Sustainability & living light: 5 areas I want to improve in 2017.

Feb 4, 2017 | 8 comments

Change my conventional beauty products to more eco-friendly ones

/ This is an area where I already for quite a few years have choosen to buy products without perfume for example – at least when we’re talking creams, facial cleanser, shampoo, detergent, hand soap, etc. However, I do have a range of products that dont fulfill this – some of it has been gifted to me, and some I have bought out of panic if I ran out. When it comes to makeup, I have never really thought about choosen a more healthy and sustainable alternative – it’s honestly always been the preference or price, which has won. But I would really like to change that this year. Not necessarily at once, because now that I have a range of products that I like to use, I will as far as possible try to use them up first. But I could very well imagine gradually replacing my products to organic and also more perfume-free products. I also really want to practice the art of limiting myself in the beauty-area, so I do not have more products on my bathroom shelf, than I actually use.

So far I have read that the Greek brand Korres should be one of the leaders in this area, so maybe I’ll give it a try.

Dette er et område, hvor jeg i en del år efterhånden ofte har valgt produkter med fx parfume fra – ihvertfald når vi snakker cremer, ansigtsrens, shampoo, vaskemiddel, håndsæbe osv. Indimellem har der dog sneget sig produkter ind, som er købt fordi jeg måske akut er løbet tør, eller har fået i gave og derfor opfylder de måske slet ikke dette krav. I forhold til makeup er det aldrig noget jeg som sådan har tænkt over – der har det klart bare være præferencen  eller prisen, som har vundet. Men det vil jeg rigtig gerne lave om på i år. Ikke nødvendigvis på én gang, for når nu jeg ligger inde med produkter som stadig fungerer nu og her, så vil jeg så vidt muligt forsøge at bruge dem op først. Men jeg kunne rigtig godt tænke mig gradvist, at udskifte mine produkter til økologiske og også gerne parfumefri produkter. Og så vil jeg også her forsøge at begrænse mig, så jeg ikke har flere produkter på min toilethylde, end jeg faktisk bruger.

Indtil videre har jeg læst mig frem til at det græske mærke Korres, skulle være ét af de førende inden for netop dette, så måske vil jeg give det et forsøg.

 

Choose sustainable alternatives whenever I have to shop for basic clothes

/ This is something I have already written about HERE and spoked about in my video with 5 tips to achieve a more sustainable wardrobe. I already think of my wardrobe as being quite sustainable because it mainly consists of fewer, good products that I really love to use, but also take good care of, so they last longer. But in fact I have not really thought that much about trying to find organic alternatives, when I shop new products – so if it has turned out to be made of sustainable materials (such as my light blue denim shirt made of Tencel) it has been purely coincidental. A good and easy place to start is in the basic category (basic tops/t-shirt, underwear, socks, etc.), so I have decided that I will make much more effort in this area in the future. Now I just need to explore the market a little and find a brand that produces good, durable and cool wardrobe basics in sustainable materials – at an affordable price.

Dette er noget jeg allerede har berørt lidt i mit indlæg og min video med 5 tips til, at opnå en mære bæredygtig garderobe. Jeg anser allerede min garderobe for værende ret bæredygtig, fordi den primært består af få, men gode produkter som jeg virkelig elsker at bruge, men også passer godt på, så de holder længere. Men jeg har faktisk ikke rigtig tænkt særligt meget over, at forsøge at finde økologiske alternativer, når jeg skal shoppe nyt – så hvis det har vist sig, at være lavet af et bæredygtigt materiale (såsom min lyseblå denim skjorte der er lavet af Tencel) så har det været rent tilfældigt. Et godt og nemt sted at starte, er i basis kategorien (basis toppe/t-shirt, undertøj, strømper etc.), så det har jeg sat mig for, at jeg vil gøre meget mere ud af fremadrettet. Så nu skal jeg bare have udforsket markedet lidt, og fundet et brand som laver gode, holdbare og seje basisting i bæredygtige materialer til en overkommelig pris.

 

Have meat-free days during the week, and buy more eco-friendly food

/ This is already an area we – to some extent – follow at home, but also an area I would love to improve. We started a few years back (when we both studied) with buying more organic products. Not 100% because when you are studying, you just dont have that much money, and it’s just a fact that it is more expensive to live ecologically – especially when you like us primarily follow Low Carb principles too. Already there we spend more money on food than when we ate more conventional and more carbs. The majority of our meals consists of vegetables and good fats – and of course some kind of meat or fish. There are some things we always buy organic (eg milk, lemons and carrots), but these were things we started out with, when we were both studying. Now we both have full-time jobs, and of course that gives us a little bit more financial freedom. So more eco-friendly food is definitely something I want to buy!

Another thing is to try to have a meat-free day or two during the week. Both because it is better for the environment to decrease our meat consumption, but also because it is not very healthy to eat as much meat as we do. In this area, we are SO controlled by our habits! But there are so many delicious vegetarian dishes, and you can get proteins in many other ways than through meat. So it must be tested!

Dette er helt klart et område, som vi herhjemme allerede til en vis grad følger, men også et område, jeg meget gerne vil gøre mere ud af. Vi startede for et par år tilbage (mens vi begge studerede) ligeså stille med, at købe flere økologiske produkter. Ikke 100% for når man er under uddannelse, så har man bare ikke ret mange penge mellem hænderne, og det er altså bare faktum, at det er dyrere at leve økologisk – især når man som os oveni primært spiser efter Low Carb principper. Allerede dér bruger man flere penge, end hvis man spiser mere konventionelt og kulhydratholdigt. Størstedelen af vores måltider består af grøntsager og gode fedtstoffer – og selvfølgelig et eller andet stykke kød eller fisk. Der er nogle ting vi uden diskussion altid køber økologisk (fx mælk, citroner og gulerødder), men det er lidt “efterlevn” fra der hvor vi startede ud, dengang vi begge var under uddannelse. Nu har vi begge to fuldtidsjob, og det giver selvfølgelig lidt mere frihed. Så mere økologi på madfronten er helt klart noget jeg gerne vil efterleve!

En anden ting er, at prøve at holde en enkelt kødfri dag eller to i løbet af ugen. Både fordi det er bedre for miljøet at skrue ned for vores kødforbrug, men også fordi det egentlig slet ikke er sundt, at spise så meget kød som vi gør. Der er vi simpelthen bare SÅ meget præget af vores vaner! Men der findes jo så mange lækre vegetarretter, og man kan få proteiner på mange andre måder end gennem kød. Så det skal prøves!

 

Get more system into our house and get rid of excess clutter

/ I have already written a little bit about this and after reading (or rather heard as an audiobook) Marie Kondo’s “The life changing magic of tidying up”, I can’t wait to tidy up our house. We’ve only lived here for 1,5 years so it’s not really because there is a lot of mess here, but when you clean up after Marie Kondo’s principles, you have to gather all the things that go on in the same category, the same place. And that’s not the case at our home. There are some towels in that closet, a little extra in what closet etc … So this area really needs to be improved! Moreover, we have some unnecessary things lying around that it might be time we threw out. Generally, I’m not a fan of the way she calls for throwing out and discarding huge piles of bags. But the meaning of this is in the end is, to stop purchasing things you dont need. So in that way it is genius! Kind of like when you follow the capsule wardrobe system actually.

Jeg har allerede været lidt inde på dette emne, men efter at have læst (eller dvs. hørt som lydbog) Marie Kondo’s “The lifechanging magic of tidying up”, så klør det i hænderne efter, at få ryddet op i huset. Vi har kun boet her i 1,5 år så det er egentlig ikke fordi her roder, men når man rydder op efter Marie Kondo’s principper, så samler man fx alle de ting der går indenfor samme kategori, det samme sted. Og det er overhovedet ikke tilfældet herhjemme. Der ligger lidt håndklæder i dét skab, lidt ekstra i dét skab osv… Så det område trænger virkelig til en kærlig hånd! Desuden har vi altså nogle overflødige ting liggende, som det måske bare er på tide vi får skillet os af med. Generelt er jeg ikke fan af den måde hun opfordrer til, at smide ud og skille sig af med sækkevis af ting. Men meningen med det er jo i sidste ende, at man så fremadrettet holder op med at slæbe alle de her ting man slet ikke har brug for med sig hjem. Så på den måde er det jo genialt! Lidt ligesom når man følger capsule wardrobe systemet faktisk – her er man også meget mere varsom med, at gøre sig nye køb, når først man har fået ryddet rigtig grundigt op i garderobe, og det kun er de ting man virkelig er glad for, som er tilbage.

 

In general learn more about supply chains, sustainability etc.

/ Blogging about sustainability is kind of an hornet’s nest. I am no expert in the field, and also do not intend to become one, so I should probably learn to live with the fact, that people who know more about it will mingle and correct me sometimes. But it is also ok, as long as the good tone is being kept. I consider myself as a conscious consumer, and I think that most of my readers feel the same way. The majority of everyday consumers for that matter. So I let the experts be the experts and make peace with that I DO NOT know everything. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t be eager to learn more, so that I can make beter choices in the future – and inspire other, ordinary consumers like myself to make better, more sustainable choices.

I feel likes it’s a balance here. Because it is also an area where you can easily make life very complicated for yourself. We can NOT always make the best choices. You’ll make it complicated for yourself, if you blaim youself every time you can’t make the most “politically correct” choice or if you even feel an urge to point your finger towards people living more conventionally. It shouldn’t be that way! I come to think of this quote: living simple is complicated – Complicating life is simple …

At blogge om bæredygtighed er i min optik lidt en hvepserede. Jeg er overhovedet ikke ekspert på området, og har heller ikke i sinde at blive det, så jeg må nok også lære at leve med, at folk der ved mere om det vil blande sig og irettesætte mig indimellem. Men det er også ok, så længe den gode tone holdes. Jeg anser mig selv som en bevidst forbruger, og jeg tænker, at størstedelen af mine læsere har det på samme måde. Størstedelen af almindelige hverdagsforbrugere for den sags skyld. Så jeg lader eksperterne om, at være eksperter og slutte fred med, at jeg IKKE ved alt. Men derfor vil jeg stadig gerne lære mere, så jeg kan træffe endnu bedre valg fremadrettet – og inspirere andre, almindelige forbrugere til at træffe bedre, mere bæredygtige valg.

Her skal man virkelig holde tungen lige i munden, føler jeg. For det er også et område, hvor man kan risikere at gøre livet meget kompliceret for sig selv. Vi kan IKKE altid træffe de bedste valg, og sådan er det. Der hvor jeg synes det bliver svært er, hvis man går og giver sig selv skyldfølelse hver gang man ikke kan gøre det mest “politiske korrekte”, eller hvis man ligefrem føler en trang til, at løfte pegefingeren over for folk der lever mere konventionelt. Sådan synes jeg ikke det skal være! Jeg kommer til at tænke på dette quote: living simple is complicated – complicating life is simple…

8 Comments

  1. LIVING WITH LESS

    Korres laver virkelig lækre ting. Jeg har brug ansigtssolcremen derfra i årevis. Det er jo et græsk mærke og væsentligt billigere i Grækenland. Jeg bestiller altid min solcreme fra denne side (som desværre har et lidt begrænset udvalg):

    http://www.pharmatopia.gr/en/?subcats=Y&status=A&pshort=Y&pfull=Y&pname=Y&pkeywords=Y&search_performed=Y&q=korres&x=0&y=0&dispatch=products.search#ty;pagination_contents;/index.php?dispatch=products.search&subcats=Y&status=A&pshort=Y&pfull=Y&pname=Y&pkeywords=Y&search_performed=Y&q=korres&x=0&y=0&page=1

    KH

    Reply
  2. Mathilde

    Åh, hvor er jeg da glad over, at du indfører kødfrie dage og mere økologi! Det begynder jo virkeligt at hjælpe på det, når vi er flere der gør det, og du vil garanteret også inspirere andre til at gøre det 🙂 Mia Sommer har vanvittigt gode opskrifter, og det synes jeg egentlig også Green Kitchen Stories har! Det handler bare om at lede efter dem 😉

    Hvis du leder efter økologiske basics, findes “organic basics” f.eks. – og URU socks, som egentlig har et genialt koncept 🙂 Jeg har sikkert også flere i baghånden, men nogle som jeg ikke kan huske på stående fod – Everlane (som du nævnte i sidste indlæg) har også flotte basics (og jeg kan helt klart anbefale dem! Min sweater derfra er min mest brugte sweater overhovedet!), men de sender jo kun til DK en gang i mellem 🙂

    Held og lykke!

    Reply
    • Mathilde

      Endnu en ting! Hvis du går op i svanemærkede og økologiske produkter (såsom cremer, make up osv.), kan jeg også anbefale dig GingerOrganics bind og tamponer! Det er vitterligt de bedste og blødeste bind nogensinde 🙂

      Reply
  3. Lullumut

    Mht. nr. 4. Jeg har de sidste par dage samlet og ryddet op i mine brætspil, bøger og diverse gamle mapper. Det føltes ret godt, og der skal en masse til genbrug. Var slet ikke klar over, at jeg havde så mange bøger, før end jeg samlede dem på stuegulvet…

    Reply
  4. Tracey Shull

    Good points, Signe! I agree that being mindful and doing our best to live a sustainable life is not the same as going overboard and feeling guilty or criticizing others who don’t do it “well enough.” (If we really lived sustainably, we would all stop driving cars, and not many people can do that unless good public transportation is nearby. I live in LA, the car culture of the world, where everything is so spread out that having a car is a necessity to live here.) But we can all do more to start habits that help our environment, and you have some good suggestions. Buying less, using less, being content with less, is a good start! Thanks for your ideas.

    Reply
  5. Ivanete

    I have been trying to only have items I love but I work retail usually six days a week for a conservative company, so I need clothes, I am in a circle of buying online and returning, in an attempt to fill in the holes I have in my wardrobe, today I found a green and black plaid shirt at American eagle that was so soft, I think it is staying in my wardrobe. I have narrowed down my color scheme, if everyone tries a little bit in their own way we can make a difference when it comes to consuming more sustainably ?

    Reply
  6. Diane Cache

    You mentioned you are following a low-carb food plan. Can you suggest some breakfast and snack ideas please. Thank You!!

    Diane C

    Reply
  7. Diane Cache

    Oh, I should have also mentioned that I am trying to following a vegetarian, low-carb food plan. What to eat for breakfast and snacks??

    Diane C

    Reply

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