365 Sustainable Decisions Challenge

Where I live, supermarkets offer battery cage and free range eggs. I chose free range eggs, assuming these chickens have a good life. So, I was shocked to learn that there is hardly any difference, as the outside area is small and unpleasant. In future, I will chose neither.

Autumn is here and I will enjoy this beautiful time with a long weekend off with my partner. I'll continue sharing posts, but will reduce the time on my computer as much as possible. So, in case I don't reply to your message, you know why. Have a wonderful weekend too! Loading... Twitter Embed Code Retweet text: Happy Autumn Equinox everyone. #edibleflowers #autumnequinox #maddocksfarmorganics

During a recent cleanup, I found slide from the degree that I finished in 2007. As they are so old, I don't need them anymore. Instead of throwing them away, I went through the pile to see which sheets are printed single-sided so that I can use these as scrap paper.  

As panelist at today's UN event  "Sustainable Digital transformation in the Arab Region - Challenges and Opportunities" (@ITU), I didn't get immediate feedback as cameras were off.  But here you can see that it went very well (start 00:58:22): https://itu.zoom.us/rec/play/J33QGRk7CanIJABdPYFKcXyyFa2spQ2aRii9XDsLw4yhuIpZTl4vl5BlF16mB91Yq2us9RU6gxTt8Kzd.xIcntZvH7S0lSMGK?autoplay=true&startTime=1632898601000

#Composting is not only a great way to reduce the mount of biological waste that goes to landfill, we can also put it to good use when growing our own food. #sustainableLiving Loading... Twitter Embed Code Retweet text: How satisfying and rewarding, the first of my very own compost, going onto the veggie #nodig beds, for next Spring. . Worth the 2 year wait for the compost 🥳👏🏻 #compost #GardeningTwitter #garden #gardens

The car I recently borrowed from my parents had some stuff in the boot. I realised that everything I carry unnecessarily requires me to use more petrol to move forward. So the next opportunity, I got rid of everything possible from my borrowed car.

How can ancient CO 2 levels be measured? E.g. from certain shells at the sea bottom. These shells contain different types of boron. The boron composition depended on the water acidity, the acidity on the amount of dissolved CO 2  in the water and dissolved CO 2  on CO 2 in the air. Sources:  - NATURE | VOL 406 | 17 AUGUST 2000 - Science 326, 1394 (2009)

I love this! And the birds probably love it too! #sustainableLiving Loading... Twitter Embed Code Retweet text: harvest sunflower seeds today: some for me, some for the birds and some saved for next season 🌻

As my partner is taller than me, I fit into his t-shirts. I occasionally wear them in case of an "emergency". That's why I found out that they are quite comfortable. So, I was very happy when I could adopt this one as my pajama.  

Something else I love about biodiversity is that it allows cross-species affection like you can see here. I still sometimes dream about the guinea pigs I used to have as a kid, and I guess you also wouldn't want to miss your dog, cat, horse, etc. #KindnessMatters Loading... Twitter Embed Code Retweet text: The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart💗 📸 Unknown #NaturePhotography #love

This is made with so much love! Look at this gorgeous hotel for bees in which some already found their home! And the great thing: it's of practical use for the owner too: the holes are drilled so that they form the house number. You can get yours #ad https://www.etsy.com/nl/listing/922846446/bij-gebouw

When visiting my parents' house, I got some bread from the freezer for breakfast.  As I was hungry and didn’t want to wait for too long, I decided to defrost the bread.  Instead of using the toaster, I put the bread on the heating that was turned on anyway.  This saved some energy.

As I also have a degree and working experience in IT, I love combining knowledge and skills from IT and sustainability; e.g. this Wednesday, I support ITU in this event on sustainable transformation. When you want to attend, you can signup at https://itu.int/go/SDTD-ARB

Apart from that it is more environmentally friendly to leave leaves on the ground, look how beautiful it is! And this is a good reminder as autumn is coming where I live, so no need to spend time on tidying up. #sustainableLiving #forNature Loading... Twitter Embed Code Retweet text: Have a nice day friends. #nature #NaturePhotography

I've been using this brush for years and would like to keep on using it as long as possible. So, when I during brushing heard it crack and noticed that the crack started to go bigger slowly, I decided to put tape on it. Since then, it has stayed the same, so I'm very happy to be able to use it for a lot longer.  

Once a week, I go for a run with other people. I sometimes drag myself to it, but as soon as I'm running, I'm always glad I went. That's because e.g. running gives me an endorphin boost, a hormone that makes us happy. What sports do you do to get this boost and feel good?

I think these flowers look lovely! And very #environmentallyFriendly, as no new materials are used and they will look great for a long time! Can you imagine someone who would be very happy to get a bunch of flowers like this? I do! #upcycling #sustainableLiving Loading... Twitter Embed Code Retweet text: #365SustainableStepsofPrasiddhi #Day44 Using old newspapers to craft decorative flowers #ecofriendly #livehappy #decor

When I occasionally drive a car, I make sure that I only break when it is really necessary.  This means that when I in the distance see a red light or a traffic jam, I take my foot off the accelerator pedal.  I will continue rolling for a while.  By the time I get to the last car, the light has often turned green or the last car has moved forward, so that I didn’t have to break and can continue driving.

This message just arrived via the internet, implying that e.g. your phone is communicating with other computers called servers. As these servers live in data centers and not my home, I often don't realize their energy usage. Did you when you were last streaming a video?

I read about an initiative in Germany that saves ill chicken from battery cages. Their new owners care for them so that they can recover and live a happy rest of their life. Wonderful to see how not only a human can make a chicken happy, but a chicken also a human! Loading... Twitter Embed Code Retweet text: One year today that Gerri 🐔 crossed the rainbow bridge 🌈 She changed my life 🌱 she showed the world 🌎 how great chickens really are 💕 Rest in power baby! ✨ I love you ♥️ #GoVegan

This is my partner's idea: he used this old coffee container to put cutlery in. Clever idea as this way we don't have to buy container and reduce waste.  

This honey is hard to get out. And being lazy, I haven't eaten it for a while. But when I learned that a bee flies twice around the earth for 500 g / 1 pound of honey, I realized that getting the honey out is no effort compared to that! Now enjoying this honey more than ever!

Once I read about a scientific experiment in which participants folded origami pelicans. Because they put effort in folding, they were willing to pay more to take them home, even when objectively the result wasn't great. So, I guess that self-harvested food tastes better too! Loading... Twitter Embed Code Retweet text: 91 lbs of watermelon 🍉 and 26 lbs of cantaloupe 🍈 were harvested from our school garden. Our Falcon scholars enjoyed some delicious fresh fruit during lunch time. #FalconsUnitedInExcellence #Garden

I now finally have a good reason to lick off my plate: I don’t want to waste any food.

And what about the fish? Two days ago, I shared a picture of a hydroelectric power plant. What I love is that they also thought about the fish. They can pass through this stream next to the dam.

You don't have to be a professional artist to do #upcycling. I love this fire truck and would definitely want to play with it if I were a child. #sustainableLiving #zerowaste Loading... Twitter Embed Code Retweet text: 🥰❤️🍃💗🌻🤗😘A Start of a Fire Truck💜💖🏵️🥰❤️✨💓

While drinking a cup of tea on the terrace of a cafe, the wrapping of my tea bag was blown away by the wind. To prevent it from happening again and it ending up on the street / in nature, I put my saucer on it.  

Digitalization: curse or blessing? Computers use a lot of energy these days, however, current technology can also be used to reduce energy usage when opportunities and challenges are addressed. As a panelist at this UN (@UNECE) meeting, I contributed to this discussion today.

I often hear or read statements such as "no one cares anymore". But such definitive statements are seldom true. Because look, I care a lot and this man obviously does too. That's why I'm very careful using words like always, never, everyone and no one. Loading... Twitter Embed Code Retweet text: Marine biologist Alan Holyoak saved a baby Salmon Shark (Lamna ditropis) that was stranded at Seaside Beach in OregonShow this thread

When it is cold and I have very short showers (#9) or wash at the tap (#129), I need a hot water bottle to warm up.  Otherwise it takes ages to fall asleep.  So I use a hot water bottle. In the morning, the water is cold.  As I already watered my plants with that water yesterday, I can’t water them again.  So I poured the water into the bucket that is in my shower (#10) so that I can use it for other things, such as flushing the toilet.

A dead end. But not really, as I found this beautiful building. It's a hydroelectric power plant built in 1903. It saves 7000 tons of CO2 a year, so 826,000 tons since it's been built. That's equivalent to 1 plane in the air non-stop for about 1000 years!

I came across this lawn and noticed one part with a sign. The sign said that this part was on purpose left as is, so that flowers can grow and insects have a place to go. And there was even a phone number in case I had any questions.  

Big things we do can also be made up of small things for example: doing little things in a more environmentally friendly way than before in order to take care of our planet. Thank you! Loading... Twitter Embed Code Never get tired of doing little things for others, sometimes those littles things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.

Do you wonder who sponsors my sustainability project? It's me: I'm also doing projects in other fields to earn a living. For example, I tested the security of a website this week. It's not always easy to have this double workload, but giving up my project is not an option.

I have a basil plant in my kitchen to grow the leaves for my pizza.  This means I do not have to buy new leaves in – mostly plastic – wrappings in the shop.  Last time, I got rid of the dried leaves from this plant.  Afterwards I wondered why I did that, as these leaves are usually the ones you buy in the shop. So this time, I ate both the fresh and the dried ones.

What a beautiful and probably delicious harvest! Loading... Twitter Embed Code

Imagine you come home, just before your wedding, and you see this and your garden. Amazing! And it looks as most of it is either upcycled or can be (re)used when they take it down one day. I love and very much appreciate such creativity!

The LEED certification is a sustainability certification that defines standards for constructing environmentally friendly, resource-efficient and sustainable buildings. This newly built building I have worked in for one of my freelance projects has this certification. Great!    

Wow, he proves that it is never to late to make an ever bigger difference. And love your laugh sir! Loading... Twitter Embed Code

With this one, I'm late, but that doesn't matter:  I participated in the #PlasticsChallenge by @CanalRiverTrust (Twitter) by cleaning up 5 pieces of canal or river plastic.  This was my biggest catch! Thank you to everyone else who participated as well!

Yesterday I prepared for today’s experiment: using washable toilet paper.  And even though it sounds a bit weird, I have to say that it works really well.  And thinking about it, the idea isn’t really that strange, as there are also pantyliners (#106) and nappies that can be washed.  I do have to say that I only use it for weeing.  The big job is a bridge too far.

"Protect what you love" Wow, only a few words, and yet so powerful. I protect nature for example, by living more environmentally friendly. What do you love and protect? Loading... Twitter Embed Code

Normally we go for a run, but this time  we had a good time creating vegan body scrub from 1 lemon  30 g olive oil 40 g coconut oil 300 g sugar Basically chopping the lemon up, mixing it with the rest and storing it cool.  I love it!  Credit: https://wiewowasistgut.com/zitronen-zucker-peeling-wellness-wochen-mit-paydirekt/

I saw this decoration in a restaurant. What a great idea to use edible decoration, as it has two purposes at the same time. And compared to cut flowers, this plant lasts a lot longer.  

Great news! I really appreciate the efforts and it is wonderful to see that they do make a huge difference! Loading... Twitter Embed Code Lake trout are reproducing again in Lake Erie, where native fish have long been considered extinct. Biologists and researchers have worked tirelessly over six decades to improve water quality and habitat in the area - this is a well-deserved reward for their efforts.

Sustainability at the workplace That was the topic of my workshop yesterday. I shared why their impact is larger than they realize, taught the methodology I use to come up with ways to live more environmentally friendly and they practiced this in small groups. A great event!

This is so cool! A bench that is charged by solar power, allowing you to recharge your phone while sitting on it!

I have a few t-shirts that I don’t want to wear anymore, but I also don’t want to throw them away. I decided to cut two in stripes to use them as toilet paper. My reasoning: when I use washable pantyliners (#106), I might as well use washable toilet paper.

Like burying nuts, I often do things in the context of my sustainability work that I feel are the right thing to do. Soon afterwards, I can't remember that I did it. And then sometime a tree springs and I have no idea where it comes from. Probably from one of these nuts. Loading... Twitter Embed Code It is said that millions of trees in the world are accidentally planted by squirrels, who bury nuts, then forget where they hid them. Do good and forget. It will come back someday.

Where I live is a special bakery.  It's name is "Pastries from the day before" but often called "Day before bakery".  They sell bread that would otherwise be thrown away, for example because it's from the day before or it doesn't look good enough. A great way to reduce food waste!  

Great idea to make cleaning up a social activity! I like it how you applied the Dutch saying: (in Dutch) het nuttige met het aangename combineren. (in English) combining the useful with the pleasant. Loading... Twitter Embed Code When you have fun, meet great colleagues and are doing something for nature it is called #EUBeachCleanup #ENECOCleanBeachCup

An old computer, an old phone. Electronic waste is very common these days. Recycling them properly is worth it, as they contain valuable metals e.g. gold, which can be reused. Did you know that an iPhone contains 0,034g / 0.001 ounce of gold? That's about €1,50 / $1.80.

When sending something by snail mail, I tend to choose the smallest possible box.  First, it saves packaging and I don’t have to fill the box with any material (see #132).  Also, by having a small box, more boxes fit into a delivery car, meaning that they have to travel less distance in total.

I really appreciate this respect for nature! Loading... Twitter Embed Code It's easy to cut the tree but difficult to grow one like it... Novel way of dealing with the tree...

A 6D model, wow! Building information modelling is used to make buildings more environmentally friendly, where 4D: construction sequence 5D: costs 6D: project's lifecycle. As this sector uses 1/3 of total energy consumption, this is great! ( Source: https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/ECE_ENERGY_GE.6_2021_5_Policy%20recommendations_final.pdf )

For my freelance university teaching job, we filmed videos. In front of a green screen, it was important that my hair on the side wasn't sticking out.  Instead of using hair spray, I used these pins. Worked perfectly well and way more environmentally friendly.    

Imagine making a positive difference collectively, with the whole village. I'm sure that feels amazing as it bonds doing this together. And the result in a few years will probably be mind-blowing. Thank you @DrDilipSodha and your neighbors! Loading... Twitter Embed Code Preparation to creat a rural forest 🌳 in our village, Achhavadiya (Banaskantha, Gujarat), is in full swing. Drip irrigation system will be used for watering. The whole village is on the toes to make it successful. Migratory birds will surely like it in the years to come.

Have you heard of twin strangers? People who look extremely similar but are strangers. In this documentary they find out that Rob (US) and Kobi (Israel; blue t-shirts) potentially share great, great, great grandparents unknowingly. So, lets love each other: we may be related. https://twitter.com/AncestryUK/status/804651415834595329?s=20

Instead of eating meat, I chose to order a meal with an alternative, in this case tofu. It tasted really well, so that’s worth choosing again.

Wow, I'm impressed! I just found out about Edgar doing #cleanups. I don't know how much, but imagine how many kilos / pounds of rubbish he has already cleaned up in these 778 days. Thank you so much Edgar for your efforts! Loading... Twitter Embed Code Trash pickup day 778. This was a 25 minute pickup. Went further into my new park today. Found some cool rock walls and even a small mountain! Not comparable to my home park, but hey it's something cool to look at.

Have you ever traveled this route? I hadn't, but it looked promising and was beautiful indeed. So, when sustainable living can make you happier, healthier and wealthier, does that sound like an attractive route? If yes, let's go together: join the community by following me  on Twitter .

On one of my trips, I came across this little cafe. I love the way they used old windows to create a new window front. Very creative and colorful. And environmentally friendly.  

Never heard of this quote, but I completely agree with it. And I go one step further: after having found an answer, even when it just makes a small difference, I take action by putting the answer into practice. Loading... Twitter Embed Code Don't spend your precious time asking why isn't the world a better place? It will only be time wasted. The question is to ask How can I make it better? To that there is an answer. Contemplate this famous quote.... Remember, it only takes one small change at a time....

Here you can see a river being renaturalized. Costs: 2 million euros. That's a lot, but when comparing it with this it's not: in July a small German town with 130.000 inhabitants got flooded. The damage: 3,7 billion euros! As we say in Dutch: preventing is better than curing

At night before I go to sleep, I pull the plug from the internet. I do the same when I leave the house for a while. As I don’t need internet during these times, there is no reason to have it transmitting, which saves energy.

Look, Sagar is also doing a 365 Sustainable Decisions Challenge, even though he doesn't seem to call it like that, sharing ideas for #sustainableLiving every single day. He's already on day 273! Amazing, he deserves lots of love too. Loading... Twitter Embed Code

On Twitter, members of the community voted that they would like to contribute to my 365 Sustainable Decisions Challenge. When you'd like to hand in ideas too, here is how it works: 1. send me a message with your idea indicating that you'd like to share it 2. if I haven't shared the idea so far, I'll ask you to send accompanying pictures 3. I'll create a post and credit you for it

In my parents garden, I found some of these plastic containers. I asked whether my dad still needs them or whether I can dig them out. He didn't need them anymore, so I took to prevent plastic from ending up in the soil, I put them into recycling. And, I put the little plants that were growing in them back in the earth.    

This is what happens (almost) every morning when my alarm goes off: I get up straight away, ready to make a positive difference to our world yet another day. Loading... Twitter Embed Code Our planet is home to millions of unique species. These species have developed uniquely different abilities depending upon their habitat, food, breeding etc. We must be considerate of these amazing creatures while taking up ambitious projects threatening ecology.

Did you ever realize this: when you have a second child or another friend, you start loving this child or friend and love the first one just as much. This means that love adds up. So, why not love as many people as you can? I ... love it!

When standing still with a car, I turn off the engine. This saves apart from petrol a lot of fumes.

How cute! And never thought of the cup of an old bra being useful! Loading... Twitter Embed Code I made a very small needle cushion I can wear as a ring whilst sewing (i used the cup of an old bra for the filling - upcycling wins)

Germany has since January 2021 a new type of tax: CO 2 tax with €25 per ton of CO 2 .  So those who live more environmentally friendly pay less. And I like that it's a direct tax:  existing environmental taxes are combined with other taxes, so even I didn't know I pay them.

This wonderful tablecloth has many stains.  But it is still beautiful, so no need to replace it by a new one.  

Great idea to give 58 saplings for a 58 birthday! Loading... Twitter Embed Code Today i gifted the ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Kenya H.E Annette Günther,58 saplings to celebrate her 58th birthday.

And here it is! The book I upcycled is for the coaching company AchieveToday (@weareachieve): the coaches have been supporting me for almost two years. Their views and insights, and our laughs and celebrations are invaluable to me! I absolutely love and highly recommend them!