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[moonette-wolfsong]

Very good points. Although with being anti plastic in the kitchen there is also health concerns not just sustainable ones. Eg. not wanting to use plastic containers in the microwave or wanting to avoid plastic shavings from plastic chopping boards. So people may want to be more anti plastic in the kitchen for other reasons then just being more sustainable, while being less anti plastic elsewhere in their lives.

(Supporting plastic recycling, particularly recycled and recyclable plastic products, is also a really good reason to be pro sustainably used materials rather then anti plastic. You just have to ensure you don’t buy what you don’t need there either.)

Btw, have you heard of ‘Paper beats Plastic? How to rethinking environmental folklore’ a Ted Talk by Leyla Acaroglu? Sounds like something you’d be interested in.

Her methods are a little ‘extreame’ for the average person to go to, but at it’s core the thought process she is encouraging is really thought provoking. We could do with more people who go the extra mile to collect the data and help other people make informed choices (a bit like you’re doing :)

Although people might have to fight back the urge to buy a new jug or a new fridge, before their old one breaks, after listening to her. XD :) Since the current ones really aren’t very sustainably designed.

(Anyone seen Fly Away Home? The fridge acts like a deep freezer that raises to open rather then opening sideways, not sure if it would have been more sustainable then a regular fridge since you’d need power to lift it etc. but it looks like it could be really well designed in regards to trapping cold air.

Zero Waste people online confuse me

Frequent posters in /r/zerowaste, for example, often say “hey, I have some [things] that would get thrown away otherwise. What can I use them for, instead of throwing them out?” Because ultimately the victory is not putting things in your mason jar of rubbish, right?

Unless you already have a need to be met, and you’d know if you did, creating uses for things doesn’t make any difference to the environment, it just wastes your time and slightly delays the inevitable. If you’re hoarding something that you feel might be useful, the best thing you can do is look for someone else who already finds it useful.

Or the make-it-yourself crew! They want nut milk without having to buy cartons, so they go out and buy a bag of cashews, and a new blender that’s recommended/designed for making nut milk, and some muslin to strain it though, and some nice glass bottles to store it in. As long as you don’t have to put anything in your mason jar of rubbish, it’s a win.

An industrial process can make the same amount of nut milk in a fraction of the time, for a fraction of the power, using far less packaging for bulk-supplied nuts in enormous quantities, and using machinery that already exists and will last and be maintained for much longer than a made-to-be-replaced home blender. Yes, nut milk is probably more expensive to transport in both money and CO2 than nuts since it’s mostly water, and not everywhere recycles cartons, but everything else far outweighs that.

The only way you could justify making your own nut milk is if you are buying the nuts in 10+ kilogram quantities (or you grow them yourself and you have plenty of surplus), and you already own the blender and muslin and bottles, and your house runs on renewable electricity. And when that blender finally breaks for good, someone has to dismantle and recycle all the components. Buying any of these things new just to make nut milk doesn’t add up, environmentally speaking.

A big part of zero waste is keeping things out of landfill. Preventing the creation of new items is half the battle. Making stuff from scratch yourself only works out if you already have the time and the materials and the equipment.

In order of priority:

Refuse things that you don’t need, like disposable plastic bags - bring a backpack with you.

Reduce the amount you need - pack your backpack as full as you can with careful backpack Tetris, to avoid needing more bags.

Reuse your backpack every time you go shopping for supplies. Repair it when it breaks. If it can’t be repaired, ask around - someone might need a broken backpack.

Recycle your backpack when it can no longer be repaired - old fabrics are shredded and turned into padding for furniture in some areas.

Rot it down at the end of its life, by composting it.

There’s nothing in there about creating uses for things or making things from scratch, because that’s not automatically better.

If you need something:

Try to keep something old out of landfill. Ask if someone has one that they no longer want. Check Freecycle, check charity/thrift shops, post on Facebook asking if anyone has something suitable that you could have/buy from them.

Try to prevent the creation of something new from raw materials. Close the loop and buy something made from recycled materials.

If you know for sure that you will be the last person to use the thing, and you know you will be able to deal with it in the right way, make sure it’s recyclable or compostable.

If you have something you don’t need, try to find someone who needs it before you do anything else. Offer it on Freecycle, if it’s in good condition take it to a charity/thrift shop, or post on Facebook asking if someone would like it.

There are some philosophies and practices that reduce waste and help the environment as part of what they are and what they do:

Anti-consumerism - promotes buying only when absolutely necessary, and second-hand where possible.

Growing your own food - every mouthful you eat of something you grew yourself means something didn’t have to be shipped to you or wrapped in packaging.

Composting - turns your rubbish into useful fertiliser in your own garden, instead of it having to be transported to a landfill to rot into methane.

And there are some things that are popular among the zero waste crowd but that only help the environment sometimes and incidentally:

Plastic-free - generally a good idea because it incidentally reduces the amount of single-use intentionally disposable plastic you use, but if you take it to the extreme you’ll buy new fragile glass jars instead of durable second-hand plastic tupperware.

Homemade - a good idea if you already have everything you need and are not otherwise using it. But if making it at home requires you to buy stuff, be aware that making things at home makes smaller batches than large companies and factories make. That means more power used per unit, more packaging required, and more human-hours used. You might have to acquire equipment for small-scale production that you wouldn’t otherwise need. It can also mean compromises in other ways: homemade deodorant isn’t as effective, and homemade toothpaste rarely contains fluoride, which could mean expensive, wasteful, painful medical treatments later in life.

Money-free - incidentally means less new stuff has to be made, because new stuff costs money and when you can’t spend money you grow your own food, make stuff to trade for food, trade your skills or surplus food for things people don’t want (which are usually second-hand), and repair the things you already have.

Minimalism - incidentally helps because you refrain from buying new things in order to keep your life simple. Worth noting that there’s nothing in minimalism that prevents you buying new things, or buying things and then immediately discarding them. You could get rid of your spork so that you can pack light, but end up using more disposable plastic cutlery on the go. See also KonMari, one-bagging, decluttering.

Unless you are totally self-sufficient it’s impossible to know everything about the entire life-cycle of a product. The five Rs (refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, rot) are the healthy lifestyle, and the other stuff (minimalism, plastic-free) are like the fad diets that kind of help but accidentally and not for everyone in all cases.

If you find yourself asking “what can I do with this [stuff]?”, offer up the [stuff] on Freecycle and then look for ways you can stop acquiring [stuff] in the first place. If making [thing] yourself requires you to buy equipment or ingredients you don’t already have, just bulk-buy it ready-made and write to the manufacturer asking them to make their packaging more sustainable, and then CC your elected representative and ask how they are fighting for the environment.

[moonette-wolfsong]

Some people have been suggesting a green aro ring and there are really nice looking black silicone rings with a green stripe in the middle on Etsy by Knottheory.

You can also get thin silicone rings that stack so you can have multiple rings on the same finger. If you want white and black rings. :)

I’ve been thinking recently about the ace ring and how there really isn’t anything for aro and aro-spec people

Though there was a small interest in having a white ring to signify aromantic, I do not like that it is just to offset asexuality and does not have any place in aromanticism itself as the aro colors do not include white

I still firmly believe that hematite is the metal of a-specs, and would like to keep it that way, and therefore extend that the black ring on the middle finger is both ace and aro, as it is a color that is featured on both the aro and ace flags

Of course, it would seem entirely wrong to place the ace and aro ring in the same place, mostly for people who are both on the ace and aro spectrums, so I’ve come to the conclusion that since the ace ring is located on the middle finger of the right hand, the aro ring should be located on the middle finger of the left hand - that way they are balanced and equal, yet still shows solidarity

tldr; The aro ring should be a black ring on the left hand to balance and show unity to the black ace ring on the right hand

[moonette-wolfsong]

This.

Personally I tend to hold onto things I know I’ll use expecially things that are older or have a few scrapes. Also there has been multiple times I have thanked past me for going on a shopping frenzy before I started thinking more about the amount of plastic I bought.

Eg. The old plastic organisers that suit me. None of the non plastic organisers I’ve seen yet have suited my tastes. Non plastic organisers are becoming more available but I like my old organisers and they /work/ for me. Those organisers have been in use for a few years and they’ll be function for quite a few years yet. So if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.

In the mean time I can focus my energy and money on sustainably buying the new things I do need like 100% recycled printing paper or sustainable clothing.

psa : don’t throw out things you need in the process of becoming more minimalistic just because they don’t fit your standards anymore. use what you have, that’s what sustainability is all about

[moonette-wolfsong]

Also be willing to accept when they say ‘we/you can’t do this or this isn’t available’ etc. There are rules and regulations in place, there are bosses to answer to, there is the /law/ to answer to.

If a retail person tells you that you can’t do something it’s generally for a reason. Eg. McDonalds don’t serve people on foot through it’s drive through. Sure this may be an inconvenience to some people if the main shop is closed and only the drive through is open but the reason for this is because /they don’t want people getting run over./

Also at a place I worked at they used to have an on foot serving area. This meant all the drunks started wandering over and they needed a security guard, it was a nightmare. Switching to only drive through after hours meant they no longer needed a security guard and it was a lot safer for the workers.

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Retail people work with /a lot/ of products so they can’t be expected to know everything about all of them. If the information you need isn’t on the packaging or the online website they may not be able to help you since you may both be looking at the same information. So if the store has a product website I recommend asking a question online so they can have the time to research and get back to you, websites like the ones for Officeworks is already set up for this. Some stores may also do this instore as well but that generally tends to be for smaller stores in my experience.

On the more sustainable side of things:

In regards to ‘bring your own containers’. There is a /heap/ of legal rules out there for food and safety reasons. Yes they can seem ridiculously strict at times but at the end of the day /they are there for a reason./ Food contamination is a legal nightmare not to mention the impact on customer trust could result in a massive drop in customers which can effect the supply chain all the way back to the farmers. Then of course there is also the health risks and people getting sick which nobody wants. So usable containers are great but from a shop perspective the choice to use them or not isn’t clear cut.

Talk to your bulk food store assistants and you’ll probably find food contamination is one of their biggest fears. Any mixing of their products because someone accidently used the wrong scoop etc and the whole lot needs to be binned. Not to mention those who are allergic or have an allergy. Also bulk food stores tend to sell primarily /dry/ ingredients, wet ingredients like milk and meat are another kettle of fish entirely when it comes to food and safety laws.

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Retail employees can also be on camera 24/7 with their boss watching them in real time. That can also create an immense amount of pressure to follow correct packaging procedure.

So even if you don’t want to use plastic or packaging etc. please be aware and mindeful that some people just want to keep their jobs. If shopping look for the places that use less packaging or use compostable packing as much as possiable. If the compostable packaging gets dirty just rip it up and put it in your compost bin.

Also lots of people do care about sustainability but also have a job that involves plastic and single use products in some shape or form. So just because retail workers have jobs that use plastic and packing that doesn’t mean they care about sustainability any less.

People always gloss over how mentally damaging it can be to work in retail. I fucking hate that whenever I say “I could never work in retail again” someone has to reply “You snowflake millennials can’t take a starter job because you have to INTERACT with other people” No. Fuck you. I’ve worked as a planetarium host. I’ve worked as a public speaker. I’ve worked as a tutor and as a student teacher. I can work with people. I can work with crowds. Retail was fucking different. Retail was being treated as a subhuman. Retail was being treated so poorly that you have anxiety attacks before work. Having to work retail was a factor in my last suicide attempt. If I hear you say one fucking word about retail workers playing the victim I will personally break every bone in your body. Fuck You.

[moonette-wolfsong]

I’ve heard a lot about people using activated charcoal to brush their teeth. So even if you’re not swallowing it this may be something to keep in mind.

Activated Charcoal = ineffective meds

Friendly reminder that activated charcoal, even when put into food as a black colorant, binds to medication and can make it ineffective. Yes, this includes birth control! I thought I’d put this PSA out there since people are making spooky “black” versions of normal foods.

[moonette-wolfsong]

Recycled paper: printing paper, note books, post it notes.

If you can’t find 100% recycled printing paper in regular shops try specialty shops like Officeworks. Test a batch in your printer. Then if it works okay buy in bulk so you don’t run out, expecially if you are using a lot and can’t get more 100% recycled printing paper easily.

Print settings: Use double sided printing where possiable and look for ink saving modes. Then when the ink starts running low switch back to the regular thicker ink setting to make it last longer. If printing a large amount, trial the first few pages to check things are running smoothly. Expecially if you are playing around with settings you’re not familiar with because you’re printing out multiple lecture slides on one page or something.

Also take it slow and do smaller batches if the ink is starting to run out. Don’t just print a bunch of things at once. Expecially if you are printing colours. Black writing isn’t so bad when it’s faded a little bit however lighter colours can be a problem. The time this happened to me I initially didn’t even notice the yellow writing was faded since most of the lecture notes where black and the black ink was fine. So you may need to flick through and double check things are working okay if multiple ink colours are being used.

Post it notes:

I’ve heard that paper smaller then your hand is too small for recycling machines to recycle. So I’ve started composting smaller pieces of paper instead and trying to reduce them.

Reducing:

Try useing less post it notes and page markers by using a bullet journal index system for your study books. Essentially adding onto the existing index by writing down titles and page numbers for the subsections you are interested in.

Also trial having a section in your workbook or diary where your write down ‘temporary’ bookmarks. For example ‘I struggled with this concept/question and need to come back to it later.’ You can then post it note bookmark that specific page in your work book to help you find it if you need to.

The idea is to only use post it note bookmarks for pages you are referencing frequently or marking your current place. As well as removing or moving bookmarks you no longer need to reference as frequently. (Jot down in index for later reference.) This also helps reduce bookmark clutter so you have a better idea of which bookmarks are important and which ones aren’t. As well as potentially reducing the number of post it bookmarks used.

Reusing post it bookmarks:

Write on the bookmarks in pencil so you can rub it out and use them again. Also try keeping used post its on a dedicated page in your workbook/diary until you use them again. I’m currently using the last paper page in my planner to make them easier to find. This keeps them conveniently accessiable as well as pressing on them to help them stick.

Recycled plastic office supplies:

Look for Pentels, Recycology range.

Recycology from Pentel is a range of filing products, display books, writing and drawing instruments which help to make the world's resources go further. Made from more than 50% recycled materials the products use fewer valuable virgin resources than standard equivalents, without compromising quality. Many products in the range are long-lasting, refillable and/or reusable. Inspired by the 3R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Recycology products also incorporate the style and performance associated with Pentel. So, now you can enhance your environment as well as help protect it.

For mechanical pencil users, they also create lead refill containers out of recycled plastic which I think is amazing.

The Pentel Super Hi-Polymer Black Lead 0.7mm HB 12 pieces lead refill container has a small logo on the barcode sticker of a green leaf with Recycology written across it. (Which is actually how I initially discovered the brand via some lead refill containers I already owned.) So if you’re going shopping you can also look out for that logo. Although I’m not sure if the bigger refill containers have it.

Being a student can be detrimental to the environment - one example being papers. As many learn, they come from trees, who are our friends by releasing oxygen. They’re a bit crucial, and case in point, the Amazon rainforest is called the “Earth’s lungs”; however, it is a major site for deforestation. In addition, many highly concentrated areas combat overpopulation with planting trees. By reading these tips, you can learn how to easily change habits in favor of our planet - some of which you may already be using without knowing!

1. Ecosia Eco-what? As students, the majority of us rely on Google for resources and answering questions we have on assignments. However, by switching over to the search engine Ecosia, you can plant a tree every 45 searches! As trees release oxygen, they’re vital for life and fighting climate change. The browser is completely free, so at no cost but searching, you can make the world a better place. The German-based company goal is to plant 1 billion trees by 2020 - so why not help out?

2. Forest Ah yes, the infamous app that gets you to focus. The essantial principle is to stay off your phone by setting a timer; if you leave the app during that duration, your tree will wilt and die ): While you can plant pixelized trees for free, buying membership at the low cost of $2 will allow you to save up the points earned in staying off your phone and actually plant a tree - with no limit. They’re actually working on allowing you to keep track of the trees you planted, so stay tuned for that! By being productive and not on your phone, you can plant a tree - how wonderful is that?

3. Stationery As Japanese stationery is the most beloved in this community (for good reason), many are using, perhaps unsuspectinging, utensils which happen to be friendly to the environment; this is due to recycling being a much greater deal in Japan. This extends from Pilot Juice pens, Pilot Fruxion highlighters, Pentel Energel, Muji, and more!

Subcategories: - Switching A frequent tip I hear is to not use paper - at all. However, many teachers prefer to use paper notecards and printing out material, essantially making it impossible for some. U.S. residents - Target has sustainble notecards for /forty/ cents. While you could takes notes on a laptop, the fact remains that you absorb information upon writing it in your own words. This is where writing boards that have the ability to erase come in handy - and as many need to write down their thought process regarding a mathematical problem, they could come in handy. - Pens This will be short and sweet; when buying pens, make sure to buy only one instead of buying an enormous pack just to throw them away. Make sure to buy refills, so that you only use one pen continuously.

4. Backpacks Instead of buying cute trendy backpacks that won’t last a month, try getting one that will last you for years. Fast fashion not only exploits workers, but releases more than needed amounts of carbon dioxide. Kankens happen to be great ones - as there are still backpacks from the first time it came out (the 70’s) still being used and in prime condition! The company also makes “Re-Kanken"s, in which the classic backpack is made up of 100% recycled polyester and 11 water bottles. Either way, some proceedings go towards conserving the species of the arctic fox and other efforts against climate change.

5. Water Bottles Do you know how long it takes to biodegrade one plastic water bottle? Approximately 450 years - or even 1,000. Staying hydrated for a student is crucial for concentration, retaining information and brain functions, as our brain is made up of 90% water. Reusable water bottles will ensure that you stay hydrated and not be thrown out. Water fountains are practically everywhere, and stations to specifically fill up water bottles have been popping up at an increasing rate. And hey, it doesn’t hurt if you want to show off a cute bottle or your personality. Save money and the planet, invest in a resusable water bottle.

[moonette-wolfsong]

How to Get Stuff Done When You Have ADHD

Basically our (cough autistic but still neurodivergent close enough) brains have trouble switching between ‘now’ and ‘not now’. Which explains so much (her youtube channel is amazing). As well as explaining why soaking reusable cloth pads never worked for me (and I constantly forgot them...) and doing stuff ‘now’ did.

Cleaning Tips: Experiment with skipping the ‘soaking to help remove blood stains’ step.

Personally I prefer to stay away from heavy chemicals which means I soak blood stained clothing or reusable menstral pads with soap or washing powder in the hopes that eventually the stains might vanish and I can stick them in the washing machine without having to go to the effort of scrubbing them.

Yeah that never works. All that happens is a bucket of clothing that sits in water for days as I ‘forget’ or go ‘just a little longer’ in the hope that maybe, just maybe, this time it will actually work. Yet at the end of the day I am doing just as much scrubbing to clean my clothes as I would if I didn’t soak them.

So I’ve since started skipping the unnecessary soaking step and going straight to scrubbing, this way I don’t have to worry about that invisiable timer over my soaking bucket of clothing where I might accidently soak them for too long. Personally I find this method works a lot better for me. Since I can scrub the clothing when I actually feel like it rather then ‘okay it’s been soaking for x amount of time and needs to be scrubbed NOW! Who cares if you just got home from work?’ Before every time I considered washing the clothing I’d have to soak them and by that time I no longer felt like doing it. So cleaning instantly when I’m in the mood or simply doing other chores and in the mental cleaning ‘zone’ works much better.

Keep reading

[moonette-wolfsong]

“can help your body to mop up free radicals that can cause damage to human cells” "can help keep people full for longer”

Looks interesting. 

Also Australian farmers who are interested in the /Australian market/ rather then the overseas market? More locally sourced ingredients. \o/  Currently finding Australian grown bulk food is a challenge so maybe some of the food that is no longer being sent overseas will be sold in bulk in Australia? Maybe. 

[moonette-wolfsong]

What Redcycle does accept:

-Cat and dog food pouches (as clean and dry as possible)

Oh thank goodness, one less thing to worry about since I’m assuming they are talking about dry dog food bags here. Now it’s just raw meat to be wary off.

[moonette-wolfsong]

[moonette-wolfsong]

Decluttering and cutting back on distractions:

Go through the notifications in the settings on your phone and switch unnecessary and distracting alerts off. Also edit the widgets page so it only shows necessary alerts or things you want to see for eg. alert reminders.

[moonette-wolfsong]

Sydney and NSW set for a drenching as heavy rain crosses the state It’s raining, it’s pouring the old man is snoring!! Good news for NSW!!! 

Great to hear some positive news, here’s to hoping it keeps going. :D

I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of ragged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains. I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea, Her beauty and her terror The wide brown land for me! Core of my heart, my country! Her pitiless blue sky, When, sick at heart, around us We see the cattle die But then the grey clouds gather, And we can bless again The drumming of an army, The steady soaking rain.

Excerpts from My Country by Dorothea Mackeller 

[moonette-wolfsong]

For those who don’t like the taste of tap water or struggle switching from rain water to tap:

We have a gravity fed water filter as a permanent part of the house hold. So even if we don’t like the taste of town water we’ll just get filtered town water from home, tap water tastes so much better after it’s filtered. I even keep a backup water bottle in my locker at work, plus there are the standard emergency water bottles in the car, so while I’m fully on tap water I don’t drink unfiltered tap water unless I absolutely have to because I’m not a fan of the taste. (Generally this only happens on long holidays when I’m away from home.)

Also personally I really don’t like copper tasting water bubbler water. So I learned years ago to bring my own water and to make sure I had enough of it. Currently I use a 64oz/1900ml Klean Kanteen stainless steel pop top at work with another bottle the same in my locker so even during summer months I don’t run out of filtered water. Also if I forget my primary water bottle or I forgot to fill it up and I run out then I know I have extra water on hand that I will actually be happy to drink.

I switch to a smaller bottle when not at work because those bottles are too big for drinking from while driving and they are a bit big to carry around casually if you plan to do a lot of walking. So if you need a large water at work I recommend keeping a smaller pop top water bottle in the car as well for everywhere else.

Although despite my strong preference for filtered tap water from home you do tend to get used to what is available for example I drank unfiltered tap water for a few years and got used to it because I didn’t have access to filtered tap water. While those visiting who were switching between filtered water and the water that I drank always complained about the taste because they weren’t used to it. XD :)

My biggest problem with tap water at the time was actually that my boarding school cooled the water literally everywhere which made it painful to drink with ‘sensitive’ teeth (and an unknown need for fillings). I think they cooled it because otherwise people complained about the taste so. :/ Sometimes I’d combat this by warming the water up in my mouth, somehow keeping it away from my teeth... I can’t remember exactly how I actually managed that but I did it somehow.

So if cold water is hurting you please get your teeth checked at a dentist before simply writing your teeth off as sensitive. Pain is considered a warning sign that something is wrong for a reason. Even if people can have sensitive teeth without needing fillings I’d suggest getting it checked out before ignoring it.

My current Klean Kanteens are awesome because despite the fact I don’t have the insulated bottles they still keep my water in the sweet spot for me not to hot, not to cold even my emergency stash that stays in the car all the day which I really like.

[moonette-wolfsong]

Why the cigarette tax won’t stop people from smoking watch the video (subtitled) published September, 2017.

Interesting, so unless something has changed legally since September, 2017 it’s difficult, if not illegal, for people to switch to reusable cigarettes in Australia. Granted e-cigarettes aren’t zero waste due to refills, unless the refills and packaging is recyclable.

Also this: Is Vaping Better for the Environment?

No second hand smoke, really that point right there should be more then enough to make them legal full stop.

Recyclable components and batteries, a few million less trees cut down every year, can be bought without a smell.... Why are these illegal while cigarettes are legal again?

Teenagers who use e-cigarettes more likely to start smoking, study finds

What these narrow minded, active wear wearing, Audi driving, espresso-latte-drinking people do not know, is that nobody worries about cancer in their sixties if they can’t figure out how to pay their rent next Tuesday. You don’t think about the future if you don’t think you have one.

So if people are worried about teenagers smoking maybe they should be looking at why the school systems are failing instead?

Mental illness hits teens in alarming numbers

Perhaps look to the schools that have started including mental health education in their schooling: New York schools to implement mental health education and then follow through to ensure it’s actually being used and more importantly helping and changed if the program is not producing results. 

Also this article and many articles highlights substance abuse as a problem, personally while I like the connection between mental health and substance abuse I’d like to see that thinking extended to those who’s suffering is less obvious because they don’t show ‘common’ stressors like substance abuse or the ‘usual’ self harm practices. If someone is self harming but it doesn’t fit into the neat little box of what people consider self harm then they and others may not even realise they are self harming or even if they do realise it’s a problem they might not realise how bad their mental health is are because their copying mechanism ‘aren’t as bad as’ cutting or substance abuse or suicide etc. 

Also children, teenagers, grow up and they are still suffering. 

Child psychologist Elizabeth Margules said about one in 10 adolescents was believed to be living with post-traumatic stress disorder triggered by a traumatic event, according to figures from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at UNSW Sydney.

1 in 10 adolescents, translates to 1 in 10 young /adults/, people don’t magically get better when they hit 18. PTSD is something people mentally connect with a /war zone/ not a school and yet here it is. 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder affects 800,000 Australians, new research suggests

So basically if you’re worried about teenagers substance abusing consider treating the cause, not the symptom. In the mean time I don’t see how banning e-cigarettes to protect teenagers is useful when cigarettes are still legal. 

[moonette-wolfsong]

Pondering how long it would take the average household to fill one of these. Also how long that type of recycling becomes mainstream and profitable or better yet before alternatives become more available because the price... 

They will accept chips, milk powder and yeast packaging in these, which is nice since silver lined packaging is not accepted via Redcycle/thin plastic recycling. So silver lined packaging is recyclable, it’s just niche recycling at the moment.

[moonette-wolfsong]

War On Waste: Plastic Meat Trays (youtube video)

My first reaction to this was literally, all the K-Roo brand kangaroo meat is in black plastic packaging….. The mince isn’t but only because it’s in a plastic bag rather then a meat tray and Redcycle doesn’t accept meat contaminated thin plastic bags anyway.

Speaking of if you are reusing plastic clip lock bags and putting meat in them before recycling them you need to be aware of this! (One of those simple basic things I didn’t think about because those bags are reused for everything) There are silicone reusable bags available so even if you only use your silicone bags for meat initially you may want to consider doing that. Personally I’d recommend BigBiteCreations Ziplock silicone bags, especially if you have eye sight problems, because their bags are easy to clean with no hidden crevices.

Basic Big Bites Creation & Stasher silicone bag review:

I do have some Stasher silicone bags but I found they have crevices in the corners that can be difficult to clean if something gets inside. I had to use a straw brush with bristles that went right to the end to get a bread crumb out and even then it was difficult and I was worried about damaging something. Generally I find straw brushes tend to have a plastic ‘cap’ on the end so they bristles don’t extend all the way to the bottom which doesn’t work in this situation so that could also be an issue. I do have a Stasher bag with one corner that I think is ‘faulty’ but it’s faulty in the best way because the corner opens up entirely so you can clean it which is great. I’d really like all their products to have corners like that.  

That being said the Stasher currently has smaller bags available then Big Bites Creations so I highly recommend looking at the sizes available and considering what size ziplock bags you currently use.

Stasher is a completely silicone bag while the Big Bites Creations bag has a hard plastic piece that slides across the top to close it. A bit like those chip bag sliding seals except the bags have a grove at the top of the bag that the slider runs along like a zipper.

I do worry that the plastic slid may be a bit bulky for keeping in your bag so I do prefer the Stasher in that case. I rarely use silicone bags when out and about so my experience is very limited. Although if I’m travelling on holiday having silicone bags and collapsible silicone containers are amazing because they compact down so small when empty. I keep the Big Bites Creation bag and plastic stick seperate since it’s easier to make sure I’m not packing air that way. So I do like to travel with the Big Bites Creation bag I’m just a tad worried it might be a  bit bulky for a school or work bag if it’s already really full. That being said little to no experience for daily travel with silicone bags since I prefer to use solid containers for lunches instead and just use silicone bags primarily around the house or when on holiday.

For me personally, easy of cleaning as mentioned above and also size is currently my biggest problem with silicone bags because they don’t yet come in the sizes I typically use. They tend to focus heavily on sandwich sizes and I’m a left overs not a sandwich person so the times sandwich sizes bags are used is rare. Typically the bag size I use is large enough for home made bread (not made by me) or circular cakes. I caved and got three Onya recycled plastic bread bags at one point which microplastic but I was fed up with reusing plastic bags. It helped but reusing clip lock bags is still a big thing. 

Also snack bags are a big thing especially for dog treats, which are also meat sometimes raw, sometimes dry. Stasher does have a small snack container that I was hoping would fill this need but it’s a bit too big and bulky for sticking in your pocket while on the go because it doesn’t collapse down like a plastic bag does. Also Stasher can be a little hard to open which is a problem because dog treats need to be given immediately so that the dog connects the correct action with the reward. There are mini wetbags/reusable snack bags but they tend to be too big for a pocket. Also trying to stay away from velcro because otherwise the dog will hear the velcro and then expect treats. Not the aim of the game. I’ve looked into biodegradable resealable bags but the ones I know about are sandwich size. So I’m primarily just been hoping that biodegradable and silicone bags will pick up so more sizes and options becomes more available. Although if I can’t even recycle the bags, bit of a reminder to bump snack bags higher up on the list of the many things I am working to faze out.

Currently the treats are generally kept in containers on the table or in the fridge, it’s more trying to find an alternative for keeping a treat bag in your pocket. Also the reused snack bags are often used to line the treat bag. So it’s a liner plus an easy way to stick it in your pocket.

I’m currently thinking try and work with a snack bag, Stasher or perhaps tackle making my own wet bag. Which not super keen on sewing because my skills are basic but oh well, I have a sewing machine that I keep ignoring.

(Dislaimer: I’m not the dog trainer in the family but I’ve found learning to listen to other people’s actually needs and what works and what doesn’t is a /massive/ part of finding solutions that actually work, not just something you think will work.)

Stasher bags can also be a little difficult to open even for the average person sometimes so if you have mobility problems or plan to use these bags for children’s lunch boxes you may want to check how easily people can open these bags. I’ve also had a complaint about Stasher bags being difficult to use after being frozen so I tend to use Big Bites Creation bags in the freezer instead.

Big Bites Creation bags can also be a little pedantic so if you or someone else is struggling to get the plastic slide on, try checking that they are sliding the slide directly along the groves. Getting the angle right is key here. I personally don’t tend to struggle with this so I think it’s just a learning curve. 

In terms of make I do like both bags, The Stasher bag was the first silicone bag I used and I really wanted to like it. I like the idea of all in one, silicone design. The closure is strong and overall the bag looks really solid and strong due to have thick seams. If anything I think the bag was a bit too well designed with a focus on strength and durability while the Big Bites Creation bags were designed for use and simplicity. Since the selling point of the Stasher bags are also it’s downfalls to me, it have a strong seal but the seal has creases food can disappear into and it’s difficult to get open. The bag has thick seams to make it long lasting but it means that when it comes to size what you see is what you get because it doesn’t compact down at all. 

Granted even the Big Bites Creation bags don’t compact down as much as a plastic bag because they are made out of silicone so that is something I could get used to but the difficulties with the seal to open and clean makes it less attractive and convenient to use. Ideally I’d like to see them open up the corners more for easy cleaning, that would be a big tick in my eyes. Since as hard as the seal is to open I do like the fact that I can put it in a bag and not worry about it coming open but the difficulty to clean it is a deal breaker to me. I might buy more of them if they had a size that I wanted and I couldn’t get elsewhere or if I needed something for camping but overall Big Bites Creations wins hands down for me because I tend to use silicone bags around the house or while on holiday, not when putting them in a carry bag. I would recommend considering Stasher bags if you need them for lunches and want something more compact then the Big Bites Creations so they do have their positive and negatives.

Big Bites Creations bags, sort of need something negative for these bags. XD Main point for me is they are designed to stand up so when drying upside down their base will collect water. Personally I will basically double check the base is empty of water before putting it on the draining board and that helps. You can also flip the bag half way through the drying process to let it drain. If you care putting these bags in the dishwasher expect them to collect a heap of water in their base. That way you won’t get any surprises when you pull them out. 

Plastic slide, it’s plastic need I go on? That being said it’s hard plastic so I’m assuming recyclable there. Plastic slide can be bulky as stated above so may not be ideal if you want a compact lunch. The slides are fairly sturdy, I do think it would be nice if replacement slides/slides where made available, just in case something happens. 

The bag edge is thinner then the Stasher which makes them more flexible but likely also makes them potentially less durable. I’m primarily handling that at home so they aren’t being taken out and about and rough handled but I do see them as a quality product. 

To open and close the Big Bites Creations bag you are sliding the plastic slide over silicone which can build up friction. It’s easier to get off then it is to get on. So I’m trying to think in terms of people who have children or mobility issues here but that may also be a problem, Stasher bags may potentially be easier because you are just pulling the bag open rather then sliding/pulling the slide along the top of the bag. (I’m hyper focusing on the open and close mechanism now. XD) 

Anyway if you don’t have mobility issues the open and closing is sort of minor problem that you basically become used to. So if I used the Stasher more I may become more comfortable with it, I don’t really use it enough to know. However  if you have children, mobility issues or someone who has mobility issues, hopefully this was some what helpful. 

Note: If you want an idea where I stand on the mobility scale my Autism is essentially mental not physical.