, there is potential for us all to learn from our predecessors and their resilience in the face of global pressures. For many, the knowledge that our ancestors survived ice ages, drought, and famine may be a silver lining on an otherwise stormy cloud. Culture can help fight climate change, particularly in Asian countries like Hong Kong, where dance, architecture, photography, and other artistic mediums bring people together to raise awareness.

    Community Connection

    Many of us come together to combat climate change and ecological loss. However, as climate change intensifies, we can expect our social bonds and community connection to weaken. This is due to a greater need for relocation globally in response to climate disasters and loss of habitable space.

    When disaster strikes, the impact is felt by left-behind communities for decades. For example, a study from the University of Alabama Collat (UAB) recently assessed the long-term impact of the BP oil spill, which occurred on April 20th, 2010.

    Researchers from UAB assessed the impact of the spill — in which 200 million gallons of crude oil was spilled — on Alabama and Louisiana’s coastal economy. The findings show that sales volume and condominium prices fell from July to December 2010.

    As a popular tourist destination, those who lived and worked in coastal Alabama and Louisiana shouldered the economic brunt of the spill and were forced to sell their properties at a lower price than they could afford. As a result, many packed their bags and left the area for good — thus weakening the community connection in the local area.

    The loss of community affects us all differently. However, on aggregate, we can be fairly sure that upheaval and loss of community bonds undermine the general population’s mental health.

    Eco-Anxiety and Relationships

    Relationships during the climate crisis may also take a significant hit. Natural human responses to the ecological crisis include:

    • Distancing ourselves;
    • Seeking knowledge and debate;
    • Deflecting the problem;
    • Denying responsibility.

    All of the above reactions, although normal, can have negative effects on interpersonal relationships. When you isolate yourself to deal with eco-anxiety, for example, you aren’t nurturing those connections. Instead, it’s important to have open, honest conversations with your partner and loved ones.

    The people closest to you are more likely to listen to your opinions surrounding climate change than a random news broadcast or social post. They are invested in your life and the way you perceive it. If you want to make a change, the best way is to start with the people around you. This can also bolster your relationships and provide that emotional support you need when going through shared eco-anxiety.

    Climate Grief and Coping

    Climate grief is an increasingly common part of the human experience. The key symptoms to look out for include significant sadness, helplessness, guilt, anxiety, or even numbness. As our climate tips further towards disaster, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and at a loss. Fortunately, mental healthcare providers are already aware of the impact that climate grief can have on a person’s everyday life, and therapists are well-trained to help navigate uncertain times. To help yourself cope during this process, consider:

    • Practicing self-care and meditation;
    • Seeking professional help;
    • Leaning on your interpersonal support system;
    • Taking advantage of flexible work policies;
    • Avoiding deflecting or denying responsibility;
    • Doing your part;
    • Using creative outlets;
    • Accept what you cannot change.

    Coping successfully with climate grief can also be motivating. Many climate activists choose to turn their back on the unjust systems that cause global warming and find new social bonds around a shared concern for the environment. Find peace in knowing that you can’t singlehandedly change the course of climate change, but you can do your part in acknowledging your feelings surrounding it and expressing yourself to raise awareness and make an impact.

    Lead image courtesy of Unsplash.

    The post Why Climate Grief is the Next Mental Health Crisis appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Is My Bed Vegan? Mattresses: The Final Eco Frontier 

    Heveya Vegan Mattress
    5 Mins Read

    Most mattresses are not vegan, full of toxins, and are a huge letdown to the planet. Meet Heveya, the ethical sleep pioneer. 

    Most of us don’t think enough about one activity we do for almost a third of our lives: sleeping. And many of us will never have considered the climate ethics of the mattress we lie on every night. But we’re here to tell you: it’s enough to lose Zzzs over.

    You carry around reusable cups and cutlery, you march for the climate, you shop at second-hand fashion shops, you buy your groceries in bulk and you eat plants and beans that you buy in bulk, you volunteer at the local food bank…but have you ever thought about your bed and whether it’s ethical, vegan and good for the planet?

    Turns out, there’s a landmine’s worth of wrongs your mattress is responsible for. 

    Is my mattress vegan?

    Shockingly, most mattresses out there are not vegan-friendly. They often contain wool (which comes from sheep) and feathers/down (which comes from birds), which are used as fillers. Not to mention that the toxic processes used to manufacture them are not animal (or human) friendly. This brings us to our next question…

    Heveya’s vegan mattresses come in a range of sizes and are made from 100% GOLS-certified organic latex rubber foam.

    Is my mattress non-toxic?

    In our modern world, it’s almost impossible to escape toxic fumes and gases- we are all exposed in some way or another due to air pollution, flame retardants, VOCs in paints and transportation emissions. But from where we’re sitting (or lying), it makes complete sense to try to ensure that your sleeping environment is as non-toxic as possible. 

    Sleep is when your body needs to restore itself on a cellular level. Why stress your system out with additional toxins from your bed? Many commercial mattresses are made from polyurethane/synthetic foams, polyester, synthetic materials, and chemical flame retardants. These substances release toxic fumes and gases, and many have been found to contain some level of PFAS, a group of chemicals associated with a range of health issues including cancer, liver damage, and infertility. All of this is damaging to us as sleepers, not to mention the air and water pollution toll. 

    “I have been using the bamboo sheets and natural organic latex pillows from Heveya for quite some time now. The bamboo sheets are silky soft and very breathable. The pillows also support my neck really well and are very durable!” 

    Longtime vegan Charlotte in White, photographer, stylist & author 
    Heveya’s organic latex rubber foam pillows come in various shapes, are highly breathable, and hypoallergenic.

    Why is natural rubber so good for beds?

    Heveya’s mattresses are made from 100% GOLS-certified organic latex rubber foam, which is the healthiest, most sustainable material available on the planet when it comes to sleeping. Their rubber foam is free of pesticides, heavy metals, VOCs, toxic glues, and anything else that has a negative impact on your skin and breathing. In fact, their rubber is grown on the world’s first organic certified latex plantation.

    Another thing no one talks about is where mattresses go when they die. Well, the answer is mostly: landfills. The majority of commercial mattresses cannot decompose naturally (well they can if you give them 1,000 years), so they are still sitting around somewhere. Heveya’s mattresses, on the other hand, can fully degrade and be recycled and repurposed. End of life is not just important for humans.

    Save The World While You Sleep

    ‘Save The World While You Sleep’

    From donating 1% of our sales towards charitable institutions to working with suppliers that are Fair Choice certified, Heveya is committed to an ethical supply chain through and through. But ethics are about more than logos on your packaging. 

    For purposeful companies, it’s about getting involved with their local community, and for Heveya, that means working with the Sumbanese community on the Sumba island in Indonesia, Heveya sponsors the eco tourism-focused Sumba Hospitality Foundation, including helping to provide full boarding for underprivileged youths at the latter’s permaculture and green hotel schools. 

    The company also sponsors the Happy Mattress Project, a Bali-based initiative that donates mattresses to households without beds. Kids without comfortable beds tend to experience learning difficulties and struggle with achieving their full potential. Just like adults, really. 

    Heveya works with reforestation project Replant.World to protect the Borneo rainforest where they source their natural organic rubber foam.

    Sleep That’s Pro Planet AND Pro Humans

    What’s good for the planet is good for you and me. And that’s the motto Heveya has built their entire company around. 

    Heveya knows that its success depends on where its beloved natural organic rubber foam comes from- and that’s the rainforest. The company has pledged to plant 12,000 trees a year in Borneo as part of a rainforest reforestation project in collaboration with Replant.World, with a focus on planting native and endemic trees that enrich the soil, decrease erosion and absorb carbon dioxide from the air.

    We have a climate crisis to fight and we need truly purposeful brands more than ever. We also need to sleep more, and better. Thanks to Heveya, achieving a restful slumber while upholding your ethical and environmental values is as simple as choosing your mattress size. Let’s get eco-sleeping!

    Discover the greenest sleep in Asia with Heveya’s eco mattress and bedding collections. 

    All images courtesy of Heveya.

    This is a Green Queen Partner Post.

    The post Is My Bed Vegan? Mattresses: The Final Eco Frontier  appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • What Is Sustainability? And Why Does It Matter?

    what is sustainability
    4 Mins Read

    Meaningless buzzword or key survival concept? “Sustainability” is more important than ever before – but what does it even mean?

    Today, googling “sustainability” turns up over 1.65 billion results. We have become so obsessed with this concept that “sustainability” has quickly become a trendy, meaningless buzzword: businesses love to advertise their sustainable practices, while climate activists insist that people practice sustainable lifestyles. But, what does “sustainability” really mean? And, how can we understand this word in a way that promotes the well-being of ourselves, our communities, and our planet?

    Source: What If? 2

    What is sustainability?

    Although usage of the word has increased in recent years, the concept of sustainability is actually not new. Its origins stem from the 1983 Brundtland commission, which first defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” 

    Today, the definition of sustainability still highlights the need to create a liveable world for future generations. According to McGill University, sustainability entails “meeting our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Similarly, the Center for Biological Diversity claims that sustainability is about “creating a livable future for everyone on the earth.” 

    In shaping this future, sustainability is most often understood in an environmental context. Environmental sustainability includes making sure that human consumption does not deplete natural resources, ecological systems stay in balance, and life on earth remains diverse. 

    However, sustainability is also tied to economic and social issues. Economic sustainability includes ensuring that communities can maintain independence, access resources they need, and secure sources of livelihood, while social sustainability includes protecting universal human rights and necessities.  

    What is sustainability in business?

    In today’s world, sustainability has increasingly become incorporated into business campaigns and strategies. But, once again, what does sustainability in business really mean?

    For a business, sustainability means operating without negatively impacting the external environment, community, or society. A sustainable business strategy is one that tries to create a positive impact on one or multiple of these groups. 

    In practice, a sustainable business strategy can take many different forms and is unique to each organization. Companies can transition to using sustainable materials for their packing, optimize their supply chains to reduce environmental emissions, and even sponsor programming to benefit the local community. Overall, issues that sustainable business strategies can address include:

    • Climate change
    • Income inequality
    • Depletion of natural resource
    • Human rights issue

    Why is sustainability important?

    Sustainability would not be such a hot buzzword if it wasn’t important. 

    Sustainability is critical to maintaining our quality of life, the diversity of life on earth, and the health of earth’s resource-rich ecosystems. Sustainable environmental practices improve water and air quality, reduce landfills, and increase renewable energy sources in the long term. These changes guarantee cleaner and healthier living conditions for all people, particularly those in lower-income communities. 

    Further, sustainability is important because it ensures a liveable planet for future generations. Because natural resources are finite, they must be used conservatively in the short term. If not, we are bound to run out of fossil fuels, deplete natural resources, and damage the earth’s atmosphere beyond repair. By practicing sustainability now, we create a safer, more livable world for our children and grandchildren. 

    In business, sustainability not only helps address global challenges, it contributes to an organization’s overall success as well. According to McKinsey, companies with the highest ESG metrics (used to determine the ethical standards and sustainability of an organization) consistently outperform the rest of the market; as a result, sustainable companies tend to be the most profitable. Sustainable practices also increase success by protecting a company’s brand, mitigating risk, and providing a compelling competitive advantage. 

    What are the top sustainability trends right now?

    So, what does sustainability look like today? Here are the top sustainability trends to look out for right now:

    • ESG investing: a form of investment that prioritizes environmental, social, and governance criteria in addition to financial returns.
    • Being “climate positive”: not just achieving net-zero carbon emissions, but removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
    • Affordable, renewable energy: falling costs of renewable energy coupled with a push for more renewable power.
    • Clean transportation: 18 of the world’s 20 largest automotive manufacturers have pledged to switch to manufacturing electric vehicles.
    • Climate-friendly consumer products: more environmentally conscious consumers will create a demand for products aligned with their sustainability goals.
    • Disclosure from businesses: companies will be held accountable by governments to report their climate risks to the public
    • Decarbonization of the food system: a shift towards alternative proteins, alternative dairy, and other alternatives to today’s industrial food system 

    Altogether, these trends will be an important step towards creating a world that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

    Lead image courtesy of Canva.

    The post What Is Sustainability? And Why Does It Matter? appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Ozone Technology, Innovative Fibers, Low Waster & Low Waste: The Future Of Denim is Here

    future of denim innovation
    5 Mins Read

    Jeans are ubiquitous but their production process is far from sustainable. A host of new techstyle innovations promise to make denim lower impact and toxin-free.

    By: The Mills Fabrica

    More than ever, consumers are demanding to know more about where and who makes their clothes and the environmental impact associated with their production – both in terms of greenhouse gas emission (GHG), chemicals and water used. 

    The fashion industry is responsible for up to 10% of global GHG emissions, of which upstream production is responsible for 71% of fashion’s total GHG emissions with 23% from usage, and end-of-use and brand operations account for just 6%. This represents signification room for collective change.   

    As the industry undergoes and plans for the next normal after COVID-19, innovation will be the key driving force in making the entire fashion supply chain more environmentally friendly. This is especially true for the denim industry, which has been increasingly under public scrutiny for its role in resource usage, release of chemical pollutants, and worker welfare. 

    Denim Futures, a conference organized by The Mills Fabrica earlier last month, invited key players in the denim industry to come together to exchange and discussed how denim should and need to evolve with the changing needs of our time. A number of innovations were also highlighted showing the possibility of significantly reducing energy, water, chemical consumption and GHG emissions across the entire denim supply chain.

    Lycra’s COOLMAX® EcoMade technology – Courtesy The Mills Fabrica

    Denim innovation is booming

    One such example is Lenzing’s Tencel ™ Model Fiber with Indigo Technology. An innovative fiber that directly inserts indigo pigment during the fiber production process. By doing this, they eliminate almost 100% of water and electricity use, and more than 80% of chemicals, and release minimal amounts of wastewater, when compared to the conventional powder indigo dyeing technique. 

    Lycra’s COOLMAX® EcoMade technology is another innovative fiber that’s made from 100% textile waste or recycled PET bottles, and at the same time provides better functionality leading to better cool and dry comfort. Lycra also has other innovative and sustainable fibers that are made from blends of recycled and plant-based materials.

    Innovation in the finishing processes is equally important in making the production process more sustainable. Jeanologia’s G2 Dynamic uses ozone technology for continuous fabric finishing – turning the air in the atmosphere into ozone and using it to create color degradation effects. It’s been reported that it can save up to 95% of water, 100% of chemicals, 80% of energy, and 40% of carbon footprint. Their latest innovation H2 Zero which recycles and reuses the water in the laundry process for the finishing process makes for an even more sustainable practice. 

    Archroma has developed a range of liquid dyes such as its Denisol® Indigo 30 Li, a cradle-to-cradle(C2C) certified dye that generates approximately 50% less wastewater, is aniline-free, and uses fewer operational resources.

    Unspun, who spoke at the event, highlighted how they utilize 3D scanning technologies to create custom-fit and on-demand production that not only reduces manufacturing fabric waste but also inventory and returns. In the manufacturing process, they also use Resortecs’ Smart Stitch ™, a dissolvable thread, which makes their jeans more efficient to recycle; reducing fabric loss associated with the disassembly of garments during the process of textile recycling. Resortecs’ Smart Disassembly™ system, combined with their Smart Stitch ™ has the potential to reduce water usage by 3,500L, up to 50% CO2 equivalent compared to other closed-loop recycling systems. 

    A critical component in making fashion circular is scaling up the availability of fiber-to-fiber recycling. Currently, 92 million tonnes of textile waste is generated annually with less than 1% of which is recycled back into fiber. The good news is that innovations are already taking place within the industry by the likes of Renewcell with their Circulose®, Circ with their patented recycling technology, NuCycl by Evrnu, HKRITA’s Garment-to-Garment recycling system (G2G) and The Billie System – which ranges from mechanical recycling to chemical recycling targeting both natural and synthetic fiber. As these and other technology mature, it’s likely the recycling rate will increase and is predicted to reach between 18% to 26% in Europe by 2030.  

    Lenzing at Denim Futures – Courtesy The Mills Fabrica

    ‘Reinventing The Future of Jeans’

    A recurring theme in the conference is that the future of denim lies in the greater adoption of existing innovative technologies across the entire denim supply chain. At the same time, it’s equally important for consumers to understand how and where to find truly sustainable and innovative technologies. Only then can consumers truly appreciate and understand the problem and be more willing to purchase denim at a premium price. 

    What’s apparent is the fact that all these existing innovative elements ought to be incorporated at the design stage of a denim garment. The Mills Fabrica, being the innovation platform of Nan Fung Group, in combination with our industry partners, is taking this mantra and creating a proof-of-concept denim project called Reinventing the Future of Jeans. The purpose of this project is to engineer a pair of jeans that incorporate innovations across its entire lifecycle. Showcasing to the public that denim can evolve – like how it’s always been – with the changing needs of our time and bring much-needed awareness to the public that denim can have a sustainable future. 

    All photos and diagrams by The Mills Fabrica. Lead Photo courtesy of unspun.

    This is a Green Queen Partner Post.

    The post Ozone Technology, Innovative Fibers, Low Waster & Low Waste: The Future Of Denim is Here appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Resale Driving Consumer Purchasing Habits, New Report Finds

    3 Mins Read

    A new report conducted by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and secondhand platform Vestiare Collective finds the resale market could make up 40 percent of the overall apparel market in the coming years.

    The new report, What an Accelerating Secondhand Market Means for Fashion Brands and Retailers, says the secondhand market has tripled in size since 2020 with an estimated value of between $100 to $200 billion worldwide.

    Already, the secondhand market makes up three to five percent of the overall apparel, footwear, and accessories sector, a number BCG says could surpass 40 percent, although the report didn’t provide a date for that estimate.

    ‘Consumers have embraced secondhand’

    “At BCG, we have been analyzing the global resale market in detail since its infancy,” Sarah Willersdorf, BCG’s global head of luxury and coauthor of the report, said in a statement. “It is now certain that consumers have embraced secondhand and it’s changing the way they buy and sell their clothes. There is a tremendous opportunity for brands that enter this market to capture new customers while also appealing to existing shoppers motivated by sustainability, affordability, and exclusivity.”

    Photo by Parker Burchfield at Unsplash

    Secondhand products are expected to make up about 27 percent of closets by next year, with Gen-Z being most open to secondhand; the report says 31 percent of Gen-Z are open to buying pre-worn items, while 44 percent are open to selling.

    Data was taken from two global surveys conducted in 2020 and 2022. “While affordability was cited as the primary driver for buying secondhand items among more than half of respondents, this trend is declining,” the companies note.

    Factors driving secondhand purchases

    According to the record, “product variety was reported as the second biggest driver behind consumption also increasingly popular factors for purchasing secondhand clothing, with 35 percent of survey respondents reporting them as their driving forces.”

    The driving factor for selling items is to clean out closets and make room for new items—60 percent of survey respondents cited this as their main motivation. They’re also aiming to recover residual market value and either spend that revenue on secondhand items (39 percent) or new items (20 percent).

    Photo by William Mattey from Pexels.

    Fanny Moizant, co-founder, and president of Vestiaire Collective said she’s proud to see that sustainability and environmental awareness are increasing drivers for customers to buy and sell, “but also for companies who wish to integrate circularity into their business model.”

    “While there are many avenues for brands to explore this market, internally or with an external partner, collaborating with an established platform like Vestiaire Collective has significant advantages, including access to a community of over 23 million resale consumers worldwide, as well as over a decade of data, pricing, logistics and fulfillment expertise.”

    Lead image courtesy of Pexels.

    The post Resale Driving Consumer Purchasing Habits, New Report Finds appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Gotham Greens Raises $310 Million Series E to Expand Greenhouse Produce Operations

    gotham greens
    3 Mins Read

    Gotham Greens, the New York-based producer of greenhouse-grown greens and products including dressings, dips, and sauces, has just raised $310 million in a Series E funding round to lead its U.S. expansion plans.

    Led by BMO Impact Investment Fund and Ares Management, the Series E also includes participation from Commonfund, RockCreek, Kimco Realty Corporation, Manna Tree Partners, and The Silverman Group. This raise brings Gotham Greens’ total funding to $440 million since launching in 2009.

    Inside Gotham Greens greenhouse | Courtesy

    “Today, our ambitions and footprint are outgrowing our roots in the best way, and we’re humbled to receive this funding from new and existing investors to continue our national expansion in order to reach our goal of delivering Gotham Greens fresh produce within a day’s drive from our greenhouses to 90 percent of consumers across the U.S.,” co-founder and CEO Viraj Puri said in a statement.

    The company is working on three new greenhouse locations in Texas, Georgia, and Colorado. The funding will support expansion plans for Chicago and the Northeast. It also has eyes on locations in California, New York, Maryland and Colorado.

    Gotham also made its first acquisition—a 540,000-square-foot FresH2O Growers facility in Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C.

    Gotham Greens made history in 2013 when it partnered with Whole Foods Market to put the first greenhouse on top of a supermarket. The 20,000-square-foot greenhouse opened at the Whole Foods Market store in Gowanus, Brooklyn, with products being sold in the store below.

    By 2023, the company expects to own and operate 13 locations across nine states totaling about 40 acres of growing space. It plans to double its greenhouse growing capacity to more than 1.2 million square feet this year.

    Gotham atop Whole Foods Market | Courtesy

    Demand for healthier plant-based fare is boosting interest in leafy greens. Gotham Greens saw its sales increase 26 percent year on year. By comparison, the greens category only grew three percent. Indoor growing saw more than $1 billion in investments last year—up 25 percent over 2020.

    Part of the interest in greenhouse-grown greens is a reduced risk of pathogens and other contaminants that can affect field-grown greens.

    But the company is pushing the sustainability angle the hardest and decentralizing growing operations while bringing them closer to cities. With placement in more than 3,000 grocery stores in the U.S. already, the new Gotham Greens’ facilities will help it reduce transport time to less than a day per location.

    Greenhouse growing, unlike vertical indoor growing operations, runs on sun-powered greenhouses, reducing the need for artificial lighting and other energy-intensive operations. Gotham also says its indoor growing reduces the need for water by 95 percent compared to conventional farming.

    Featured photo Gotham Greens in California | Courtesy Arco Murray Aerials

    The post Gotham Greens Raises $310 Million Series E to Expand Greenhouse Produce Operations appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Low Waste Life: Confessions Of An Ex-Zero-Waste Jar Activist

    8 Mins Read

    Several years ago, I made the somewhat difficult and hugely inconvenient decision to keep all my waste in a glass jar.

    I wanted to make as large an environmental impact as possible, and walk the talk about advocating for a greener and healthier planet. This drastic decision came with many unintended consequences, so I’m sharing my story below, in the hopes of releasing all of you from what I began to see as the tyranny of the jar.

    Going zero waste used to be a long, somewhat arduous process that required major lifestyle changes and unpopular daily sacrifices on a personal convenience level. In some ways, it still is but luckily, it’s getting easier and less ‘traumatic’ as more solutions become available and today, a zero waste transition can be almost seamless.

    When I first moved to Hong Kong in 2016, this was not the case. I felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of plastic waste around me. My anxiety levels would rise every time I saw the amount of packaging on display at grocery stores and fast fashion outlets that I frequented both online and offline. Hong Kong seemed to be too convenient, especially compared to Argentina where I had moved from, and I quickly lost control over my consumption habits.

    Buying groceries at my local wet market (Source: Aigul Safiullina)

    The Beginning Of My Jar Journey

    It was only a matter of time before I began searching for a community of like-minded people who wanted to address the unnecessary and excess waste in their lives. I soon joined the very small but growing zero waste movement in the city, and began to use my voice and my event management skills to bring awareness about zero waste living to more people. Immersing myself in this world is how I first became aware of ‘the jar’.

    The jar was first made famous by US-based French zero-waster Bea Johnson, creator of Zero Waste Home and considered by many to be the high priestess of the zero waste movement globally. The jar was further popularised by US activist and plastic-free entrepreneur Lauren Singer of Trash is For Tossers. The idea of keeping all your waste (what you can’t recycle, reuse, compost) felt like a revolutionary one and I was quickly hooked by the concept. What could be more impactful then tracking all my waste and minimising it to fit into a small jar? I was already reducing my waste and replacing single-use products with reusable ones, so going completely zero waste sounded very doable. When a fellow zero waster told me at an event that in order to be a ‘true’ zero waster, I had to prove it with the jar, I decided to go for it.

    The ‘game’ was simple: avoid creating waste as best you can (quit single-use, recycle and compost, buy as little as possible) and put any remaining waste into the jar. Review the contents of the jar monthly and figure out how to reduce even further the next time. Do your best to improve each month and try to ensure the jar doesn’t get too full, too fast. Done deal!

    The contents of my jar (Source: Aigul Safiullina)

    The Reality Of The Jar

    To make things even sweeter, a week after I committed to the jar, I was boarding a plane to Mexico for Al Gore’s climate leadership training. What a great way to start, I thought, completely oblivious to all the ‘little’ nightmares that were awaiting me over the next 10 days. I wasn’t worried about the training logistics – everything was “sustainable enough” and I definitely learned a lot about green event management.

    It seemed I had transformed into some kind of zero waste police. Was this who I wanted to be?

    Aigul Safiullina

    But when it came to the reality of zero waste traveling, things were not so clear-cut. My first challenge? When I refused the heavily packaged in-flight meal after forgetting to bring my own snacks onboard, so I had to sit through the entire journey without anything to eat for 24 hours. Once we reached our destination, things didn’t get easier. Every day, I went on what felt like a not-so-fun scavenger hunt for water stations and glass bottles in Mexico city to avoid buying plastic bottles. The cherry on top of the (zero waste) cake? Lugging a huge bag full of recyclables from our Airbnb to the airport as we couldn’t find any recycling bins nearby… 

    A bulk grocery store (Source: Aigul Safiullina)

    Back in Hong Kong, I had a busy and eventful summer packed with late hours at the office, networking events multiple times a week and more getaways around Asia. Still, zero waste life requires a great deal of preparation. Weekends were for packaging-free grocery shopping at my local wet market (because supermarkets only sell packaged fruit & veg/groceries) and meal prepping for the week. Every morning I packed my lunch and dinner in a bag and ran around the city for meetings and events. And of course, no other purchases of any kind, lest the jar become too full This became my sometimes frustrating reality for a few months.

    At the same time, I noticed that I was becoming an irritable person, one that annoyed a little too easily. At the sight of a plastic straw I would repeat to my drink server a little too haughtily that “I told you twice I don’t add need straws in my drink”. If a shop offering me a plastic bag, I would roll my eyes and remind the cashier that I did not want a bag for what felt like the umpteenth time. I began giving my friends ‘the look’ if they forgot to bring their own cup/ cutleries/ cloth napkins. I believe I still owe a few of them an apology for my obnoxiousness. 

    Worse still, I observed that my friends and colleagues felt guilty for not being ‘green enough’ when they were around me- say if they ordered a takeaway for example, or if they had plastic items around me. Some seemed to be constantly apologising to me for these small ‘eco slights’. It seemed I had transformed into some kind of zero waste police. Was this who I wanted to be?

    Why Am I Doing This, Really?

    Despite the daily trials and tribulations, the part that felt really good was the sharing. Posting a photo of my jar contents on Instagram each month was a special ritual. I’d receive lots of praise and get many follow-up questions about how I was managing to fit my waste into a single jar, not to mention the likes. It felt really good. I felt like a hero who was sacrificing herself for a greener, cleaner planet. Is this why I was doing all of this? Was I chasing social media validation? What was my actual goal, I kept wondering?

    Presenting at a screeing of Plastic China (Source: Aigul Safiullina)

    In an attempt to become more & more ‘eco-friendly’, I compared myself to other activists and influencers who were my role models at that time. “Show me your jar” became a sort of slogan to classify budding zero wasters and their efforts- those attempting the jar seemed to care the most, right? I was also advocating constantly: giving workshops on zero waste living, organising movie screenings to raise awareness about plastic waste, inviting fellow activists to panel discussions….I was showing by doing and I was making my voice louder across my community in the name of the cause. 

    Did it bring any results? Certainly, I could see a lot of people around me changing their habits and companies adopting more sustainable practices in their offices – but did the jar make any difference at all? Sure, it got me a a lot of attention and admiration, but was it sustainable for my personal wellbeing? I was becoming skeptical.

    It’s better to have 100 imperfect zero wasters doing their best than 2-3 perfect people on the verge of mental breakdown.

    Aigul Safiullina

    The jar became a sort of tyranny. I would easily get irritated and stressed about pretty much every aspect of my life. I would find it difficult to accept certain invitations and gifts, and ‘waste’ my time looking for unpackaged meals and goods instead of actually living and enriching myself. I would say no to events I would have enjoyed and as a result, I isolated myself unnecessarily. I don’t think I’ve ever been harsher on myself in my life than during those few months.

    What started to make me think that there was more to life than the jar was when I began noticing other sustainable businesses that were making a greater impact without the need for a jar. For example, zero waste and packaging-free stores opening, shampoo bar brands launching, plastic-free produce deliveries forming…This is when I realised what ended up freeing me: it’s better to have 100 imperfect zero wasters doing their best than 2-3 perfect people on the verge of mental breakdown.

    Quitting The Jar

    I decided to stop my experiment and loosen its grip on myself. No, I didn’t go crazy – I just re-evaluated my personal assets and limitations. I made a realistic audit of my lifestyle, promising myself that I would do the best I could to protect the planet while still living my life with joy, and I stopped presenting myself as a preachy hero. Funnily enough, this simple and honest self-check helped me to progress in other areas of my life and brought forward a lot of changes on personal and professional levels. It helped me unmask a lot of insecurities and be more compassionate with myself, so it’s been hugely rewarding overall.

    Two years after beginning the jar journey, I am still very much a low waster. I compost, I buy second hand, I shop in bulk, I recycle… but what I don’t do is stress about all my waste fitting into an arbitrary jar. In fact, I’ve adopted even more zero waste habits and made gradual lifestyle changes, without the unnecessary drama and the social media showing off. I haven’t become an Instagram star in the end, but I sleep better at night and feel much better about my life choices.

    Lead image of author Aigul Safiullina with her zero waste jar, courtesy of Paola Cortese.

    The post Low Waste Life: Confessions Of An Ex-Zero-Waste Jar Activist first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Low Waste Life: Confessions Of An Ex-Zero-Waste Jar Activist appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • With Greenwashing Crackdowns, H&M, Decathlon Retract Eco Statements

    H&M bag
    3 Mins Read

    As authorities crack down on greenwashing, frequent offenders H&M and Decathlon say they’re adjusting or removing sustainability claims.

    In recent announcements, both fast fashion brand H&M and sportswear retailer Decathlon said they will be more clear in their consumer communications about sustainability metrics. The announcements follow a report by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), which found the companies made “unclear and insufficiently substantiated sustainability claims.”

    “Consumers that wish to make sustainable choices must be able to have confidence in the veracity of the claims that businesses make on their products or websites,” Cateautje Hijmans van den Bergh, board member of ACM, said in the report’s release.

    Misleading claims

    According to the report, both retailers touted terms such as ‘Ecodesign’ and ‘Conscious’ without backing up those claims.

    Higg Index | Courtesy

    In June, the Norwegian Consumer Agency pointed to H&M and Norrøna, saying that the companies’ use of the Higg Index was insufficient to support their environmental claims.

    That tool, which was created by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), provides a standardized measurement for the environmental impacts on a range of textiles but it only measures the fabric before it is finished. That “measurement” is based on impact averages. The Norwegian Consumer Agency (Forbrukertilsynet) went as far as to say it believed Norrøna was “breaking the law” with its misleading claims.

    The Norwegian Consumer Agency said Norrøna used the Higgs Index to make claims about organic cotton used in its t-shirts having a smaller environmental impact, but had not provided any evidence to back up the claim.

    “We have concluded that the use of Higg MSI in marketing to consumers is misleading in this case, and thus illegal. We asked Norrøna to remove or change the marketing of environmental benefits based on Higg MSI,” the agency said.

    Higg responds

    SAC says it put the brakes on its consumer-facing transparency program following the backlash over the misuse of its data and the misleading brand claims.

    HM | Courtesy

    “When the clothing industry and others use environmental claims in marketing, it is important that the environmental claims are correct,” Trond Rønningen, director of the Norwegian Consumer Agency, said. “It is a basic principle that marketing should be truthful and give the most balanced and precise impression of any environmental benefits. If not, consumers risk making purchasing choices on the wrong basis.”

    Following the latest claims from the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets, H&M told Fashion United that it has made the decision to remove H&M’s “Conscious Choice” indicator from its online shop worldwide. “This work is in progress and will be finalised by the end of October.”

    “We are pleased to see that these companies have acknowledged that they should have informed consumers more clearly about the sustainability aspects of their products, and that they will adjust various sustainability claims and their substantiation,” van den Bergh said.

    The post With Greenwashing Crackdowns, H&M, Decathlon Retract Eco Statements appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Selfridges’ Move to Increase Resale, Repair, Rental, and Refills

    selfridges
    2 Mins Read

    U.K. department store chain Selfridges is putting sustainability front and center. It says by 2030, nearly half of its customer interactions should be based on resale, repair, rental, or refills.

    Dubbing the circular initiative “Reselfridges,” the four-location chain wants to change the way consumers shop.

    “We have got to commit to a significant and fundamental shift in the way we do business and use the platform of Selfridges for change,” Andrew Keith, Selfridge’s managing director, told the Guardian.

    Changing consumer habits

    The chain is aiming to capitalize on the growing interest in resale, citing the success of platforms including Depop in the U.K. and The RealReal in the U.S. Secondhand fashion is expected to outpace sales of fast fashion in the coming years.

    Photo by John Tuesday Y’Oleug via Unsplash

    U.S.-based department store chain Neiman Marcus has seen tremendous success with its Fashionphile partnership. The reseller, which focuses mainly on luxury bags, has set up shops inside select Neiman Marcus stores as well as a flagship Manhattan location.

    Selfridges increased its secondhand purchases by 240 percent last year. It also made more than 28,000 repairs—more than one-third of those were on shoes. Rental is also an up-and-coming area of focus, more than 2,000 rented items last year. It also sold more than 8,000 refillable products.

    Supporting the consumer shift

    “The important thing is encouraging people to think how they can extend the life of a product,” Keith said.

    The chain will offer repair services outside of London, Keith said, and consumers will be able to more easily book repair services online.

    Courtesy Pexels

    “We are enabling customers to add life into their wardrobes above and beyond buying new.”

    The news comes as King Charles III is ascending to the throne following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. Charles has long advocated for sustainable fashion, particularly in repair. Last year he set up a clothing repair shop in his Dumfries House in Scotland.

    The post Selfridges’ Move to Increase Resale, Repair, Rental, and Refills appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 DIY Zero-Waste Bathroom Essentials From Toothpaste To Face Masks

    3 Mins Read

    We all want to live a little lighter on earth, but making waste-free choices doesn’t mean that we have to sacrifice on our favourite bath, body and skincare products. Read on for some inspiration to eliminate waste from your daily routine the DIY way with zero-waste bathroom essentials. 

    You might be wondering: how can we really avoid all that plastic packaging in our everyday toiletries? We’re here to help. Here, we’ve put together some of our favourite low-impact bath and beauty recipes with ingredients that can all be purchased either in sustainable reusable packaging or in bulk stores.

    Source: Going Zero Waste

    1. Charcoal face mask

    You literally only need 3 ingredients for this mask – baking soda, activated charcoal, and bentonite clay. Once you mix it all up, leave it on for around 10 minutes before washing it off. 

    Recipe: Going Zero Waste

    Source: Adrienne Elizabeth

    2. Sugar body scrub 

    Time to exfoliate? Make a sugar scrub. We love this recipe that uses anti-inflammatory coconut oil, sugar, and a fragrant lemon essential oil. You can keep the scrub in a glass jar to keep in your bathroom for next time. 

    Recipe: Adrienne Elizabeth

    Source: The Coconut Mama

    3. Face serum 

    We’ve heard loads of beauty experts say that hyaluronic acid serum is the secret to keeping skin wrinkle-free and preventing dullness. But that doesn’t mean we need to go out and buy the product in a single-use bottle – it can easily be made at home using hyaluronic acid powder, rose water and your favourite essential oil. 

    Recipe: The Coconut Mama

    Source: Wholehearted Eats

    4. Toothpaste

    Most conventional toothpaste come in a non-recyclable tube, so a great way to eliminate waste in your morning and evening routine is to make your own toothpaste. You’ll need coconut oil, baking soda and peppermint essential oil. 

    Recipe: Wholehearted Eats

    5. Makeup remover

    You’ve got your reusable makeup rounds, but what about the remover? You can DIY a bottle using a combination of melted coconut, almond, sunflower and olive oil. 

    Recipe: Greenify Me

    Lead image courtesy of Pinterest.

    The post 5 DIY Zero-Waste Bathroom Essentials From Toothpaste To Face Masks first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post 5 DIY Zero-Waste Bathroom Essentials From Toothpaste To Face Masks appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • ‘Stranger Things’ Star Priah Ferguson and ThredUp’s New Hotline Will Help You Quit Fast Fashion

    Priah Ferguson for ThredUp

    2 Mins Read

    Ready to ditch fast fashion but finding it more difficult than you thought? Secondhand platform ThredUp has partnered with Stranger Things star Priah Ferguson on a new support hotline to help you quit the bad habit once and for all.

    Call in your fast-fashion confessions to 1-855-THREDUP and let Ferguson’s reassuring voice put you at ease. That’s the goal of the new campaign aimed at helping consumers make the switch from fast fashion to sustainable options such as secondhand.

    Ditching fast fashion

    According to ThredUp, there’s an urgent need to help consumers make the shift. It points to Shein, the fast fashion giant that releases 10,000 new items daily aimed at younger shoppers.

    Seventy-two percent of college students said they purchased fast fashion in the last year, with 40 percent saying they’re likely to only wear those garments once. As much as 60 percent of fast fashion items are discarded in the same year they’re purchased, says ThredUp.

    Much of the shoppers say they’re influenced by social media, with 50 percent saying they watch fast fashion hauls on social channels weekly, with 40 percent following fast fashion sites.

    But despite their close connection to fast fashion, 60 percent say they want to purchase more secondhand fashion to make their wardrobes more sustainable.

    Secondhand shopping benefits

    Shoppers calling the Ferguson-hosted hotline will hear the star confess to her own fast-fashion habits and how she made the shift to more sustainable options like secondhand. Ferguson reportedly lets the callers know why fast fashion is bad for the planet and how secondhand clothing is a better option.

    The secondhand market is booming. Recent projections by ThredUp suggest it will be twice the size of fast fashion by 2030. The platform also found that more than 30 percent of women shopped thrift last year.

    Courtesy ThredUp

    According to ThredUp, Gen Z shoppers will buy at least 12 new items for the 2022-2023 school season. The platform says if those items were all swapped with secondhand options, that would save the equivalent of nearly 10 billion pounds of CO2, which is about the same as planting 116 million trees.

    Callers dialing into the ThredUp hotline will also be directed to a collection of secondhand items curated by Ferguson.

    The post ‘Stranger Things’ Star Priah Ferguson and ThredUp’s New Hotline Will Help You Quit Fast Fashion appeared first on Green Queen.

  • Can Eco Labels Help Consumers Shop Smarter? The U.K. Could Find Out Soon.

    supermarket
    3 Mins Read

    New research could help create an eco labeling system that would bring more clarity to shoppers about the sustainability of their purchases.

    The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help the food industry learn how best to reduce its environmental footprint, says professor Peter Scarborough of Oxford University.

    The findings

    According to Scarborough, the findings support the food industry’s need for tools to help make their products more sustainable.

    “It fills a huge gap,” he told the BBC. “Manufacturers, caterers and retailers have targets for reaching net zero [emissions] and they don’t have the tools they need to get there.”

    The researchers looked at more than 57,000 food and drinks sold in U.K. supermarkets. These items were assessed based on their impacts across their value chains, from growing methods to processing, transport, and emissions. Those assessments were analyzed through a custom algorithm. Higher scores mean bigger impacts.

    supermarket shopping
    Courtesy Pexels

    The foods with the highest scores all contained meat and dairy compared to plant-based options, the researchers noted. According to the findings, many vegan meat products like sausages and burgers scored between 10 to 20 percent lower than their conventional counterparts.

    “If you look at the government strategy on achieving net zero [emissions by 2050] around food systems, they are not measuring the actual greenhouse gas emissions, instead the recommendation is to reduce meat consumption,” Scarborough says.

    “That’s OK, because meat has the biggest greenhouse gas emissions, but you miss a massive amount in multi-ingredient foods which had previously had no reduction targets based on them whatsoever.”

    Beef and lamb had the highest environmental impact followed by deli meat and cheese, nuts and dried fruit, fish and seafood, tea, ready meals, sausage rolls, Yorkshire pudding, salads and dips, and soft drinks.

    Will eco labels happen soon?

    But the research team says its findings are limited, with country of origin not available or information on agricultural production methods use. Despite the missing information, the team still stands behind the methodology, citing the findings as a significant step toward “providing information that could enable informed decision-making.”

    Photo by Chuttersnap at Unsplash.

    Mandatory eco labels are still a long way off, though, they say. What’s more likely is voluntary adoption that would have ripple effects across the industry.

    “We want to give everyone the information to make healthier, greener or more sustainable choices with the food they buy, if they want to,” said a spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. “Voluntary industry schemes are really positive and through our Food Strategy we’re also looking at how we can better support them in future.”

    Photo by Eduardo Soares on Unsplash

    The post Can Eco Labels Help Consumers Shop Smarter? The U.K. Could Find Out Soon. appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • The 10 Best Sustainability Podcasts You Need To Listen To Now

    4 Mins Read

    We scoured the airwaves to find the best podcasts out there about environmental issues, all with their own voice and format, some inspiring, some informative, some funny, all important and worthwhile.

    Are you a podcast fan yet? Or maybe you’re exploring this format for your daily commute but you are not sure where to start? Given that sustainability is now taking center stage in media headlines (and rightfully so), it’s no surprises that some awesome audio shows have popped up to discuss the most important topic du jour. Below, our pick of the top sustainability podcasts to check out. Happy listening.

    Image Source: Pexels

    1. Sustainababble

    Feeling a little confused and overwhelmed by all the alarmist climate news all over the interwebs? So are the hosts of Sustainababble, who choose a lighter approach and combine “comedy, nature and climate change” every Sunday to make things fun and purposeful.

    Tune in here, new episodes weekly.

    2. Mission First – Entrepreneurs For Future

    This podcast is ideal for entrepreneurs with a mission to save the world (shouldn’t we all have this mission? 😉 ). Get inspired by founders’ stories and get advice to start your own eco-business.

    Tune in here, two episodes per week.

    3. Green Dreamer

    Listen to over 200 long form conversations with Kamea Chayne and her guests, all of whom are paving the way towards ecological regeneration, intersectional sustainability, and true abundance and wellness for all.

    Tune in here, two episodes a week.

    4. Sustainable Asia

    Made in Hong Kong by Marcy Trent Long and her team, this NGO-to-be has 2 shows: Trash Talk HK with trash tips and tricks; and the Sustainable Asia Podcast with in-depth conversations about critical environmental issues facing China and Asia.

    Tune in here, a few episodes per year.

    5. Hey Change (Bi-Weekly)

    With a tagline that reads ‘Finding Happiness in New Realities’, this podcast aims to be as uplifting as possible and find the positive stories out there- the show features climate activists and entrepreneurs who bring solutions, helping to combat the growing feelings of eco-anxiety we all suffer from.

    Tune in here, episodes release twice a week.

    6. Practical(ly) Zero Waste (Weekly)

    Looking for clear and convenient steps to start your low waste lifestyle? This is the show for you. The podcast is all about making zero waste living as practical as possible. Each episode discusses straightforward practical changes we can make that add up to create a big difference environmentally. Wish I knew about this amazing podcast when I tried to fit my waste in a tiny jar!

    Tune in here, episodes released weekly.

    7.The Sustainability Agenda

    Looking for a bigger picture and scope of the future of sustainability? This is your go-to podcast.  Leading sustainability thinkers offer their views on the biggest sustainability challenges, share the latest concepts and ideas in the field, identify what’s working –and crucially, what needs to change.

    Tune in here, episodes released weekly.

    8. A Sustainable Mind

    A podcast that started off as Marjorie Alexander’s master thesis project includes everyone behind the world’s most impactful campaigns and projects. The show host’s mission is to be as accessible as possible: “Anyone, from a middle school student to a retiree, and everyone that is not necessarily educated on the topics at hand should be able to listen with ease” according to Alexander. 

    Tune in here, one episode a quarter.

    9. Edie | Sustainable Business Covered

    Want more stories and keen to explore the business opportunities of the sustainable industry? The show helps you learn about different commercial sectors and how they achieve their sustainability goals through their work. A purpose-driven business media, Edie produces an astonishing six podcasts episodes per day.

    Tune in here, six episodes released daily (not a typo).

    10. Sustainable World Radio

    This is an ideal match for anyone looking to grow their own food. Think permaculture, urban farming, soil and plants tips for all you budding green finders out there. We need more city farmers and more locally grown food so this is gem of a listen.

    Tune in here, six episodes released monthly.

    Lead image courtesy of Freepix/benzoix.

    The post The 10 Best Sustainability Podcasts You Need To Listen To Now appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 Zero Waste Bathroom Swaps to Try

    Natural Zero Waste Bathroom- Karolina Grabowska via Pexels
    4 Mins Read

    We all could do with being more environmentally responsible. These simple zero-waste bathroom swaps can help.

    Have you seen the stats about our global plastic waste crisis? It’s terrifying. So below, we share bathroom swaps to make. Every single product in our roundup is:

    • VEGAN: no animals will be harmed for my beauty needs (*note the below products are vegan, though a couple of the shops below do sell items that are not vegan)
    • LOCALLY MADE OR LOCALLY AVAILABLE: now’s the time to put your money where your heart is and support HONG KONG businesses, ditch Amazon.
    • LOW WASTE: no plastic or single-use packaging.
    • TOXIN-FREE: most commercial beauty products are actually no good for you, filled with toxic ingredients you should be avoiding- all the below are as ‘clean-label’ as we could find.
    • PLANET FORWARD: ingredients that don’t cost the Earth or damage wildlife.
    • WOMEN-OWNED: all the companies on this list have female founders and creators because that’s who we want to champion! (Also, women make over 85% of all household purchases worldwide, so wouldn’t women know best what families need?)
    Soap Yummy’s ‘Wake Up in New York’ Soap Series

    1. Swap Your Soap

    Soap Yummy creates the most delicious-looking soaps around (in fact, when we first saw the soaps we thought they were real doughnuts!). This collection is charmingly dubbed ‘Wake Up in New York’ because the scents and ingredients used are a take on a typical Big Apple brekkie: bagels or doughnuts and coffee. Ocean-friendly, plastic-free and available to suit different skin types, these soaps are as gentle on the Earth as on your skin- they also contain at least 70% of high-quality plant-based oil (plus water, ly and essential oils) to nourish and hydrate and the coffee ones have tiny ground beans so you can get a good scrub.

    Get it on Soap Yummy’s Qraftie shop for HK$75

    coconut matter go wild coconut body butter
    Coconut Matter Go Wild Live Free Coconut Body Butter

    2. Swap Your Body Lotion

    Coconit Matter’s luscious, creamy, moisturising body butter is like a warm towel wrapped around your skin- you only need a little cuz it’s so packed with goodness and the ingredient label foregoes petroleum derivatives, silicone, parabens, phthalates, fragrance, and alchohol. The butter is also hypoallergenic, and if you check the reviews online you will see those with sensitive skin love it (especially those with eczema). Thanks to the steel metal tin, it’s also low-waste and easy to carry around.

    Get it on Coconut Matter’s website for HK$202

    zero yet 100 zero waste natural deodorant
    ZeroYet100 Natural & Plastic-Free Deodorants

    3. Swap Your Deodorant

    ZeroYet100 is Hong Kong’s original natural and plastic-free deodorant stick and every time we see their pink and colored paper tubes we get excited! All the sticks are aluminum-free and parabens-free and contain ingredients like moisturising coconut oil, cocoa seed butter, and castor seed oil and absorbents like diatomaceous earth and arrowroot powder. These deos are tried and tested by everyone on our team and we can’t say enough good things- they 100% help your pits stay dry and odour-free.

    Get it on ZeroYet100 website for HK$148

    Einnoc shampoo bar

    4. Swap Your Shampoo

    Einnoc’s Shampoo Bar offers zero waste vegan-friendly shampoo handmade with gentle ingredients- they are soap-free (no sticky residue) and made from organic coconut and olive oil ingredients. They contain natural butters and oils, and will clean and condition without feeling heavy- no SLS, palm oil or wasteful plastic packaging. And it smells heavenly.

    Shop Einnoc Shampoo Bar’s for HK$85

    soaper delights tinted-mineral sunblock 01
    Soaper’s Delight Tinted Mineral Sunblock Stick

    5. Swap Your Sunscreen

    Soaper’s Delight offers tinted broad spectrum (UVA+UVB) SPF 30 sunblock sticks that contain zinc and titanium oxide for full protection that comes in a biodegradable paper stick. They are vegan, coral-reef safe (don’t forget to protect marine wildlife when you buy sunscreen) and free of nasties like mineral oils or preservatives. It’s also safe for little faces and ideal for daily use.

    Get it on Soaper’s Delight’s website for HK$150

    Lead image Karolina Grabowska via Pexels

    The post 5 Zero Waste Bathroom Swaps to Try appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 5 Ways Going Plastic-Free Improved My Health

    4 Mins Read

    One of the more surprising parts of adopting a more low-waste lifestyle with a focus on reusable packaging, reducing plastic usage as much as possible, lessen my reliance on recycling, and changing my habits to lessen my overall waste impact was how much healthier I became. I feel lighter, I eat better and I am more relaxed. I thought about why that is and I came up with the five reasons I outline below. Here’s how foregoing plastic made me more healthy.

    Courtesy Maddi Bazzocco via Unsplash

    1. I Eat Fewer Processed Foods

    This is one of the best parts of going low-waste! No packaged foods equals no processed foods. Processed foods are by definition more likely to come in lots of packaging, so when you start shopping at bulk stores, all of that rubbish you really would be better off avoiding is just not part of your grocery landscape anymore. Turns out the impetus to be more eco-friendly is one of the best motivators to stop snacking on crap and to start cooking more at home, both of which are listed as the habits of the healthiest people on websites everywhere.

    Courtesy Pexels

    2. I Eat More Plants

    Meat, poultry, dairy products, seafood- most of it comes in a lot of packaging and a lot of the time, that means loads of vacuum-packed plastic bags in the frozen section. When you start shopping in bulk grocery stores (I am lucky to have Live Zero at my doorstep) and start avoiding plastic packaging, you naturally reduce your meat, dairy, and seafood intake. Who doesn’t need more nuts, seeds, complex grains and fruit & veg in their daily diet? More fiber, more vitamins, more trace minerals, more everything good that everyone needs! Not to mention: animal foods require cold-storage, which means lots of energy is required to transport them, store them and display them. Eating plants is simply more energy-friendly!

    Water Filter Hong Kong Water Quality Safe Wate
    Courtesy sofreshwidebay

    3. I Drink More Water

    One of the best parts of la vida SANS plastico is how hydrated I am thanks to all the water I now drink. I always have my water bottle with me so I can always fill up (in Hong Kong, the handy Water For Free app means I can find free, safe drinking water pretty much wherever I am). Since most of us are actually walking around dehydrated, this is very good news for your health. Saying no to single-use plastics also means saying no to sugary drinks and sodas, which you really don’t need. Pro Tip: Add some lemon slices to your water bottle and hey presto! You’ve got spa water on the go.

    woman cooking
    Photo by Daria Shevtsova Pexels

    4. I Got Better At Meal Planning

    Because I am more careful about where I shop, I have to be more organised about my meal schedule. No more last minute Food Panda frenzy or going crazy at the grocery store deli. Low-waste living forces me to think ahead and have a sort-of-plan of what I will be eating when. And if you’ve read ANY of the diet/healthy eating resources out there, you know that meal planning is a must for anyone looking to improve their health.

    Couresy iStock

    5. I Save A Lot More Money

    Meal planning, eating mostly plants, avoiding snacks/meat/seafood/packaged drinks…all of this means lots of money savings. A low waste life is absolutely cheaper and if you don’t agree, you are not doing it right. You don’t need lots of expensive reusables and you don’t even need to buy everything organic. There are some great budget-friendly local fruit & veg delivery services (Eat Fresh does a 3.5-3.7 kg weekly delivery of seasonal organic produce to your doorstep for HK$ 385), you can shop at the wet market, you can buy only what you need… And what does saving money have to do with my health? Stress of course. Saving money, wasting less food—these are habits that lower your stress levels and improve your mental health.

    Lead image couresty of Lead Image courtesy of Valeria Aksakova / Freepik .

    The post 5 Ways Going Plastic-Free Improved My Health appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • What Is Your Digital Footprint & How Can You Minimise It?

    digital footprint how to reduce it
    5 Mins Read

    From generating huge amounts of waste to spewing out greenhouse gases, here is everything you need to know about the environmental impact of your digital use and what we can individually do to minimise it. 

    Thanks to the Digital Age, we have managed to cut down on our consumption of physical resources such as wood for paper, but the emissions produced from maintaining and powering devices, cloud storage, data centres can add up. With access to the Internet and online services continually on the rise, so does our digital footprint rise.

    What is your digital footprint? 

    Have you ever wondered about the environmental impact of your online activity? While the internet’s data is essentially invisible, it needs to be processed and stored in massive data centres all over the world that are powered round-the-clock to send information back and forth between all our digital devices, from phones to laptops and tablets. Our digital world accessible at just a click of a button does in fact leave a trail of waste and emissions on our planet. 

    Currently, 2.5 billion people in the world are connected to the internet, and with this figure set to grow, so will the carbon footprint generated from the digital world. According to global nonprofit Climate Care, the internet’s annual energy and carbon footprint stands at 830 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, which is roughly 2% of global carbon emissions. Right now, the global digital footprint is the same as that of air travel, but it is poised to quickly exceed the aviation industry soon. 

    Source: Cushman & Wakefield

    So where exactly do all the emissions from the online world come from? In the first place, tech companies have to manufacture and ship out huge internet hardware, such as servers, computers and phones, which not only requires huge amounts of resources and energy in the making process, but also releases huge amounts of emissions from both production and transportation. 

    Then, these devices themselves have to be powered and cooled – and most of the time, the electricity is drawn from a grid that is coal, gas or oil powered rather than using renewable energy, which again spews out greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. 

    When it comes to using our devices, every single time we use a search engine, it requires the use of energy from internet hardware to our devices themselves, and there is a corresponding emissions output. This is because every single search requires the use of multiple servers, which sends information back and forth. According to Climate Care, just one Google search can produce anywhere between 0.2 to 7 grams of carbon dioxide emissions – 7 grams equates to driving a car 52 feet. Emails containing lots of information or sent to multiple contacts can generate up to 50 grams of carbon dioxide – that’s enough energy use to power 6.4 average smartphones. 

    How can we minimise it? 

    While using our digital devices and surfing the web has become unavoidable in the modern age, there are indeed a few tips we can follow to reduce our digital footprint. 

    Source: Shutterstock

    Adjust your power settings

    Setting computers and devices into sleep mode or hibernation will help conserve energy when you are not using them. Shutting them down or turning monitors off altogether will save even more. 

    Stop data tracking 

    Almost every single website or search engine transmits data about you to hundreds of companies. There are some engines such as Firefox that have introduced tracking protection against personal data collection, but one of the most eco-friendly choices available is Ecosia, which does not track any of your private data and its centres are powered by 100% renewable energy. Ecosia also plants trees using the ad revenue generated, which helps offset some of emissions generated from your device’s power use. 

    Lower screen brightness

    Sustainability department at Harvard University recommends dimming our monitors and screens by 30% can help cut down a significant amount of energy and ease eye strain too.

    Download or selective streaming 

    Music and video streaming requires huge amounts of data being transmitted back and forth servers, which uses up a lot of energy and emissions compared to downloading, which involves pulling data from servers just once. If downloading is not an option, Greenpeace’s Click Clean Report shows which streaming services are more eco-friendly than others. 

    The digital industry needs to step up 

    Source: Unsplash

    With the tech devices and the internet becoming more accessible than ever before, the accompanied data growth will drive an explosion of the global digital footprint. So while we can each make informed choices to minimise our online footprint, there needs to be a system-wide change if we are to effectively combat the growing emissions that will inevitably come from an increasingly digitised world. 

    Companies such as Wholegrain Digital have developed a website carbon calculator to help users and corporations to understand the impact their sites have on the planet and find ways to make websites more sustainable through low carbon designs, more efficient loading speeds, setting up a page weight budget and using renewable energy to host the data centre. Founders Tom and Vineeta Greenwood say that as our climate crisis escalates, a “zero carbon internet revolution” must happen if we are to effectively curb the rising emissions inevitable from a digitalised world.

    The post What Is Your Digital Footprint & How Can You Minimise It? first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post What Is Your Digital Footprint & How Can You Minimise It? appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • How To Throw a Vegan, Low-Waste Kids Birthday Party That’s Still Lots of Fun

    Zero Waste Vegan Kids Birthday Party
    11 Mins Read

    Okay, it’s taken me a few goes to figure out how to throw the best low-waste, vegan kids’ birthday ever but I think I’ve cracked it. Other than the fact that the guests loved it and my little one was over-the-moon happy, I am most proud of the fact that we generated less than a small garbage can (20L) worth of landfill waste for both parties we hosted. Everything else was eaten/reused/upcycled/recycled and composted.

    I live in Hong Kong (proud 香港人 here) and all my recommendations of businesses and services will be local ones but all my green party planning principles apply to parents all over the world, so I encourage you to support small businesses (especially mom-owned) that offer similar solutions in your city/town.

    I believe that the best way to inspire others to action is by showing them how awesome an environmentally-focused life is. In the case of entertaining, I’m going to call this party-activism. If you tell the average person it’s entirely possible to host a little kids’ get-together without plastic or meat and dairy and still have a colourful, delicious time, most people will struggle to believe you and politely smile while mentally classifying you as ‘that hippie mom’. However, if you can show them how it’s done, you can have an impact. Which is what I did. Show don’t tell, right?

    A selection of delicious kid-party-friendly plant-based eats

    There are two people other than my husband who were instrumental in making the parties a huge success: one is my mom, who is without a doubt the best mom in the world and I can’t tell her this enough. Not only did she bake vegan chocolate chip cookies and help me with organising and planning, she made TWO vegan lion cakes. This is a woman who unabashedly LOVES cheese and butter and had never baked a vegan cake before but for her daughter and grandson, well, she went above and beyond.

    The second person is Louise, mom of two and founder of Eco Parties HK, Hong Kong’s first rental service providing reusable party supplies and waste-free solutions for parties and events. I rented all my plates, utensils, cups, and decorations from her plus was she vital in helping me to arrange the gift bags and the party games. Many of the ideas I mention below are hers.

    How to do fun decorations without wasting fossil fuels

    First of all, you have to QUIT BALLOONS. There is no compromise on this one. Yes, I know: they are so fun. Yes I know: every party you have ever been to had balloons. Yes I know: kids love balloons. But balloons could NOT be worse for the planet and for wildlife. They are an eco-disaster (all of them, even so-called “organic balloons” or recycled balloons) and we must quit them. I spent hours researching actual alternatives but the bad news is, there’s no real one-to-one replacement.

    Instead, choose reusable, plastic-free, and upcycled alternatives. The party had a jungle/animal theme since my little one loves wildlife and forests and nature, so it was a lot of leaves, animals, trees, oranges, greens, and browns, but obviously for your own party, go with colours and concepts of your choice. We had animal and cloth leaf bunting, leaf tablecloths and table runners, fun animal cloth napkins, orange paper balls which we hung on the ceiling and reusable leaf cutouts that we put all over the walls and the floor for a real jungly feel (all from Eco Parties, Louise makes the tablecloths and bunting herself from waste fabric). We also had a homemade giant 3-D ‘2’ made by my loving husband from waste cardboard and crepe paper (see photo).

    Eco party game ideas that we loved

    Pass the parcel

    This quintessentially British and super old-fashioned party game is full of charm and was a hit with the kids (and the parents because all the kids have to stay seated). You wrap a gift (I chose a set of eco paints) with old newspapers in multiple layers (I added mini crayon packs with each supplemental layer so there was more than one winner) and then you put on music and the kids ‘pass the parcel’ until the music stops. Whoever has the parcel opens it, and then you keep going until all layers have been uncovered. It’s a sweet party game for the ages, and I highly recommend trying it.

    Zero Plastic Pinata
    Lion Pinata (bought) made of cardboard, bulk candy wrapped in tissue paper

    Bash the Piñata

    I am #Latinadecorazon (Latina by way of the heart) as I like to joke, so I love all Latin party ways and what’s more fun than hitting a piñata until candy comes flying out! I can tell you that this was a highlight for all the children, and even the shyest little ones got involved. My poor husband didn’t fare so well on the other hand- had to hold a broomstick on which we attached the piñata because we didn’t have somewhere to hang it on the ceiling and his arm went numb because toddlers hitting power is slow going.

    We managed to find an almost-plastic free lion head piñata (the ONLY item I purchased at the party store, where I almost had a panic attack because of all the single-use plastic waste), but for next year, we will make our own because it’s so easy to do so (so many DIY tutorials online).

    But what about the filling, I hear you wondering? Well, I made my own of course. I bought candy in bulk (in Hong Kong you have Live Zero and Slowood that stock sweets without packaging, though for Slowood the vegan ones are unmarked so do check) and then I created little coloured tissue paper bags tied with ribbon that I was upcycling form old gifts). I stuffed them in the piñata and voila: plastic-free fillers. The little ones loved the candy and it was so colourful and fun (and the ribbon was reused, while the tissue paper was recycled).

    Little ones loving the jungle play-dough setup

    Jungle play-dough FTW

    Louise suggested this (and provided all the bits) and it was an absolute hit both times. See the photo to visualize it but essentially you sit children around a table and provide them with homemade green playdough (Louise even added calming essential oils to it- this worked like a charm), plastic animal figurines (which were returned to Louise to be reused), wooden sticks, real pebbles and stones and real leaves and sticks that I foraged myself in the mountain behind my house (only dead stuff of course). They then create little jungle setups and you can take photos. Everyone loved it. So creative, thanks, Louise! Frankly, this is a useful game for any old Saturday afternoon, and the fact that kids are being connected to nature and natural materials is just so wonderful.

    Our amazing reusable cloth party bags packed with Rebooked books

    The goodie bag controversy

    I am Indian by blood and Punjabi by party nature so letting my guests leave empty-handed is NOT a possibility. The problem? ‘Loot bags’ (I despise this term, it feels so grabby and consumerist) are usually made of cheap plastic and filled with wasteful tat that kids will use once (if at all) and forget all about it. Ugh. Luckily Louise of Eco Parties found the most perfect hand-stitched cotton gift bags with little animal faces on them in a range of colours and suggested we fill them with second-hand kids book by the Hong Kong NGO Rebooked (started by this 15-year old superstar) for the first party. For the second party, I filled with Peppa pig raisons in paper boxes and Little Miss/Mr books, as well as Uno card packs (also a suggestion by Louise). Many parents and caregivers have already messaged to say how useful the little bag is to pack snacks and water on playdates and for school, so I am thrilled.

    Some of the eats that failed: fruit kebabs, cucumber tea sandwiches and apple doughnuts

    A plant-based menu enjoyed by all

    Since we had two parties, I got to do some menu testing. The first time around, there were definitely some fails, such as:

    • Cucumber finger sandwiches with vegan butter and finely sliced peeled cukes- this is my favourite part of afternoon tea but none of the kids felt the same way. The triangles sat there uneaten for most of the party and I ended up stuffing my face with the whole the lot for dinner that evening.
    • Vegan hot dogs in homemade BBQ sauce on toothpicks. Sadly, the vegan dogs (Lightlife brand) did not make any friends, they ended up being rubbery and unappetising. The sauce was a must-repeat (ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, maple syrup), but next time I will try a different brand and I will have buns. People like buns.
    • Apple doughnuts aka sliced apples covered in vegan cream cheese and sprinkles. Well I was warned on this one. Despite Pinterest being filled with posts about how popular these are (they do look great in photos), the kids were not interested, and some of them even told me they felt cheated! I guess there’s no “healthifying” doughnuts. When you say doughnut, people want fried dough, end of story. Oh well…
    • Melon ball “kebabs”: not sure if our melons weren’t good or if kids just don’t want to be served fruit at a party but I think a grand total of zero children tried one. Epic fail. Queue pints of melon juice the following week to use up what can’t really be described as leftovers.

    Here’s what worked really well:

    • Peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwiches. You could sub almond butter/ jelly. Pro tip: go crustless.
    • Soda water mixed with apple juice- we used our home soda maker and bought the juice (recycled the Tetra-Pak, of course).
    • Berry smoothies (blend frozen berries with coconut cream and oat milk, add a dash of maple syrup)- these look great in photos (hello IG) but most importantly the little people slurped them right up.
    • A selection of potato/corn chips- everyone loves chips, I mixed sea salt and tortilla chips but whatever you fancy is great.
    • Chocolate banana cake squares (take any chocolate cake recipe, replace butter and milk with plant-based version, sub-mashed bananas for the eggs and cover with sprinkles when it comes out of the oven. Serve in squares).
    • Homemade OmniPork spring rolls (with chopped carrots, cabbage and long beans)- these did not even last an hour. So good!
    • Homemade hummus- it’s a party and I’ll dip if I want to. Served with carrot sticks, it’s a really great low-waste, low-cost option and everyone loves hummus.
    • Last but not least, the aforementioned vegan chocolate chip cookies and vegan lion cake made by my super mom. Every year for my birthday she would make these incredible cakes from ballet slippers to a hamburger to a candy shop, and now she is continuing the tradition with my bubba. Yep, she is the best.
    Zero Waste Vegan Birthday Cake 1024 width
    The incredibly vegan lion cake made by my mother

    Normally, I am more of a homemade food kind of gal when it comes to entertaining, but with Covid-19 making life super tough for my favourite vegan food artisans, I felt called upon to support them by showcasing their talents at Party #2, where we had a lot of parents to feed (the first party was mostly just kiddos). Plus, my preferred way to help people along on their meat and dairy reduction journey is to serve them outstanding animal-free food. When people enjoy food, they are open to changing their ways and their minds.

    We have some truly exceptional food purveyors to choose from in Hong Kong, but no matter where you are in the world, show your support for the artisans in your area. Here’s the stuff we got catered:

    • Vegan sourdough pizzas by Latvian father-daughter duo over at Mayse Artisan Bakery– always a hit at markets and fairs and your home party. I especially love their tomato sauce, something I am picky about.
    • A selection of vegan French patisserie (made bite size) by Bien Caramélisé– the chef Jessica Chow is a genius, truly some of the best patisserie ever, vegan or not. Her éclairs and hazelnut cream millefeuille are the stuff of pastry dreams.
    • A vegan cheese platter by Chef Tina Barrat served with sourdough crackers (also by Mayse)- been stocking Tina’s cheeses for years now, her selection is varied and impressive, the guests devoured them. Tina also does outstanding raw vegan cakes on order by the way.

    And what about presents?

    Since I was throwing the party, I didn’t need to buy presents BUT I wanted to make a few suggestions of some great gifts that we eco moms (and our eco bubs) love. If you prefer classic gifts, suggest wooden, educational and plastic-free toys. Also, books are always welcome!

    NB: I originally wanted to say no gifts to all the invitees. I was vetoed by my family. Apparently, I’m no fun. My ideal situ: people make a donation to a charity of our choice. But, with kids, presents are part and parcel of birthday parties. Here goes, some Green-Queen-approved ideas, most of which support a circular economy:

    • A gift card or outfit from Retykle, the chicest preloved baby and kids online store I’ve ever found. The packaging is earth-friendly, the service is top notch (they have a complimentary personal shopping service) and they stock top brands- mompreneur Sarah Garner is truly an inspiration.
    • A selection of books from Rebooked, the NGO run by teenager Bailey Cherry (as mentioned earlier).
    • A trial membership at Happy Baton, Hong Kong’s first toy rental subscription company. Read more about this clever circular startup started by two moms here.
    • A Cheeky Monkey Kids custom film to celebrate the little one in questions. Filmmaker Joanna Bowers’ (she of the award-winning documentary The Helper) side hustle is making the most delightful 2-3 minute video montages of precious recorded moments in your child’s life. It’s probably a little overkill as a gift for your child’s schoolmate but if you’re looking for the ideal present for your niece/nephew/grandchild/godchild, nothing beats this forever keepsake that everyone in the family will love. Pro-tip: gift the family a voucher instead of the finished film so they can choose their own videos, music, etc.

    And that’s how it’s done, folks! You can be kind to the planet while celebrating your pride and joy and keeping all your guests happy and well-fed. Yes it’s more effort at times, but your little one (and Mother Earth) is worth it, wouldn’t you say?

    All photos courtesy of Green Queen / Sonalie Figueiras.

    The post How To Throw a Vegan, Low-Waste Kids Birthday Party That’s Still Lots of Fun appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Sustainable Fashion Guide: The 8 Rules to Building a Responsible Wardrobe

    5 Mins Read

    Sustainable fashion is on the rise, with mainstream brands and luxury labels alike embracing the trend. Yet the truth of it is, many of us still feel overwhelmed as consumers: is it possible to be a conscious fashionista?

    Many of us remain confused about how to go about building a wardrobe without leaving behind a detrimental impact on earth. It’s not always an easy journey but we’re here to help. While there is no one perfect approach, there are plenty of options and small actions that you can take to stay fashionable and responsible. Below, check out Green Queen’s 8 “Rs” of building a responsible wardrobe. One to bookmark for sure!

    Source: Pexels

    1. Repair > Find Yourself A Great Tailor

    When your clothes undergo wear and tear, your immediate response should be to repair, instead of buying a new replacement. Don’t give up on your favourite cardigan just because a few holes are showing up! You can sew it up yourself, or if you’re hopeless in the realm of textiles (like many of us are), then find yourself a good, trustworthy tailor (so many in Asia, we are so lucky!) who can refurbish your wardrobe staples from broken jacket zippers to split seams to its original fabulous condition again. 

    Photo by Cottonbro at Unsplash.

    2. Recycle > Opt For Second-Hand

    Sometimes, you really do need to update your old wardrobe, or make a couple of more on-trend additions to style up your outfit. There are so many places to look for second hand pieces, more than you can imagine. From high-end preloved accessories and bags that are resold on luxury resale platforms to everyday jeans and jackets that can be found in thrift stores, charity shops and consignment apps, there are second hand options for just about everyone. 

    Source: Glamour

    3. Rent > Sign Up To A Borrow Service

    Clothing for hire is one of the most practical and sustainable solutions to ever changing trends in the fashion world. With the rental fashion sector experiencing a huge boom in popularity, there are lots of options available to suit each person’s needs. Those who want a regular wardrobe change can opt for a monthly subscription plan, while others who simply want a special outfit for a one-off function or have their eye on a trendy piece can pay per loan to borrow through platforms or peer-to-peer hire companies. This would increase the number of times clothing is worn before it reaches the end of its life cycle. 

    Photo by William Mattey from Pexels.

    4. Reinvent > Craft Your Way To Better Style

    Maybe there are pieces of clothing that are in your closet that have long gone out of fashion. Before you get rid of it (responsibly, of course), is there a chance that you can reinvent it by giving it a bit of a do-up? Be your own designer. Is there something creative you can add onto that old canvas tote, such as sew-on patch work or adding a few pockets in? Could you repurpose a pair of trousers into shorts? 

    Source: Bluecross

    5. Recirculate & Rehouse > Donate & Sell Responsibly

    Are there pieces that you’ve fallen out of love with but are still in great condition? Find your clothes a new home by donating it to a charity, giving it up for resale at a second hand store, gifting it to your friends and family or pass it onto someone who will make use of it. Just because it is preloved doesn’t mean it can’t be reloved, rehoused and recirculated. 

    Source: Stocksy United

    6. Recapsulate > Build A Capsule Wardrobe Plan

    Come up with an entire capsule wardrobe plan. Sit down with a notepad, reflect and recapitulate everything you currently have, the style you wish to achieve, which pieces you want to recirculate and what you want to curate through sustainable options from recycled resale to rental and refurbishment. Will your newly curated pieces fit into a long-term plan and last you a long time before you grow bored of it? Which pieces will you wear over and over again? Can you build a versatile wardrobe with items that you can dress up and down for all occasions? Plan it out and visualise it before you take action!

    Courtesy Pexels

    7. Rethink > Do You Really Need It?

    Think twice, and think again for another time before you consider purchasing an item. How many times will you realistically wear that scarf? Will it match with the other items in your wardrobe? Will it go off-trend after one season? How many resources have gone into creating the item? These are all the kind of questions we need to ask ourselves and truly rethink before we decide to add another item to the basket. 

    Photo by Parker Burchfield at Unsplash.

    8. Replace > Choose Sustainable & Ethical

    If you must replace an item, and you can’t seem to use any of the sustainable channels such as buying second hand and preloved, swapping and renting, think about buying upcycled to prevent supporting brand new production methods. There are brands that create pieces out of upcycled fabrics and materials, such as bouncy castles or ocean waste, or use textiles that have been made of recycled yarn instead of virgin fibres. If you must purchase a new item, then consider its end of life and what kind of impact it will leave behind. Choosing more environmentally friendly, biodegradable, cruelty-free fabrics like sustainably grown organic cotton and linen and regeneratively farmed bamboo are better options than synthetic fibres that will take thousands of years to decompose, releasing microplastics in the process.

    Lead image courtesy of Sewport.

    The post Sustainable Fashion Guide: The 8 Rules to Building a Responsible Wardrobe first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Sustainable Fashion Guide: The 8 Rules to Building a Responsible Wardrobe appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • 18 Vegan Watches Making the Time for Sustainability

    20 Plant-Based Vegan Watches
    7 Mins Read

    Living a vegan lifestyle is getting easier day by day as consumers are getting more environmentally conscious, which further motivates brands and makers to create more eco-friendly products. Watches have been a space without much innovation on the planet-forward side in the past, but all that has changed as a new generation of watchmakers rises up with options for us animal-loving and anti-plastic folk. The global selection is actually pretty impressive nowadays, if you are on the hunt for that perfect timepiece. To help guide your search, we’ve rounded up the 20 best plant-based watches on the market, all made with recyclable and biodegradable materials, and all worthy of being showcased on your cruelty-free wrist.

    Souce: Baume 7 Mercier

    1. Baume & Mercier Watches

    If you are passionate about design, then Baume & Mercier’s 100% vegan watches are for you. Crafted with plant-derived materials and recycled plastic waste, Baume as a watch brand carries the legacy of Swiss heritage and excellence in its designs and you can never find something as elegant as a Baume & Mercier watch on your wrist.

    Made in the Netherlands (designed in Geneva) from cork, vegan leather and recycled plastic waste. Shop online – from US$435 – US$2,500.

    Source: Fjordson

    2. Fjordson Vegan Watches

    Approved by The Vegan Society and PETA, Fjordson is an awarded vegan watchmaking company in Belgium. The unisex timepieces from Fjordson have vegan leather straps and these are delivered in recycled packaging. The standard classy looks on the outside and the swiss mechanism inside are likely to make you wish for these vegan watches.  

    Made in Switzerland from nylon and synthetic fabric. Shop online – from US$233.

    Source: TRIWA

    3. TRIWA Green Watches

    The scandinavian fashion brand TRIWA is making watches to spread peace and eco-friendly initiatives. Designed and developed in Stockholm, these watches are made of recycled illegal firearms metal and the plastic waste from oceans. TRIWA also creates other environment friendly accessories such as sunglasses and bracelets.

    Made in Sweden from recycled plastic and metal waste. Shop online – from US$90 – US$299.

    Source: Jacques Farel Hayfield

    4. Jacques Farel Hayfield Eco-Conscious Watches

    Switzerland based eco watch brand Jacques Farel Hayfield creates vegan watches with a classy and minimalist look. Made with walnut wood, recycled steel and vegan fiber, the watches from this Swiss brand are sustainable luxurious products available at an affordable price.

    Made in Switzerland from walnut wood, vegan fiber and recycled steel. Shop online – from US$150.

    Source: Evig Gron

    5. Evig Gron Vegan Watches

    Swedish luxury watch brand Evig Gron is dedicated towards animal welfare and climate change. Their watches have a scratch proof crystal and a strap made with portugese cork, they are durable, PETA approved and 100% vegan.

    Made in Italy, Sweden, Portugal and Switzerland from cork. Shop online – from US$329.

    Source: Kawayan

    6. Kawayan Bamboo Watches

    The Philippines based Kawayan watches is an innovative eco-sensitive company that creates watches from bamboo. Their watches are not only sustainable but durable and have good looks as well. The unisex timepieces from Kawayan are splash-resistant and comes with an adjustable wooden strap. However, not all their products are completely vegan and leather-free.

    Made in the Philippines from bambooand stainless steel. Shop online – from US$43 – US$100.

    Source: Votch

    7. Votch Cruelty-Free Watches

    Creating watches with vegan faux leather, pinatex and other eco-friendly materials, the UK based cruelty-free brand Votch also donates 10% of its profits to animal welfare charities. It offers vegan watches for both men and women.

    Made in the UK from pinatex pineapple leather. Shop online – from US$160.

    Source: Hurtig Lane

    8. Hurtig Lane Vegan Watches

    Offering leather-free and PVC free watches, Hurtig Lane is a Spanish fashion accessories brand located in the beautiful city of Barcelona. Apart from creating elegant vegan timepieces, it also deals in eco-friendly beauty face masks, makeup brushes and jewelry items.

    Made in Spain from recycled plastic and cotton. Shop online – from US$120.

    Source: Ksana

    9. Ksana Watches

    Available in charming neon colors, Ksana vegan watches from the UK have recyclable silicone straps and stainless steel cases. Ksana itself maintains a recycle facility for its watches and their components, the company also donates 1% of its earnings to planet-friendly initiatives.

    Made in the UK from silicon. Shop online – from US$100.

    Source: TIVC

    10. TIVC Handmade Cruelty-Free Watches

    This watch brand from Williamstown, Australia handcrafts captivating vegan timepieces. The watches are available in 40mm and 36mm cases. TIVC offers different kinds of strap textures  and some of their collections are also manufactured in Italy. 

    Made in Hong Kong from recycled aluminium and high grade polyurethane derived vegan leather. Shop online – from US$140 to US$179.

    Source: Nox-Bridge

    11. Nox-Bridge Vegan Watches

    If you love limited edition timepieces with a vintage look, then Nox-Bridge from New Zealand is the perfect vegan watch brand for you. Equipped with stainless steel, interchangeable and animal-friendly straps, the water-proof vegan watches from Nox-Bridge are made with Swiss technology inside them. 

    Made in Japan from stainless steel and recyclable vegan leather. Shop online – from US$ 209.40.

    Source: Olivia Burton

    12. Olivia Burton’s Vegan Watch Collection

    London-based women’s accessories brand Olivia Burton offers vegan watches with beautiful floral print and vegan material strap. However, not all of the watches and accessories from Olivia Burton are vegan but the timepieces from their limited vegan watch collection are likely to win your heart.

    Made in London, UK from vegan leather. Shop online – from US$125.

    Source: Fabrik

    13. Nordgreen Eco Watches

    Designed by Jacob Wagner, the premium quality eco watches from Nordgreen are not completely vegan, but they do offer some 100% animal-friendly vegan leather and stainless steel watches that are waterproof and allow you to spend for a green cause on your every purchase from Nordgreen.

    Made in Denmark from cotton and polyester blend. Shop online – from US$250.

    Source: Dan & Mez

    14. Dan & Mez Sustainable Vegan Watches

    With a mission to change the leather industry, Dan & Mez from Austria is creating PETA approved vegan watches for both men and women. The strap of these watches are made from pineapple fibre and leaves. 

    Made in Germany from pinatex pineapple leather. Shop online – from US$191.

    Source: BOTTA

    15. BOTTA Plant Leather Watches

    The made-in-Germany watches from BOTTA are available in dazzling designs and bright metallic colors. Leather-free watches from BOTTA have straps made of vegetable tanned leather which is 100% vegan and eco-friendly, but not all their watches are vegan. BOTTA’s timepieces have received numerous awards for their minimalist style and gorgeous appeal.

    Made in Germany from vegetable tanned leather and rubber. Shop online – from US$465 – $1,860.

    Source: Aubry

    16. Aubry Vegan Watches

    UK based vegan watch brand Aubry is crealting simplistic and classy vegan watches. These beautiful timepieces have straps made up of polyurethane based vegan leather. Aubry also sells its vegan straps separately.

    Made in the UK from polyurethane. Shop online – from US$159.

    Source: Solios

    17. Solios Solar Watches

    The solar powered vegan watches from Solios are one of their kind. Avoiding chemical waste, and animal derived materials in the process of manufacturing their watches, Solios is completely dedicated towards creating sustainable timepieces, the company also claims a life-long battery life of their watches.

    The Canadian brand offers vegan watches for both men and women at a reasonable price.

    Made in Canada from recyclable silicon. Shop online – from US$258. 

    Source: JORD

    18. JORD Wooden Watches

    It is a completely vegan watch brand based in the US. Apart from using wood for its watches straps, JORD is also experimenting with coffee beans, palms and other tree-derived materials.

    The company also sells other accessories such as bags and apple watch bands.

    Made in the US from wood, coffee beans and stainless steel. Shop online – from US$159.

    Note: In this piece, we have highlighted the vegan friendly strap materials, but hopefully it’s clear that all watches featured are also made from various metals and glass.

    Lead image created by Green Queen Media

    The post 18 Vegan Watches Making the Time for Sustainability appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Is Vilifying Food Waste The Secret To Limiting Global Warming? New Research Says Yes

    4 Mins Read

    Reducing food waste is the single best solution to the climate crisis, a recent study claims. Project Drawdown identified the strategy as having the most tangible potential to reduce emissions. It is not the first time that an adaptation to consumer habits and mindsets has been highlighted as the key to future food security and climate-positive action. 

    The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report states that creating change at a consumer behaviour level could result in greenhouse gas emission reductions of up to 70 percent. The figure was floated alongside a projected completion date of 2050. Positive habit changes were cited as including walking instead of driving, reducing the heating temperature in domestic buildings and reducing food waste.

    Photo by Joshua Hoehne at Unsplash.

    Reduce food waste now for food security later

    The U.N. Environment Programme’s Food Waste Index highlights that 17 percent of all food available to consumers ends up in the bin. 60 percent of all food waste comes from domestic homes. This represents at least 8923 million tonnes of usable food being wasted and sent to landfill, where it breaks down and releases emissions during the process. Therefore, the importance of making food waste socially unacceptable cannot be overestimated. 

    With food security becoming a concern for more nations, in the face of global conflicts and rising costs of living, negating waste equals more mouths fed. That it can also actively reduce greenhouse gas emissions makes the issue critical.

    New World Resources Institute (WRI) data suggests that making food waste socially unacceptable, through appropriate messaging, will make the problem a priority that more consumers want to solve. In research conducted, it found that when people were told about others making an effort to reduce their own food waste, it raised awareness, encouraged dialogue and incited a change in attitude. The overarching conclusion was that changing societal norms is an effective way to encourage habit evolution. 

    Photo by Elevate at Unsplash.

    Adapting behaviour through suggestive expectations

    WRI claims that shifting social norms will motivate people to change their habits. This can, the organisation claims, be used to encourage less energy and water use, motivate consumers to choose plant-based foods or nudge people to waste less food. It used an example of the practice in action:

    “Hotels, for example, have encouraged guests to reduce water use by including social norms messages on door hangers that mention how other guests reuse their bath towels (rather than send them to be washed every day). The implication is that new guests should do the same.”

    The result, in this instance, was a reduction in laundry demand. WRI set out to test the theory specifically in connection to reducing food waste. It conducted two research projects to test whether social norms messaging is effective enough to put a stop to household waste. 

    Photo from Pexels.

    What makes consumers choose less waste?

    WRI’s studies concluded that messaging alone is not enough to inspire behavioural change. When combined with multi-pronged attacks, however, they can be very effective.

    In the first study, 250 Washington households were observed. They were split into three groups. One had no waste intervention, another received standard educational materials about food waste and the third received educational information, plus social norms messages. These took the form of sentences such as “More than three-quarters of DC residents report storing food properly to maximize its shelf life”. The control group wasted 25 percent more food than those subject to relevant information and messaging. Though the social norms statements were not considered effective in reducing food waste, above the standard information, they did alter consumer behaviour in terms of at least trying to meal plan.

    The second study looked specifically at the effectiveness of transmitting social norms messages via social media, specifically Facebook. Ads were placed, containing three styles of messages, to identify which were the most successful. Location played a part, with participants responding differently in Germany and the U.K. Overall, dynamic messaging, which talks about what other people are doing to change their behaviour, was considered most encouraging. This has paved the way for future research.

    WRI concluded that including social norms messages in standard educational campaigns is a viable plan. It claims that they are a low-cost, low-risk way to emphasise the topic of food waste.

    Product photo by PurePlus.

    Feeding people with food waste

    As food waste continues to gain traction as an important endeavour, companies are increasingly seeking to tap into the commercial potential that it offers. A number of startups are now producing snacks made from food industry by-products or imperfect ingredients. PurePlus is one of them, taking surplus wonky fruits and veggies and converting them into ‘climate candy’. Its consumer-facing brand, Faves, launched in 2021, debuting its sustainable alternative to Starburst chews. The startup claims that every pack contains one full serving of fruit and veg and prevents countless produce from entering landfills.

    Lead photo by Simon Peel at Unsplash.

    The post Is Vilifying Food Waste The Secret To Limiting Global Warming? New Research Says Yes appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • These 3 Pollution-Fighting House Plants to Upgrade Your Indoor Air

    4 Mins Read

    Decorating your home with plants won’t just brighten up your home, it will literally make you healthier. Plants offer numerous benefits for our well-being, the most notable of which are that they literally clean the air around them, a must for urban dwellers in busy, polluted cities.

    For many of us who have to cope with the hustle and bustle of city life, it is especially important that our homes are a space for mental relaxation and recuperation. From improving the quality of your air to boosting energy and focus, investing in potted plants is becoming more popular than ever. Some studies have even found that indoor plants provide physical recovery-boosting qualities, can decrease the chances of getting ill and lower anxiety and stress levels.

    While there are many gorgeous plants out there, we’ve narrowed our must- have list to three. Below, we share the best indoor plants to green your home and clear your air.

    1. Green Mist: Eucalyptus in The Shower

    Hanging a bundle of the eucalyptus plant in the shower can help relieve symptoms of flu and cold-related illness. The gorgeous scent produces a real spa-vibe to your shower routine as the herb’s essential oils are released by the heat and steam of your shower. Eucalyptus doesn’t just smell good – the anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of its natural oils can help relieve congestion, boost mood and mental clarity. This rejuvenating plant also comes with the bonus of brightening up your bathroom with some greenery!

    Fresh eucalyptus can often be found in local flower shops or in-store bouquets, and can last for around a week. You can simply tie a bundle together with twine and secure it around your showerhead, just make sure that the plant is not placed directly under the water stream.

    2. Snake Plant to Purify Your Living Room: NASA Approved

    We spend most of our days out in the city breathing polluted air, making it extra important for our homes to help give our lungs a bit of rest. Indoor air can often be filled with harmful pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen monoxide among many others. This is where the snake plant comes to the rescue – it is THE NASA-recommended plant for air purifying.

    According to this NASA study, the snake plant – also known by its latin name Sanseviera – improves indoor air quality by removing an unbelievable 107 known air pollutants. It also produces and releases oxygen into the air throughout the night, making it the perfect plant to inhabit your living room and bedroom.

    Good news for those who have a poor record of plant keeping: the snake plant thrives in just about any climate, and can go for weeks without water. But for those with pets, it is important to keep this plant out of their reach, as it can be toxic if ingested.

    3. Succulent for Your Desk: Work Wellness

    Succulent plants have become a hit in recent years, particularly for workspaces. There are many reasons for this, most especially that the popular plants are incredibly low maintenance and boast numerous benefits for wellbeing. Some of these include helping you breathe better by releasing oxygen throughout the night, removing toxins from the air, and helping to keep respiratory illnesses at bay. They contribute to reducing cold and flu-like symptoms, and can even prevent anxiety and fatigue.

    Perhaps the most impressive of all is their ability to help you focus, boost brain capacity, and attention. A study at the University of Exeter found that memory, productiveness and work-related functioning in students and employees improved in spaces decorated with small plants such as cacti (aka cactuses, a type of succulent).

    All these reasons make succulents a great Insta-worthy addition to upgrade your workspace (and your productivity)!

    All pictures courtesy of Pexels.

    The post These 3 Pollution-Fighting House Plants to Upgrade Your Indoor Air first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post These 3 Pollution-Fighting House Plants to Upgrade Your Indoor Air appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.

  • Cruelty-Free Fashion: 5 Vegan Handbag Brands We Love

    3 Mins Read

    We’ve rounded up some great brands to keep in mind next time you need a new handbag, all of which are created by Asian founders.

    With the growing popularity of fashionable vegan products, conscious consumers are demanding animal-friendly alternatives for every apparel and accessory they own. The plant-based fashion industry is doing its best to come up with new, alternative materials too, in a move away from the more traditionally-used PVC, a type of hard-to-recycle plastic that many vegan bag brands rely on.

    Source: The Lovely Things

    1. The Lovely Things

    These trendy handbags from The Lovely Things are made of the popular leather alternative made from pineapple leaf fibre and branded as Pinatex as well as sustainably sourced cork. One of many promising Hong Kong eco brands, The Lovely Things offers bags in numerous shapes and patterns but we’re especially crushing on their every day totes which you can grab in a range of colours.

    Shop The Lovely Things online, from US$79

    Source: ONE Concepts

    2. ONE Concepts

    Designer eco bags from Macau-based brand ONE Concepts are both beautiful and 100% vegan, not to mention that the company will plant a tree for every product sold AND they give 10% of their profits to animal welfare charities. The comfy handbags are made from vegan microfiber which is both cruelty-free and PVC free- go team.

    Shop ONE Concepts online, from US$168

    Source: JW PEI

    3. JW PEI

    Luxury ethical bag brand JW PEI offers more than 250 types of fashionable vegan bags and other accessories, with styles ranging from shoulder bags to crossbody and satchel handbags. Made from vegan leather and recycled plastic waste, the US & Asia-based brand is famously popular with non-vegan fashionistas and vegans alike, and we can see why: they are just so darn chic.

    Shop JW PEI online, from US$29

    Source: GnL

    4. GnL

    Local Hong Kong handbag brand GnL are approved by none other than PETA, thanks to their cruelty-free natural materials including coffee grounds, cork and teak leaves. To make the bags more durable, their inner fabric is made from recycled plastic, which keeps the stuff out of our oceans and landfills. The bags are also super cute and very budget-friendly.

    Shop GnL online, from US$60

    Source: Broke Mate

    5. Broke Mate

    The easy-to-carry, classy shapes by Broke Mate are ethically made by fairly pade women in India, PETA approved and come in various shapes and sizes. A women owned vegan business by Indian entrepreneur Rumika Sharma, the bags are made from polyurethane.

    Shop Broke Mate online, from US$25

    The post Cruelty-Free Fashion: 5 Vegan Handbag Brands We Love first appeared on Green Queen.

    The post Cruelty-Free Fashion: 5 Vegan Handbag Brands We Love appeared first on Green Queen.

    This post was originally published on Green Queen.