On the current Plight of Koalas

Image source: Majesticanimals.net/Heartbreaking images
of confused koala after discovering its home has been cut down

The article attached to this photo explains that this koala survived and is ok. She had suffered some injuries and was taken to an animal hospital where she is in much better condition.

Also, in correction of a previous post, fortunately the report in November 2019 that koalas are "functionally extinct" was erroneous. Though they do still need our help, to be considered "functionally extinct" a species must fall within the criteria below:

1. The population is so low that they no longer play a significant role in their ecosystem. Eg. There are so few they don't put significant dent in what they prey on

2. "A population that is no longer viable", or there are none left able to produce.

3. "Finally, functionally extinct can refer to a small population that, although still breeding, is suffering from inbreeding that can threaten its future viability".

Although the label of "functionally extinct" was erroneous, it did come from the very real sitaution that they are in trouble.

If you would like to donate to help koalas specifically, Living With Koalas has put together a nice list of charities to help them:
http://livingwithkoalas.com.au/home/koala-charities/

Sources:
PBS
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/koalas-may-be-functionally-extinct-but-what-does-that-mean
majesticanimals.net https://www.majesticanimals.net/heartbreaking-images-of-confused-koala-after-discovering-its-home-has-been-cut-down?fbclid=IwAR1tco5hYcynTQeESOwBdCSQNACQuB-YTQFHrBu44gUhcXBFBcocExqZTuY

Written 2019-10-21, Posted to sister blogs NN and L~W 2019-12-17, edited 2019-12-20, 2020-01-05, 2020-07-19

November's little things (photo post)

It's not November anymore, but a little thing on a walk with my sprightly jack russel, Luna, has really stuck with me.

Ontario is known for its bitter, humid cold, and the combinations of countless browns and white that paint the landscape. But sometimes underrated is the beauty of this time and in its little things when we stop to smell the crisp air.

 

Sustainable Environment and Sustainable Business: Three Things You can Do

The last Nature Nimbus post put the spotlight on fourteen companies that are taking the lead in green business management and production. If you are a person in business and are interested in ways you can become a leader in sustainability and improve your own business, here is a brief look at some things you can consider:

Use Sustainable Materials
If your business generates a tangible, physical product that people can pick up and buy, there is lots of opportunity to help turn the tide in production and materials. Consider:

• sustainable production that minimizes pollution volume and/or intensity in areas such as manufacturing, transportation
• using recycles or reclaimed materials
• using materials that are extracted and/or processed in sustainable ways
• ingredients that are grown conscientiously

Certain products can be used to support a more environmentally-conscious lifestyle. However, not all businesses were founded with the most current standards of sustainability and not all businesses have a physical product that can be modified to use more sustainable materials very easily. Even in cases like this, there are still other places to start.

Minimize Waste
Potential energy, water, and food waste are present in every business. From the lighting system to toilets used, there are many ways both soft and concrete that a workplace can begin to reduce waste.

Seek Guidance
The weight of the world feels less heavy when we shoulder it together. It is easy to understand from any perspective how business and society hangs on environment. However, to take steps towards helping the environment within a business that entity itself also needs to be taken care of, and there are entities that can help with this.

Options include hiring an environmental consultant, seeking certifications, and joining groups like Partners In Project Green. At my college a presentation of some of the Partners' low impact development projects left quite the impression on me, and they are now a group I would be happy to reference as business-conscious guides for areas of water, waste, energy, and engagement, and to help other entities move through the process and learn the best places to start.

Think Long-Term
When we consider economy, society, and environment, having a healthy, livable environment is the top link in the chain that holds the others up. There is planning, budgeting, and engineering to consider, but each of these are ultimately investments that in the long run are sustainable for a business, and there is help available.

Taking the first step can feel overwhelming, but please do remember: not only are there groups like consultants and Partners in Project green rooting for you, but there are many of us around the world rooting for the people people behind businesses who are out there looking to move forward in sustainable ways.

This post was Republished 2019-12-07, and dated back to 2019-11-07

Green Living Show 2019 Highlights

Green product placement time! (If you have used up your budget for the month, maybe come back next month and read instead). Plus one charity.  This light post has been a long time coming, so thank you for your patience. It has been a busy summer and I'll have some more nature pics to show you in a future post from a surprise location.

Our family attended the Green Living Show in Toronto this May that just passed. It was a brisk, sunny day, and as we walked in we were greeted by many friendly people. Lots of stands from Quebec. We noticed it also seemed to be an overall very fit crowd. Lots of heathered grey sweaters and old cotton t-shirts.

It was a fun family trip to Toronto, and we met so many friendly people overseeing their stands. There were so many booths and stands, but here are a few green products and ideas that we were able to learn more about:

These ladies gave us such a warm welcome to welo! This company makes low-sugar, vegan probiotic snacks, which can help support gut health, while also boasting using organic ingredients. Fun option: char

Wholly takes veggie patties to a *whole* new level. Since the Green Living Show I have tried many more veggie patties, bot personally nothing has beat the spiced flavours found at this table. Website: https://www.whollyveggie.com/

Joggo sells fashionable bags with a focus on ethical manufacturing both for workers and the environment. They have also partnered with CARE Canada to help provide education for refugee children in 21 countries!

Green Window Works is a company in the GTA that helps addresses a major contributor to energy waste in Canada: insecure building envelope. The building envelope is essentially what separates inside from outside, and when things like windows allow temperature-controlled indoor air to leak being exchanged by the raw outdoor air, it wastes energy. If you are in the GTA and might be interested, feel free to submit a request on greenwindowworks.ca

Here's one for the insomniacs on the net. I didn't get to learn a lot about SAMINA sleep systems to be honest, but we did hear that they are made of banboo (which grows very quickly),  

https://www.samina.com/

Garden of Life's Protein & greens protein shakes. #1 question for many when buying their supplemental shakes: how awful does it taste? That is a matter of opinion, but mine (though I never say this about protein shakes)... it actually tasted really good. Apparently, chocolate flavour was the fan favourite.

Occupied VR: Living With Jaguars. This was a fun stand. On the left, this immersive and interactive documentary explores tensions surrounding jaguar conservation in Brazil, digging deeper in understanding why it can be so hard. Unfortunately I didn't have the change to see the sharkwaters side, but I can tell you there was a long lineup there, too.

Green Schools Green Future. So many people in environment also care about humanitarian and more human-centric causes as well, and Green Schools Green Future marreis the two ideas in one great organization.

And for the tea fans, The Herbal Brewer. We also had the pleasure of meeting the herbal brewer herself, who shared these organic, naturally-sweetened iced teas. Recommendation: Anything rosey.

LUNAH. This brand now holds a special place in my heart. I mean, armpit. It has been so difficult to find a natural alternative to antiperspirants without any strong additives for perfumes or weird feel, without compromising effectiveness, but the founder of LUNAH has achieved it. Talking about body odour isn't always the most comfortable of subjects, but when it comes to what products we apply to our body's largest organ every day it is important to think about what we are using, and how it impacts our environment. To take a look at her natural, hand-made 

These lovely ladies helped introduce the women in our group to some green alternatives to period products. From their padded underwear to their own take on the menstrual cup, these can be used for a long time and can go a long way in reducing waste every monthly cycle.

Greenovation makes sustainable (and aesthetic) disposable plates out of palm leaves. Our immediately family didn't have any need for these at the time, but surprise! Ended up seeing these compostacle creations at a cousin's wedding. Usually at learge events where there are disposable plates used I get this feeling of anxiety well up seeing the piles of strofoam or thick cardboard, soggied with food juices. No such stress this time. They definitely *leave* a much better feeling :)

Vegcheese. THE best vegan cheese I have ever tasted, and no idea how they did this but it's even nut-free. It actually tastes better than dairy cheese. I don't know what else to say about it. I guess also the family that runs it was also super nice and down-to-earth. All around great time. 

Near the end of our day, we met Eric, the friendly rep from Bec selling organic maple syrup soda. The flavours were fresh, and were a nice organic, sweet end to our day. In the poto on the right you can see stores that carry them (also in reusable/recyclable glass bottles).

If you have been on Nature Nimbus for a while, you'll probably notice that there has been very little mentioned in the way of products. To be honest I am largely ignorant of green products, especially affordable ones. However, I did find the green living show useful in identifying a couple replacements for items I normally buy. 

Moreover, it is worth remembering that the goal is not to just spend more money or acquire more stuff, but to learn about reasonable and practical measures we can take to lessen our impact on the environment in ways that are possible for us. I didn't end up buying products from all these companies because I didn't need all of them, but hopefully the show and this post will help people find some greener alternatives for things they are.

This page may be updated, so feel free to check back a few weeks from now. In the meantime, if you are interested in attending next year's Toronto green living show March 13-15, please visit their website https://www.greenlivingshow.ca/

Removing Invasives and Making Garlic Mustard Pesto

It's high in Vitamin A and C, and has a potent flavor. (And it indeed has a garlicy flavour).

A common invasive species that can be found in Ontario is garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata). It is native to Europe, and as the name suggests  is classified a type of mustard and has a garlic-like smell.

It is currently early June and blooming season, and in the patches can be seen all over with small white flowers blooming at their tips.

This plant populates fast and can outcompetes many other plants. In some cases it looks like a wall; taking over a garden patch or area of soil, stopping only at a lawn mix (which more than likely contains other non-native species too).

About a week ago I noticed a big patch of garlic mustard in a parkette garden where many birds have always lived. This plant is everywhere, but I figured why not try to pull what I can. I called the city to make sure it isn't an area of study or anything, and decided to remove what I could just with some gardening gloves and a little jabby tool to make it even easier to get the root.

The weather was perfect for t-shirt and jeans, and a pair of mourning doves cooed nearby, reminding me to tread carefully. Although there were many trees where they could nest, they reminded me to keep an eye out just in case they or any other wildlife were nesting on the ground.

Despite how aggressively garlic mustard spreads, they are relatively easy to pull out and don't have prickles or anything. The younger stalks especially do break easily, but a small hand tool can help with getting the roots.

At a volunteer event several years ago at the Kortright Centre in Vaughn, our team leader Joanna explained that once broken the pods spread hundreds of seeds. If you decide to remove some garlic mustard, avoid snapping any pods and maybe give the bottoms of your shoes a wipe or quick scrub with a brush to avoid carrying the seeds around to other aresa (good practice in general, especially if you visit a conservation area or other potentially fragile ecosystem).

When disposing, invadingspeciesguide.com also cautions to throw them in the garbage, not the compost, as discarded flowers can still produce seeds .They also direct citizens to please report sightings in the wild to the Invading Species Hotline (1-800-563-7711) or on EDDMapS Ontario.

After carting away as much as I could carry, I decided to make a pesto with some of the leaves, spinning off of tama matsuoko wong of Food52's recipe, adding:

olive oil to taste
about 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
three cloves of regular garlic
squirt of lemon juice
teaspoon salt
teaspoon sugar
handful of pistachios (instead of pine nuts)
added to ~6 cups of chopped garlic mustard leaves

The leaves have a bitter taste, but blending it with pistachios and plenty of oil smoothed out the flavour nicely and it came with an especially satisfying feeling.

Again, this plant is all over, and garlic mustard is not a valuable food source for other wildlife in this area (Ontario) so you don't have to worry that you're taking away an animal's dinner. So go wild on it; feel free to have a pull-then-pesto party, there is lots to go around yet.

References

Garlic Mustard – Ontario's Invading Species Awareness Program. (n.d.). Retrieved June 3, 2019, from http://www.invadingspecies.com/garlic-mustard/

Wong, T. M. (2014, May 06). Garlic Mustard Pesto Recipe on Food52. Retrieved May 31, 2019, from https://food52.com/recipes/28281-garlic-mustard-pesto


Left: My trusty cart. A person actually stopped to comment that it made a pretty bouquet.

Article title updated 7 Nov 2019
Edited 17 July 2020

Face reveal 8D

Wishing everyone a happy Earth week 2019!

[repost/updated 2019-05-14]

Bringing the Cooling Effects of Aerosols Down To Earth

Next up in what has become mini-series of "is air pollution still a big problem"...

New research shows that aerosol pollution offsets the heating effects of greenhouse gas pollution to a much more significant degree (no pun intended) than originally thought.

As aerosol particles collectively block out sunlight, they have a cooling effect. Because of this, if today we suddenly stopped all forms of air pollution, Earth's atmosphere would get even hotter.

aerosols: While "aerosol" is often used in everyday conversation to describe canned products like hairspray, it also refers to tiny particles suspended in the air.

If you are at a construction site and see dirt being stirred up, you are seeing an example of aerosols. Large amounts of aerosols from volcanic eruptions are one suspected cause of a "little ice age" in the past (Parry, 2012).

Aerosols can also pose direct threat to human health. (Marvel)

Why

Heat-trapping greenhouse gasses remain in the atmosphere longer than aerosols which have a cooling effect. If all air pollution came to a sudden stop we would quickly lose the cooling aerosols, but not the heating greenhouse gasses so quickly. This would allow the GHGs (greenhouse gasses) to have a more full heating effect.

According to the international team of scientists who did the calculations, the difference would be about 0.5 to 1.1 degrees Celsius warmer. (Samset et al., 2018)

Implications

The report highlighted in the summary that "to keep within 1.5 or 2° of global warming, we need massive reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, aerosol emissions will be strongly reduced.... This means that it does not only matter whether or not we reach international climate targets. It also matters how we get there."

The report also mentions that the Northern hemisphere is especially sensitive to aerosol removal because of the location they are being emitted from. Also, more precipitation could be expected in places making significant reductions, as aerosols have a drying effect.

In an interview with Yale Environment 360, Bjorn H. Samset, lead author of the report made clear that he does not want the findings to be taken as encouragement to go ahead with intentionally spraying more aerosols into the atmosphere, likening its uncertain consequences to Russian Roulette. (Schiffman, 2018)

Bringing it Down to Earth

"This means that it does not only matter whether or not we reach international climate targets. It also matters how we get there." (Samset et al., 2018)

The headlines surrounding the findings may be surprising, but the average North American carbon footprint is way beyond having to reconsider reducing pollution. The evidence still points to greenhouse gases as a serious problem, and aerosols themselves pose their own threat to human health. (Marvel)

However, this information can help illustrate the different benefits between making needed cutbacks in consumption, and actively increasing carbon sinks.

carbon sink: Natural systems that absorb carbon dioxide. This includes trees and other plants, oceans, and soil. (Thompson, 2012)

carbon sequestration: The process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide, namely from the atmosphere. (USGS). This term often references natural processes, but can also refer to artificial ones.

ecological footprint: A metric used to illustrate how much biologically productive land is needed to support a person or group's lifestyle or consumption. (Global Footprint Network, 2018) Carbon footprint is the amount of that land is needed to sequester the resulting carbon emissions, though it can alternatively refer to tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted as a result.

These findings give a pat on the back to the benefits of conservation and increasing green space. Many innovative and handy products are making reusing and making cutbacks more convenient, but activities like increasing green spaces and enhancing carbon sequestration holds special value in their own right.

So what are some ways to help conserve, expand, and enhance green spaces?

Physically planting trees and other plants is one way, as well as supporting conservation initiatives locally and globally through organizations like WWF. Also, reducing or eliminating meat consumption reduces the amount of land space required to grow foods that are used to feed livestock.

In the end, when it comes to cutting our CO2 and making sure there are lots of trees, both are needed (PIK Press), and there are many things we can do to improve in to both "cutting the carbon", and actively increase its sequestration.

Sources

Global Footprint Network. (2018, December). Climate change and the Ecological Footprint and carbon footprint. Retrieved April 8, 2019, from https://www.footprintnetwork.org/2017/11/09/ecological-footprint-climate-change/

Marvel, K. (n.d.). Ask The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2019, from https://www.nytimes.com/ask/answers/what-are-aerosols-particulates-role-in-climate-change

Parry, W. (2012, January 30). Volcanoes May Have Sparked Little Ice Age. Retrieved April 1, 2019, from https://www.livescience.com/18205-ice-age-volcanoes-sea-ice.html

PIK Press. (2017, May 18). Climate stabilization: Planting trees cannot replace cutting CO2 emissions. Retrieved April 8, 2019, from https://www.pik-potsdam.de/news/press-releases/climate-stabilization-planting-trees-cannot-replace-cutting-co2-emissions

Samset, B. H., Sand, M., Smith, C. J., Bauer, S. E., Forster, P. M., Fuglestvedt, J. S., . . . Schleussner, C. (2018, January 24). Climate Impacts From a Removal of Anthropogenic Aerosol Emissions. Retrieved March 3, 2019, from https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2017GL076079

Schiffman, R. (2018, March 8). How Air Pollution Has Put a Brake on Global Warming. Retrieved March 3, 2019, from https://e360.yale.edu/features/air-pollutions-upside-a-brake-on-global-warming

Thompson, A. (2012, December 21). What is a Carbon Sink? Retrieved April 1, 2019, from https://www.livescience.com/32354-what-is-a-carbon-sink.html

USGS. (n.d.). What is carbon sequestration? Retrieved from https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/what-carbon-sequestration?qt-news_science_products=0#qt-news_science_products

Title Edited January 2020

IKEA doing it right

Hot dog: $1

Veggie dog: $0.75

reposted 2020-02-11; archived according to photo date

'Climate Change' vs 'Global Warming'

      "How is there global warming if it is snowing in Hawaii?"

      "I don't remember winters in Ontario being this cold before. Does this mean global warming is not a problem anymore?"

These are not bad questions. Often the terms 'climate change' and 'global warming' seem to be used interchangeably; they both are typically brought up in the context of human activities harming the natural environment and messing with temperature. This has led some to think that these are just two different terms that mean the same thing.

However, while both have to do with the the way human activities and carbon emissions are affecting our planet, they actually have different meanings. So what's the difference?

Global Warming

"[The] phenomenon of increasing average air temperatures near the surface of Earth over the past one to two centuries" - Britannica.com

      If you measured the temperature in different places all over the world, all that data might not necessarily tell you whether or not you'll need a warmer jacket for life in your hometown. However, with enough representative points of data, you could use it to calculate the Earth's overall average temperature.
     The increase in the Earth's overall average surface temperature is what we call Global Warming.
     Considering how since the industrial revolution there has been so much more production, more cars, and fewer trees to filter carbon dioxide out of the air, it's easy for many people to picture the greenhouse effect increasing the planet's average temperature.
     But then how do colder temperatures in some places come into play?

Climate Change

"Climate change occurs when long-term weather patterns are altered — for example, through human activity. Global warming is one measure of climate change..." - davidsuzuki.org (italics added)

While weather is short-term atmospheric conditions, climate describes an area's normal, long-term weather patterns. For example, a desert may have rainy weather for a day, but it does not have a wet climate, and only a certain amount of rain would be reasonably expected.
    From area to area, "normal" climate will mean something different. It's normal to have snow in Alaska, but much hotter weather is normal in LA. Therefore, a "change" in climate can mean different things in different places. A specific area's climate change may not necessarily be manifested as cool-to-hot, but it can cause extreme weather events to increase in general.
     Even human infrastructure is designed based on predictable ranges of day-to-day weather that the region might be expected to experience, with some margin for error. However, climate systems are very complex, so different areas are experiencing problems because their infrastructure was not designed for what is becoming current conditions.

      We might not be able to observe global warming directly in our own backyards, but we still could perceive climate change through a lot of weird weather lately.
      So if you happen to be on a coast where the waterline has risen far past your favourite spot, feel free to shake your head at global warming. Conversely, if you happen to be in Hawaii and you find it has been cold enough to be snowing at oddly low elevations, you can go ahead and blame climate change.

Updated 2019-03-17

Resources

Kennedy, C., & Lindsey, R. (2015, June 17). What's the difference between global warming and climate change? Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-difference-between-global-warming-and-climate-changeLam, K. (2019, February 12). 

There's 'no place on the planet' – not even Hawaii – to escape climate change, experts say. Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/02/11/hawaii-extreme-weather-example-climate-change-experts/2843281002/Selin, H., & Mann, M. E. (2019, January 30).

Global warming. Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.britannica.com/science/global-warming

What is climate change? (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/what-is-climate-change/

What's in a name? Weather, global warming and climate change. (2019, February 06). Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://climate.nasa.gov/resources/global-warming/

Kennedy, C., & Lindsey, R. (2015, June 17). What's the difference between global warming and climate change? Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-difference-between-global-warming-and-climate-change

Lam, K. (2019, February 12). There's 'no place on the planet' – not even Hawaii – to escape climate change, experts say. Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/02/11/hawaii-extreme-weather-example-climate-change-experts/2843281002/

Selin, H., & Mann, M. E. (2019, January 30). Global warming. Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.britannica.com/science/global-warming

What is climate change? (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/what-is-climate-change/

What's in a name? Weather, global warming and climate change. (2019, February 06). Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://climate.nasa.gov/resources/global-warming/

Kennedy, C., & Lindsey, R. (2015, June 17). What's the difference between global warming and climate change? Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/whats-difference-between-global-warming-and-climate-change

Lam, K. (2019, February 12). There's 'no place on the planet' – not even Hawaii – to escape climate change, experts say. Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/02/11/hawaii-extreme-weather-example-climate-change-experts/2843281002/

Selin, H., & Mann, M. E. (2019, January 30). Global warming. Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://www.britannica.com/science/global-warming

What is climate change? (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/what-is-climate-change/

What's in a name? Weather, global warming and climate change. (2019, February 06). Retrieved February 25, 2019, from https://climate.nasa.gov/resources/global-warming/

Snowfall In Hawaii at Possibly the Lowest Elevation Yet

Historic news has come with a winter storm, as Hawaii State Park is has been hit with snowfall for the first time in recorded history.

It is normal for snow to be seen at the tops of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa which peak at altitudes of summit elevations of 4207m and 4169m respectively, not a mere 1890m, which is about the elevation of Polipoli which has experienced snow.

According to USA today, Chip Fletcher, an earth sciences prof at University of Hawaii, has said "there's no place on the planet where (people) can expect to see conditions as they have seen in the past." Fletcher is also the vice chair of the Honolulu Climate Change Commission.

Hawaii is a dream vacation spot for many especially as a winter getaway, and it is possible that snowfall has not been seen at this elevation before in Hawaii.

Resources:
https://twentytwowords.com/snow-fallen-hawaii-state-park-first-time-ever/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/02/11/hawaii-extreme-weather-example-climate-change-experts/2843281002/
https://www.dangerousroads.org/north-america/usa/3818-mauna-kea-access-road.html
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Mauna_Loa
http://time.com/5528417/hawaii-snow-storm-polipoli-state-park/

Tab For a Cause Chrome Extension, feat. WWF for the next 19 hours!

Hey guys,

Just found this Chrome extension that allows you to rise money for a charity every time you open a new tab. Pretty much what happens is that the money comes from the ads placed around the new tab screen that opens up.

Click here to sign up using this referral, which will also add 350 bonus "hearts" to be donated through the Nature Nimbus operator's account.

The Nonprofit currently featured happens to be WWF/World Wildlife Fund. They do a lot of amazing work for conservation and education, and need about another 1.8 million hearts to be donated in the next 19 hours to reach their goal of 6 mil, and it would be great to see how close they can get. Let's get tabbing!

Best,

Melody

Coupon Chief's Ultimate Cheap Green Living Guide with 41 Tips

Hi guys. A little while back Coupon Chief contacted with a link to their Cheap Green Living guide, and just a head's up it's now in Cool Lynx section for future reference if you'd like to take a look :)

Usually 'cheap' might not be the first word that comes to mind with green living, but the guide lists 41 ways to live more sustainably without requiring extra money. Some of the items listed are investments that pay off in the long run, while others are more direct like thrift shopping.

Here's the link:

https://www.couponchief.com/guides/guide_to_cheap_green_living

Convenience Meets Conscience: Beeswax Food Wraps

Litterless lunches were fun in gradeschool. Classes were awarded points every Wednesday, lots of us got really into it; I remember this one kid in one of the classrooms I checked had a kept up a perfect streak throughout the whole year. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and with all the kids in our school it added up and it's my hope that some good habits have stuck with us all as we grew up.

Litterless lunches (and dinners, and breakfasts for the work day) became less fun when for work I started bussing to distant locations, and our team had only a little shared space to store personal belongings. Particularly in wintertime, I started to resent the thick, bulky lunch containers in my backpack and was eager to look for ways to cut corners, and aluminum foil was looking really appealing. (Bad Melody). 

When my backpack tore after only a few months I started a more serious search for alternatives to bulky containers. Rubbery collapsible containers were a step in the right direction, but the thing that has revolutionized my lunches the most has probably been beeswax food wraps.

etee beeswax food wraps. While this particular brand's colours of choice are not my favourite, they come in three convenient sizes that are easy to distinguish on the run.

I ordered this blue and green set from etee, a Canada-based company that has become quite popular. (Note to Canadian shoppers: online prices at the time of my purchase at lease are in USD). It actually works very well!

Making changes in daily activities can feel a little bumpy until you're used to it, so here are a few tips for getting started:
- It is easiest to clean with a clear sink. If you're living somewhere where the sink isn't typically clear, a salad bowl with cool soapy water can easily do the trick.
- After being used a lot, the dark blue one does kind of look like like garbage, or stone-washed denim if you want to be optimistic. Someone accidentally threw mine out. Tip: do inform others you live with that it's not garbage, or if the look bothers you simply order pale-coloured wraps, such as the ones sold by abeego. Personally I do like the colour of the abeego wraps in the long term because you can't see the creases as much, but the etee ones are cut to very nice sizes.
- You can't put hot foods in it. (It is wax, it will melt. In cases for hot food, opt for a reusable sandwich baggie or simple reusable container.)

Nevertheless, it is reusable, biodegradable, breathable, and convenient.

While of course it does need to be cleaned which takes a bit of effort, personally I think it feels nicer than aluminum foil, and is less messy than cling wrap. And even without that, it definitely feels better in the long run to be using.

A quotation from an unknkown source said of plastic and packaging, "we make products that last forever for minutes of use." On the other hand, beeswax food wraps are biodegradable. This way, when it comes time to replace them it will be recycled by the earth.

While virtually every piece of plastic ever made still exists, it is better late than never to stop using plastic wrap in its tracks. This prevent more plastic from ending up harming albatrosses, turtles, and other sea creatures, and pave the way for greener day-to-day habits.

Re-published 2019-03-13