365 Sustainable Decisions Challenge

  ♣️ ♦️ Last weekend I visited the Board Game Archive in Haar. As a board game author, it was lovely to be surrounded by so many games! And yet, I learned something I did not expect. 🎲 The archive contains over 20,000 board games, from very old to very recent, from heavily played to completely new. Some of these new games are still wrapped in the plastic foil they were shipped in. It seems harmless, but it is not. 🫁 Over time, this plastic breaks down into microplastics, tiny particles that are almost impossible to remove. They can become so small that they linger in the air, and people working in or visiting the archive may breathe them in, potentially harming their health. 🙏 I am very grateful for the fantastic tour and the important work being done there. As a small contribution, I will be donating my game "Meine Freundin Conni: Kunterbunter Knobelspaß" to the archive. 💡 And now I know: I will make sure to remove the foil beforehand. Every little bit helps!

  🎤 Today, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Dennis Brunnecker for a radio documentary on plastic pollution. 💚 We spoke about the litterpicking initiative I’m leading, as well as my work in communicating the science behind this growing environmental challenge. 🧹 It turned was a wonderful conversation with great questions. I’m really looking forward to continuing our conversation in a more hands-on way when he joins the river cleanup this Saturday. Conversations are important but action is where change truly begins. #cleanup #environment #sustainability

  🤱 I just finished proofreading a chapter for my upcoming book "A Guide to a Healthier Planet 3" and was shocked again: 3 out of 4 mothers are feeding their children microplastics! 👶 These invisible plastic particles sneak into our bodies through food, water, air, and even everyday product such as sea salt and beer. And yes, they reach our babies too. ⚠️ That is bad, really bad. 🧹 That’s why I’m committed to doing something about it. I for example organize two cleanup events in my city every week, and I inspire change through education and action. 🌍 Please give this post a ❤️ or a "support" if you also agree plastic pollution needs to stop and share in a comment on how you feel we can achieve this. Thank you for joining me! Source of this statistic: Enyoh, C. E., Devi, A., Kadono, H., Wang, Q., & Rabin, M. H. (2023). The Plastic Within: Microplastics Invading Human Organs and Bodily Fluids Systems. Environments, 10(11), 194.

When traveling, I always bring at least one liter water with me. I used to have a deposit bottle that I refilled. But every now and then, I got rid of it to have a clean new one. When I saw someone with this reusable bottle, I bought one as well. It looks good (and professional when at work), contains a liter and can be cleaned in the dishwasher. Or cleaned by hand, which I do, as I use it all the time.

Luckily, I at the moment don’t need to take any pills. But if I do in the future, I’ll but them – if possible – in a container instead of a blister pack, as it require a lot less wrapping and therefore waste.  

Yesterday, I wrote about deciding to use butter with as little wrapping as possible. Sometimes, butter is presented without wrapping at all, which is even better. More and more often, I can choose between a sandwich spread that is provided in a refillable glass and one that is wrapped in plastic. This time, I wanted to eat the chocolate spread but decided to eat marmalade. And this time I forgot, but next time, I’ll let the hotel know that I appreciated the refillable-glass-solution.  

When I have breakfast in, for example, a hotel, butter is often presented in little plastic cups or packaging. I don’t like this, as it is quite a bit of waste for only a little bit of content (and they probably aren’t even recycled). But I want to stick to my breakfast routines to make sure that I have lots of energy during the day – for example to write this – so I decide in favor of butter with the least wrapping possible.

In hotel bathrooms and public toilets, I have often seen these plastic bags. I guess they should be used to throw away sanitary towels? If this is correct, I still don’t understand why using a plastic bag. In other places, I have seen paper bags. Much better! If only plastic bags are available, I wrap anything that needs wrapping in toilet paper instead. That works really well too!

When putting waste in the bin, it is easy for me to just throw it in as it is. But this way, I also throw away a lot of air. This means that I need more bags for the same amount of rubbish. As the waste bags are made of plastic, I generate even more plastic waste. And more plastic bags need to be produced. Therefore, I flattened this carton.  

In my spare time, I love crafting. And when I have crafted the presents, I love putting nice wrappings around them. The sticky tape I usually use is made of … well, not something that looks good for the environment. So, I looked for alternatives and found masking tape. I already used this when painting, for example, walls to cover the window frames. Now I also use it for crafting, wrapping presents, sticking notes on the door, closing bags, etc.  

I sometimes find bags with dogs poo next to the road. I always wonder why someone would leave a bag like that behind, because where I live you have to dispose it and when leaving it, it takes a lot, lot longer for the poo to degenerate. If you know the reason, I’m eager to learn about it.

Tomorrow is a big day, as tomorrow I finish this Challenge! And with celebrations, you often see confetti. But I don’t want paper or plastic confetti. Biodegradable confetti from leaves that fell on the ground is way more sustainable.

On my journey back from Thailand, I had to wait at the airport for a while. As I had to drink all my water before the security check, I used the remaining time to look for a fountain to refill my bottle, instead of buying a plastic bottle.

When I go shopping, I bring my own bag instead of buying a new one. I’ve been using the trolley for example already for years, which has saved me a huge pile of bags.

Someone gave me something in a plastic bag to prevent leaking. Instead of tearing the bag open, I decided to undo the knot, so that I can keep the bag and use it again later.

At home, I hardly ever drink water from a bottle. But in a restaurant or when on holiday, I do have to take care that I get water from the tap instead of bottled water. I like that taste better and it is saves waste.

I find it horrible when I go to a cafe and get a single cookie that is wrapped in plastic. So when I serve a cookie, I make sure it isn’t.

I’ve started gathering milk carton caps a while ago, because I was sure that one day, I would know how to upcycle them. And indeed, I glued them together to use them as coaster for my drink.

Earlier in this challenge, I have spoken about waste bins and their bags: - flattening waste to reduce the number of required bags (#4) - filling waste bags to reduce the number of required bags (#29) - reusing bag for waste bin instead of throwing it away (#37) - using only one bin in hotel (#59) Furthermore, I use a bin without a bag when I throw something in that doesn’t make it dirty.

Although I don't drink coffee, this works just as well for tea. The advantage of drinking it in the bar is that I don't create any waste.