My 3 Eco Warrior WINNERS!
Holy moly guys!!
I can't believe how many entries I received for the recent competition on my blog. Over 1200 of you were in touch with your epic ideas & brilliant eco-friendly initiatives. I read the entries while camping up north, and I couldn't stop thinking to myself PEOPLE ARE INCREDIBLE! Honestly the varied ways of innovative thinking in terms of how you have all adjusted your daily habits to improve your focus on sustainability, is nothing short of amazing. For everyone who entered, thank you so much. From the bottom of my heart - you guys are awesome.
Another great aspect to this comp is that you've given me a tonne of ideas & activities to introduce into my own day-to-day life. And that I am grateful for! As I said, there were a tonne of entries so I've collected some of favourites below to share with you all. This list is a summary of the ideas that I think are easy & relatable to everyone... meaning we can ALL get involved & create a hugely positive impact. So please have a read & take note!
Pop a bucket in the shower while you wash & collect the excess water. Rather than the excess water running down the drain, use it to feed your garden. Easy...love it!
Use your excess coffee beans as a natural exfoliant (face & body). I don't actually drink coffee but I know many people do, so please get into the hang of this! Imagine how good you'll smell!
When chopping up vegetables, instead of throwing out the offcuts, pop them into a container and freeze them. Use the offcuts the next time you're in need of stock. Why buy when you can create it yourself?! And this way, there would be far less salt & preservatives in your meal.
Challenge yourself or introduce some friendly competition into your household when it comes to showering. Who can get clean quicker!? Who doesn't love a challenge! Whatever you do, don't skimp on the actual hygiene element, just try to avoid just standing around & letting water be wasted. We simply cannot afford to waste a drop in Australia.
If you're living somewhere where it's warm enough - turn the water off while you lather up! A good example here is hair treatments. I know many women use treatments in their hair that need to be left in for 2-10 minutes. While you wait for it to do it's thing, try & turn the water off. This is a great opportunity to save many litres of water.
Host a "share night" where you & your friends bring what they may not want or need in their fridge or pantry. Veggies, sauces, canned tomatoes. This is a great way to see your buddies, get creative & prevent waste. Win, win, win.
If you have the room, invite chooks into your backyard... or even a beehive. And if you're committed to this much, go one step further & set up your very own veggie patch! Try living off the land & see how you go. There is simply nothing better than home grown produce. No pesticides, no waste, no haste!
Collect your egg cartons, cardboard boxes, jars & tins. Instead of popping them into the recycle bin if you don't need them for your own storage, gift them to the local schools. They'd love these supplies for arts & crafts with the kids! I love this idea! Just make sure they're 100% cleaned prior to handing them over.
Wrapping presents with kids artwork (if they let you that is!), for a personal touch. Or people have said they even use old shopping bags & use the handles as ribbon! Why not!! Let's face it, presents get ripped open in seconds so perhaps we don't all need to be buying reams of wrapping?
Simple things like purchasing solar chargers, switching to electronic bills instead of paper, researching sustainable alternatives to the food/beauty/household brands you love in terms of the varying packaging & turn the brightness of your screens down to dilute the blue light & conserve battery power. These things are no brainers and they'll have the biggest impact if we all commit! It's just a matter of thinking before we act.
Inspired? I am!
I can't stress how truly grateful I am to everyone who submit an idea - especially in a time like now when the world is full of uncertainty & let's face it, a lot of fear. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your best eco tips & tricks because if there was ever a time to focus on the positive, without a doubt the time is now.
So ... the 3 WINNERS! Drumroll please!!! I was especially touched by the 3 entries below. There was something about the kindness entwined with these eco-friendly ideas that really blew my socks off.
1. "Getting together with friends and bringing along any household items, beauty products, food items and clothes to swap around. We could be after something that a friend may be throwing away." By Lynda Byrn
This is so simple, so easy & so inclusive. It's just such a wonderful way to recycle & prevent waste whilst seeing your nearest & dearest. We all have things in our cupboards that we never quite get to use, so why not get together with your buddies & swap! One man's trash is another man's treasure!
2. "Keep bottle caps (i.e. milk bottles lids), & donate them to be used in the production of prosthetics limbs." By Rachael Lang
What I love about this is the innovation! It's mind blowing to think how incredibly resourceful people have become & how such smart thinking can help so many people improve their quality of life. Not only this, but what a heartwarming way to recycle the millions of bottle lids that litter the beautiful Australian environment everyday.
3. "I am a primary school teacher - so lots of plastic around. At the start of each year, I give each of my students a beeswax wrap and a note on what they are, how to use them and how to make more. It’s amazing to see the parents jump on board with beeswax wraps over plastic wraps." By Kelsey Redfern
Teaching children about our planet, the value of nature and how we can all work to keep it clean is, in my opinion the greatest gift you can offer them. From the moment they learn to read & write they care capable of so much more. They are capable of grasping onto ideas & habits that will protect & brighten their futures.
So! Lynda, Rachael & Kelsey ... CONGRATULATIONS! Your commitment to the earth & matters of sustainability, your generous spirits and your brilliant ideas towards building a better world is very special. I couldn't help but smile when I read your entries.
So it's pretty clear isn't it? Going green & improving our individual footprint is something we can do daily & so easily. We just need to think twice before acting & commit to breaking old habits and welcoming new ones. Now is the time to drive positive change. Please remember guys to pass the ideas above onto your peers, friends, families, colleagues! Even if you only pass on a few, you'll be doing a very good deed!
Sending everyone lots of love & healthy thoughts during this very tough time. Just remember, we are all in it TOGETHER!
Elyse x
