i agree, i think we can change a lot individually. maybe not on a big scale but definitely on a small scale. for example, we had very little butterflies and bees left in our area, so we did our best to plant many plants and flowers for butterflies and bees the past few years. last summer we finally saw the result. we had many many butterflies and a lot of different kinds of bees we hadn't seen in many years. a lot of people in my village started doing the same things, i really noticed a big difference. so what, maybe it doesn't change the world but it definitely changed our own small environment and it helped out many small animals who are very important to our eco system. small things, small changes.. they really do matter.
"corporations aren't also run but robots, even though some of their CEOs might look like robots 👀👀👀" well this had me laughing! I love the fact that you keep such a positive attitude and understand that the sustainable life journey takes time and not everyone can be perfect in every aspect for the reasons you mentioned (health, wealth, family and so on). We need more people with your attitude 💪
Hi Gittemary! I would be really curious for your opinion on this topic (maybe another 'hot take'?): Prices of sustainable products are unnecessary high. Shampoo bars I have access to are around 7 euros, while conventional shampoos can be bought for less than half the price. And although the bar can usually be used for much longer, I still feel the product is way too expensive for just being a block of soap. The same for alternatives to dairy: the oat milk at my supermarket is much more expensive than normal milk, although the ingredients are just really cheap oats! I guess what is a play here really, is the capitalistic mechanism that many people are willing to pay more for the sustainable product, so the product will also be priced higher. This really makes me sad, as there are so many people that would be willing to change their consumption choices in favor of sustainability, weren’t it to come with higher prices so often. But another thought on the prices differences, is that the conventional products are actually also priced way (!!) too cheaply of course. To buy 1L of milk for just 80 cents for example, that’s just complete madness if you think about what was needed to product it. Farmers receive horribly low prices for their products.. The prices at the bulk store in my town are generally three times as high compared to the supermarket. I often wonder whether those prices are also higher because people are willing to pay, so that it becomes kind of an elite-thing, or that the high prices are completely justified by the products being organic, produced locally and in smaller scales, and having a more fair and ethical supply chain. I’m really curious to know what you think!
Sustainable products are often produced in a fair and sustainable way and that makes them more expensive even if the ingredient themself might be cheap.
I really get what you are saying. Sometimes you can not afford the best option but you can choose the 'a bit sustainable' option. Like buy rice in the supermarket in bulk (in plastic), but you did not buy 6 smaller packages of rice. Etc. If you try you already doing good. :)
I really want to see this video since a lot of companies add more price to sustainable products when they sell them. When ever I visit one eco shop, it's prices are sky high and I can't afford anything realisticly. I would totally pay more for fair labor costs and materials but often the green label is there just to drive up prices.
@@pihityyli yess indeed! It would be so cool if they would include information on the packaging of how the price was built up/who received what price in the supply chain
*A single bee can't build an entire hive, but a colony can* So yea, individual action is important, especially if many people contribute even if it's only a little bit
Sadly, money drives everything. How we spend our money, or in many cases… how we don’t spend our money has an impact. This movement is growing… some of the biggest social change throughout history originated with a small percentage of people who took action. We’re headed in the right direction… sustainability is not just a trend… it is a growing movement. We cannot get bogged down by the negativity of those who are standing on the sidelines… eventually they will want to be in the game. Let’s keep moving forward!! Great video and awesome conversation Gittemary. Thank-you. 🌎💦Ⓜ️ary💕☃️
Hi Mary! ♥ Love your comments! I agree that sustainability is a growing movement. It always kind of irks me when I hear it referred to as a trend. Trends eventually change/disappear. Sustainability cannot disappear, because if it does, so will people! :O I hope your new year is going well so far, Mary. Love from Ontario. ♥
@@jemma50 Happy 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣2️⃣ to you Jemma. I hope your year is off to a great start. Thank-you for your kind words. I always appreciate hearing what you have to say and I look forward to many more interesting exchanges with you here in comments section. BTW… I 💯% agree… sustainability is here to stay and we need to promote it to those on the sidelines. Thanks for being in the game!! 🌎💦Ⓜ️ary💕☃️
Oooh boy- the part about making the less sustainable choice for long term sustainability! We had to move away from the city and our bulk stores to start our farm. We can be “zero waste” with groceries now because the resources aren’t there but starting next spring we will be able to grow 90% of our own food and we have already started getting eggs from our chickens and composting. We’re also hoping we can provide sustainable produce to others in our community next season. Thanks for including this!
Regarding what you said about wanting to be sustainable and not wanting to give up meat or dairy, they have to consider also the different cultures around the world, it’s not that easy for everyone. I’m from Mexico and I decided to reflect on how could I reduce my food impact, and i realice 90% of Mexican food (the one we eat daily) has some sort of animal product and most of the times you can’t replace it without changing it completely, and if you can there are almost no places to buy it from, you have to cook it which in my case it’s not an option because for me I loath cooking and most people don’t have the time to do so; food alone is like half of our culture so it’s a HUUUUGEEEE deal. Most times becoming vegan here means giving up part of your culture, a big part, if people are willing to do so fine, but I don’t think it’s fair to say someone has to give up a big part of who they are, their culture and tradition to live more sustainable
Obviously it's a personal choice. As everything in this context. If someone likes their way of life, they're not forced to change. My national cuisine is mostly based on meat, yet I'm a vegetarian. Personally, I don't tie my identity to my country's food customs. I've survived so far, even in social settings.
@@lelexoxo303 of course, thats exactly my point, if someone doesn't have a problem with it, great; but for people whose culture means a lot to them, they shouldn't be put down for choosing that over the most sustainable thing to do in that one aspect of life
Hot Take: the most eco friendly option between leather and faux leather is actually second hand leather BECAUSE leather in most cases is far more durable than faux leather, plus faux leather takes an enormous amount of resources to produce. If you buy real second hand leather you are more often than not buying a product that will last you longer than a second hand faux leather product, and even new faux leather.
Individual actions absolutely matter. When I first went vegan, vegan products were rare in the supermarkets. Now they have entire sections devoted to vegan food. They wouldn’t do so unless consumers (individuals) went that way. Likewise, I look forward to the day when the big supermarkets have bulk dispensers for housewares (e.g. dish soap, laundry detergent etc), making it more accessible to the average person. They aren’t going to magically do it; the demand has to come from enough people demanding bulk housewares. Also, this is how I reconcile trying to be low waste in my personal life - despite my professional life (doctor) generating lots of waste - without feeling like it’s pointless.
My sustainability story started recently when I was overwhelmed cleaning and decluttering my house, then I found your channel and it inspired me so much! So this year as I decided to go low buy and go vegan for a month ( at first) and I realized that vegan doesn’t always mean sustainable and even healthy - all this meat and cheese replacements are not always made out of good stuff and packed in plastic as well, also many RUclipsrs who are vegan don’t care about sustainability. I agree with you on everything and all we can do is do our best.
Regardless of how big your individual impact is, it’s more fulfilling to act in accordance with your values and inspire people to do the same. Shame doesn’t make change, showing people a different way does.
Hell yeah individual choices matter. I'm a person who cooks for several people and some time ago I decided I will only cook vegetarian meals from now on - I told the members of my household I will no longer serve meat, but they are free to do so themselves if they really like. Thanks to the variety of substitutes - there are some delicious mock meats out there - and frankly, their laziness (:D) I now have a household full of people who no longer eat or like meat :D I would like to exclude dairy at some point, too, but I'm already happy with what I achieved :D
I’m a first gen American, mum is from Mannheim, and I LOVE everything about you. I’m so excited for your book, and per usual, you were spot on with these points 🥰
It always makes me very happy to hear that you are puts in the 'individual'. Not all of us are at the same stage in life, and we live in different places. It is this generalization that has opened the door for me, and opens up for many more people to come inside. I just do it step by step and each time take myself a little out of the comfort zone. That's how I really manage to make changes in my life and not give up.
I was around as the environmental movement of the 1970's drifted into individual efforts resulting in what is the organjc food movement of today. Plus recycling but, that got some municipal help as landfills filled up and garbage was being trecked elsewhere on rail cars. Being eco-friendly is a lifestyle and, life style changes stand the test of longetivity if they are welcomed on both an emotional/ philosophical level and a physical effort level. In most cases, this translates into a gradual slide into change without fear, shame, personal damination etc... Every little effort done by every little individual counts. The correlary of no one doing anything eco-friendly would be clearly noticeable. There is still a LOT people can do one little change and activity at a time. Each individual's contribution may be hard to count but as multiple individuals begin to do so, the contributions become not only countable but statistically significant.
My hot take is this: the best way to get companies to be more sustainable is from the inside. If you have ideas about how your workplace could be more sustainable, voice them, or band up with a group of fellow employees and voice them together. Company leadership is more likely to take specific ideas from their own employees seriously than ideas from random consumers.
Thank you for this video. I have been Vegan for 7.5 years now, however there's is always someone some Levels higher than myself. I have my own cats and foster cats and because cats are carnivorous, I feed them wet food. I know people who feed their cats dry, vegan kibbles which to me is animal cruelty. I am also on medication to prevent nerve pain and phantom pain after an amputation, it doesn't contain lactose or other animal ingredients but was for sure tested on animals, same with the occasional paracetamol when I'm on my period.
I really appreciate the talking about veganism. I cannot be vegan for health reasons and I feel so much guilt for it. I try to do other things for the environment and I run an eco business. I have to remind myself that I am doing good things and I cannot do those good things if I am sick or dead.
My hot take: bamboo fiber isn't as eco friendly as everyone seems to push it because of all the harsh chemicals to break down the bamboo to turn into fiber doesn't seem to be good to compost/biodegrade
I must confess that I get quite anxious when other people bring plastic bags to my house and leave them here. 😅 Now I have a cabinet stuffed with a few plastic bags that I still have to fold into triangles.
About that "if you're not vegan, you're destroying the environment". 10, maybe 15 years ago, I was taken to task about my carbon foot print. I answered the questions asked and came out with a better score than the person taking me to task. Thier final answer was that I may have had a smaller carbon footprint (per that set of survey questions) but for all the wrong reasons; mine were saving money and reducing my chemical exposure (plus being eco-friendly among the realities of my suburban-semi rural world). I bring this story up because there are more than one path and approach to being eco-friendly. (I did pretty well on a zero-waste scale offered by this same person more recently with my approach simply being that I work to avoid as many transfer station land fill fees as possible; and that I buy used and for longevity as much as possible too.) .
I love statements! Hearing them makes me reassess my own thinking. Just based on how I react to them initially. I love having this incentive! Thank you for this video! ♡
Individual actions and holding corporations accountable aren’t mutually exclusive. I think the issue is we focus on the *wrong* individual actions. I think as individuals we should focus more on political action/activism - like voting, advocacy, etc - than changing our consumption habits. There is nothing wrong with changing consumption habits, of course, but they tend to have less impact than activism in the long run. Also, a lot of zero waste consumption alternatives are inaccessible to a lot of people. Low income people already consume minimally but can’t afford a lot of eco friendly products. We really need to lobby our governments to pass environmental regulations that companies and producers have to adhere to - that’s how we hold corporations accountable.
Wow thank you so much for saying the first one. I've been having an internal struggle with that one- and getting mad at people for not seeing both sides.
Don't flush after peeing😄😄😄... Wasn't it Shelby, who had this quote hang in her toilet? -> "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down" 😄💩👌
I absolutely disagree with the first one where they said individuals can't make a change! Maybe the impact is not as big but if more people join the sustainable journey they can still make differences! Also environmentalists like Gittemary are indeed influencing people, I was one of them and I firmly believe that I am not the only one who is inspired by her. So individuals CAN make differences and everything we do IS going to make differences. And thank you Gittemary for inspiring me all the time! Love from Korea xx
Yes, you do not need to be vegan to be sustainable. I think my grandfather was more sustainable than majority of vegans. He ate meat (not much, not often, it was a luxury good for him), he used one liter of milk a day. He never let food go to waste, nor anything else, he repaired, reused and repurposed everything, always, almost endless times, he grew some of his own food, made preserves, composted, if he found a piece of metal on the street, he would take it and use it. He used pencils until the very, very very end, if a scrap of paper had any free space on it, he kept it for notes (do you remember paper for old needle printers that had perforated margins with holes to get it through the printer? he used those margins for shopping lists). He didnt travel much, he often walked, he wouldnt buy things that he wouldnt need, for most of his life he could fit all his clothes in one suitcase. For me this is more a sustainability picture than 'lets go vegan and avoid plastic, and its sustainable', which seems to be more trendy.
Well going vegan and avoiding plastic might be "trendy" (I don't think they are, I think these are two ways of doing something that is accessible to many people, hence why more people are catching on) but if they are also still effective, so I don't think they should be written off. I would like to add that the impact of the meat consumption of our grandparent's generation vs ours is VASTLY different. The factory farming practices used today aren't old, they are actually younger than my grandmother, so overall her meat intake has been more sustainable than mine would be if I ate meat - which is something to keep in mind. I will always advocate that these habits aren't mutually exclusive, so you can do these things that your grandfather is doing ( I for one do most of them weekly 😅) AND then also refuse or reduce animal products, it is not one or the other 🌿✨
Yeah, it does for sure not make sense to not even rethink how ones diet impacts the planet, it is one of the most effective ways for individuals to reduce their footprint in the daily life
My would be sometimes the unsustainable option is the more sustainable option. Said this today, my friend saw my socks and said they cute, I said thanks they have a hole in them, had them for maybe two years though, got them from tentree. We talked a little more and I was like yeah that was a purchase when I had money to throw that much on one pair of socks, but Walmart had a 13 pack of socks for 10$ and that’ll last me WAY longer than the 10$ish on one pair. It’s sustainable for my wallet and it’s sustainable as in I won’t be buying them as often. 1 pair vs 13 pairs. I can’t buy shampoo bars if my money is spent on socks (on my feet for 10+ hours a day at work, they wear out)
I love your videos, and you have inspired me to improve my lifestyle in many ways. I just want to make a little comment about eating. I was vegetarian for 20 years and vegan for six, I am now eating Paleo whole foods diet as I feel it is best for my health to keep blood sugar levels low to avoid disease. I do believe that eating vegan is more ethical, and probably better for the environment, but not better for my body. Thank you for all the wonderful videos, you have been very inspiring in so many ways❤️
Being Vegan doesn't only refer to diet but not to buy products which had been tested on animals for example. Unfortunately a lot of people say "I'm no longer Vegan", however you can eat veggie again or other animal foods but still buy cruelty free and vegan labelled cleaning products or make up for example.
Yes yes yes with the straws and I will be the first person to put my hand up and say over the past year I have bought 2 sets of them because they were “pretty” (rose gold and a rainbow set) and everytime I see them sitting in the jar I realise how rarely I use them and feel so guilty and disappointed in myself, but no way in hell am I getting rid of them because I can’t guarantee where they will end up and someone will likely bin them and that’s even more wasteful
I realized part of the reason I didn't care for the metal straws was because I tended to bump my teeth and I'm always scared of chipping or breaking my front teeth. I bought a silicone tip and it has made so much difference
I really liked this video. I already watch your video's for a long time so thanks for keeping up the inspiration and fun content abouth sustainablility 🙏🏻
About 5-7 years ago, I looked into the subject area of "vegan textiles". Like carbon footprint counters, this area can split some definition hairs. But, it is FILLED with all sorts of less than eco-friendly materials and practices.
The straw part!! There was this restaurant i worked for that sold fish and wanted to be like 'save the ocean' so they tried to tell servers to not give people straws🙄🙄 it was very hard working there being vegan
I personally just enjoy straws. I have sensitive teeth and the cold ice hitting my teeth hurts. So for me the number of straws I used to use is really impacted by me switching to metal straws. But if you didn't use straws before getting a metal one now is just wasteful.
Well, if that is the only thing that keeps you from calling you vegan I think you are doing a great job - those meds account for a tiny fraction of your impact, so if you go for a plantbased diet that is absolutely still a valid and important change
I’m Autistic and I cant cope liquid touching my teeth, I’ve always used straws and a few years ago I got some metal one and I use them every day. I always take one with me when I go out in case I get a drink in a cafe and need my straw. But if I didn’t use them all the time I would have them. I only own a reusable travel cutlery set because it was gift, I don’t see the point in them though as we all own standard cutlery so normally I would just take that out with me. It’s really interesting with seeing what people’s thoughts are in ‘sustainable’ swaps. It’s only sustainable if you use it most days.
It is weird when you try to start the journey of zero waste , you want to see a difference quick and then you buy 'sustainable' stuff that you did not need in the first place. Which is not sustainable ... I still have a lot of plastic and stuff that does not have the 'eco, bamboo glass etc' look in my home. But I do not buy things that I do not really need anymore. Look at what you have at home first.
I'm terrible at watching video first and then commenting... Butttttttthhh If me being more ecological makes my friend reuse their plastic bag like...ones for groceries. That still makes them cut their use of plastic bags in half. It's not much. But it's more than nothing. And this is a real far fetched; if we cut down our waste, it changes the proportions of consumers vs. corporation and makes them look even worse. (I warned you, that's a real far fetched)
"Not flushing when you pee" 😂😂 HAHAHA what I do is I access whether the amount of pee that came out of me needs flushing or not. If it does not I'll just flush the next time I pee coz I pee multiple times a day anyway. 🙊🙊🙈 #lifehacks i guess 😂🙈
My dad owns a successful farm equipment business and started looking into solar energy because people started asking for it!! The system is built for the consumer. We have to change in order for businesses to change because they will always only care about money. We have to boycott and buy consciously on a mass scale
Now ofc this is super subjective, but I would differentiate the two based on the contents of what people are saying. A personal example, I am often being called these names because of the topics I talk about, because of the emotions these topics invoke in people. But a different scenario would be based on how you approach a topic, if you’re incredibly ready to pick other people’s behaviour a part while believe you are perfect yourself, by making general claims about certain groups of people or generally being unkind in your commutation with others. Does that make sense? This is for sure not a black and white issue, and there are tons of grey areas because a lot of the difference will always be based on how the message is received 💕 I am not there for controlling how people communicate and obv I don’t think it makes sense to sugarcoat everything either, some times should not be pleasant to hear and it is also not our jobs to make it everyone feel good about everything, but I still think that we owe each other a certain kindness. One thing that is definitely stuck with me is the notion that we should be overly judgemental of others for behaviour we only recently learned was wrong 🌿
@@Gittemary I struggle a lot with communication, being neurodivergent. I often come off as harsh, judgemental and sarcastic bc I don't smile when I speak and I don't have much control on my voice (my tone being the literal issue in their tone policing). For this reason I have stopped advocating veganism and sustainability with most of the people in my everyday life but this makes me feel very bad
@@airamillerot this was not intended to make you feel bad, so I am sorry for that. I myself cannot read or understand most facial expressions due to synesthesia and that had often caused me problems when communicating. But my point here was that the tone you say something in does not really justify disregarding the message and writing someone off as an asshole, what makes a person an asshole is the contents of what they are saying. Not tone, but behaviour.
@@Gittemary you didn't. I understand your point and I agree with you. I am glad that there are people like you out there talking about difficult topics like those, BC I don't feel like I am good enough at influencing people😅😅
Great video GitterMary. Yes those who aren't vegan can be very outspoken regards opposition to veganism. Vegan processed junk foods aren't sustainable along with an animal products industries based system. Love 🥰 the video and love 💕 GitterMary.
1. "Individual actions do not matter" 2. "People forget than not everyone can live the same way" 3. "Vegan doesn't always mean sustainable" 4. "We will never convince everyone about climate change and that's okay" 5. "Long-term sustainability sometimes involves a non-sustainable choice" 6. "Individual actions matter no matter what other people say" 7. "No amount of sustainability allows you to be rude to others that don't meet your standards" 8. "If you're not vegan, you're actively destroying the environment' 9. "Not flushing when you pee is sustainable" 10. "If you always have fancy vegan meals out and keep your trash in a jar you're not a climate hero, you're just having someone else making waste for you" 11. "No straw > sustainable straws" watch the video to see why she does or does not agree with these takes :)
I also think when it comes to specifically white veganism there’s an erasure with indigenous ways of eating meat and using animals. Also supporting small local farmers who treat their animals with care. Also there are so many animals killed on organic farms that grow vegan foods. Honestly I think where you get your food from is more important than WHAT you eat.
I would love to respond, and you are saying a few different things here, so sorry if this is a bit all over the place 😅 while some vegans, and especially white vegans have used discourse about ingenious communities and their traditions with meat, the sami and inuits come to mind, but that is also not okay. (however I want to make it clear that many vegans also definitely see the difference between big animal ag, and these traditions, one is absolutely destroying the planet, and one is absolutely not) with that being said, it is also important to remember that in many other cases the traditional diet and cultural foods of marginalised and oppressed communities have been primarily plantbased, very low on meat, or vegetarian and the meat-heavy dishes have been culturally introduced by their oppressors, so it absolutely goes both ways. Next thing, I would say that there is a big difference between animals accidentally dying due to farming practices and the impact of breeding, feeding and slaughtering animals for consumption, the environmental impact of those two are not comparable. So I don’t think personally that that is an argument for not reducing animal products, I absolutely agree that you should support small farmers - that is also the case when it comes to produce 🌿
@@Gittemary I 100% agree with you! My comment was less towards you specifically, and more towards people who don’t take these things into account since you have a following! I love your channel and what you do!
i agree, i think we can change a lot individually. maybe not on a big scale but definitely on a small scale. for example, we had very little butterflies and bees left in our area, so we did our best to plant many plants and flowers for butterflies and bees the past few years. last summer we finally saw the result. we had many many butterflies and a lot of different kinds of bees we hadn't seen in many years. a lot of people in my village started doing the same things, i really noticed a big difference. so what, maybe it doesn't change the world but it definitely changed our own small environment and it helped out many small animals who are very important to our eco system. small things, small changes.. they really do matter.
"corporations aren't also run but robots, even though some of their CEOs might look like robots 👀👀👀" well this had me laughing!
I love the fact that you keep such a positive attitude and understand that the sustainable life journey takes time and not everyone can be perfect in every aspect for the reasons you mentioned (health, wealth, family and so on). We need more people with your attitude 💪
Hi Gittemary! I would be really curious for your opinion on this topic (maybe another 'hot take'?):
Prices of sustainable products are unnecessary high.
Shampoo bars I have access to are around 7 euros, while conventional shampoos can be bought for less than half the price. And although the bar can usually be used for much longer, I still feel the product is way too expensive for just being a block of soap. The same for alternatives to dairy: the oat milk at my supermarket is much more expensive than normal milk, although the ingredients are just really cheap oats!
I guess what is a play here really, is the capitalistic mechanism that many people are willing to pay more for the sustainable product, so the product will also be priced higher. This really makes me sad, as there are so many people that would be willing to change their consumption choices in favor of sustainability, weren’t it to come with higher prices so often.
But another thought on the prices differences, is that the conventional products are actually also priced way (!!) too cheaply of course. To buy 1L of milk for just 80 cents for example, that’s just complete madness if you think about what was needed to product it. Farmers receive horribly low prices for their products..
The prices at the bulk store in my town are generally three times as high compared to the supermarket. I often wonder whether those prices are also higher because people are willing to pay, so that it becomes kind of an elite-thing, or that the high prices are completely justified by the products being organic, produced locally and in smaller scales, and having a more fair and ethical supply chain.
I’m really curious to know what you think!
Sustainable products are often produced in a fair and sustainable way and that makes them more expensive even if the ingredient themself might be cheap.
I really get what you are saying. Sometimes you can not afford the best option but you can choose the 'a bit sustainable' option. Like buy rice in the supermarket in bulk (in plastic), but you did not buy 6 smaller packages of rice. Etc. If you try you already doing good. :)
I really want to see this video since a lot of companies add more price to sustainable products when they sell them. When ever I visit one eco shop, it's prices are sky high and I can't afford anything realisticly. I would totally pay more for fair labor costs and materials but often the green label is there just to drive up prices.
@@pihityyli yess indeed! It would be so cool if they would include information on the packaging of how the price was built up/who received what price in the supply chain
*A single bee can't build an entire hive, but a colony can*
So yea, individual action is important, especially if many people contribute even if it's only a little bit
Sadly, money drives everything. How we spend our money, or in many cases… how we don’t spend our money has an impact. This movement is growing… some of the biggest social change throughout history originated with a small percentage of people who took action. We’re headed in the right direction… sustainability is not just a trend… it is a growing movement. We cannot get bogged down by the negativity of those who are standing on the sidelines… eventually they will want to be in the game. Let’s keep moving forward!! Great video and awesome conversation Gittemary. Thank-you. 🌎💦Ⓜ️ary💕☃️
Hi Mary! ♥ Love your comments! I agree that sustainability is a growing movement. It always kind of irks me when I hear it referred to as a trend. Trends eventually change/disappear. Sustainability cannot disappear, because if it does, so will people! :O
I hope your new year is going well so far, Mary. Love from Ontario. ♥
@@jemma50 Happy 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣2️⃣ to you Jemma. I hope your year is off to a great start. Thank-you for your kind words. I always appreciate hearing what you have to say and I look forward to many more interesting exchanges with you here in comments section. BTW… I 💯% agree… sustainability is here to stay and we need to promote it to those on the sidelines. Thanks for being in the game!! 🌎💦Ⓜ️ary💕☃️
@@marycharlebois6627 ♥♥♥ I'm with ya! In the game, for sure.
@@jemma50 Yah!! Teammate!! 🏆Ⓜ️ary
Oooh boy- the part about making the less sustainable choice for long term sustainability! We had to move away from the city and our bulk stores to start our farm. We can be “zero waste” with groceries now because the resources aren’t there but starting next spring we will be able to grow 90% of our own food and we have already started getting eggs from our chickens and composting. We’re also hoping we can provide sustainable produce to others in our community next season. Thanks for including this!
Regarding what you said about wanting to be sustainable and not wanting to give up meat or dairy, they have to consider also the different cultures around the world, it’s not that easy for everyone. I’m from Mexico and I decided to reflect on how could I reduce my food impact, and i realice 90% of Mexican food (the one we eat daily) has some sort of animal product and most of the times you can’t replace it without changing it completely, and if you can there are almost no places to buy it from, you have to cook it which in my case it’s not an option because for me I loath cooking and most people don’t have the time to do so; food alone is like half of our culture so it’s a HUUUUGEEEE deal. Most times becoming vegan here means giving up part of your culture, a big part, if people are willing to do so fine, but I don’t think it’s fair to say someone has to give up a big part of who they are, their culture and tradition to live more sustainable
Obviously it's a personal choice. As everything in this context. If someone likes their way of life, they're not forced to change.
My national cuisine is mostly based on meat, yet I'm a vegetarian. Personally, I don't tie my identity to my country's food customs. I've survived so far, even in social settings.
@@lelexoxo303 of course, thats exactly my point, if someone doesn't have a problem with it, great; but for people whose culture means a lot to them, they shouldn't be put down for choosing that over the most sustainable thing to do in that one aspect of life
Hot Take: the most eco friendly option between leather and faux leather is actually second hand leather BECAUSE leather in most cases is far more durable than faux leather, plus faux leather takes an enormous amount of resources to produce. If you buy real second hand leather you are more often than not buying a product that will last you longer than a second hand faux leather product, and even new faux leather.
Individual actions absolutely matter. When I first went vegan, vegan products were rare in the supermarkets. Now they have entire sections devoted to vegan food. They wouldn’t do so unless consumers (individuals) went that way. Likewise, I look forward to the day when the big supermarkets have bulk dispensers for housewares (e.g. dish soap, laundry detergent etc), making it more accessible to the average person. They aren’t going to magically do it; the demand has to come from enough people demanding bulk housewares.
Also, this is how I reconcile trying to be low waste in my personal life - despite my professional life (doctor) generating lots of waste - without feeling like it’s pointless.
My sustainability story started recently when I was overwhelmed cleaning and decluttering my house, then I found your channel and it inspired me so much! So this year as I decided to go low buy and go vegan for a month ( at first) and I realized that vegan doesn’t always mean sustainable and even healthy - all this meat and cheese replacements are not always made out of good stuff and packed in plastic as well, also many RUclipsrs who are vegan don’t care about sustainability. I agree with you on everything and all we can do is do our best.
Regardless of how big your individual impact is, it’s more fulfilling to act in accordance with your values and inspire people to do the same. Shame doesn’t make change, showing people a different way does.
Hell yeah individual choices matter. I'm a person who cooks for several people and some time ago I decided I will only cook vegetarian meals from now on - I told the members of my household I will no longer serve meat, but they are free to do so themselves if they really like. Thanks to the variety of substitutes - there are some delicious mock meats out there - and frankly, their laziness (:D) I now have a household full of people who no longer eat or like meat :D I would like to exclude dairy at some point, too, but I'm already happy with what I achieved :D
I’m a first gen American, mum is from Mannheim, and I LOVE everything about you. I’m so excited for your book, and per usual, you were spot on with these points 🥰
Wow thank you so much ☺️🌿
It always makes me very happy to hear that you are puts in the 'individual'. Not all of us are at the same stage in life, and we live in different places. It is this generalization that has opened the door for me, and opens up for many more people to come inside. I just do it step by step and each time take myself a little out of the comfort zone. That's how I really manage to make changes in my life and not give up.
I was around as the environmental movement of the 1970's drifted into individual efforts resulting in what is the organjc food movement of today. Plus recycling but, that got some municipal help as landfills filled up and garbage was being trecked elsewhere on rail cars. Being eco-friendly is a lifestyle and, life style changes stand the test of longetivity if they are welcomed on both an emotional/ philosophical level and a physical effort level. In most cases, this translates into a gradual slide into change without fear, shame, personal damination etc... Every little effort done by every little individual counts. The correlary of no one doing anything eco-friendly would be clearly noticeable.
There is still a LOT people can do one little change and activity at a time. Each individual's contribution may be hard to count but as multiple individuals begin to do so, the contributions become not only countable but statistically significant.
My hot take is this: the best way to get companies to be more sustainable is from the inside. If you have ideas about how your workplace could be more sustainable, voice them, or band up with a group of fellow employees and voice them together. Company leadership is more likely to take specific ideas from their own employees seriously than ideas from random consumers.
Thank you for this video. I have been Vegan for 7.5 years now, however there's is always someone some Levels higher than myself. I have my own cats and foster cats and because cats are carnivorous, I feed them wet food. I know people who feed their cats dry, vegan kibbles which to me is animal cruelty. I am also on medication to prevent nerve pain and phantom pain after an amputation, it doesn't contain lactose or other animal ingredients but was for sure tested on animals, same with the occasional paracetamol when I'm on my period.
I really appreciate the talking about veganism. I cannot be vegan for health reasons and I feel so much guilt for it. I try to do other things for the environment and I run an eco business. I have to remind myself that I am doing good things and I cannot do those good things if I am sick or dead.
Our individual action can change the costumer request, this means that big companies will not be longer as big!
My hot take: bamboo fiber isn't as eco friendly as everyone seems to push it because of all the harsh chemicals to break down the bamboo to turn into fiber doesn't seem to be good to compost/biodegrade
I must confess that I get quite anxious when other people bring plastic bags to my house and leave them here. 😅 Now I have a cabinet stuffed with a few plastic bags that I still have to fold into triangles.
Many food pantries use plastic bags to distribute items, so they may take clean, dry plastic bags
About that "if you're not vegan, you're destroying the environment". 10, maybe 15 years ago, I was taken to task about my carbon foot print. I answered the questions asked and came out with a better score than the person taking me to task. Thier final answer was that I may have had a smaller carbon footprint (per that set of survey questions) but for all the wrong reasons; mine were saving money and reducing my chemical exposure (plus being eco-friendly among the realities of my suburban-semi rural world). I bring this story up because there are more than one path and approach to being eco-friendly. (I did pretty well on a zero-waste scale offered by this same person more recently with my approach simply being that I work to avoid as many transfer station land fill fees as possible; and that I buy used and for longevity as much as possible too.) .
I love statements! Hearing them makes me reassess my own thinking. Just based on how I react to them initially. I love having this incentive! Thank you for this video! ♡
Okay I also thought the trash jar people must be lying 🤣 because I have been trying to reduce for years and I still make trash.
Haha saaaaame 😂
Individual actions and holding corporations accountable aren’t mutually exclusive. I think the issue is we focus on the *wrong* individual actions. I think as individuals we should focus more on political action/activism - like voting, advocacy, etc - than changing our consumption habits. There is nothing wrong with changing consumption habits, of course, but they tend to have less impact than activism in the long run. Also, a lot of zero waste consumption alternatives are inaccessible to a lot of people. Low income people already consume minimally but can’t afford a lot of eco friendly products. We really need to lobby our governments to pass environmental regulations that companies and producers have to adhere to - that’s how we hold corporations accountable.
Wow thank you so much for saying the first one. I've been having an internal struggle with that one- and getting mad at people for not seeing both sides.
Don't flush after peeing😄😄😄... Wasn't it Shelby, who had this quote hang in her toilet? -> "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down" 😄💩👌
Okay idk, but I love that!! 😂🙏
That’s actually a common saying in areas where the plumbing infrastructure isn’t as advanced.
I absolutely disagree with the first one where they said individuals can't make a change! Maybe the impact is not as big but if more people join the sustainable journey they can still make differences! Also environmentalists like Gittemary are indeed influencing people, I was one of them and I firmly believe that I am not the only one who is inspired by her. So individuals CAN make differences and everything we do IS going to make differences. And thank you Gittemary for inspiring me all the time! Love from Korea xx
Yes, you do not need to be vegan to be sustainable. I think my grandfather was more sustainable than majority of vegans. He ate meat (not much, not often, it was a luxury good for him), he used one liter of milk a day. He never let food go to waste, nor anything else, he repaired, reused and repurposed everything, always, almost endless times, he grew some of his own food, made preserves, composted, if he found a piece of metal on the street, he would take it and use it. He used pencils until the very, very very end, if a scrap of paper had any free space on it, he kept it for notes (do you remember paper for old needle printers that had perforated margins with holes to get it through the printer? he used those margins for shopping lists). He didnt travel much, he often walked, he wouldnt buy things that he wouldnt need, for most of his life he could fit all his clothes in one suitcase. For me this is more a sustainability picture than 'lets go vegan and avoid plastic, and its sustainable', which seems to be more trendy.
I guess people just find it hypocrite that so called environmentalist activists etc are not even willing to change their diet , which is so easy to do
Well going vegan and avoiding plastic might be "trendy" (I don't think they are, I think these are two ways of doing something that is accessible to many people, hence why more people are catching on) but if they are also still effective, so I don't think they should be written off. I would like to add that the impact of the meat consumption of our grandparent's generation vs ours is VASTLY different. The factory farming practices used today aren't old, they are actually younger than my grandmother, so overall her meat intake has been more sustainable than mine would be if I ate meat - which is something to keep in mind.
I will always advocate that these habits aren't mutually exclusive, so you can do these things that your grandfather is doing ( I for one do most of them weekly 😅) AND then also refuse or reduce animal products, it is not one or the other 🌿✨
Yeah, it does for sure not make sense to not even rethink how ones diet impacts the planet, it is one of the most effective ways for individuals to reduce their footprint in the daily life
My would be sometimes the unsustainable option is the more sustainable option. Said this today, my friend saw my socks and said they cute, I said thanks they have a hole in them, had them for maybe two years though, got them from tentree. We talked a little more and I was like yeah that was a purchase when I had money to throw that much on one pair of socks, but Walmart had a 13 pack of socks for 10$ and that’ll last me WAY longer than the 10$ish on one pair. It’s sustainable for my wallet and it’s sustainable as in I won’t be buying them as often. 1 pair vs 13 pairs. I can’t buy shampoo bars if my money is spent on socks (on my feet for 10+ hours a day at work, they wear out)
One thing you DO need straws though, bubble tea! :)
I love your videos, and you have inspired me to improve my lifestyle in many ways. I just want to make a little comment about eating. I was vegetarian for 20 years and vegan for six, I am now eating Paleo whole foods diet as I feel it is best for my health to keep blood sugar levels low to avoid disease. I do believe that eating vegan is more ethical, and probably better for the environment, but not better for my body. Thank you for all the wonderful videos, you have been very inspiring in so many ways❤️
Being Vegan doesn't only refer to diet but not to buy products which had been tested on animals for example. Unfortunately a lot of people say "I'm no longer Vegan", however you can eat veggie again or other animal foods but still buy cruelty free and vegan labelled cleaning products or make up for example.
@@AnnikaWithAk I was only referring to eating.
Yes yes yes with the straws and I will be the first person to put my hand up and say over the past year I have bought 2 sets of them because they were “pretty” (rose gold and a rainbow set) and everytime I see them sitting in the jar I realise how rarely I use them and feel so guilty and disappointed in myself, but no way in hell am I getting rid of them because I can’t guarantee where they will end up and someone will likely bin them and that’s even more wasteful
I realized part of the reason I didn't care for the metal straws was because I tended to bump my teeth and I'm always scared of chipping or breaking my front teeth. I bought a silicone tip and it has made so much difference
I'm going to make my future kids watch your videos 🥺 you're such a big inspiration, and thank you for saving the world through your videos 💗
I really liked this video. I already watch your video's for a long time so thanks for keeping up the inspiration and fun content abouth sustainablility 🙏🏻
Thank so much, I am so happy that you find them useful 🌿
About 5-7 years ago, I looked into the subject area of "vegan textiles". Like carbon footprint counters, this area can split some definition hairs. But, it is FILLED with all sorts of less than eco-friendly materials and practices.
The straw part!! There was this restaurant i worked for that sold fish and wanted to be like 'save the ocean' so they tried to tell servers to not give people straws🙄🙄 it was very hard working there being vegan
Uuuuuh I have been there 😭
Completely agree with you. Fab video as always 😁
Brake lines can be converted into reusable straws. I feel that they would need very thorough cleaning before use though.
I personally just enjoy straws. I have sensitive teeth and the cold ice hitting my teeth hurts. So for me the number of straws I used to use is really impacted by me switching to metal straws. But if you didn't use straws before getting a metal one now is just wasteful.
Really liked hearing your opinion on these matters! Also you look beautiful!
I hate having to check myself and be the Good Rep but its essential. I rather not mention anything if Im not in the mood for it
I need antihistamines and they all seem to have lactose in them. Or at least the ones that work for me anyway. So that breaks my veganism
Well, if that is the only thing that keeps you from calling you vegan I think you are doing a great job - those meds account for a tiny fraction of your impact, so if you go for a plantbased diet that is absolutely still a valid and important change
i was wondering if you have done a video zero waste for tea. if you haven't could you do one ?
I’m Autistic and I cant cope liquid touching my teeth, I’ve always used straws and a few years ago I got some metal one and I use them every day. I always take one with me when I go out in case I get a drink in a cafe and need my straw. But if I didn’t use them all the time I would have them. I only own a reusable travel cutlery set because it was gift, I don’t see the point in them though as we all own standard cutlery so normally I would just take that out with me. It’s really interesting with seeing what people’s thoughts are in ‘sustainable’ swaps. It’s only sustainable if you use it most days.
Love your new intro!!
Thank youuuu 😍👌
It is weird when you try to start the journey of zero waste , you want to see a difference quick and then you buy 'sustainable' stuff that you did not need in the first place. Which is not sustainable ...
I still have a lot of plastic and stuff that does not have the 'eco, bamboo glass etc' look in my home. But I do not buy things that I do not really need anymore. Look at what you have at home first.
Well said!
I'm terrible at watching video first and then commenting... Butttttttthhh
If me being more ecological makes my friend reuse their plastic bag like...ones for groceries. That still makes them cut their use of plastic bags in half. It's not much. But it's more than nothing.
And this is a real far fetched; if we cut down our waste, it changes the proportions of consumers vs. corporation and makes them look even worse. (I warned you, that's a real far fetched)
"Not flushing when you pee" 😂😂 HAHAHA what I do is I access whether the amount of pee that came out of me needs flushing or not. If it does not I'll just flush the next time I pee coz I pee multiple times a day anyway. 🙊🙊🙈
#lifehacks i guess 😂🙈
My dad owns a successful farm equipment business and started looking into solar energy because people started asking for it!! The system is built for the consumer. We have to change in order for businesses to change because they will always only care about money. We have to boycott and buy consciously on a mass scale
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Yes but at what point "not being an a**hole" becomes tone-policing?
Now ofc this is super subjective, but I would differentiate the two based on the contents of what people are saying. A personal example, I am often being called these names because of the topics I talk about, because of the emotions these topics invoke in people. But a different scenario would be based on how you approach a topic, if you’re incredibly ready to pick other people’s behaviour a part while believe you are perfect yourself, by making general claims about certain groups of people or generally being unkind in your commutation with others. Does that make sense? This is for sure not a black and white issue, and there are tons of grey areas because a lot of the difference will always be based on how the message is received 💕 I am not there for controlling how people communicate and obv I don’t think it makes sense to sugarcoat everything either, some times should not be pleasant to hear and it is also not our jobs to make it everyone feel good about everything, but I still think that we owe each other a certain kindness.
One thing that is definitely stuck with me is the notion that we should be overly judgemental of others for behaviour we only recently learned was wrong 🌿
@@Gittemary I struggle a lot with communication, being neurodivergent. I often come off as harsh, judgemental and sarcastic bc I don't smile when I speak and I don't have much control on my voice (my tone being the literal issue in their tone policing). For this reason I have stopped advocating veganism and sustainability with most of the people in my everyday life but this makes me feel very bad
@@airamillerot this was not intended to make you feel bad, so I am sorry for that. I myself cannot read or understand most facial expressions due to synesthesia and that had often caused me problems when communicating.
But my point here was that the tone you say something in does not really justify disregarding the message and writing someone off as an asshole, what makes a person an asshole is the contents of what they are saying. Not tone, but behaviour.
@@Gittemary you didn't. I understand your point and I agree with you. I am glad that there are people like you out there talking about difficult topics like those, BC I don't feel like I am good enough at influencing people😅😅
Great video GitterMary. Yes those who aren't vegan can be very outspoken regards opposition to veganism. Vegan processed junk foods aren't sustainable along with an animal products industries based system. Love 🥰 the video and love 💕 GitterMary.
1. "Individual actions do not matter"
2. "People forget than not everyone can live the same way"
3. "Vegan doesn't always mean sustainable"
4. "We will never convince everyone about climate change and that's okay"
5. "Long-term sustainability sometimes involves a non-sustainable choice"
6. "Individual actions matter no matter what other people say"
7. "No amount of sustainability allows you to be rude to others that don't meet your standards"
8. "If you're not vegan, you're actively destroying the environment'
9. "Not flushing when you pee is sustainable"
10. "If you always have fancy vegan meals out and keep your trash in a jar you're not a climate hero, you're just having someone else making waste for you"
11. "No straw > sustainable straws"
watch the video to see why she does or does not agree with these takes :)
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I also think when it comes to specifically white veganism there’s an erasure with indigenous ways of eating meat and using animals. Also supporting small local farmers who treat their animals with care. Also there are so many animals killed on organic farms that grow vegan foods. Honestly I think where you get your food from is more important than WHAT you eat.
I would love to respond, and you are saying a few different things here, so sorry if this is a bit all over the place 😅
while some vegans, and especially white vegans have used discourse about ingenious communities and their traditions with meat, the sami and inuits come to mind, but that is also not okay. (however I want to make it clear that many vegans also definitely see the difference between big animal ag, and these traditions, one is absolutely destroying the planet, and one is absolutely not)
with that being said, it is also important to remember that in many other cases the traditional diet and cultural foods of marginalised and oppressed communities have been primarily plantbased, very low on meat, or vegetarian and the meat-heavy dishes have been culturally introduced by their oppressors, so it absolutely goes both ways.
Next thing, I would say that there is a big difference between animals accidentally dying due to farming practices and the impact of breeding, feeding and slaughtering animals for consumption, the environmental impact of those two are not comparable. So I don’t think personally that that is an argument for not reducing animal products, I absolutely agree that you should support small farmers - that is also the case when it comes to produce 🌿
@@Gittemary I 100% agree with you! My comment was less towards you specifically, and more towards people who don’t take these things into account since you have a following! I love your channel and what you do!
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Love it! Hot take: if you’re right but also an @$$hole, it won’t matter than you were right!
You can't be an environmental activist without being a supporter of nuclear power
Nuclear energy is included in part 2 heH, stay tuned 😎✨