13. Apr 2018
by manu

What’s chewing gum made of?

© welt.de

Ever wondered what you are chewing on?
Right: petrol-based plastic, which will need hundreds of years to degrade.

“Gum is made from plastic. […] After World War II, chemists learned to make synthetic rubber, which came to replace most natural rubber in chewing gum (e.g., polyethylene and polyvinyl acetate). […]
Where does (plastic) chewing gum go after it’s ABC (already been chewed)? Is it flushed down toilets? Washed down storm drains? Hmm… just one more source of non-biodegradable plastic in our oceans?”
Source: myplasticfreelife.com

In the image above you can see the “Gum Wall” in Seattle. Over a time period of 20 years people stuck over one billion chewing gums on it. (I’m sorry, but I can’t see how that’s cool in any way… it’s just gross!)
In 2015 the city of Seattle has begun to clean the wall, but chewing gums keep showing up:
→ “Seattles zäher Kampf gegen die Kaugummi-Wand” (welt.de in German)

 

Maybe rather chew Bio-Gum or even break the habit?

The “Chicza” chewing gums are 100% bio-degradable, vegan and gluten-free:
→ chiczausa.com

9. Apr 2018
by manu

Precious Plastic

Dave Hakkens and his team make it possible for people to create new stuff from plastic waste!

“One of the core goals of Precious Plastic is to offer people in developing countries ways to work with plastic waste as this resource is so freaking ubiquitous in their environments. We do this on a daily basis with our knowledge, technologies and platforms but sometimes we want to go a step further and give our full expertise and support by going in areas and set up plastic recycling workspaces- we call these projects Precious Plastic Pilot.”
Quelle: davehakkens.nl

→ davehakkens.nl
→ preciousplastic.com
→ Precious Plastic at Work

24. Mar 2018
by manu

Earth Hour


Today. 20:30h to 21:30h. Lights out!

20. Mar 2018
by manu

The Book of Idle Pleasures

© Manuela Ewers

Book Tipp:
“The Book of Idle Pleasures”
by Dan Kieran & Tom Hodgkinson

“At its best, the book has a delightful tone of foppish grandeur, achieving without much fuss a kind of phenomenological intensity in entries such as “Walking Back Home Drunk” or “Poking the Fire”. Remember, too, that most things are improved with “a cup of smouldering tea”, on which note I must leave you, as the kettle has just boiled.”
Review: The Guardian

A wonderful book that shows you all the small and (mostly) free things in life, which help you to slow down and appreciate life. You can’t buy happiness…

18. Mar 2018
by manu

Instead of Plastic Wrap

© Manuela Ewers

If you iron over a square of cotton with bees wax, than you get the environmentally friendly version of plastic wrap which you can reuse as you like! 🙂

On YouTube there are a lot of tutorials which also show different methods (iron // oven):
→ YouTube-Tutorial (iron)
 

Vegan alternative

Alternative to bees wax you can use carnauba wax which is not made of animal products.
There’s a tutorial here (german):
→ schwatzkatz.com
 

Lazy alternative

If you don’t have enough time or patience to create this wonderful plastic-free wrapping on your own, then you’re in luck:
→ Abeego
→ Bee’s Wrap

17. Mar 2018
by manu

Easter baskets made from paper pulp

In two weeks it’s already easter again!

And it’s this easy to create little easter baskets from old egg-boxes:

  1. Tear the egg containers apart and let them soak in water over night.
  2. On the next day shred the material further with a hand blender.
  3. Squeeze the unnecessary water out.
  4. Shape the paper pulp to your wishes (i.e. press it in a small bowl).
  5. Finally let it dry for at least 24 hours.
  6. Decorate 🙂

10. Mar 2018
by manu

Keep your favourite shirts!

© Manuela Ewers

If your favourite shirts are unwearable because they for example have holes, you can always make cushions of it! 🙂

My first try went pretty well. Repetition guaranteed! 😉

23. Feb 2018
by manu

Petition: Stop Plastic Microfiber Pollution!

“Most of us wear synthetic fabrics like polyester every day. […]

Last year, we released The Story of Microfibers, revealing that one of the biggest and most pernicious contributors to aquatic plastic pollution is washing our everyday clothing. Despite a flurry of activity by some companies, most clothing brands have failed to respond aggressively to this growing threat. […]

Its time companies took responsibility for the pollution their products cause. That’s why we’ve helped to introduce first-in-the-nation legislation in California this week to address plastic microfiber pollution.”
Source: storyofstuff.org

Sign the petition:
→ storyofstuff.org