Civil engineer here, just wanted to add on to the bit on concrete. Concrete is made out sand, aggregates which are just crushed rock, and cement. In some places, people are starting to crush up old concrete and use it as aggregates instead of mining for new rock to use in concrete mixes. This is becoming more and more common and greatly reduces the amount of Virgin material needed to create new concrete. But you also didn't mention that the chemical process that occurs when cement hardens releases large amounts of CO2. Again, research is being done to reduce this but we're still a long ways away from a carbon neutral concrete, if it's even possible.
There is an interesting TED Talk called something like “How to Make Concrete Carbon Negative” that you might find interesting. Apparently the chemistry within concrete production can be changed to consume rather than produce carbon dioxide
I have a canvas bag from my grandmother too. It's not as old as that but it makes me think of her and it's definitely been used hundreds of times. I've even repaired a hole in it.
The cut flowers section reminded me that I would love to see an Impact of Houseplants video! It's such a big part of the sustainability esthetic, but I can't imagine that thousands of tropical plants being shipped everywhere is sustainable.
@@emmaviry9780 They're not shipped from their natural habitats, but in many cases they're still shipped from abroad. E.g in Europe, the Netherlands are a big exporter of greenhouse grown houseplants.
I have a charity thrift store, and we accept peoples reusable shopping bags that they don’t use. We simply reuse them (wash/clean them if needed, ofc) for storage and to bag up customers’ purchases, sometimes the customers will even return the same bags back to us later. Many people have been happy to give us their unused ”stash” of reusable bags, and it’s a win-win situation all around! Since the bags doesn’t cost us anything we don’t charge for them which encourages people to take a reusable bag instead of plastic, which we do charge for. We also encourage people to bring us donations in reusable bags. It would be nice to see this become more common for small businesses to do because it minimizes the amount of new reusable bags being produced and allows for unused ones to be used.
Re: replacing large household appliances, it definitely is a lose/lose. Newer ones are generally made to wear out in just a few years but older ones use more energy. That said, I'll keep the older items until they are no longer reparable! I'm frugal about my usage and my electric bill is fairly low. I inherited my parents' upright deep freezer which is over 50 years old and it still works great! It never has needed a repair.
What we need are appliances built to last with processes and materials for minimal impact and low usage requirements. (Which would all presumably jack up initial purchase costs, granted.) We do not have an economy that incentivizes that though. Capitalism reliably shunts costs off to any entity that cannot resist paying them, like the planet or future generations.
I got a new dishwasher two years ago and have had to repair it twice, now we have to junk it because it just leaks and the company has no idea what's wrong with it. I stick to hand washing and as basic/old appliances as I can find which are second hand. I can't stand all the new stuff that has computers and chips in it. They aren't cost effective and it's not like they are ever disposed of properly 🤷♀️ so yes I agree with what you've said.
Thank you for this great video! A lot of people, often influenced by bloggers or youtubers, social media etc, overuse essential oils and it is scary and upsetting to see them literally pour essential oil down the drains of their toilets and sinks and washing machines, and using them to clean every surface in their homes, regularly and even daily. Why? Because we now have this fake"culture" that everything needs to be perfumed: our bodies, clothes, bedlinen, couches, living spaces... it has become an OBSESSION. Obviously cleanliness is very important and nice, but it doesn't have to be perfumed to be clean! What about the lovely and personal body scents that we can get after using neutral natural soap? And why not just use a fresh bar of natural soap in our drawers/wardrobes, or little bags of lavender (which last very, very long) or dried herbs like our older generations did? And just open the windows to freshen up our home, especially when it's sunny? (unless you live in a very polluted area). But adding artificial/industrial scents to a dusty or polluted is not going to clean your air, it will just make it more toxic. Essential oils are wonderful but should be used sparingly and mostly for medicinal purposes (like eucalyptus for a cold or flu, mind for a headache, etc).
You are singing my song! I hate the overuse of scent in general, why does my mildew spray have to scented, that makes no sense, it's bleach already! I have to sneeze from tiny tablet organic bath room cleaner, it sucks, walking through the detergent aisle in a shop is awful and even passing a Lush shop triggers my asthma riddled lungs. The bedding in vacation homes is washed with scented detergent and maybe even softner, yikes. I only use unperfumed skincare, because too many even expensive pharmacy brands trigger eczema. Sometimes I just use stuff I could also eat to be on the safe side (like food grade argan oil, honey, diluted apple vinegar, rhye flour~, salt~). The only scent I like a home is fresh air, garden flowers, baked bread or freshly cooked jam. You'll never be able to smell the faint scent of a flowering cherry tree at night if your bed, your hair, your clothes, your skin is all scented artifically. Sometimes I feel like a sniffer dog because I can smell if a visitor has been there. I'd rather have the 10000 roses than a liter of rose oil.
Yaaas! 😊 Most important about essential oils is that they are natural and that they are used mindfully. I work at a essential oil company and they make sure, that neither the environment nor the farmers are exploited and most of the ingredients are organic. Essential oils add such a great value in terms of natural healing powers 🙏 But i do understand the problem of synthetic oils that are added to most of the products on the market these days...
I wonder if there are any studies on whether the impact of producing a dish washer (all the components, their shipping, the energy needed to build it, ect) + the electricity it uses on a daily basis, are really more sustainable than using more water. I really think this issue is much more complicated than it appears.
While we shouldn't waste water, it is also a natural, renewable resource. I never had a dishwasher and if it's up to me, I never will have one. I cannot stand the chemical smell and the way it makes your glasses dull and ugly. I'm also not convinced that it's more sustainable just because it uses less water. I couldn't afford to tear up my entire kitchen to put one in anyway, so it's a moot point.
Great video! Regarding canvas bags, I feel like people tend to forget somewhow that they're made out of fabric. It's great that more people are beginning to understand how harmful fast fashion etc is, but that same mindset needs to extend to canvas bags (and other fabric items) as well. Basically we should be looking at them the same way we do clothing, bedding and curtains etc. Use what you already have, swap, share, thrift, repair, remake. Buying new should always be last on the list! Edit: And to continue, I think we need to start thinking of cotton and fabrics in general kind of like water or gas - as a resource that we should be using responsibly. There are good and bad ways to use it. If the cotton is turned into high quality fabric which in turn is made into high quality clothes that are used for years and years that's a good use of resources, but if those same clothes (or canvas bags!) are only used a couple of times despite their high quality that's irresponsible. If the cotton is turned into cheap poor quality fabric that's made into cheap poor quality clothes that will only last a few washes that's a terrible use of resources. You basically need to use something regularly for a long time for it to be a good responsible use of the material that it's made of.
It'd be nice if (nominally) durable items had tags on them - like food does for nutrition - with an estimated usage lifetime, established by some neutral party, and perhaps a brief summary of recycling/degradability status.
I’ve never been a massive cut flowers person (LOVE them in my garden obvs) so my bf cleaned my car for me instead because he knew that would mean way more to me
My mum has been using chopsticks and coffee stirring sticks to help her plants stay up and climb onto the walls. The canvas bags and tote bags reminded me of a great episode of We Bare Bears in which they become addicted to tote bags XD love your content! greetings from Argentina!
Love you for bringing up there thing with flushing things that don't come out of you or are toilet paper down the toilet! This is a huge problem in sewage pants. Actually, paper that doesn't dissolve in the water has a tendency to get stuck around any moving part in the treatment plant and often, the only way to get it out is manually. I guess you can imagine that's not a fun job and we have more important things to do in the treatment plants. Also, don't flush down hair! It easily gets stuck in pumping wheels and if you've tried to untangle hair from being tightly wound around a spinning part I guess you can imagine, this is no fun job.
The wet wipes become a problem even before reaching the treatment plants, because they cause pipes along the way to clog, and that can be costly to repair.
Great video, Gittemary! I do have a few canvas bags, most of which I got many, many years ago, and will use until the end of my life, I'm sure. I'm 71. ;) Some were gifts, some were secondhand. I also bought some bags made of recycled plastic to use for groceries. I admit that I do have too many bags; however, they have been and will continue to be used for years. Along the same line, I have a backpack that I have had for so long, I don't even remember, but probably close to 15 years. Usually, backpacks don't last very long, especially when you work in a library and use them for carting around tons of heavy books. lol This one did start to come apart in places, so I took it to a shoe repairman and he fixed it so well that the straps are still very strongly attached...and that was about 12 years ago! It cost almost as much as the bag did originally, but it was sure worth it! :D ♥
Perfectly said. I rarely balk at the cost of repairs, even when replacing an item would be a bit cheaper, because my whole goal is to extend the life of items rather than saving money. Plus it helps small local business people.
Same for shoes. Get repaired shoes by a professional when broken, and also taking good care of shoes at home by brushing or washing them regularly, make our walks much more comfortable and sustainable.
hiya gittemary! i'd love a tour of your DIY projects with things that would have otherwise been wasted! you mention those a lot and I'd love some inspiration!! ^-^ I love your videos, thank you so much for your educating yet entertaining videos. Love from germany! x
I agree that most people have too many canvas bags and people should think more about the resources used to produce them. But I personally think you left out a big point in the debate plastic vs canvas bags: Plastic bags will stay around forever and ever while canvas bags are at least biodegradable. So yes, short term, they are worse for most people but long-term, they are still the better option.
As someone who loves going to antique stores when you mentioned the big acrylic movement going on and how the pieces last forever my first thought was “is this what I’m going to see in antique stores in 30 years…”
I use my bags until they fall apart. I think that's fine. No guilty feeling at all. And dishes.... do people really let the faucet run while they wash ???? There's a round thing ... darn forgot the word.... that keeps water in the sink...
My thoughts too. Why the need to run that water if you scrub some plates? Just rinse a little or none in the start, turn it off, wash all the dishes then rinse them all. I also prefer to put a bowl in the sink and rinse recyclables with that soapy water collected from washing, in order to save water/detergent in general. Not to mention people complain about using these to clean everything before being recycled but it's not rocket science, just common sense. No need to spend more, simple solutions are the best.
Microfiber cloths!!! I hear of so many people changing to microfiber in ways of reducing paper towel usage and trying to cut down on the use of harmful cleaning chemical because companies like Norwex market their cloths as only needing water to clean. The down fall is, people don't realize these "sustainable" cloths are essentially made of polyester and contain microplastics that leech into our water systems every time they are washed, and are mass produced in an unsustainable and likely unethical way.
I have never made resin art but my aunt does and she has a "ugly" pile that she doesnt throw out but offers to her family. I personally think they're pretty so my trivet, and all my coasters are from her. I don't really like them as just art but when they double as usable items around my home its nice to have something my aunt made and especially the pieces she would otherwose have discarded..
Regarding concrete, I would say that “reusing” old buildings and renovating them is better than building new. Never too small has a lot of interesting videos about reuse and restoration of small properties in old buildings so no need to be discouraged! Love what you do 💚💚💚
I've been using my bags for years. I don't even buy bags, I just acquire them through gifts and different means. I also have bags in all types of materials, not just canvas. As well, I have bags and sacks that were gifted to me by my grandmother and they were her mother's. 😊 So the lifetime of these bags is looking pretty long for the most part, which I'm very happy about.
heyy, just wanted to say that I absolutely love your content and your energy on this channel You‘re really helping me on my sustainability journey :)) How about a video about organisations like WWF, Greeanpeace, Oceancare etc., I would love to know which of all these organisations are worth supporting… (Sidenote: there‘s also concrete that is made out of hemp, so it is basically renewable)
I feel like resin is such a double-edged sword. It's "forever" quality is what can make it both a great option for lowering waste, and also what makes it such a menace. It is fantastic in preserving and mending items, like fixing broken electronics parts (where tape wouldn't do the trick e.g. in broken headphones, where hair oils would keep undoing the glue), or used to keep frequently used wooden furniture sealed without the need of re-sealing (a lot of sealers turn gummy and need replacing after some use, while oils don't fully seal the timber). I don't like the resin-art trends going around, not just for eco reasons but also as an aesthetic snob. Glass looks and feels so much more luxurious that resin, and can be recycled. Obviously though it has it's limitations where a mom couldn't really do some casual glass smelting crafts with her 8 year old at home lol.
Hi. Great video! Agree with everything except one point - dishwasher. Yes, using it is more sustainable, than washing dishes by hand, but only if you already have got one. Cause I would guess that production, transportation and sale of a new dishwasher generates way more waste, than one small family would by washing their dishes by hand in a decade.
Around Valentine's Day I saw this one local business selling bouquets of dried seasonal flowers and I thought that was a really neat idea! - Drying and saving up flowers from your garden to give to people seems somewhat more romantic to me
Canvas bags can also be used for organising things, not just carrying things. They can protect from the dust: shoes, bags, out-of-season scarfs/gloves and some clothes, sports gears, organise games, balls, rackets, children's toys/fluffy animals/dolls, hobby stuff and tools, wool.cotton yarn, what is packed in a suitcase like delicate underwear or accessories, hang things from hooks in the bathroom or closet, etc. Plain colour bags can be embroidered or painted with textile paint, personalised in many ways, used for gift wrapping... The brand logo or some ugly picture can be hidden by sewing a piece of nice fabric. If the bag is made of natural fabric, the fabric can be repurposed to make something else like table dish sets or napkins..
essential oils are also not as healthy as we might think. because they are so concentrated they can result in being toxic. unfortunately there are so many people online convinced that essential oils cure all sorts of things and give them even to babies🤯 a moderate use that doesn't involve putting essential oils directly onto your skin or ingesting them is advised.
🤔 I am chosing to keep my old (15yrs) washer/dryer in good working order rather then trash for new. It's not as good on water or electric use but I feel the environmental impact of repairing is lower then replacing. We repair our own so smaller impact even then hiring repairs out.
During the past few years, I have learned about the harmful environmental impact of items such as candles, cut flowers, essential oils, canvas bags, concrete (we’re running out of sand to make concrete), and more… so I have stopped buying these items (with the exception of concrete… for obvious reasons). What a great way to save money!! It seems that when we exert our time and energy into taking care of the planet we also stop spending money. What a pleasant spin off 😃 I only wish more folks would allow themselves to experience this positive impact of saving the planet and saving money. Great video today Gittemary!! Thanks so much and have an awesome weekend everybody. 🌎💦Ⓜ️ary💕
Hi Mary! I agree, this was a good video and it helps to know these things, for sure. I love that by-product you mention of less money spent! ;) Such a bonus when eliminating unsustainable items from our lives. :D ♥♥♥ Happy Friday!
Thanks for mentioning resin. It is definitely an interesting DIY but I never tried and also fully understand the negative impact of being there "forever" and even use plants and make them an "impact" by conserving them in resin. In regards to dish washing by hand: I think my mum washes dishes by hand even more sustainable than a dish washer. 😂 And I am fighting to have two sinks in the future kitchen to be able to Sometimes wash dishes as she does. 😉 Regards Stephanie
Hi Stephanie. I'm curious about your mother's secret techique for washing dishes. I want to reduce the amount of water I use and remodel my kitchen to incoporate a dishwasher is out of mind.
My degrees are in horticulture, and I can't even begin to tell you the horrors of the cut flower industry. My personal peeve is the Tournament of Roses Parade. The level of waste is just staggering.
Excellent video GitterMary. No, I don't do resin art because outside of gardening I am not creative. Thanks for sharing this video. Washing dishes by hand is unsustainable but it could be argued that Dishwasher's aren't sustainable due to being powered by electric that may be provided through fossil fuels. Love 🥰 the video and love 💕 GitterMary.
1) I was thinking of doing art on fabric bags and t-shirts... now rethinking the bags part! 2) I just keep napkins and chopsticks from takeaways, etc. (sometimes even if you decline, they still put those in), and by now could probably supply a local Asian cafe with at least chopsticks for a month )
I’m obsessed with your content! Can’t wait to see where my sustainable lifestyle will take me. (I just started my journey a couple weeks ago starting off with vegan and working my way into sustainable living). Thank you for all your input, advice, and tips! VERY HELPFUL!
I sell candles locally in my area from organic soy wax and the jars are all repurposed jars from food stuffs from my job or coworkers not sure how much more sustainable that can get but I'm certainly looking
7:46 I use chopsticks & popsicle sticks for various repairs! Such as for those fabric hanging storage: if they start to sag since it’s flimsy cardboard or something inside, you can cut a small slit in the front/under the shelf to slip the chopsticks in for support 🤩Popsicle sticks are good for the smaller ones depending on the length, so you have a variety of sizes for a variety of fixes
I've only done resin-crafting once to make a pendant and it's definetly an interesting medium from a crafting-perspective, but I agree that it needs to be used more mindfully as it is plastic after all (ie don't make or buy something you're not gonna use a lot) and that's in addition to the fact that a lot of resin is very toxic and really needs to be disposed of properly and generally be handled with great caution
I’ve started using my tote bags as project separators (crocheting/sewing/etc) and for giving gifts. As for washing the dishes, I just flashback to when I worked as a dishwasher and the dishwasher broke and we had to do the “3 sink system” and had to change the water every hour and I shudder. Hand washing is my least favorite thing on the planet, but I will also do it for the longevity of certain items (wood, good knives, etc) but I try my best to not use too much water when I do it. I’m lucky that I don’t have to worry about candles or essential oils anymore, they all cause migraines for me! No matter the ingredients or quality.
I have a refrigerator from 1993. I’m sure it costs a bit more to run, but modern refrigerators have a life span of 5-7 years, then they are thrown in a landfill. I’m guessing it’s about the same as far as impact. I’m sure you are right about really old appliances from 40-50 years ago. Our stove was from 1975, and replacing it when it died did reduce our electric bill.
Love your content! My mother and a friend of mine used their old fridge/freezer to store clothes or craft supplies. So they were not simply thrown away, but served a purpose. And the really old fridge my friend used in this way was actually quite stylish in a retro kind of way. I inherited lots of wire baskets from other old freezers in my family. which I now use in my wardrobe or storage room to store things.
Would you talk specifically about gas stoves? They’re really bad for indoor air quality. In the US, where I live, most of them are powered by fracked natural gas. Yet, people keep buying them because they are perceived as more luxurious. It won’t turn you into a better cook, folks.
Hey ! Do you have any tips to make the house smell nice that is more sustainable? I live in a student accommodation and despite cleaning the room all the time it just had a weird smell for some reason . But I would prefer to use a something that is more sustainable than candles or a essential oil diffuser ... any recommendation?✨
@@yourstylishgrandma6454 I would **think** it’s better because there’s no flame, but again I don’t really know for sure. It’s probably still releasing shit into the air
Ask your friends or family if they have essential oils or perfumes they don't use anymore and use these on a little bowl of water or drop into a piece of wood or something. If it's just collecting dust in someone elses house~ Also try baking soda on the non washable things like your mattress or carpet to neutralize odors, maybe even the unsealed wood furniture. There are many tutorials here on youtube.You can use a hygrometer to see if your room has too much moisture (that could smell a bit mouldy, even if you can't see mould) and air out accordingly. If your room is on dryer side plants like spider plants or peace lilies can help and are hard to kill, because they release water and oxygen and freshen up the air (a bit). Dried herbs work too, lavender the most prominent, you could hang a sachet in a space where it gets moved regulary. Even a pot of fresh herbs on the window like a little thyme (harder to kill than lavender or rosemary, at least for me, lol) should help. If you eat organic citrus fruits, just dry the peels in a bowl, instant citrus potpourri.
3 to 4 times what a dish washed uses? I only use 4L of water per wash and thats for every single pot and pan. According to that logic a dish washer uses 1L per load. I googled and apparently the average is 122L by hand. thats just stupid. Who uses that much water to was up.
I had no idea resin was like this... I've been interested in it because people make art with it that looks so *cool*... Now, I need to rethink it. Awesome video!
Just thinking, washing dishes by hand vs dishwashers..dishwashers use electricity, they need to be produced, transported, they possibly break, need fixing or replaced, get dumped and I know many people who pre hand rinse the dishes before they put them in the dishwasher and on top of all that a dishwasher still uses some water so personally I'm still a bit sceptical about a dishwasher being a better choice.
This. Also: I'm not washing my dishes under constantly running water like I see it on YT often enough. I begin with a slightly filled sink which is filling further while I give the dishes a slight rinse after washing which adds some clean water for the next ones + my dishes ususally won't end up crazily dirty bc I _e s s e n t i a l l y_ use a bowl scraper to remove food debris right away.
I think sustainable washing up needs to include more than just water usage though - even still if I’m filling up a washing up bowl with about 3 litres of water then surely the amount of water saved using a dish washer can only be minimal - and then accounting for this huge piece of machinery being produced and all the metal that had to be mined to create it and then the emissions in transporting it, is it really justified?
Agreed, and there is also the impact of the dishwasher at the end of its life (which is now only 5-7 years on average thanks to manufacturers' planned obsolescence) where parts that cannot be reused/recycled (if someone even bothers to try) will sit in a landfill for hundreds of years or longer.
I totally get what you're saying here about canvas bags, but I use mine all the time! I usually buy them from small artists that I want to support and use I use them for all my shopping! Or I just use them as a purse 🤷🏼 Love your channel! 🤗
Great video. I’m not sure about the dish washer thing. I use a washing up bowl. admittedly plastic but I’ve had it years, I use it for hand washing clothes or growing seeds after. How many people wash dishes or run them under the tap before they put things in a dishwasher.
I'm also skeptical of the dishwasher claim. As a single person, I guarantee that hand washing my dishes uses WAY less water and energy than running a dishwasher for an hour or more. And that's not even taking into account all the materials and resources needed to build and transport the dishwasher initially, or the resources needed to transport and dispose of it once it can no longer be used, or the impact of parts that can't or won't be recycled and will sit in a landfill for hundreds of years or longer.
The hardest thing about new appliances is they are built with planned obsolescence, made to fail. My parents were getting their refrigerator from the nineties fixed and they asked about getting a new one. The repair guy told them they can probably make this one last as long as they are in their house while a new fridge will need to be replaced every 5-7 years. Their current fridge isn’t as energy efficient, but it doesn’t have to be trashed 🤷♀️
The tote bag thing: there needs to be a distinction with "impact" and "sustainable". Something can have a high individual impact and still be a sustainable thing. A bike also has a high individual production impact, but is widely known as one of the best ways to transport yourself sustainably. As you yourself mention, it's the usage and not the bag. Buying a bike and immediately throwing it off a cliff is also not environmentally friendly... just seems a bit disingenuous to me for eco-influencers to always bring that up for bags but not for virtually any other swap. Also regarding the water point that is *constantly* brought up. In the US at least, most cotton is grow purely from RAIN. About 2/3 of cotton acreage in the US is totally non-irrigated. The rain would've fallen and been used by plants regardless. This is a fundamental problem with environmentalists reading about one aggregated number (which may INCLUDE rainfall) and just running with it for every cotton thing produced anywhere. Sources for acreage number: www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-practices-management/irrigation-water-use/ www.cotton.org/news/releases/2021/pltless.cfm
Agree on the bags for sure. I can 100% see some people misinterpreting "canvas bags are high impact" as meaning "canvas bags are no better than single-use plastic bags" (which is wildly untrue). People should be using them instead of plastic, while also being mindful of the resources needed to produce them by not having more than they need and by using them as long as possible. I'm also skeptical of the dishwasher claim. Maybe it might be true for a large family (I'm doubtful and would want to see numbers on this), but as a single person, I guarantee that hand washing my dishes uses WAY less water and energy than running a dishwasher for an hour or more. And that's not even taking into account all the materials and resources needed to build and transport the dishwasher initially, or the resources needed to transport and dispose of it once it can no longer be used, or the impact of parts that can't or won't be recycled and will sit in a landfill for hundreds of years or longer.
I think both the usage and the product matter. Yes, a bike is sustainable despite the production impact, but then again a person usually has ~1 bike. And for the bags, it has become ubiquitous for people to have multiple bags per person, not just one. And in this case it's practically difficult or near impossible to use all your bags as often as needed to make up for their production impact. Which is where the giving them away or the trying to not obtain more bags comes in. At the end of the day of course textile bags are better, and there are additional factors to consider, for example if my plastic bag ends up in the environment, will it cause more damage to wildlife than if my cotton bag ends up there (textile wins again here).
@@Etianen7 I regularly use 6-8 reusable bags per shopping trip. Most people are going to need multiple. If people are getting too many because companies are giving them away or promoting with them, yes thats a problem just like any overconsumption. I don't think its the standard case for people to actually have "too many", and if they do, each one will last longer (less usage intensity per bag). It doesn't change the argument anyways. There needs to be a distinction between impact and sustainability, and eco influences love to not make it.
Awesome research and advice - thank You! You can use one time use chop sticks ( broken in pieces) as moisture absorbers when putting fresh groceries in your fridge , like mushrooms, or kale....As well as toothpicks...
Concrete I think is an interesting one. In lower economically developed countries concrete is actually a really useful and accessible material to build housing and shelters so I would argue if it's going to be your home for years to come it's actually sustainable.
I still have canvas bags that I purchased in the mid 90’s. They’re of course used for grocery shopping. Some of them are used as portable “file cabinets”, some for craft supplies. One of them is slightly distressed due to a puppy chewing the handle😂
I’m really curious to observe how those people hand-washed the dishes when they did this water comparison. Did they leave the water running? Did they not reuse the rinse water? And I’d like a dishwasher’s energy and materials to be translated to “water” comparable and included in the number of “gallons used”
I handwash in a plastic bowl and put the water on the garden. I was tempted to get a dishwasher but it seems to be more economical and therefore sustainable to wash by hand when its a small household.
I own one canvas bag that I use all the time lol I’ve used it so much that it started to fall apart but luckily I’m a seamstress so I just keep fixing it, plus I found at a thrift store, they were going to throw it away so I asked if I could have it and they said I could. I’ve had the one bag for a good 4 almost 5 years now
I did learn about the hand vs dishwasher. We had to get a new dishwasher but I always tried to handwash when I could. I still question it as I make a bowl of soapy water to wash, set soapy dishes in sink beside it till I have a pile to rinse. Then air dry! 🤷♀️ I'm also miffed that I'm not legally allowed to gray water my house where I live *pout*
I really love your content…you’ve helped me to revisit how I use things and I feel really great about the changes I’ve made. Now I just need to move to Denmark so we can be friends! Xoxo
I know you mentioned a little while back that soy is one of the greatest contributors to deforestation. Soy still seems preferrable to petroleum-based candles, but are there other candle waxes that are more sustainable? Is coconut oil better?
For concrete we can vote for politicians that are aware of the materials used in city planning. Or, if we are building something ourselves, we can find anothet ressource.
I'm throwing micas and clays out there for another set of surprisingly unsustainable items as they are non-renewable sources and are found in soooo many natural/eco friendly cosmetic products. It's not the thing that will change the world but thought it was interesting how these powders, similar to essential oils, have become widely accepted in sustainable products
Advocate for more and better public transit, always, but especially for on the ground transit then. Underground transit, when build new, requires concrete. And if that wasn‘t enough, it requires to build elevators which wouldn‘t be necessary if transit was build on ground level. (And also whenever the elevators are broken somehow the whole station becomes inaccessible.)
Honestly, I use my canvas bags literally hundreds of times, unlike plastic bags as they break way more easily, and you can more easily repair a canvas bag compared to a plastic one
And the whole dishwasher thing is something me and my partner argue about a lot haha. In my opinion it’s only more sustainable using a dishwasher if you fill the dish washer properly, and not if you wash two plates
I'm never convinced the the dishwasher argument. As well as the energy/electricity it uses, it uses way more water than when I wash by hand. how much water or how do people wash dishes when it uses more than an entire dishwasher full? 🤔😮Also newer items do not last long like they used to.Seriously my massive bugbear is this.. planned obselecence (sp?) we MUST ensure and encourage companies to make items that last... of course that is part of our need to rethink the way society works and stop this need for massive profit. Everyone needs enough to live on but nobody needs such ridiculous excess.In the UK this is why people are struggling with buying food and heating... because companies are raising prices beyond all our means... why? In the name of their profit margins
I´m not shure about the handwashing - you also thought about the production of the dishwasher included in this? All the materials which are used to built a dishwasher?
I reuse disposable chopsticks or use them to stabilize plants that need help. With hand washing dishes, I think it depends on how use wash them, as in being mindful about how much water you use. I don't fill my sink up with wash or rinse water. I clean some dishes, quick rinse them off, put them in the drying rack and repeat. I could just be trying to defend myself, lol.
One thing about new appliance nowadays... they break so much faster than old ones. Nowadays lots of appliances come with micro chips break very easily.
Good video - though I do wish you mentioned alternatives more consistently. In particular: #3 cotton totes - ok. why not mention a better option, also? Jute bags are more common where I live and they are a highly sustainable option. Bottom line, both cotton and jute are better than plastic which simply will not break down for a verrrrry long time. #4 handwashing dishes vs dishwasher - yikes, you really missed the important aspect of the dishwashing powder. Most of these are agressively abrasive and full of chemicals that are detrimental to the environment. I'd vote washing by hand with best water saving techniques or environmentally conscientious dishwashing powder. Note, even modern high energy effeciency machines are big household energy drag - if you're in an off the grid household this impact is enough to make them impractical... Food for thought.
All but 2 of my reusuable bags came from a thrift store, and I use them so much (not just for grocery shopping, but thrift shopping as well) that one of them recently fell apart when loading it up at the checkout. I got a lot of use out of it 👍
About that diswasher thing, According to the so-called tests made, it's based on European households that kept using hot water for long periods of time. AKA whether the dishwasher is more effective depends. Because I'm pretty sure if the data was say somewhere in Asia where the weather is humid, and many Asians of the lower income families to hawkers use a huge low bucket to wash their dishes, the dishwashers would be seen as using far too much water. AKA diswashers being more effective in water usage is a huge MYTH. And some tests were so eregious, that it includes bathing, pools, water for gardens. And really when it comes to whether dishwashers have actually improved compared to say a decade ago... It's just a few percentage of difference (about 3- 5%). But there are no regulations to must say this out openly. Otherwise the statistics depends on the best dishwasher. Which not many people can afford. Also it uses electricity.
I love indoor plants and i guess it is not the most sustainable habit (though now i grow veggies and stuff on my balcony which i probably wouldn't do if i didn't love plants already), but i am trying my best. I don't buy new pots ever. I am in plant groups where people give up old pots. I take em and when i don't like the look, i take rope or paint them, sand them down etc. I drill drainage holes in otherwise useless pots because no planter can fit in there. I exchange pantlings with other people I don't buy new clothes except panties, no new candles, my skin care routine is nearly perfectly zero waste because my friend works at lush and gives me stuff that would otherwise be thrown away and i give the pots back. I can't drive. I think i can compensate my plant addiction
I beg my loved ones not to buy me cut or rooted flowers or plants. It is a waste of money as I live in the country and grow my own roses and have a houseful.of potted plants.
In the U.S. at least, you can get cut flowers that are left over from events like weddings, parties, etc. and would otherwise be thrown away from companies like Revased and also they're available from Imperfect Foods as well.
Another problem with concrete and other hard surfaces is that they stop the ground from absorbing water, which has various negative consequences including raising flood risk and wasting rainwater.
My dishwasher and fridge were both produced in 1998 and are still going strong, so I have VERY mixed feelings about them. On the one hand, I use those consciously (with safe detergents, making sure it is full before I make a washing cycle, making sure the temperature is right etc) on the other hand I feel very guilty that I have two very old and definitely not energy efficient appliances in my kitche... I can't quite wrap my head around changing an appliance that is still perfectly working, but I think I'll have to take that step as soon as I have budget for it
If you wash dishes by hand the problem of using energy to make and dispose of yet another machine doesn’t happen. It isn’t necessary to wash dishes under a running water tap, one bowl to wash and one bowl to rinse after removing left over food which is recycled by a process of anaerobic digestion to make energy.
I might contradict you at old appliances part. Some old apliances are better than new ones most of the times, because they were built to last and I don't see that is necessary to replace them more often. Of course that are some cases were is necessary to replace the apliances more often. But if a appliance doesn't have very much issues at a old age, I didn't see why you would replace it.
Hand washing dishes using a basin for soapy water and a basin for rinse water isn't as wasteful. You might need to change the rinse water, which is a sign that you used too much soap. Let dirty items soak for a while.
But if you only have enough plates and cutlery good for a small family for one meal, loading all that in a dishwasher will be more inefficient than just washing them by hand after the meal.
On wooden chopsticks - You can use your wooden chopsticks and attach lil pieces of wood to them and use them as spike to hold up plant identification names in gardens.
I did not know about or even consider the impacts of concrete! Also, a while back, before I really knew about sustainability and was just focused on plastic, I had bought a box of 100 organic canvas bags that I was going to put cute sayings on and sell. I already have them so I might as well do that now, but I thought it would be a better alternative to plastic bags. If I sell them in my store, I may actually hike the price on them a bit now just to make sure that if someone is buying them it's because they are actually wanting to use it. I really wish people would put more effort into learning how to grow things on a massive scale in more sustainable ways!
About concrete, it is very interesting you brought this up. My brother is a construction worker. I told him about concrete and how used and unsustainable it is. He told me that now, in Switzerland they are thinking of buildings made out of wood. It is just beginning but he explained that they can last very long and that wood has a lot of potential. It might be used more and more ! So yeah we can have a little for this one
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Civil engineer here, just wanted to add on to the bit on concrete. Concrete is made out sand, aggregates which are just crushed rock, and cement. In some places, people are starting to crush up old concrete and use it as aggregates instead of mining for new rock to use in concrete mixes. This is becoming more and more common and greatly reduces the amount of Virgin material needed to create new concrete. But you also didn't mention that the chemical process that occurs when cement hardens releases large amounts of CO2. Again, research is being done to reduce this but we're still a long ways away from a carbon neutral concrete, if it's even possible.
Thank you for this insight! It’s nice to see using recycled materials is a practice in some parts of manufacturing.
There is an interesting TED Talk called something like “How to Make Concrete Carbon Negative” that you might find interesting.
Apparently the chemistry within concrete production can be changed to consume rather than produce carbon dioxide
Engineering geologist here, you can also use old chunks of concrete as armour stone along coastlines
Also the world is running out of sand. Predictions say there is going to be a fight about sand. Just search for sand documentary.
Have you heard about hempcrete?
I use canvas bags that my grandmother used back in the 60s, so they definitely have lots of use 🥰
Fabulous! That's the thing - when you have a really strong well-made canvas bag, they last forever! ♥
People can even upcycle worn clothes into a bag instead of buying a new one!
@@gunterzeninja4114 Yes! One of the bags I was gifted was made that way. ♥
@@jemma50 and can be repaired too!
I have a canvas bag from my grandmother too. It's not as old as that but it makes me think of her and it's definitely been used hundreds of times. I've even repaired a hole in it.
I make "canvas" bags by crocheting plastic bags together so there are less grocery bags in the land fill. Between 100-400 bags depending upon bag size
The cut flowers section reminded me that I would love to see an Impact of Houseplants video! It's such a big part of the sustainability esthetic, but I can't imagine that thousands of tropical plants being shipped everywhere is sustainable.
I think they are more likely being grown in closer heated nurseries, rather then shipped directly from their natural habitat
@@emmaviry9780 They're not shipped from their natural habitats, but in many cases they're still shipped from abroad. E.g in Europe, the Netherlands are a big exporter of greenhouse grown houseplants.
I have a charity thrift store, and we accept peoples reusable shopping bags that they don’t use. We simply reuse them (wash/clean them if needed, ofc) for storage and to bag up customers’ purchases, sometimes the customers will even return the same bags back to us later. Many people have been happy to give us their unused ”stash” of reusable bags, and it’s a win-win situation all around! Since the bags doesn’t cost us anything we don’t charge for them which encourages people to take a reusable bag instead of plastic, which we do charge for. We also encourage people to bring us donations in reusable bags.
It would be nice to see this become more common for small businesses to do because it minimizes the amount of new reusable bags being produced and allows for unused ones to be used.
Re: replacing large household appliances, it definitely is a lose/lose.
Newer ones are generally made to wear out in just a few years but older ones use more energy. That said, I'll keep the older items until they are no longer reparable! I'm frugal about my usage and my electric bill is fairly low. I inherited my parents' upright deep freezer which is over 50 years old and it still works great! It never has needed a repair.
What we need are appliances built to last with processes and materials for minimal impact and low usage requirements. (Which would all presumably jack up initial purchase costs, granted.) We do not have an economy that incentivizes that though. Capitalism reliably shunts costs off to any entity that cannot resist paying them, like the planet or future generations.
@@jeffengel2607 yes we do... but then "they" wouldn't make any money.
@@PatientFarmer Well yes. I invite them to experiment with a pro-social lifestyle for a change.
We just got a new fridge as our old one was using as much as a massive US style fridge freezer. New one is using 10x LESS electricity.
I got a new dishwasher two years ago and have had to repair it twice, now we have to junk it because it just leaks and the company has no idea what's wrong with it. I stick to hand washing and as basic/old appliances as I can find which are second hand. I can't stand all the new stuff that has computers and chips in it. They aren't cost effective and it's not like they are ever disposed of properly 🤷♀️ so yes I agree with what you've said.
Thank you for this great video! A lot of people, often influenced by bloggers or youtubers, social media etc, overuse essential oils and it is scary and upsetting to see them literally pour essential oil down the drains of their toilets and sinks and washing machines, and using them to clean every surface in their homes, regularly and even daily. Why? Because we now have this fake"culture" that everything needs to be perfumed: our bodies, clothes, bedlinen, couches, living spaces... it has become an OBSESSION. Obviously cleanliness is very important and nice, but it doesn't have to be perfumed to be clean! What about the lovely and personal body scents that we can get after using neutral natural soap? And why not just use a fresh bar of natural soap in our drawers/wardrobes, or little bags of lavender (which last very, very long) or dried herbs like our older generations did? And just open the windows to freshen up our home, especially when it's sunny? (unless you live in a very polluted area). But adding artificial/industrial scents to a dusty or polluted is not going to clean your air, it will just make it more toxic. Essential oils are wonderful but should be used sparingly and mostly for medicinal purposes (like eucalyptus for a cold or flu, mind for a headache, etc).
You are singing my song! I hate the overuse of scent in general, why does my mildew spray have to scented, that makes no sense, it's bleach already! I have to sneeze from tiny tablet organic bath room cleaner, it sucks, walking through the detergent aisle in a shop is awful and even passing a Lush shop triggers my asthma riddled lungs. The bedding in vacation homes is washed with scented detergent and maybe even softner, yikes. I only use unperfumed skincare, because too many even expensive pharmacy brands trigger eczema. Sometimes I just use stuff I could also eat to be on the safe side (like food grade argan oil, honey, diluted apple vinegar, rhye flour~, salt~).
The only scent I like a home is fresh air, garden flowers, baked bread or freshly cooked jam. You'll never be able to smell the faint scent of a flowering cherry tree at night if your bed, your hair, your clothes, your skin is all scented artifically.
Sometimes I feel like a sniffer dog because I can smell if a visitor has been there.
I'd rather have the 10000 roses than a liter of rose oil.
Yaaas! 😊 Most important about essential oils is that they are natural and that they are used mindfully. I work at a essential oil company and they make sure, that neither the environment nor the farmers are exploited and most of the ingredients are organic. Essential oils add such a great value in terms of natural healing powers 🙏 But i do understand the problem of synthetic oils that are added to most of the products on the market these days...
PREACH! 🙏
I love essential oils but they should be used mindfully, wisely and sparcely.
I wonder if there are any studies on whether the impact of producing a dish washer (all the components, their shipping, the energy needed to build it, ect) + the electricity it uses on a daily basis, are really more sustainable than using more water. I really think this issue is much more complicated than it appears.
While we shouldn't waste water, it is also a natural, renewable resource. I never had a dishwasher and if it's up to me, I never will have one. I cannot stand the chemical smell and the way it makes your glasses dull and ugly. I'm also not convinced that it's more sustainable just because it uses less water. I couldn't afford to tear up my entire kitchen to put one in anyway, so it's a moot point.
@@mchobbit2951 If it dulls your glasses, you're doing it wrong
Great video! Regarding canvas bags, I feel like people tend to forget somewhow that they're made out of fabric. It's great that more people are beginning to understand how harmful fast fashion etc is, but that same mindset needs to extend to canvas bags (and other fabric items) as well. Basically we should be looking at them the same way we do clothing, bedding and curtains etc. Use what you already have, swap, share, thrift, repair, remake. Buying new should always be last on the list!
Edit: And to continue, I think we need to start thinking of cotton and fabrics in general kind of like water or gas - as a resource that we should be using responsibly. There are good and bad ways to use it. If the cotton is turned into high quality fabric which in turn is made into high quality clothes that are used for years and years that's a good use of resources, but if those same clothes (or canvas bags!) are only used a couple of times despite their high quality that's irresponsible. If the cotton is turned into cheap poor quality fabric that's made into cheap poor quality clothes that will only last a few washes that's a terrible use of resources. You basically need to use something regularly for a long time for it to be a good responsible use of the material that it's made of.
It'd be nice if (nominally) durable items had tags on them - like food does for nutrition - with an estimated usage lifetime, established by some neutral party, and perhaps a brief summary of recycling/degradability status.
I’ve never been a massive cut flowers person (LOVE them in my garden obvs) so my bf cleaned my car for me instead because he knew that would mean way more to me
My mum has been using chopsticks and coffee stirring sticks to help her plants stay up and climb onto the walls. The canvas bags and tote bags reminded me of a great episode of We Bare Bears in which they become addicted to tote bags XD love your content! greetings from Argentina!
I also reuse chopsticks to keep my baby plants stay up :) greetings from Germany
I put them in my plants as well
Omg yes that we bear bears episode is iconic
me toooo, I thought how original I am but I guess many people have thought of this idea :) cool!
Love you for bringing up there thing with flushing things that don't come out of you or are toilet paper down the toilet! This is a huge problem in sewage pants. Actually, paper that doesn't dissolve in the water has a tendency to get stuck around any moving part in the treatment plant and often, the only way to get it out is manually. I guess you can imagine that's not a fun job and we have more important things to do in the treatment plants. Also, don't flush down hair! It easily gets stuck in pumping wheels and if you've tried to untangle hair from being tightly wound around a spinning part I guess you can imagine, this is no fun job.
The wet wipes become a problem even before reaching the treatment plants, because they cause pipes along the way to clog, and that can be costly to repair.
Thank you for sharing your insight, I did not know about that 😅 I zpwill be more careful with my hair!
Great video, Gittemary!
I do have a few canvas bags, most of which I got many, many years ago, and will use until the end of my life, I'm sure. I'm 71. ;) Some were gifts, some were secondhand. I also bought some bags made of recycled plastic to use for groceries. I admit that I do have too many bags; however, they have been and will continue to be used for years.
Along the same line, I have a backpack that I have had for so long, I don't even remember, but probably close to 15 years. Usually, backpacks don't last very long, especially when you work in a library and use them for carting around tons of heavy books. lol This one did start to come apart in places, so I took it to a shoe repairman and he fixed it so well that the straps are still very strongly attached...and that was about 12 years ago! It cost almost as much as the bag did originally, but it was sure worth it! :D ♥
Perfectly said. I rarely balk at the cost of repairs, even when replacing an item would be a bit cheaper, because my whole goal is to extend the life of items rather than saving money. Plus it helps small local business people.
@@MNeathway Love your attitude! ♥
Same for shoes. Get repaired shoes by a professional when broken, and also taking good care of shoes at home by brushing or washing them regularly, make our walks much more comfortable and sustainable.
hiya gittemary! i'd love a tour of your DIY projects with things that would have otherwise been wasted! you mention those a lot and I'd love some inspiration!! ^-^ I love your videos, thank you so much for your educating yet entertaining videos. Love from germany! x
I agree that most people have too many canvas bags and people should think more about the resources used to produce them. But I personally think you left out a big point in the debate plastic vs canvas bags: Plastic bags will stay around forever and ever while canvas bags are at least biodegradable. So yes, short term, they are worse for most people but long-term, they are still the better option.
As someone who loves going to antique stores when you mentioned the big acrylic movement going on and how the pieces last forever my first thought was “is this what I’m going to see in antique stores in 30 years…”
I use my bags until they fall apart. I think that's fine. No guilty feeling at all. And dishes.... do people really let the faucet run while they wash ???? There's a round thing ... darn forgot the word.... that keeps water in the sink...
A stopper. And, yes, I need one! Ours disappeared long ago. I just keep forgetting to buy a new one.
My thoughts too. Why the need to run that water if you scrub some plates? Just rinse a little or none in the start, turn it off, wash all the dishes then rinse them all. I also prefer to put a bowl in the sink and rinse recyclables with that soapy water collected from washing, in order to save water/detergent in general. Not to mention people complain about using these to clean everything before being recycled but it's not rocket science, just common sense. No need to spend more, simple solutions are the best.
Canvas bags are extensively used in gardening nowadays. They become great grow bags that can be used for several years in the place of plastic pots.
Microfiber cloths!!! I hear of so many people changing to microfiber in ways of reducing paper towel usage and trying to cut down on the use of harmful cleaning chemical because companies like Norwex market their cloths as only needing water to clean. The down fall is, people don't realize these "sustainable" cloths are essentially made of polyester and contain microplastics that leech into our water systems every time they are washed, and are mass produced in an unsustainable and likely unethical way.
I was gifted a few but I don't like the feel of them. I'll only use them when I have on rubber gloves for heavy cleaning.
I have never made resin art but my aunt does and she has a "ugly" pile that she doesnt throw out but offers to her family. I personally think they're pretty so my trivet, and all my coasters are from her. I don't really like them as just art but when they double as usable items around my home its nice to have something my aunt made and especially the pieces she would otherwose have discarded..
Regarding concrete, I would say that “reusing” old buildings and renovating them is better than building new. Never too small has a lot of interesting videos about reuse and restoration of small properties in old buildings so no need to be discouraged! Love what you do 💚💚💚
I've been using my bags for years. I don't even buy bags, I just acquire them through gifts and different means. I also have bags in all types of materials, not just canvas. As well, I have bags and sacks that were gifted to me by my grandmother and they were her mother's. 😊 So the lifetime of these bags is looking pretty long for the most part, which I'm very happy about.
heyy, just wanted to say that I absolutely love your content and your energy on this channel
You‘re really helping me on my sustainability journey :))
How about a video about organisations like WWF, Greeanpeace, Oceancare etc., I would love to know which of all these organisations are worth supporting…
(Sidenote: there‘s also concrete that is made out of hemp, so it is basically renewable)
I feel like resin is such a double-edged sword. It's "forever" quality is what can make it both a great option for lowering waste, and also what makes it such a menace. It is fantastic in preserving and mending items, like fixing broken electronics parts (where tape wouldn't do the trick e.g. in broken headphones, where hair oils would keep undoing the glue), or used to keep frequently used wooden furniture sealed without the need of re-sealing (a lot of sealers turn gummy and need replacing after some use, while oils don't fully seal the timber).
I don't like the resin-art trends going around, not just for eco reasons but also as an aesthetic snob. Glass looks and feels so much more luxurious that resin, and can be recycled. Obviously though it has it's limitations where a mom couldn't really do some casual glass smelting crafts with her 8 year old at home lol.
Hi. Great video! Agree with everything except one point - dishwasher. Yes, using it is more sustainable, than washing dishes by hand, but only if you already have got one. Cause I would guess that production, transportation and sale of a new dishwasher generates way more waste, than one small family would by washing their dishes by hand in a decade.
Good point.
Around Valentine's Day I saw this one local business selling bouquets of dried seasonal flowers and I thought that was a really neat idea! - Drying and saving up flowers from your garden to give to people seems somewhat more romantic to me
Canvas bags can also be used for organising things, not just carrying things. They can protect from the dust: shoes, bags, out-of-season scarfs/gloves and some clothes, sports gears, organise games, balls, rackets, children's toys/fluffy animals/dolls, hobby stuff and tools, wool.cotton yarn, what is packed in a suitcase like delicate underwear or accessories, hang things from hooks in the bathroom or closet, etc. Plain colour bags can be embroidered or painted with textile paint, personalised in many ways, used for gift wrapping... The brand logo or some ugly picture can be hidden by sewing a piece of nice fabric. If the bag is made of natural fabric, the fabric can be repurposed to make something else like table dish sets or napkins..
essential oils are also not as healthy as we might think. because they are so concentrated they can result in being toxic. unfortunately there are so many people online convinced that essential oils cure all sorts of things and give them even to babies🤯 a moderate use that doesn't involve putting essential oils directly onto your skin or ingesting them is advised.
I'm glad 😊, that you talked about resin
🤔 I am chosing to keep my old (15yrs) washer/dryer in good working order rather then trash for new. It's not as good on water or electric use but I feel the environmental impact of repairing is lower then replacing. We repair our own so smaller impact even then hiring repairs out.
During the past few years, I have learned about the harmful environmental impact of items such as candles, cut flowers, essential oils, canvas bags, concrete (we’re running out of sand to make concrete), and more… so I have stopped buying these items (with the exception of concrete… for obvious reasons). What a great way to save money!! It seems that when we exert our time and energy into taking care of the planet we also stop spending money. What a pleasant spin off 😃 I only wish more folks would allow themselves to experience this positive impact of saving the planet and saving money. Great video today Gittemary!! Thanks so much and have an awesome weekend everybody. 🌎💦Ⓜ️ary💕
Hi Mary! I agree, this was a good video and it helps to know these things, for sure. I love that by-product you mention of less money spent! ;) Such a bonus when eliminating unsustainable items from our lives. :D ♥♥♥ Happy Friday!
Thanks for mentioning resin. It is definitely an interesting DIY but I never tried and also fully understand the negative impact of being there "forever" and even use plants and make them an "impact" by conserving them in resin. In regards to dish washing by hand: I think my mum washes dishes by hand even more sustainable than a dish washer. 😂 And I am fighting to have two sinks in the future kitchen to be able to Sometimes wash dishes as she does. 😉 Regards Stephanie
Hi Stephanie.
I'm curious about your mother's secret techique for washing dishes.
I want to reduce the amount of water I use and remodel my kitchen to incoporate a dishwasher is out of mind.
Yeah I’m actually surprised that I haven’t seen a low-waste RUclipsr mention resin before. I see people using that stuff everywhere these days.
My degrees are in horticulture, and I can't even begin to tell you the horrors of the cut flower industry. My personal peeve is the Tournament of Roses Parade. The level of waste is just staggering.
Excellent video GitterMary. No, I don't do resin art because outside of gardening I am not creative. Thanks for sharing this video. Washing dishes by hand is unsustainable but it could be argued that Dishwasher's aren't sustainable due to being powered by electric that may be provided through fossil fuels. Love 🥰 the video and love 💕 GitterMary.
1) I was thinking of doing art on fabric bags and t-shirts... now rethinking the bags part! 2) I just keep napkins and chopsticks from takeaways, etc. (sometimes even if you decline, they still put those in), and by now could probably supply a local Asian cafe with at least chopsticks for a month )
I’m obsessed with your content! Can’t wait to see where my sustainable lifestyle will take me. (I just started my journey a couple weeks ago starting off with vegan and working my way into sustainable living). Thank you for all your input, advice, and tips! VERY HELPFUL!
I sell candles locally in my area from organic soy wax and the jars are all repurposed jars from food stuffs from my job or coworkers not sure how much more sustainable that can get but I'm certainly looking
7:46 I use chopsticks & popsicle sticks for various repairs! Such as for those fabric hanging storage: if they start to sag since it’s flimsy cardboard or something inside, you can cut a small slit in the front/under the shelf to slip the chopsticks in for support 🤩Popsicle sticks are good for the smaller ones depending on the length, so you have a variety of sizes for a variety of fixes
I've only done resin-crafting once to make a pendant and it's definetly an interesting medium from a crafting-perspective, but I agree that it needs to be used more mindfully as it is plastic after all (ie don't make or buy something you're not gonna use a lot) and that's in addition to the fact that a lot of resin is very toxic and really needs to be disposed of properly and generally be handled with great caution
I’ve started using my tote bags as project separators (crocheting/sewing/etc) and for giving gifts. As for washing the dishes, I just flashback to when I worked as a dishwasher and the dishwasher broke and we had to do the “3 sink system” and had to change the water every hour and I shudder. Hand washing is my least favorite thing on the planet, but I will also do it for the longevity of certain items (wood, good knives, etc) but I try my best to not use too much water when I do it.
I’m lucky that I don’t have to worry about candles or essential oils anymore, they all cause migraines for me! No matter the ingredients or quality.
I have a refrigerator from 1993. I’m sure it costs a bit more to run, but modern refrigerators have a life span of 5-7 years, then they are thrown in a landfill. I’m guessing it’s about the same as far as impact.
I’m sure you are right about really old appliances from 40-50 years ago. Our stove was from 1975, and replacing it when it died did reduce our electric bill.
Love your content! My mother and a friend of mine used their old fridge/freezer to store clothes or craft supplies. So they were not simply thrown away, but served a purpose. And the really old fridge my friend used in this way was actually quite stylish in a retro kind of way. I inherited lots of wire baskets from other old freezers in my family. which I now use in my wardrobe or storage room to store things.
I'm learning so much from every single video. Thank you so much for your work!
Would you talk specifically about gas stoves? They’re really bad for indoor air quality. In the US, where I live, most of them are powered by fracked natural gas. Yet, people keep buying them because they are perceived as more luxurious. It won’t turn you into a better cook, folks.
Hey !
Do you have any tips to make the house smell nice that is more sustainable? I live in a student accommodation and despite cleaning the room all the time it just had a weird smell for some reason . But I would prefer to use a something that is more sustainable than candles or a essential oil diffuser ... any recommendation?✨
Maybe a wax warmer? I’m not really sure
@@emilyaitch8143 i have one ! But I was wondering if thats not worst than candles or basically the same ...
@@yourstylishgrandma6454 I would **think** it’s better because there’s no flame, but again I don’t really know for sure. It’s probably still releasing shit into the air
Ask your friends or family if they have essential oils or perfumes they don't use anymore and use these on a little bowl of water or drop into a piece of wood or something. If it's just collecting dust in someone elses house~
Also try baking soda on the non washable things like your mattress or carpet to neutralize odors, maybe even the unsealed wood furniture. There are many tutorials here on youtube.You can use a hygrometer to see if your room has too much moisture (that could smell a bit mouldy, even if you can't see mould) and air out accordingly. If your room is on dryer side plants like spider plants or peace lilies can help and are hard to kill, because they release water and oxygen and freshen up the air (a bit). Dried herbs work too, lavender the most prominent, you could hang a sachet in a space where it gets moved regulary. Even a pot of fresh herbs on the window like a little thyme (harder to kill than lavender or rosemary, at least for me, lol) should help.
If you eat organic citrus fruits, just dry the peels in a bowl, instant citrus potpourri.
@@mirabellegoldapfel6256Most perfumes are synthetic. Still not as bad as sprays
3 to 4 times what a dish washed uses? I only use 4L of water per wash and thats for every single pot and pan. According to that logic a dish washer uses 1L per load.
I googled and apparently the average is 122L by hand. thats just stupid. Who uses that much water to was up.
I had no idea resin was like this... I've been interested in it because people make art with it that looks so *cool*... Now, I need to rethink it. Awesome video!
Have never tried resin art, partially because it just looks like liquid plastic that is just going to sit in your home.
Just thinking, washing dishes by hand vs dishwashers..dishwashers use electricity, they need to be produced, transported, they possibly break, need fixing or replaced, get dumped and I know many people who pre hand rinse the dishes before they put them in the dishwasher and on top of all that a dishwasher still uses some water so personally I'm still a bit sceptical about a dishwasher being a better choice.
This. Also: I'm not washing my dishes under constantly running water like I see it on YT often enough. I begin with a slightly filled sink which is filling further while I give the dishes a slight rinse after washing which adds some clean water for the next ones + my dishes ususally won't end up crazily dirty bc I _e s s e n t i a l l y_ use a bowl scraper to remove food debris right away.
I think sustainable washing up needs to include more than just water usage though - even still if I’m filling up a washing up bowl with about 3 litres of water then surely the amount of water saved using a dish washer can only be minimal - and then accounting for this huge piece of machinery being produced and all the metal that had to be mined to create it and then the emissions in transporting it, is it really justified?
Agreed, and there is also the impact of the dishwasher at the end of its life (which is now only 5-7 years on average thanks to manufacturers' planned obsolescence) where parts that cannot be reused/recycled (if someone even bothers to try) will sit in a landfill for hundreds of years or longer.
I totally get what you're saying here about canvas bags, but I use mine all the time! I usually buy them from small artists that I want to support and use I use them for all my shopping! Or I just use them as a purse 🤷🏼 Love your channel! 🤗
Great video. I’m not sure about the dish washer thing. I use a washing up bowl. admittedly plastic but I’ve had it years, I use it for hand washing clothes or growing seeds after. How many people wash dishes or run them under the tap before they put things in a dishwasher.
I'm also skeptical of the dishwasher claim. As a single person, I guarantee that hand washing my dishes uses WAY less water and energy than running a dishwasher for an hour or more. And that's not even taking into account all the materials and resources needed to build and transport the dishwasher initially, or the resources needed to transport and dispose of it once it can no longer be used, or the impact of parts that can't or won't be recycled and will sit in a landfill for hundreds of years or longer.
@@Flawlesslmperfectiontrue.
The hardest thing about new appliances is they are built with planned obsolescence, made to fail. My parents were getting their refrigerator from the nineties fixed and they asked about getting a new one. The repair guy told them they can probably make this one last as long as they are in their house while a new fridge will need to be replaced every 5-7 years. Their current fridge isn’t as energy efficient, but it doesn’t have to be trashed 🤷♀️
Oh yeah it is definitely a lose-lose 🙃
The tote bag thing: there needs to be a distinction with "impact" and "sustainable". Something can have a high individual impact and still be a sustainable thing. A bike also has a high individual production impact, but is widely known as one of the best ways to transport yourself sustainably.
As you yourself mention, it's the usage and not the bag. Buying a bike and immediately throwing it off a cliff is also not environmentally friendly... just seems a bit disingenuous to me for eco-influencers to always bring that up for bags but not for virtually any other swap.
Also regarding the water point that is *constantly* brought up. In the US at least, most cotton is grow purely from RAIN. About 2/3 of cotton acreage in the US is totally non-irrigated. The rain would've fallen and been used by plants regardless. This is a fundamental problem with environmentalists reading about one aggregated number (which may INCLUDE rainfall) and just running with it for every cotton thing produced anywhere.
Sources for acreage number:
www.ers.usda.gov/topics/farm-practices-management/irrigation-water-use/
www.cotton.org/news/releases/2021/pltless.cfm
Agree on the bags for sure. I can 100% see some people misinterpreting "canvas bags are high impact" as meaning "canvas bags are no better than single-use plastic bags" (which is wildly untrue). People should be using them instead of plastic, while also being mindful of the resources needed to produce them by not having more than they need and by using them as long as possible.
I'm also skeptical of the dishwasher claim. Maybe it might be true for a large family (I'm doubtful and would want to see numbers on this), but as a single person, I guarantee that hand washing my dishes uses WAY less water and energy than running a dishwasher for an hour or more. And that's not even taking into account all the materials and resources needed to build and transport the dishwasher initially, or the resources needed to transport and dispose of it once it can no longer be used, or the impact of parts that can't or won't be recycled and will sit in a landfill for hundreds of years or longer.
I think both the usage and the product matter. Yes, a bike is sustainable despite the production impact, but then again a person usually has ~1 bike. And for the bags, it has become ubiquitous for people to have multiple bags per person, not just one. And in this case it's practically difficult or near impossible to use all your bags as often as needed to make up for their production impact. Which is where the giving them away or the trying to not obtain more bags comes in. At the end of the day of course textile bags are better, and there are additional factors to consider, for example if my plastic bag ends up in the environment, will it cause more damage to wildlife than if my cotton bag ends up there (textile wins again here).
@@Etianen7 I regularly use 6-8 reusable bags per shopping trip. Most people are going to need multiple. If people are getting too many because companies are giving them away or promoting with them, yes thats a problem just like any overconsumption. I don't think its the standard case for people to actually have "too many", and if they do, each one will last longer (less usage intensity per bag). It doesn't change the argument anyways. There needs to be a distinction between impact and sustainability, and eco influences love to not make it.
Awesome research and advice - thank You! You can use one time use chop sticks ( broken in pieces) as moisture absorbers when putting fresh groceries in your fridge , like mushrooms, or kale....As well as toothpicks...
I use them in my house plants to hold up some of the spindly ones. I use them as kindling as well in my fireplace.
Concrete I think is an interesting one. In lower economically developed countries concrete is actually a really useful and accessible material to build housing and shelters so I would argue if it's going to be your home for years to come it's actually sustainable.
I still have canvas bags that I purchased in the mid 90’s. They’re of course used for grocery shopping. Some of them are used as portable “file cabinets”, some for craft supplies. One of them is slightly distressed due to a puppy chewing the handle😂
I’m really curious to observe how those people hand-washed the dishes when they did this water comparison. Did they leave the water running? Did they not reuse the rinse water? And I’d like a dishwasher’s energy and materials to be translated to “water” comparable and included in the number of “gallons used”
I handwash in a plastic bowl and put the water on the garden. I was tempted to get a dishwasher but it seems to be more economical and therefore sustainable to wash by hand when its a small household.
Uhhh, I read that are surprisingly sustainable, I thought "yea, something positive, finallyy"~
I do have plenty of positive content tho 😅🌿
Tru, I just live in negative environment :D Wasn't about you doing negative content :))
Cut flowers, in particular roses, also use so many nasty chemicals. Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, synthetic fertilizers…
I own one canvas bag that I use all the time lol I’ve used it so much that it started to fall apart but luckily I’m a seamstress so I just keep fixing it, plus I found at a thrift store, they were going to throw it away so I asked if I could have it and they said I could. I’ve had the one bag for a good 4 almost 5 years now
I did learn about the hand vs dishwasher. We had to get a new dishwasher but I always tried to handwash when I could. I still question it as I make a bowl of soapy water to wash, set soapy dishes in sink beside it till I have a pile to rinse. Then air dry! 🤷♀️ I'm also miffed that I'm not legally allowed to gray water my house where I live *pout*
I really love your content…you’ve helped me to revisit how I use things and I feel really great about the changes I’ve made. Now I just need to move to Denmark so we can be friends! Xoxo
I know you mentioned a little while back that soy is one of the greatest contributors to deforestation. Soy still seems preferrable to petroleum-based candles, but are there other candle waxes that are more sustainable? Is coconut oil better?
For concrete we can vote for politicians that are aware of the materials used in city planning. Or, if we are building something ourselves, we can find anothet ressource.
I'm throwing micas and clays out there for another set of surprisingly unsustainable items as they are non-renewable sources and are found in soooo many natural/eco friendly cosmetic products. It's not the thing that will change the world but thought it was interesting how these powders, similar to essential oils, have become widely accepted in sustainable products
We're perhaps inclined to read "natural" as "sustainable" without thinking.
Advocate for more and better public transit, always, but especially for on the ground transit then. Underground transit, when build new, requires concrete. And if that wasn‘t enough, it requires to build elevators which wouldn‘t be necessary if transit was build on ground level. (And also whenever the elevators are broken somehow the whole station becomes inaccessible.)
Honestly, I use my canvas bags literally hundreds of times, unlike plastic bags as they break way more easily, and you can more easily repair a canvas bag compared to a plastic one
And the whole dishwasher thing is something me and my partner argue about a lot haha. In my opinion it’s only more sustainable using a dishwasher if you fill the dish washer properly, and not if you wash two plates
True 😊
I'm never convinced the the dishwasher argument. As well as the energy/electricity it uses, it uses way more water than when I wash by hand. how much water or how do people wash dishes when it uses more than an entire dishwasher full? 🤔😮Also newer items do not last long like they used to.Seriously my massive bugbear is this.. planned obselecence (sp?) we MUST ensure and encourage companies to make items that last... of course that is part of our need to rethink the way society works and stop this need for massive profit. Everyone needs enough to live on but nobody needs such ridiculous excess.In the UK this is why people are struggling with buying food and heating... because companies are raising prices beyond all our means... why? In the name of their profit margins
I´m not shure about the handwashing - you also thought about the production of the dishwasher included in this? All the materials which are used to built a dishwasher?
I reuse disposable chopsticks or use them to stabilize plants that need help. With hand washing dishes, I think it depends on how use wash them, as in being mindful about how much water you use. I don't fill my sink up with wash or rinse water. I clean some dishes, quick rinse them off, put them in the drying rack and repeat. I could just be trying to defend myself, lol.
Excellent video… please make a part 3! Thanks
One thing about new appliance nowadays... they break so much faster than old ones. Nowadays lots of appliances come with micro chips break very easily.
Good video - though I do wish you mentioned alternatives more consistently. In particular:
#3 cotton totes - ok. why not mention a better option, also? Jute bags are more common where I live and they are a highly sustainable option. Bottom line, both cotton and jute are better than plastic which simply will not break down for a verrrrry long time.
#4 handwashing dishes vs dishwasher - yikes, you really missed the important aspect of the dishwashing powder. Most of these are agressively abrasive and full of chemicals that are detrimental to the environment. I'd vote washing by hand with best water saving techniques or environmentally conscientious dishwashing powder. Note, even modern high energy effeciency machines are big household energy drag - if you're in an off the grid household this impact is enough to make them impractical... Food for thought.
All but 2 of my reusuable bags came from a thrift store, and I use them so much (not just for grocery shopping, but thrift shopping as well) that one of them recently fell apart when loading it up at the checkout. I got a lot of use out of it 👍
If you can use a needle and thread it’s possible to fix it! Hand sew, tho does take more time, is something that is super easy to do
About that diswasher thing,
According to the so-called tests made, it's based on European households that kept using hot water for long periods of time.
AKA whether the dishwasher is more effective depends.
Because I'm pretty sure if the data was say somewhere in Asia where the weather is humid, and many Asians of the lower income families to hawkers use a huge low bucket to wash their dishes, the dishwashers would be seen as using far too much water.
AKA diswashers being more effective in water usage is a huge MYTH.
And some tests were so eregious, that it includes bathing, pools, water for gardens.
And really when it comes to whether dishwashers have actually improved compared to say a decade ago...
It's just a few percentage of difference (about 3- 5%). But there are no regulations to must say this out openly.
Otherwise the statistics depends on the best dishwasher. Which not many people can afford.
Also it uses electricity.
Petroleum based wax candles trigger my asthma.
I use beeswax or veggie wax candles indoors.
I love indoor plants and i guess it is not the most sustainable habit (though now i grow veggies and stuff on my balcony which i probably wouldn't do if i didn't love plants already), but i am trying my best. I don't buy new pots ever. I am in plant groups where people give up old pots. I take em and when i don't like the look, i take rope or paint them, sand them down etc. I drill drainage holes in otherwise useless pots because no planter can fit in there. I exchange pantlings with other people
I don't buy new clothes except panties, no new candles, my skin care routine is nearly perfectly zero waste because my friend works at lush and gives me stuff that would otherwise be thrown away and i give the pots back. I can't drive. I think i can compensate my plant addiction
I beg my loved ones not to buy me cut or rooted flowers or plants. It is a waste of money as I live in the country and grow my own roses and have a houseful.of potted plants.
I always find cut flowers to be very expensive. I rather but a new succulent
In the U.S. at least, you can get cut flowers that are left over from events like weddings, parties, etc. and would otherwise be thrown away from companies like Revased and also they're available from Imperfect Foods as well.
Another problem with concrete and other hard surfaces is that they stop the ground from absorbing water, which has various negative consequences including raising flood risk and wasting rainwater.
My dishwasher and fridge were both produced in 1998 and are still going strong, so I have VERY mixed feelings about them. On the one hand, I use those consciously (with safe detergents, making sure it is full before I make a washing cycle, making sure the temperature is right etc) on the other hand I feel very guilty that I have two very old and definitely not energy efficient appliances in my kitche... I can't quite wrap my head around changing an appliance that is still perfectly working, but I think I'll have to take that step as soon as I have budget for it
Flushable wipes are not actually flushable. If you use them, throw them in the trash.
I use chopsticks for holding plants rather than buying stakes
If you wash dishes by hand the problem of using energy to make and dispose of yet another machine doesn’t happen. It isn’t necessary to wash dishes under a running water tap, one bowl to wash and one bowl to rinse after removing left over food which is recycled by a process of anaerobic digestion to make energy.
I might contradict you at old appliances part. Some old apliances are better than new ones most of the times, because they were built to last and I don't see that is necessary to replace them more often.
Of course that are some cases were is necessary to replace the apliances more often. But if a appliance doesn't have very much issues at a old age, I didn't see why you would replace it.
There's no ethical consumption under capitalism. 😕
Hand washing dishes using a basin for soapy water and a basin for rinse water isn't as wasteful.
You might need to change the rinse water, which is a sign that you used too much soap. Let dirty items soak for a while.
But if you only have enough plates and cutlery good for a small family for one meal, loading all that in a dishwasher will be more inefficient than just washing them by hand after the meal.
On wooden chopsticks - You can use your wooden chopsticks and attach lil pieces of wood to them and use them as spike to hold up plant identification names in gardens.
Thank you so much ❤ you always keep me motivated being as sustainable as I can in an very unsustainable environment 🤗
Thanks for this amazing video!
omg i had not no idea about concrete! I am currently renovating my house and I can make even more sustainable changes now!
I did not know about or even consider the impacts of concrete! Also, a while back, before I really knew about sustainability and was just focused on plastic, I had bought a box of 100 organic canvas bags that I was going to put cute sayings on and sell. I already have them so I might as well do that now, but I thought it would be a better alternative to plastic bags. If I sell them in my store, I may actually hike the price on them a bit now just to make sure that if someone is buying them it's because they are actually wanting to use it. I really wish people would put more effort into learning how to grow things on a massive scale in more sustainable ways!
You can use chopsticks as a trellis for seedlings and baby plants that need a little more support :)
About concrete, it is very interesting you brought this up. My brother is a construction worker. I told him about concrete and how used and unsustainable it is. He told me that now, in Switzerland they are thinking of buildings made out of wood. It is just beginning but he explained that they can last very long and that wood has a lot of potential. It might be used more and more ! So yeah we can have a little for this one
I don’t use candles or essential oils anyway because of my pets.
I don't have a dishwasher so I have to wash my dishes by hand. I soap up in batches and rinse in batches.
I use essential oils instead of candles ( they can be very toxic).