things you THOUGHT were sustainable but actually are NOT
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- Опубликовано: 16 ноя 2024
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Y'know how in the Philippines some group meals (often called a Boodle Fight) are eaten with a banana leaf laid out on the table and people just eat with their hands. So the banana leaf is totally compostable. A company came out with a "eco-friendly reusable banana leaf for boodle fight" made out of... plastic fabric. HAHAHhahHAHhahHAHAHhahahahH i HATE IT
this is what happens when you mix cultural appropriation and green washed capitalism ... another level of bullshit.
That's not totally tone deaf at all. Omg
I agree. South India also eats in banana leaf with hands. It's cultural appropriation
@@yashodamendiratta4034 Mediterraneans wrap their food in vine leaves, others wrap their food in algae, sure those are meant to be eaten as well. But I cannot find ‚cultural‘ appropriation here, just stupid greenwashing.
So they actually made a plastic alternative to a leaf and had the audacity to call it environmentally friendly? If I saw that irl I'd think it was satire
*recycling is a business and we should treat it as such* This is something to keep in mind on so many levels 💚
I wish some rich person would buy it and fix everything wrong with the recycling business.
@@paigelouise1177 streamlining it would be great, but rich people are almost always not looking out for us. unfortunately, i don’t think this would help
Where I live at least, it not a business. It’s a government service that I pay taxes for. The government shouldn’t be seeking to just make money off of recycling because that’s not the purpose of government. Gotta keep calling out govs for their bs
Since I’m studying recycling, I really hope it’s a serious business, lol
As an European, this is such a weird concept.
I hate that “superfood hype” which promotes eating exotic food over regional food
For example I always see ads for quinoa and how good they are for the body but it has to go a long way to (in my case) Europe whereas millet grows in many diffrent climates also in Europe and has very similar nutrients
The same with cranberries where there is an amarican and an european type of them and in europe amarican cranberries get promoted a lot but they differ only in size
That makes absolutly no sense in my eyes
Same with chia seeds and flax seeds.
Very good point 👍
@@juliaa.9870 I was just about to say that! They are practically the same, but flax seeds are cheaper and local.
I was about to ask about quinoa. Glad to know millet is a comparable substitute!
@@Acrylara I'd say flax seeds are arguably healthier! Didn't know where either came from though, will be more mindful of my usage of them now. What about hemp seeds?
"The footprint of tech is HUGE."
Thank you for bringing this up and having us remember these devices don't just appear!
also, sometimes when you just need a new phone/laptop, (at least here in switzerland) there are options to buy these secondhand! I always buy mine from a business called 'revendo', they take in phones, check them, and then resell them! you still have perks like a 2 years guarantee, you can get the newest phones for cheaper because they are secondhand, doing way less damage to the environment and you're not giving your money to a big business like apple :)) so I'd definitely check if there's something similar where you guys live :)
@@magalisart This is big in the USA too! The phone companies will take back phones, give the person turning it in a big discount on a brand new phone, and sell the old one as "refurbished." On one hand it's great that its providing a market for certified used phones, but on the other hand I feel like it entices many people to buy a new phone every year because of the big discount..
Not only they don't just appear, but they also don't just disappear !
once made up, some parts are here for centuries :s
50% of electronics device are reusable in second-handed circle, but 50% are just collected in dumpsters... in the end, 10 to 20% ends in wild dumpsters in Africa and Asia, releasing toxic things harmfull for the people , faune& flore , and the environnemnt in general...
Meanwhile in France, where I'm from, 88% of people changes their electronic device even if the old one stills works. It's really a terrible thing to do when you think to the beggining and the end of the circle life of this type of device...
Not to mention the slave labor that is necessary to mine these precious metals
I don't want to be the downer here, because I am all for sustainability and recycling, but you should be sure to wipe your devices clean before you trade them in. There are reports of people getting old phones with all the data still on them and being able to contact the original owner. Sometimes creepy people too.
On the digital planning point as well: the cloud is not in a cloud, it is in a server farm. These server farms also take up tons space and recourses, among other ecological damages. Research from a couple of years ago estimated that these spaces would account for up to 5% of emissions by 2025. Users don't always think about that since they don't see these spaces usually, but just because you can't see it doesn't mean it isn't happening.
Is it better to use a large harddrive then?
What would be a good alternative?
I don't use a cloud but I email myself everything as a backup, and based on this comment, I'm worried now that's probably just as bad.
@@blabarsris6012 it’s difficult. A server farm probably use less resource to store your data as it can manage storage more efficiently. However, storing something in cloud also means that your data is always available wherever you are, which is an advantage you don’t have with your hard drive. Also, cloud services often store multiple copies of your data to make it fail safe, another additional feature. So basically it’s not quite comparable, more environmental footprint for more feature. The “solution” is probably, as usual, to store less data.
@@lelununu So good answers today! Thank you!
"Throwing away something that is completely usable is... not a sustainable option." It seems so common sense, and yet we get caught up in the excitement and energy and joy of having the sustainable item now that we just... forget? Don't think? Part of true sustainable living is using your common sense! Loved this video!
Few years ago, when all the going green and sustainability started to be such a hype, I remember watching few "green" youtubers and thinking how is this sustainable? :D
The digitizing of everything is definitely something that fools a lot of us. I have always needed to physically write something down on paper to remember it, so I’m glad I’m not being pure evil
Additionally, there is an environmental impact of digital productivity software (and anything digital) in the physical servers know as "the cloud" which require a lot of electricity and cooling. It may seem infinitesimal, but I find many people don't even think about the resources being used to store their digital data (usually apps store stuff on the cloud or at the very least store their app there).
I like to write on paper too but what I do is save scrap paper; basically any paper that would go into the recycling bin gets put into a desk drawer instead if it has a blank side or blank space, then I use that blank paper to write notes, do homework problems, etc until it's used up and then put it in the bin (edit: recycling bin, to be clear), so no extra paper is used and it gives the paper a second life before going to recycling ❤️
@@Katie-vg3jn that’s so awesome Katie!! Keep it up for the planet. 💕🌈
That is how our brains are wired. Writing longhand and speaking things out loud helps save data into neural connections (memories) but typing doesn't. The digital age is not even one human lifespan old. Our operating systems as humans do not get updated that fast, so it takes a long long time to form these biological adaptations. Maybe in a few million years we will evolve to efficiently save typed notes into our brains. Or maybe by then there will be tech that plugs into our brain and you can take notes that go directly into memories.
Thank you ❤️❤️
The treatment of workers who make the tech products is something worth mentioning too! Also all of the electricity used to run the servers that store our data is a huge footprint as well.
That is so true. Simply cooling down the servers has a huge footprint in its own right. Every email we send adds to the servers' footprint as well since networks may send your signal all the way to the other side of the world if it gets your communications to your recipient faster. People often seem to believe digital comms works like snail mail, although it's anything but...
Most servers these days are starting to use renewable energy making it have a smaller foot print. But yes tech is pretty bad but there are getting better at recycling tech
@@seg1912 exactly, we should also clean up our subscription lists and not sign up for anything new. I went How many of us actually read those commercial or social media emails? And stop mindlessly streaming, I used to leave my favorite artist on to boost their streams and $$ by a little without knowing it actually had an impact. Since everything is online and we don't really see any waste or smoke or any indicator of it being harmful we just don't even think that it could be bad.
My husband is a WishCycle person. I keep going behind him and pulling out stuff that is not accepted. Every week I lecture him... "you're going to be responsible for an entire dumpster of recycling being put in the landfill".
Me too! Especially mixed material items, makes me want to pull my hair out! Lol
Mine too! Most things he recycles just fine, but there are a few items no matter how often I tell him, he just wishcycles (love the term).
Mine does that ALL. THE. TIME.
recycling is put into landfill either way, or more commonly burned
hmhhh
That's how Germany gets a 16% recycling quota our categorys are "general waste" (landfill or furnace bound), (municipal) composting (actually works), paper (burns so nicely it's used as kindling and exported as such) and "packaging" (producers pay for such being collected nationwide... burns well too)
Leaving us with 16% recycling, 60% "thermal use" and 20% general waste incinerated or bound for landfills... At (pre covid) reducing volumes
I wish that you would have talked about “up cycling” along with “wish cycling” ...so often things are made in-recyclable (and given a much shorter life cycle in general) with good intentions. A glass jar covered in paint can’t go to the recycling facility, a tshirt cut into a tank top won’t be sold second-hand. So many craft projects just run the life span of things... I know that it’s a fishy/nuanced area, but I hope that more people will be talking about *real* re-use/recycling.
Yeah on zero waste groups I see so many "upcycled" things that don't even perform the job that they're intended for so I can't imagine they're going to get used for that long before someone buys an alternative or tries again. In particular, I saw a shower caddy made from a hanger and glue and cups
Such a good point. I think “up cycling” in cheap ways should generally stay in the realm of arts and crafts for kids. If I’m up cycling something in a way that changes it’s style or function, I want it to actually be usable.
yes! this one is kind of a grey area, but you make a REALLY good point. I've definitely ran into the issue of trying to upcycle fashion, only to ruin the garment and not even be able to wear it anymore. It cut the lifespan of a perfectly fine piece of clothing i just didn't like, into something that was pretty much unusable & went to the landfill.
@@tessa8202 this seems like you could do something else with the fabric then. Or learn to sew.
Yeah. Basically a lot of times things that are labeled as "up cycling" are actually down cycling. Which of course has it's place when an item cannot perform it's current function anymore but shouldn't be first option.
My grandparents lived near a leather processing plant. When the wind would shift just right, we were running around shutting the windows and gagging. It was so gross.
Trust living next to a landfill is even worse🤢
@@gabriellefuller6673 I don't think it's necessarily worse. I think it's about equal, just different.
I live down the street from a beef processing/kill plant and my aunt lived next to a chicken one. They are both vile just different
I used to live next to a camel slaughterhouse in Dubai. My goodness, was it BAD!
@@annarubaylova 😢
It would be SO interesting for you to tour and spend a day in a recycling center. Perhaps this is a possibility?
I have done this before! But it's very difficult to get a recycling plant to consent to being filmed 😅
@@Shelbizleeeidk if you'll see this but in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada has a really good recycling and waste program and I bet they'd let you film
The thrift store point is so true. I used to volonteer in a charity shop in the UK, and once an item had been on the shelf for so long, it went off to "recycling".
To be fair, that charity shop has it's own recycling system which is pretty good from what I've researched, but oftentimes donated items will end up being sent abroad for other countries to deal with, or in landfill. Donating your clothes is not a "get out of jail" card, or a means of clearing your conscience.
as someone who is doing the same in france : same
Same, not to mention the sack fulls of clothing "donated" that just isn't fit for resale.
In New York state, the Rescue Mission thrift stores accept rags and sells it to a recycler.
Yes, but also as someone who buys clothes almost entirely second hand (for ethical, but mostly financial, reasons) it sucks that so much of what is donated is fast fashion that is so near the end of its life. Especially in plus or extended sizes! I would be so so happy if more sustainability produced clothes made it to my local thrift store.
hey! i dont know if you knew this, but a company called deserto makes leather out of cacti! its sustainable and organic. its not very widely available to purchase goods made from it yet but its something to keep an eye out for in the future!
I'll check it out! Like I said, it seems the more sustainable vegan leathers are very expensive tho. I'll look!
This is something that many brands are trying right now. There’s a Mexican shoe and accessories brand called Ant that has some cacti leather products as well, they source everything within the country/locally, and I know they’re not the only ones. There are also other brands that do this with fungi/mushrooms and even banana leaf. The plant-based leather industry is blooming, maybe not too much in the public eye.
industrial designer from Guadalajara here (the city where desserto pelle showroom resides) sorry to break it to you, its not that sustainable.They swapt the poliester for cotton (witch has a bigger enviromental footprint yet biodegradable) but they still use a PU resin that its mixed with nopal powder for the coat, so its still plastic cotted on cotton (aka non reciclable). Its also as biodegradable as PLA (which is funny, because we don't have industrial composters in the city) so its biodegradable only under certain conditions that aren´t currently available (so what its happening to the residues during it´s production? who knows, probably landfield), and when you put up the comparison, because leather will last more than 10 years and if you take care of it it would look better over time (or you can fix it or repainted), its actually again better (when compering to an engineer material that will peel off after the 10 years lifespan like desserto), it´s kind of green washing for a disposable version of leather... it smells nice though, like nopal.
@@emiliohoms6491 Thanks for sharing.
Cork can be a good choice. I have a cork purse and wallet that I love.
On the subject of leather: Thursday boots are made from leather but their shoes are designed to be easy to resole making them last a life time. If you email their customer service they can send you a link to their "factory defects" page which is just already made shoes that are less than perfect so they can't be sold regularly and they're discounted. Mine came with a small scuff on the toe and that's it. A scuff that would be there anyway once the shoes were worn. Save them from going to landfill and you've got good life long shoes.
They're a bitch to break in, as all good leather is, but once you do they're damn good boots.
Yeah I bought Thursday boots for that resoling reason. I do that with all my leather boots. They last a very long time
I managed to snag a pair of Doc Marten "for life"s with a similar guarantee. I have a special registration number tied to my boots where I can get them repaired or replaced for a very low fee for the rest of my life. And since they definitely don't want to give me a bunch of replacements for the rest of my life, they've been made extra sturdy and repairable. They only offered this for a couple years so I was really lucky that I was able to buy those as my first (and most likely last!) pair of docs.
And yet one or more animals had to suffer and were killed. Is this really worth it? No.
Not all of them. Some of them (especially their women's shoes) are glued together. As long as they are blake stiched or goodyear welted, they can be resoled, but Thursday (like other brands) skimp on women's shoes and often opt to glue them. I believe their Captains are resoleable for their women's version, but their Chelseas aren't, or at least they're risky to try it since they are not Goodyear stitched. If they are blake stitched, that should be mentioned on their website since that's still a perk. Since the Chelsea's are not mentioned as blake stitched in their description like the Captains are mentioned as goodyear welted on their respective description, I assume the Chelseas are glued together
I love that you broke things down further than just ‘this is good or that is bad’ because there are SO MANY FACTORS that go into play with what is sustainable for whom.
About clothing: I just recently read an article about how big fast fashion companies don't resell the items returned to them but instead they are shipped to Africa where clothes with good potential are sold to resellers, leaving majrity to end up in landfills. So that is one unsustainable thing, buying something online and thinking just because you return it, it will get sold to another customer. There was a mention by some company that if the item sells for less than 60€ it is not worth repairing and reselling. 🤬
Could you link the article please? I'd be interested in reading it
This is why I hate online shopping
I love that top!
I was just reading a message to vegans about agave vs honey. Harvesting agave is hurting fruit bats and it's also having to be shipped which causes more of a footprint. I know it's not something people thinks of as a "sustainable swap" but this reminded me of it.
Supporting local honeybees is so important! Harvesting the honey doesn’t hurt them and it helps support the environment around us. We should be making wildflowers and rebuilding prairie grasslands to help them!
I never knew this… thanks for bringing this up
@@SarehLove ✨This✨
@Renee Joyce Its actually a little deeper than that. If you want to know why or learn more, go check out Earthling Ed's video on RUclips titled: Why don't vegans eat honey?
Oh, no! At least maple syrup is still ok then?
Something I really wish more people knew about that isn’t recyclable but that I always see in recycling bins is pizza boxes they aren’t recyclable because of the pizza grease so they probably take up a lot of time for recyclers to pull out of the piles and they are universally not recyclable. So it would be good if people knew that.
Good point, although doesn't apply everywhere apparently. I've just read on my city's recycling website that it's okay to put pizza boxes in the cardboard recycling bin, "even slightly greasy ones" they say. So maybe it depends on the location/recycling plant.
@@kaizey They accept them in my city as well! And if it's drenched in grease, we can put them in the compost bin :O
The footprint while using tech is also massive! Like, if you're storing things on the cloud you're essentially just shipping off your data (photos, videos, other files) to be stored in massive servers that require a lot of resources to create and run. I'm currently looking into the different eco footprints that tech has and it's so hard to even begin to scope out. There are a lot of large tech companies trying to find greener ways of computing but since tech itself is still so new, the green movement in tech is barely there.
I've only just learned about the terrible footprint of crypto and blockchain! Like completely unreasonable and just for people to speculate on imaginary things -____-
would that footprint significantly decrease if those servers were powered by reusable energies?
@@mariapdiazzz I believe so! I think that the problem is finding accessible, reliable, and affordable options for all of the server farms. There are huge data centers all over the world as well as some underwater. There's also various other problems tech companies need to tackle like making more efficient servers. As with most things in sustainability, it's hard to get the companies fully on board when you have to initially value saving the planet over making tons of money
Yes! My dad works in IT and he always talks about the massive areas that hold the servers. They need to be constantly air conditioned and climate controlled to prevent overheating. I remember he would take me to work on the occasional weekends, and I would see a small server room. This was back in late 90s, so I can only imagine the vast space used for cloud storage.
Is it better to use a large harddrive?
I like to give my clothes that I can’t sell because they’re not “on trend” per-say to my local homeless shelter or social services because then at least I know it’s going right to the hands of people who really need it 💚
Same here! Also old mugs can go to a homeless shelter/ charitable community group!
This is a great idea
In general this is a good idea, but please ask the shelter first if they need stuff (not to assume that you didn't). I've worked at a shelter where they love donations and also one where they had so much already that they had to stop taking stuff (also it depends on their storage space). Plus, if you ask, they might also be able to tell you a specific type of clothing they especially need. For example, the shelter that stopped accepting clothes in general always needed more maternity clothes.
I gave unopened toiletries to a woman's shelter, a friend of mine helped out there and said that they would be helpful. I always pass on my daughter's clothing to friends or little cousins and we receive from her big cousin. If there is something that she really needs I look at second hand first, she just got "brand new" school shoes for less than a third of what they cost in the store. My cellphone is second hand and I am currently looking for a pair of Bluetooth headset, second hand. Trying to be more mindful of our impact on the environment takes time and effort, it's much easier and convenient to just buy new.
@@bananamanchester4156 and schools! I just collected nearly 100 mugs from my neighborhood for my classroom café station :)
The notebook/planner vs digital is a good point. I burn through a lot of notebooks at work but so far I’ve only used my late grandmothers stationary and other peoples unused notebooks.
On donating clothes. I live in an area with a thrift store where 100% of sales goes towards their partnered animal shelter. This thrift store is kinda old lady. There’s not a lot of nice stuff I donate my clothes there so it gets more business and they also don’t get loads of donations like value village or savers. I was also thinking of donating clothes to my women’s shelter. I also sell on Depop and 100% of sales goes to the women’s shelter ❤️
Love that
What’s your depop?
We donate all our stuff to a thrift store that supports an animal shelter too.
Is it a FurKids? That's the animal shelter thrift store near me, and I love it. They have cats who hang out at the store, so bonus!
The city I live in actually shut down their curbside recycling because of how contaminated it all was, I started a petition to bring it back and reached out to the city counsel, but I haven’t heard back from any of them yet:(
That's sad, budgets and systems can be changed but we only have one earth, once we trash it it's gone and we die.
Our recycling centers both shut down here during the Pandemic which makes me so sad! I'm hoping they open up soon again. It's so wasteful to chuck all these things into the garbage.
My neighbors use their recycling bins as a second trash bin 🤦🏻♀️
@@annbui2045 They are either uncaring pigs or woefully unaware of what recycling is! People walking their dogs used to throw their bags of dog poo in mine if I set it out the night before. That was when I lived in the city. Now I'm in the country and both centers in the next counties are shut down due to Covid. 😢
@@annbui2045 Could you replace their recycling bin with just another trash bin?
I love this Shelby! Could you do a video about your plants and other meaningful low-waste hobbies? a lot of hobbies seem to come with HUGE amounts of waste (eg crafts that come in plastic)
I'm a quilter and I HATE throwing things away, I try to use every tiny bit I can.
Playing an instrument
Getting into growing herbs and veggies indoors
Living the granny life ie learning to sew, knit, crochet, making soap, tea, bread etc
Cycling / trekking :)
I just started knitting and I'm trying to source all my yarn and tools second hand! This way I'm also free from guilt for using plastic and animal fibres, which are unfortunately better suited for warm clothing than plant fibres are 😅
Also only buying items for a specific project rather than grabbing something that's just a good price.
I think she has but i can't remember the name of the video. Maybe a DITL video?? I remember her talking about the plastic containers plants often come in. She also has a plant tour video if you want to see all her plants lol but i don't think she mentions it there.
She has made plenty
I've been wondering since the existence of micro plastics gets talked about more why water filtering plants don't have the same filters you can buy for your washing machine. Why is it that consumers all have to buy yet another product for fixing the issue. Is it not possible to make big filters for the water filtration systems?
it's because the filters would have to be so small that it would highly impact the flow of water and make it difficult to meet consumer demands. But, I do think they should make them required for washing machines specifically. That would make the most sense.
I use a bag to filiter mine. Its called a guppy bag. Its proably not quite as good as a filter but i dont own my house so i cant install a filiter
@@avacurtis2729 I also use Guppyfriends bags, because most home washing machines in the US do not have the types of filters needed to trap poly microfibers. I wish they would make bigger bags for all the microfiber bedding I accumulated before I knew better.
Have you investigated the footprint on fruit/food leathers? (coconut/apple/mushrooms to name a few I've seen) I think that would be an interesting video. I feel like I have been seeing more and more companies coming out with leathers like this recently.
I like to hear your thoughts on how to choose sustainable pens, inks, pencils, erasers, and other stationary. 🙂
Great idea! I'm also interested
Look up your local “buy nothing project” group. I got a bunch of pens free from my neighbor that was going to toss them. Finding items that already exist and saving them from a landfill is better than buying a sustainably made new item.
@@ourtubesocks Nice idea. But I'm left-handed and hold my pen in a weird position
😂 That means whatever pen that is slightly damage on its tip, I'll have hard time writing in them like they're broken. Right-handed won't feel a thing and the pens are still writable, it just I can't. So more likely I'm going to buy my own.
I'm curious how erasers are made of and if there's something "sustainable" eraser?🤔
@@V薇 you can still find new items from friends, families, coworkers, neighbors. Unfortunately people over-buy and throw away new items all the time. Even thrift stores in my area have new notebooks, unopened packages of pens, and many other items. You just have to put in a little more effort.
Simply genius has 100% eco friendly biodegradable mechanical pens🙏🏼
I had the pleather conversation with husband really recently. We were talking about how many things have been rebranding lately.
It's sad how companies have frauded ingredients 😭
please tell us what else has been rebranded!
Can you post about the evironmental impact of NFTs and digital currency? I see a huge gap in information produced about them.. none of them mention carbon emissions
There's been studies done that show writing helps you remember information more than typing. I use a paper planner too :)
Yes! And I heard if you write with the color blue you remember things better.😊
Food is by far my biggest waste area and I probably am recycling food packaging I shouldn't... I really need to do a deep dive into my local recycling place to see what they can and can't process since it doesn't say on the bin :/ Love your videos! they are really helping me get better at sustainability!
Usually there is a list on your city's website, under the information about their recycling program. The lists also often have a section detailing a few items that are NOT accepted. And then some places, such as mine, will tell you where you can dispose of certain non-recyclable items for either safer disposal or potential recycling, but it may cost a fee.
@@thatjillgirl Thank you!!!
In Upstate New York, the Rescue Mission thrift stores Thrifty Shopper will accept unbearable textiles, they sell it to a recycler.
If you know an item isn't going to sell due to damage, stains or excessive wear, bag them separately, tie the bag an label it as "rag". I collect sewing scraps in the same bag.
huh, I live in a third world country and one of the first things we started recycling was actually tetrapack. it's not everywhere, but they started recycling it when I was in kindergarten and I am 24 now 😅. pet bottle recycling is a lot more recent, which I find really interesting
Tetrapak does their own recycling I think, in special bins you have to buy. So it’s possible that made it easier in your country because they didn’t have to make new infrastructure!
This video was so helpful and informative! It would be interesting to see you take and review the online footprint calculator test - it tells you how many earths would be needed if everyone lived the same lifestyle as you. However, when I took it, I thought that it had some issues because it didn’t really take into account buying second hand, reducing plastic waste, and overall consumption.
Love your videos! 💚
There’s leather made from pineapple bush, cactus, tree bark, cork, apple, mushroom, grape peels and other plant based leathers. 💚🌱
Most of the processing is plasticiaton though, Apple leather would otherwise be a compost able snack.
Mushroom/bacterial products however are approximating leather qualitys
@@fionafiona1146 well it’s still better than animal leather
Something which many seem to think is sustainable is fabric totes, it's not like they're bad but it seems hard for some to understand it's about numbers of times it's used.
Also, can you please do a video on freebies? Not like we're going to any events right now but in normal times they are always trying to push note pads, pens and low quality cloth totes with advertising on the items. I even got a tote in the snail mail from my landlord with their branding!
A friend of mine makes totes out of jeans and fabric people donate to her! She's quite a busy little bee too. Holding one of her bags feels like buying second hand while owning something new. I love it. Making our own bags or promoting a small business that makes them out of bits and bobs is more sustainable than buying a brand new tote
I was really hoping you’d talk about essential oils
I’m eco-geeking out right now!
I love your videos Shelbi. I think we all need to discuss the ethics of donating clothes and the gentrification of those thrifting spaces. As someone who is trying to live more sustainably it is hard to buy clothes on Depop even though they are second hand because of the gentrification, packaging, and shipping impacts. I would love to her Shelbi’s thoughts on drop shipping which allows fast fashion to be sold under the guise of sustainable second hand sources.
Yikes. I need to stop wishcycling.. I always thought it was a good thing thanks for the info!
I’ve just discovered your videos and was honestly a bit overwhelmed in wondering how I could start on a more minimalist mind-set and it was encouraging when you got to not throwing away everything to start over! I hadn’t thought about that and now feel like I can have more intent and being mindful about what we are buying for our household as we use the things we already have.
Hi Shelby! My family and I try our best to make sustainable choices in our household. However, it's much more difficult now that we live in a rural area without many bulk or artisan options and such. Can you do a video about how to live a sustainable life when there are so few sustainable options available? It's hard to accomplish when you don't live in a metropolitan area with oodles of shopping options :-/ Thanks!
Consuming less in general is the best thing to do. :)
Random, but some fun uses for plastic bags you already have laying around:
cutting it down to strips/yarn and braiding it together/crocheting it together to make things, I use mine for macramé pot hangers, make gift bows out of them, use them for filler in craft projects, crinkle toys, straps on bags/handles, etc!
SHELBI! Did you see John Oliver’s latest show on plastics and recycling?!? ♻️
Link?
I saw it, it was great!
@@aaronphillips7585 Right?! His arguments are always on point 👌
@@Andytheevien It's on RUclips. Search for "John Oliver Plastic"
It was AMAZING!!!
I definitely agree with you about donating when it comes to certain pieces. However in the UK charity shops are always looking for high quality items, especially winter coats, jeans, maternity and children's clothes! I would personally stay away from donating a big bag of fast fashion items as these won't sell and will probably end up in landfill.
I want to see your channel blow up. This is so important, it blows my mind not many people know these things or care to educate themselves.
Wait, how much followers is considered "blown up"?
An area that strikes me a lot is the fashion industry and sustainability. With the increasing demand for thrifting, I have been seeing a number of 'thrift shops' that have open orders, meaning they get the product based on demand 🤦🏻♀️ like bruh that's not thrifting anymore that's new clothes. As well as new clothing companies that greenwash themselves, I always look into these companies because there are not that many of them, and the only information they have on their 'sustainable' line are just that they have plastic-free packaging but have ZERO information on the manufacturing of the product - I hate it when companies do this because they are fooling the majority of people :/
Lovely ideas and The Simple Environmentalist's channel told us to check out your channel and I'm returning the favor. She talks about the "Use what you got, mend what you have" aspects of low waste sustainability. Reusing, mending and make do is VERY 1930s during the depression era when people didn't have the money to buy new stuff. they used something till it was tattered and no longer mendable or useable and then composted it.
A lot to think about. This year, my sustainability focus has been on clothing items. Mostly because my husband passed away and left a lot of clothing. Some of it is brand new or almost brand new. Those I am putting on FB Marketplace to sell. Some are slightly used and will go to a clothing closet for someone who may need some new gently used clothing. A local church hosts a shoe drive annually, so his shoes will go there. The items that are not good enough for those uses will be transformed. Tshirts will become rugs or polishing rags. Denim will become memory quilts for each of his kids. I'm trying to be very deliberate in NOT sending anything to a thrift shop. It's taken me a year to get this figured out, finding local sources to send these items, but I think I have it figured out now.
What about fungi sourced leather? It's biodegradable and sounds much more sustainable.
yes, the only issue as I said is that it is always more expensive & not widely available. I'd have to see a brand fixing those gaps to determine but it's just not the case yet.
In Mexico, entrepreneurs have developed leather made of cacti, maybe that’s a better alternative:) (i’ll do my research too)
@@andreags9495 I heard about that!
Hello @shelbizleee .
I love your channel, I find it very inspirational. I’ve always reused and donated a lot of my stuff. I’m actually on some minimalist fb groups and a lot of people are like “ just throw it out, put it in the bin, if it gives you anxiety get rid of it “ and my opinion is if at some point in our life we made the decision to bring something into our home we should be responsible and take the time to donate/sale/dispose of it properly however long it takes, I actually have a couple of plastic bins/totes in my house where I put stuff I need to give away. And if they are full and I want to add something I just wait until something goes so it doesn’t overflow.
have you ever seen cork 'leather' ? it's really soft and apparently shaving the cork is actually good for the tree... i wish there were more cork leather options. i only see a few bags on etsy
Mukishoes has shoes made out of cork "leather."
Cork cross body bag $100 !! I was looking for very lightweight purse.
Great video. It’s a shame when someone does something unhelpful when they are really trying to help so this kind of knowledge is key.
Shelbi, I just wanted to say thank you for all that you do. I did not know about the sustainability movement until I found you. I stumbled on your videos one day and from then on, I was hooked. I have been following your videos for almost a year now and I find your content extremely helpful. I am trying to do my part for the planet and thanks to you I am armed with knowledge that can help me do that. This video is incredibly helpful to me and I can now make an even more educated decision about my purchases. I just wanted to let you know that you are making a difference in this world and hopefully this comment will improve your day.
On the topic of contamination in recycling I’ve been wondering about for a while-
my area fortunately says yes give it all to us, as well as promotes using the green and blue more than the black which they’re going to start charging residents to use this summer so the city is very clear on wanting to reduce actual waste- But I have noticed other neighbors bins not looking as recyclable which I think in part is due to vast cultural differences and language barriers though the city has tried to accommodate in its literature. So the question is: If one resident is recycling as properly as they can yet all of the area is being dumped in the same truck- is that cause for the entire batch to be considered too contaminated? This is probably a dumb question but driving down the street on trash day I always wonder 🤷♀️
Perhaps it would be worth arranging a recycling event in your area.
@@raapyna8544 The city tries to but it doesn’t seem to be a priority to the majority 🤷♀️
3:37 there’s pineapple leather which is actually very successful and very sustainable. it’s being used by lots of big brands too
WITH LEATHER, it also helps the entire cow be used. so... you eat the meat, make bone meal for the plants, make leather for our warmth and last long.
as far as I know, the cows held for meat are not the same cows which you get your leather from, sadly...
@@pleasurface oh well that really sucks. :(
You're my info source when trying to have a smaller footprint, thank you so much for putting good info out there!!
You talked about raising animals for consumption, but I am curious about your thoughts on hunting. Ethically I could never take an animals life, but isn't there less of an environment impact since they are wild animals?
Plus the money that people pay for hunting licenses can be used for conservation (for example some hunting money goes towards studying Chronic Wasting Disease in White Tailed Deer and scientists take tissues from hunted deer to study it)
I think hunting specifically to feed yourself is fine, personally. If you're going to eat meat, that's certainly the most "natural" way to get it. And certainly for financial reasons, some people depend on hunting and fishing as an extra source of food. Trophy and sport hunting/fishing is pretty wasteful and a little sad to me, but if you're going to actually eat whatever you hunt and you're following the local game limits, then I don't see the problem.
I’d be curious to know your thoughts on hunting, assuming the entire animal is used. As well as people who have personal farms, so they raise their own meat and never “buy” it from the store. Ethics aside for a moment, is it more sustainable? Genuinely curious.
Hunting would be more sustainable as resources weren't 'consumed' to grow the animal. As an indigenous person, I've seriously considered swearing off meat and dairy unless it's foraged/gathered by myself
My family owns 2 non profit thrift stores and all of the profits assist in funding our non profit women rehabilitation center! Some things end up in the trash, but almost everything that doesnt sell gets sent to fabric recycling or is given away for free to families in need. I think a lot of small thrift stores are the same way!!! Definitely suggest supporting small non profit thrift stores over large chain thrift stores!
Watching this reminds me of the good place (there are so many factors that goes into everything that it's extremely hard to be a good moral human being)
So if anyone else gets a bit of anxiety from overthinking like I do. Just reduce and reuse whenever possible. And try to grow a little of your own foods. That's fulfilling, healthier, and better for the environment.
I agree! Consuming less is the most important thing and overthinking consumer choises is not the point! The point should be envisioning a society that's sustainable and working together towards it.
On the clothing donation track, if I know the thrift store won’t use it, or someone won’t buy it back, I cut it up and make rags or use them as patches
this is extremely helpful!
Congrats on being first ⭐
been binging ur videos for the past week and i was SO EXCITED when i saw u posted today because I've made my way through nearly ur whole channel!!! i love what you're doing and I'm trying my best to learn and change because of you!! u go queen
So helpful! I loved your point about digital planning.
As someone who worked in a thrift store, not everything can be sold either because it is not the condition to be sold. Anything with stains, obvious/strong odor, holes not manufactured, obviously altered (read: badly done), or anything particular to that store, gets either tossed into our dumpsters or shipped out somewhere else based on severity.
Another excellent video! What I really love is how relatable Shelbi is.. educates w/o talking down to us. I think also it’s a good idea to buy local as much as possible as far as produce, although I realize not everything is everywhere! I would probably have a scurvy by now if not for citrus from warmer climes! 😉 I also think waiting for something to be in season makes it taste that much better! Thanks again, Shelbi!
Guppyfriend washing bags help catch a lot of the microparticles that wash out of our poly clothing. They aren't a perfect solution and aren't large enough (yet) for microfiber bedding, but they're a start on reducing water contamination.
I've looked into that twice but both times they were sold out. I wonder if the microplastic will stick partly to the clothing. I don't want to shed it ib the garden or somewhere else outside. I'll look into it again. Thanks fot your suggestion!
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST INFORMATIVE VIDEOS IVE EVER SEEN. THANK YOU
Due to a MissRemiAshten video I have just learned that some people buy a tub of 2500 plastic hair ties, then because they rip your hair out you instead buy a small hair tie remover which as you can guess, is used to cut the plastic hair band out of your hair so you can throw it away without damaging your hair. Insane, definitely one for an anti haul
I really love the conversations about leather! I'm excited to see all the plant based leather alternatives popping up and I hope they do well but like you said when it comes to well crafted leather things they really can last a lifetime. I know that there are sustainable ways to tan and process leather but they're never done on a large scale so ofc the fashion industry doesn't care :/ My fave way of watching people deal with animal skins is how indigenous people work with them or someone who hunts for their food will make sure to use everything they can and more often than not they're using all natural methods that don't impact anything negatively. The answer to so much of the sustainability issue that any animal product faces or food issue is that supporting small business within your community will almost always be 10x better for the planet, industrialized farming is the problem not the neighbor who raises chickens and sells the extra eggs.
There are no thrift stores where I live, but I have a large number of items from when I lived near thrift stores, and I have been wearing many of them for ten year or more. When tshirts, leggings, underwear, anything made from tshirt material gets ratty, I cut them up and make them into yarn. then I knit them into teddy bears or other items, or braid them into rugs. I also cut up plastic grocery bags, most of which I pick up off the streets, and knit mats and tote bags from them. I never take plastic bags from stores.
what do you do whit the trapped microplastics in your washer?
I believe in another video she states that the microplastics pill up and she puts these masses into her trash, but makes sure she puts them inside something where it won't blow out to spread around or get eaten by an animal. ....if that wasn't Shelbi, it was Gittemary 😅 I watch a lot of their videos back to back! 😅
I'm not sure how it is in the US but in the UK I used to work in a thrift shop. And all our clothes that go on the hangers get 3months a date is written on them. If they haven't been sold in 3months they get moved either to another branch of the shop or put in rags for recycling
Yes! I work in a small dairy farm and even my boss at the farm says mega farms are extremely unsustainable and terrible for the environment. We can’t keep up with the waste and detriments to the environment. There are government incentives for the bigger farms to keep producing and grow larger which is a huge issue.
Not that small farms are sustainable though. Probably a little bit more sustainable but definitely not sustainable. The animals still have a big footprint. Especially all the food they eat. Much more sustainable to eat food directly instead of feeding them to animals to then get a lot smaller amount of "food" out of it.
@@nataliearlt4611 Agreed! Just drawing attention to the fact that larger farms are growing exponentially and they cannot keep up. At the very least, smaller family owned farms generally know what they can handle in terms of waste regulation. Not to say they are perfect at all. But at the end of the day sadly its a business, and most aren't concerned with the long term environmental effects. Plant based is always a better choice.
Shelbi you have the cutest kitties! I was wondering if at some point will you do a video on how you try to be as sustainable as possible with your pet care? Like kitty litter and food and what do you do with their little business from the litter? Do you bury it in the back yard, flush it, compost it, trash it? I have lots of rescue cats and I switched their litter to a corn litter so it can be biodegraded in an area we created just for it away from the house near the edge of the woods (I live in a rural area) But the litter comes in plastic bags. And then there is their food, and the bags for pet food is not reusable, and have plastic, and bulk is not on option where I live. Its a whole spiral. Advice or a video maybe?
I cleaned out my room and found some pleather wallets I had purchased around 7 years ago. Had barely used them and the pleather was sticky and peeling... so yes I agree I would much rather purchase second hand leather
Your videos are always so informative. It really shows you do your research and care! Thank you!
Side note! Moving to San Antonio soon! Any tips for someone eco conscious?! What should I get into ?! I’d love to be active in the community and make more eco friendly friends! Also, any suggestions on places to live? 😂 thanks chica! ❤️
Thank you for expressing it so clearly haha!! :D It's so hard to make people understand, I'm studying in urbanism and it's crazy how something basic can have a huge footprint.
You can get tofu package-free at some markets! It comes is a big bucket/barrel (plastic that can be sanitized and re-used) with many pounds worth, they dispense into your own reusable container.
What state is that?
For the microplastic filter on the washing machine, do you have to replace the filter? How often? What do you do with the old ones full of those microplastics, if so?
Sooo important this kind of videos!! I'm preparing one about this too (but in Spanish XD )
That is wonderful! I wish videos like this were in every language. Spread the message! 💕
@@BouncyBrown thanks!!!
It would be cool if you made a video about yarn or mentioned it in a video if you haven’t already! I like crocheting and I love crocheting some clothes but is it good for the earth to make, wear, and wash? I think it would be interesting to make a video about!
Just love it! So much passion!!! Even my husband quotes you🚶♀️☀️💃 when I get passionate about these topics!!!
One thing that I recently read in a book (food and climate change without the hot air) is that it's not cool to always use the oven.
We should use it wiser, for example, cooking various things at the same time, not just a single portion.
In this way we'll contaminate less. Also is better to use microwave or cook in a pan ✨
John oliver just did a show on plastic, it might interest you.
I have been paying attention to the amount of items our family brings into our home packaged in plastic. It is unreal. I made a conscious effort to cut down on those products but it’s difficult. I am doing a personal challenge to pay more attention and cut back on plastics.
Tiny rant, a bit off topic (sorry):
A lot of the problems with animal husbandry (animal farming?) is the way it's done. I'm not sure how things work everywhere else, but this is the case in Norway at least. If the animals graze on rough pasture (I don't know if that is actually the word. Norwegian: "utmark"), they contribute to the upkeep of eco systems. The soy in their food is totally avoidable, but cheaper. The drive for profit often reduces the quality and sustainability in all aspects of it. Animal welfare and (more) sustainable farming is done very well in some places, but there is little political will to make this the norm (my party works hard for this, but we're not in power at the moment). We live in a capitalist society, therefore profit comes first.
To be clear: I agree that we need to drastically reduce our meat intake, but we also need to look at necessary improvement in agriculture. If we were to eliminate meat production in Norway, many villages would have to become heavily industrialised to survive
totally agree! I think it's very unlikely we'll ever completely eliminate animal agriculture, but even just reducing and adjusting is an important step forward. I recently learned that the country I live in physically doesn't even have the space to grow enough feed for all the animals we consume here; they're being fed with soy imported from brazil instead. That is insane?? I can't remember the exact details, but because we are importing so much feed from south america, protein-heavy plants are missing from our agriculture and messing up the nitrogen levels in the soil... There is so much in (animal) agriculture that needs to reform
Ugh your videos are so good in every aspect. Even if I already knew something deep down, the way you break it down simply and out loud helps me make the better choice. I can skip the procrastination of rearching something I didn't really want to know the real answer to, feel less overwhelmed about the change, and make it reality. Like, here's the truth so you can stop ruminating and get on with your intention. Thank you. Your example and videos are doing a world of good contributing to the chain reaction of being conscious of sustainability.
I love the little audio changes! 🤣
I used to volunteer at the charity shop nearby and what they did with most of the extra clothing was send it to become rags for the workshops and garages of my region
I know not everyone can do it but I love getting eggs from my neighbors. There was a local butchery that named were all the meat came from and encouraged people to visit the small farms. It wasn't like the grocery store where if they sold out of something they just brought out more from the back, that was it. They only had a limited stock they got from the local small farms. I know most people probably don't have this luxury but when your in the country with no fancy groceries stores I think its a pretty good trade off. I think I lost the point, eating meat can be somewhat sustainable on a small scale, if you do as she recommends and do the research to see how the food gets from farm to you.
This is my first video I’ve seen of yours and i am blown away. You’re one of the ONLY you tubers that make me feel like you’re not bought by anyone and that your knowledge speaks for its self. Fantastic video! Will be subscribing and binge watching your channel.
This is gonna sound bad, but I'm starting to think I'm not as much into environmentalism as I am into ... reducing trash? Sure, I'm not someone to buy things carelessly or throw things away that can still be used, but that's more due to lack of money.
I'm just so sick of seeing trash everywhere, especially plastics. This whole "consider the entire life journey of a product" doesn't draw me as much as trying to live clean and disposing of things correctly. That's where I wanna focus for now.
This is very interesting! I could see multiple things leading to this.
One is that love of nature could lead to being very motivated to reduce trash. While the "entire life cycle of a product" also really affects nature in many ways, littering and trash have a direct effect on nature you can see with your own eyes instead of relying on having watched documentaries and learned how consumer products cause toxic mining conditions, for example.
On the other hand, I could see this anti-trash feeling being a result of advertising by fossil fuel companies for years that have emphasized individual responsibility about plastics and recycling. Advertising is very powerful and I think these campaigns have affected us all more than we realize.
have you done a video for sustainable cat supplies? I would love recommendations for cat supplies!
I would like this as well! Right now I use plant based litter that comes in cardboard, wet food in tins and dry food plastic bags because I can’t find any dry food in cardboard/paper.
on the topic of clothing donations: so many places where I live are unable to accept fabrics due to covid, but people still donate them, which means they just go straight to the landfill :((( it makes me so sad when I drive by and see
Wishcycling is definitely a struggle, my area doesn’t have glass recycling curbside and I wish it did so badly. However, I have a chart of what my city does accept and I stick with it even though it’s frustrating.