365 Sustainable Decisions Challenge

Imagine I work in a company with 1.000 employees. Let’s say that every employee uses one plastic or paper cup every day for coffee. Assume that this is 220 cups per year. Only in this company, 220.000 cups will be thrown away. And even if they are glass cups, still 220.000 cups have to be washed every year. This is a horrific idea, so I bring my own cup now.  

When I quit my job 6 months ago, I planned replacing my income with courses about sustainable living. As this does not work out, but giving up my sustainability mission to help restore our earth isn't an option, I for now do freelance work in linguistics, education and IT. Was this helpful or are you inspired and would you like to say "thank you"? Here are some suggestions on how you can do so: >  https://www.sustainabledecisions.eu/thanks

I found this brown banana in my fruit bowl. It didn‘t look tasty anymore and was already very soft. Being so soft, it was perfect to use as sandwich spread on my slice of bread. And, it tasted good, so I‘m glad I didn‘t have to throw the banana away.  

Due to Corona virus pandemic, I have to take the bag that comes with my bread from the bakery so can't bring my own bag or net ( #39 ). That's why I have many paper bags. But now I know how to use them well: to carry waste I find on my walk instead of using a new plastic bag. I already filled one!

I recently learned that e-books can be ePub but also PDF files. That's why I've made the 365 Sustainable Decisions Challenge book with easy ideas to live more environmentally friendly available as PDF:  >  https://www.sustainabledecisions.eu/books Enjoy!

In my company, there is a campaign to reduce the number of paper napkins. I really appreciate this, so I indeed didn’t take a napkin.

Do you also sometimes feel overwhelmed because you realize how much you don't know or can't do yet? I did yesterday. But luckily I also know how to get over it: by focusing on the next steps instead of on the end of the marathon. This shift helps and gives energy to keep moving!

For my meal, I needed a baking tray. To make sure that the vegetables wouldn‘t stick to it, I used oil. I first wanted to spread it with a piece of single-use paper, but then realized I could just as well use a potato that I would later put in the oven. So, I just in time saved unnecessary waste.

Recently, I met a friend who told me that he just bought milk directly from a farmer. I gave this a try today too, going there by bike and bringing my own bottle. The only thing I now need to do is boil it to kill potentially dangerous germs. I'm excited about trying all this!

In #107, I described how I made a drinking glass out of my chocolate spread glass. I decided to carve the logo of this Challenge in it, to be able to give it as a present. I love how the glass has become very valuable!  

When I wake up, I often don't know what I'll share with you in the evening. I merely have faith that at some point during the day an idea pops up. This also often works for other things for which I don't have a solution yet: I have faith that at some point it comes out of the blue.

I spilled some water on the ground and got a piece a paper to mop it up. But then I realized this is a waste, and it would be more environmentally friendly to use a reusable cloth. So, for the second half of the puddle, I used a cloth.  

In #113, I described that I sewed small towels from unused towels. The reason was that I sometimes use kitchen paper to dry my hands. To reduce my waste even further, I can now use these small towels and wash them.  

To me it feels like I'm leaving behind a trail of ideas, just like Hansel and Gretel did with breadcrumbs. The trail is there for you to come along like Pacman and take them in. And although Pacman is used to a maze, I love making the game straightforward for you:

When buying washing-up liquid, it contains a lot of water. As this water has to be transported too, it would be more efficient to buy it without. That‘s why I was really happy when I found this washing-up powder. I just mix it with a bit of water and I‘m good to go!  

About a year ago, I inspired someone to pick up waste. This person recently inspired a small child to do the same. And in this picture you can see that she inspired her friend. I get tears in my eyes seeing this! So beautiful! And that is the power of being a good example.

With the bin I showed yesterday (#119), I have decided to walk around the neighborhood and gather waste. It makes it a lot easier, is some sort of sports and by taking action it maybe even raises awareness.

As it is my mission to make sustainable living easy for you, I've set up a page with sustainable online shops (and will extend this list). This way, you can shop sustainably online without spending time on researching suitable shops: https://www.sustainabledecisions.eu/partners . I would really appreciate when you bookmark this page and use it as a starting point each time you go shopping. By doing so, you support my work: these partners pay me a tiny commission when you buy something. This means you support my work with no extra cost to you! Thank you and happy shopping! >  https://www.sustainabledecisions.eu/partners

One thing I always do at night and occasionally during the day is closing the shutters to keep the heat in when it is really cold outside or out when it is really hot (summer). This saves me electricity to heat up or cool down the room.  

In the beginning of my Challenge, I wondered whether it would become hard to find ideas. Now I know, it's not. I still have plenty. But what I never expected is that taking the pictures is becoming harder because of staying at home. A great opportunity to do more upcycling.