Plastic Free July 2017 Week 1

I started minimizing my waste as a new year’s resolution. And the first of the many adjustments that I did was switching to the menstrual cup. Actually, it was the discovery of menstrual cup that led me to the minimal waste lifestyle. I started on new year’s because of how high everyone’s (including mine’s) willpower reserve is at this point.

Days passed and the hype of the enumerated changes mentioned in this post started to dwindle down (like most new year’s resolutions). Not that the care came along with it, but I just got so much better at making excuses and I became highly dependent on ecobricks. Ecobricks are these bittersweet gift of the trash regulation fairies to me. On one hand, they make my life easier and it’s making waste awareness so much easier to spread. Plus, it’s making good use of trash and in the event, taking some of the burden off landfills. The only negative thing I have with me discovering ecobricks is that I made them an escape. ALL THE TIME. Totally my fault.

Then came Plastic Free July. This reignited the why of this lifestyle change. And I suddenly noticed my negative relationship with ecobricks. I needed to sit down and have the talk with the ecobricks. I started planning how I was going to align the beautiful purpose of the ecobricks to my minimal waste journey.

IG: @kwentongakda

Small wins so far:

• Yellowcab obliging to deliver without unnecessary trash. Just the pizza, the box, and receipt.
• Lush shampoo bar. Smells divine. Though I’m still working out if it’s having a great relationship with my hair. I’ll update after a month.
• Dragonfruit. Aside from the fact that it was given to me (read: free), fruits for snack is AMAZING. I just need to make an extra effort to buy fruits if I want to keep this up.
• Minimalwaste dining out @KFC. I had to think clearly of what I was ordering and if it came with plastic, or unnecessary trash. I know the packaging is paper, not lined with plastic but I still chose not to get it since I planned ahead and brought my own container.
• Unpackaged ice cream with paper holder, recyclable.
• DIY toothpaste. But after week, I needed to make a new batch in a glass container since the tin can started reacting with the mixture, not sure how but there’s rust forming on the side.

I also used to take coffee during the afternoon, and I always go for the 3-in-1 sachets because of their convenience and it’s one of the things that I say, “Well, I’ll just stuff it in the ecobrick.” Since the start of July, I stopped taking sachets of coffee and instead opted for water in the afternoon. Plus, I am trying my best to collect the foil/plastic trash of some of my merienda buddies so I can just stuff their trash into the ecobrick. And it is also a good time to share trash/ecobricks awareness with them. Win! /Basurera na po si acqoe./

Mega Fail:

I experienced a tremendous amount of stress on July 5th, and I gave in to the the non-glamorous temptation that is smoking. I’ve already tried to quit several times this year, but this is one of the biggest disappointment so far since I just started getting pumped up for this plastic free month. I know this is straightforward contradicting my efforts on avoiding single-use plastic. But I’ve tried to compensate by stuffing what remains of my cigarette to the ecobrick. I am not proud. Maybe, by some way, the universe might see me quit next week.

IG: @kwentongakda

Some more fail:

• I still take multivitamins wrapped in foil. Not sure if if it’s recyclable but for now I am giving it residence inside the ecobrick.
• Whenever I feel sluggish at the office, I start grabbing these caramel candy at my desk. I have now removed the stack of candies from my desk to eliminate temptation.
• I attended a meeting last week that served food which was covered in cling wrap. And cofffee in a sachet. Sadnu.

Anyhow. This is a report of how my first week of plastic-free July went. Three more weeks to go. A test run of the lifestyle I want to have.

Cheers to next week!

Minimal Waste Lifestyle

Nakakapagod mag-hiatus X_X

I’m back from the depths of the underworld, yass!

So etong ganap sakin ngayon, I am revamping this site to be a collection of my thoughts, hinanakit, and joy in this journey to producing minimal waste. Ume-eco friendly, but not yet there.

More commonly known as the Zero Waste Lifestyle, this came knockin’ at my door in many ways. This blog is now going to be about my journey towards becoming more environment friendly and a virtual binder of all the things that helped me.

First, I’ll get this out of the way… I don’t think anybody can live totally zero waste, hence I opt to call mine Minimal Waste. I know it’s a small thing, but there are plenty of people obsessing about the term zero waste so I’d preferably not scare anybody and just go with Minimal Waste. And it’s more aligned with what I’m trying to do. So I’m going for that.

Well then, let’s go!

One of the reasons that nudged me to be more conscious of being a consumer is the #NoStrawMovement that started (I think) because of a video of a sea turtle that had a straw stuck up its nose. And it made me think of how unaware I am of all the waste that I am producing. Though it started as a strong movement, I somehow just forgot and ended up using straws again because it just automatically came with everything.

The second knock came unconsciously. My sister and I were shopping for a gift for one of my friends that she was interviewing for a school paper, and we came across an adorable tote bag. And the tote life episode from We Bare Bears.

This tote bag from SAC People, we made sure to bring it everywhere. It started as a desire to have a compact tote bag that I can bring out because more and more establishments are packing stuff that I buy in paper bags. So initially, I still received the packaging of all store and establishments and I just jam them in the tote bag, but my sister caught me off guard and told me, “Ipadirecho mo na lang sa tote bag, yun yung point ng tote bag.” So I did. And I started reducing a little bit of waste of the unnecessary packaging that I refused. And I did it unconsciously. I just wasn’t aware that there was a zero waste movement going on.

The final nudge and the main reason I discovered this lifestyle is because I was researching on minimalism. I was struggling to keep my daily bag/purse tidy, so I’ve been watching “What’s In My Minimalist Bag” videos on youtube. And in one of the videos I watched, there was a purse that contained a menstrual cup. And I was blown away, this is 2016 (I found out about it last 2016) and I was just learning about menstrual cups!

This is the video that changed my life, hehe

My period has always been a nasty subject for me. It always felt icky and dirty and just ugh. It adds up to the general discomfort of having a period. So I drowned myself in learning about menstrual cups, and it flowed to the zero waste lifestyle side of the internet. And my mind was doubly blown away. To smithereens! This time I knew I needed to live it. I needed to make changes and be conscious of my life. I have to reboot my effort from the #NoStrawMovement. Small steps and steady.

As of typing this post, here are some things that I’ve managed to gradually change in my life:

Menstrual Cups

I am using a medium sized MeLuna Classic Cup that I got from Mama Baby Love. She’s one of the few sellers that I found when I was researching on where I can get a menstrual cup here in the Philippines.

Transitioning to this was a long argument with myself. I am a virgin and I’ve never put things up in my lady parts, that’s why this is a little bit scary for me. That’s one of the reasons why I’ve never thought before of researching other alternatives for disposable napkins. Tampons was even more of a horror because in my head it was just a rolled up disposable napkin jammed up in my vagina. Ugh. So I stayed with my toxic relationship with the disposable napkins, and every month I get rashes. And every month I hate my period.

So this is a huge jump for me but one that I know I had to brave through. After half a year of putting it off  I finally purchased one last December 2016 and started using it on January 2017. I am on my 3rd cycle with the cup and I’ve never been happier having my period. And I never though I’d feel this way, but I’m always looking out for my period to come. Oooh, this sounds like a proposal to my menstrual cup

When 2017 came, I’ve learned more and more about menstrual cups and a friend informed me that there’s a Pinoy-made menstrual cup called The Sinaya Cup. Yay, good job! More alternative and amazing feminine products for us Filipinos!

Reusable Stainless Steel Straws

I’ve been on the lookout for reusable stainless steel straws since last year, but the only affordable one I can find from the UP Green League, Inc. was out of stock. So I had to scour the internet for another source. I checked and they have stainless steel straws in True Value in UP Town Center, but they’re expensive.

Along came an invite from a friend to like this page on Facebook called Go Zero. It came at just the right time! So I got 4 straws with cleaning brushes for my friends and I, and they even had pouches to easily transport the straws. I am excited to always bring it with me whenever I go out and I think I’d be using a straw

 

Bamboo Toothbrush + DIY Toothpaste

This was one of the first things that I was easily able to change. I now use baking soda and coconut oil to brush my teeth with a bamboo toothbrush. I didn’t just throw out my toothpaste and my toothbrush. I used it out, and when the time came for me to replace my toothbrush, my brother came home with a free bamboo toothbrush from his stay at Nobu Hotel. I know, I know, avoid free stuff. This is still one of the struggles I have to this day, but I’m getting there

Reusable Tote Bag

One of the greatest purchases of my life is SAC People’s Onigiri Tote Bag that I got from Livingwell at Podium. We now have this bag (this is a shared bag for 3 people in this house), for almost two years now. Still going strong. It holds a lot of groceries every now and then and it’s a conversation starter! Plus it’s very compact and even has it’s own pouch.

Package-Free Soap

This is another struggle to find. I started out with organic soap but they always come in plastic packaging and some even came in double plastic packaging. Good thing I found a package-free oatmeal soap in Healthy Options, though it was a bummer that it still has stickers, it was better than anything I’ve ever tried and it smells amazing. I’m still trying it out in terms of how long the soap will last because it was a little bit expensive than soap that I’ve previously bought in the grocery. Though, I’m thinking that if I won’t be able to find an alternative, I’d go back to the normal soap that is available in the grocery with the cardboard packaging. At least I might be able to recycle the cardboard packaging.

Confidence

I was a pretty confident little thing before this change, but trying to buy stuff and bringing my own container to stores, is another upgrade. I was ecstatic when I first went to the wet market and brought my own tupperware for them to fill up with meat and fish. And I used an old laundry bag made from katya cloth to line another sturdier bag for rice. It was a happy market day. Another level of happy, because I mostly enjoy palengke days, but this, is one step up.

These are some of the things that I’ve been changing about my life recently. And this is a lifestyle change that I am certain I can do. Let me know your thoughts on this and if you have questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section.

Have a nice day!

Anime: Gosick

The obligatory summary:

Kujo is a transferee in a school where he meets Victorique. Who is somehow an uber brilliant student who never goes to classes and spends all her time reading. She appears to be trapped in this tower library because her brother wants to protect her. Weird.

This is just your normal story of mysteries. I just liked that there’s a different case to solve every episode. And the mystery of the shipwreck where they themselves get trapped into something of a game. It was a little bit interesting.

This series was not that impressionable but also a little but entertaining. In other words, “Keri Lang”.

Tala To The Lady of Manhattan

This is my latest fangirl activity for Sarah Kay

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It is becoming absurd how everything you do… makes me cry

Not in a negative way but in a very heart lifting way.

Your words are feather light touches

Games: PlayStation and Episode

I got myself a PS4! Finally managed to save some moolah to buy one. Yay! It’s kind of ironic how I was able to save when I am currently unemployed. Hmmm.

The last console my family owned was a family computer. And looking back, I felt sad that I was such an ungrateful child and didn’t take care of the things they gave me. Even the things I bought myself didn’t escape my clumsiness.

Time Out

I need to go.

It’s not you, it’s me.

Bye for now.

Anime: Afro Samurai

I always encounter this one on most lists of anime that I should watch floating around the internet. So I gave it a try.

Here are my thoughts. I should dump them here just because.

If you want gore, episode 1 will definitely not disappoint you.

Happy Booklentayms!

Because Happy Valentines + Book Giveaway = ….. Okay, that was lame.

Since I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, I wanted to get rid of so much of my stuff. With my level of expertise, I can only get rid of so much, meaning I will only do two categories (which is the most voluminous of all): Books and Clothes.

I already started with my books around the first week of December I think? But I have no idea how to give away my pre-loved books, which has served its purpose and must now find a new home. My brother was supposed to take them to somewhere, but then things happened, and now I am stuck with a bag full of books I was supposed to get rid off. Meaning, I only just moved my clutter from one space to another (to my brother’s room, hehe). Fortunately, I know a lot of book loving friends, I am not sure if they will be interested in what I have in my stack, so I am opening this book giveaway to everybody who wants to make space in their hearts and in their home for these books.

Anime: One Punch Man

So my friend and I have a new expression for our emotion. This newly discovered feeling came from watching Honor Thy Father, thus we call it…

The JLC of HTF.

Dugyot Diaries: Pridyider

Wala itong structure, bale isa lang itong pinahabang status update.

Unang leksyon ng buhay para sa aking ngayong 2016: Wag iwanan ang nakapatay na pridyider ng hindi nililinis ng mabuti.