Putting back purpose in the word repurpose!

Over the last month, I've been trying to find ways to reuse the glasses I have collected, from empty peanut butter jars to maple syrup jugs. Now you might be thinking, "Casey, why, just recycle them!" Well, here is why I don't, I have recently learned that though glass can be recycled into something else, this is not always the case. Did you know? that glass is made in furnaces at extremely high temperatures, which produce 22 million tonnes of CO2, and this is just Europe. Of that 22 million tonnes, 95 million tonnes are created worldwide yearly. This is a crazy statistic! If we as a world population do not start trying to minimize this, these numbers will only continue to grow. So, let’s all try to be more intentional about how we keep our planet safe.

One of the best ways we could do so is by reusing our glass jars, etc. This will require less need for buying glass in general and thus resulting in lower demand for glass production. Now you may be wondering, "Casey, how can I go about repurposing these jars, etc when after removing the sticker they just stay sticky no matter what you do!?" Well, I will tell you…without further ado...

Here is what to do, before reusing them:

1. Remove that label however, in saying this once you have done so, you will also want to get rid of that annoying stickiness on the glass. So, take some baking soda, and a little vinegar and make a paste, then rub this paste onto the sticky parts of the glass, and leave this to sit for about 15 minutes.

2. Once this part is complete you are going to want to use your natural sponge, preferably using the coconut husk part and scrubbing in circular motions. You will see the glue coming off. Don't worry this won't transfer onto your sponge if anything it rinses right off under warm water.

3. Gently rinse your glass under warm water and boom, you. are. done! If, however, there is still some glue left on the glass, then repeat this process as many times as you need until all the glue comes off. P.S. I will say that by the second time, it will be enough.

4. If you are going to be repurposing your jars for canning, then ensure to follow a proper sterilizing process once having removed the label, etc. If not, and you just want to use it for simple storage of dried foods then be sure to wash the jar well and dry thoroughly!

Hope this tip helps you all want to repurpose that glass and use it in other ways first, before thinking of recycling it. Next blog to come, I will share what I have been using my repurposed glassware for, along with a little surprise! Drop your guesses in our comments section on what you think our next blog surprise might be, until next time!

Casey xxx

Valentine’s Day, the Sustainable Way!

Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, here are some tips we could, and really should all try towards leading this day of showing love more sustainably! But before I mention some tips, I will say that I believe it is important to show love to people every day not just on this one day. P.S this day doesn’t need to always be of materialistic value, but rather our time and what we choose to do with it, for one another is what counts!

So, without further ado here are some Valentine’s Day or every day tips, on how you could show love and appreciation in the best kind of ways:

• If you are the kind of person who is keen on trying new things out, how about making a home-cooked meal, either with that special someone or for them, however in saying this try to make the best efforts to shop for your ingredients in the most ethical way possible. Ways in which you could do so, are by supporting zero waste stores, fresh produce markets, etc. In doing so you will minimize your carbon footprint by significant amounts, as this will reduce your amount of not just food waste, and plastic waste, but also CO2 as you could go on a walk together to purchase those ingredients, and or you could also cycle together making this not just a meal to make together but also an outing adventure. If, however you are not necessarily the adventurous type and would rather go out for that meal, then consider how you are going to get to this location for your meal as well as the restaurant you are going to, by ensuring they source all their products ethically. They can do this, by supporting local farmers in all forms of produce they grow both sustainably yet organically as well as minimizing the journey that, that produce has travelled from farm to table.

• On the other hand, if you want to show your love and appreciation in a materialistic kind of way, reach out to some small businesses that make ethical bespoke gifts. They will then work with you to create something memorable! For example, you could check out a cute little small business called Flower Confectioner on Instagram, they do quite a few things, though one that you could reach out to them for, is crafting your special someone their favourite flower, be it a whole bouquet or even just one flower, they will then use actual edible ingredients like: wafer paper or sugar paste to create this. The intention of why they create gifts in this way is not actually to be eaten, but rather, it is to create a completely part compostable and part recyclable gift that is preserved in either a glass and cork display or a glass wooden dome display, you choose!

• Lastly, if you are more of a speak from your heart kind of person, why not check out "Songfinch", I recently came about this company and love the intention of them collating some of your memories to personally write a whole song for that special someone.

Anyway, these are just a few tips to mention however, the list is endless, and if you let your imagination take you there you too can create whatever you'd like in the most sustainable way possible, all it takes is a little bit of intentional time, some planning and perhaps a bit of research in understanding how to lessen your carbon footprint whilst loving on all, as well as show our planet some love in the process too!

Happy Valentine's Day to all! Spread some love, not just on this day but every day, and make your little love-filled mark in the world small bits at a time!

Casey xx

For Christmas, it's out with the artificial and in with the art!

This year we decided to take a spin on how we choose to celebrate Christmas, so rather than buying a 6ft artificial Christmas tree and covering it in plastic of all sorts or cutting down an actual Christmas tree, why not make our own tree. How we went about it was, going for a walk in a park one afternoon, whereby some tree branches had fallen, so we picked them up and repurposed them, by giving them new life in the form of a branch Christmas tree. Then using some natural jute rope about 4mm thick and tying each end of the many stick layers we wanted we were able to make a five-layer stick Christmas tree. If your good with some hand stitching you can make your own little tree ornaments with some left-over fabrics, you may have laid around, or you could help support some small businesses who make these sustainable ornaments. Then to combat the need of using electricity you can pop over to your local B&M and find yourself the cutest knot free copper fairy lights and wrap it around your tree as you wish, now you may be wondering "well how are these lights powered" the answer is either through them being solar powered or you could get yourself rechargeable batteries. You could also try your local Hobbycraft and get yourself a ceramic pottery kit and make your ornaments yourself, or if you have kids, you could use this as an exciting activity for them and lastly repurpose some wood and make your own little ornament too if you wish. P.S did you know you can make the cutest ornaments using your toilet roll core. Try out Pinterest for some ideas.

Well...wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! Hope you all enjoy this week’s post on how to make your own sustainable Christmas tree. Reach out and share your pictures with us!!

Casey xx