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Posted on September 29, 2020by Anne-Marie Bonneau

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If you like the idea of adding strings to a homema

If you like the idea of adding strings to a homemade reusable produce bag but don’t want to sew a casing: Sew two finished strips of fabric or ribbons into the side of the bag as you make the seam.

I made this one out of an old sheet and the blue ties come from a giant donated duvet cover that one of our sewing bees deconstructed (thank you Danica!). I saved them, thinking they might come in handy.

Reusable produce bags keep plastic out of the waste stream and some stores offer a small discount when you use them. These make great reusable gift bags as well (it is late October after all!).

#plasticfreeliving #plasticfreeoceans #reusables #reusablebags #zerowastelife #zerowastelifestyle #zerowastehome

I don’t usually post products on social media be

I don’t usually post products on social media because most of us need to buy much less stuff but…

If you’re looking for an alternative to microplastic-shedding synthetic sponges, loofahs work really well. They are made from plants (you can even grow your own!), contain zero plastic and can go in the compost bin at their end of life. Loofahs work especially well on cast iron (I love cast iron...that's another post...).

A friend of a friend has started @tryfloofah, a small local company, and dropped these off for me to try. I really like them. Go here for more info: www.floofah.com.

#plasticfreeliving #microplastics #plasticfreeoceans #zerowastekitchen #zerowastehome #zerowasteliving #zerowastelife #zerowastelifestyle

Cool-weather cooking is here! Baked beans are easy

Cool-weather cooking is here! Baked beans are easy to make, inexpensive and absolutely delicious. Here's how I cook mine:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound dried Navy beans or Great Northern beans
1 onion, chopped
1 to 2 jalapeños or serrano peppers, chopped
¼ cup tomato paste
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
2 cups unsalted vegetable broth
2 cups water (I use the soaking water)
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1. Pick out any debris from the beans. Rinse until the water is clear. (Save this water for plants.) Place the beans in a large bowl and cover with water by 2 inches. Cover and let sit overnight.
2. In the morning, drain and reserve the soaking liquid. Heat the oven to 250 degrees F.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large (at least 4 quarts) cast-iron or enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion, jalapeños and a pinch of salt. Sauté for about 8 minutes until the onions have softened. Stir in the tomato paste, brown sugar, and molasses.
4. Add the drained beans, 2 cups of the soaking water and 2 cups of vegetable broth. Bring to a boil. Stir in the cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt. Cover with the lid and place the Dutch oven in the oven for 6 hours, or until the beans are tender.
5. Add the soy sauce and apple cider vinegar and adjust the flavor.

Save this recipe!

#zerowastelife #zerowasteliving #zerowastelifestyle #slowfoodmovement #plasticfreeliving #slowlivingmovement #simpleliving

Look at that face! 🥹 This little piggy is happ

The annual tomato-fest has begun! This was my firs

The annual tomato-fest has begun! This was my first 20-pound box of local, dry-farmed Early Girls of the season. When they first appear at the farmers’ market in summer, Early Girls cost $4.50/pound. These were $2.40/pound and the price could fall a bit more next week.

Swipe to see 15 pounds that I slow cooked and ran through a food mill. I use this purée in recipes calling for canned tomatoes. So tasty!

#slowfoodmovement #slowlivingmovement #tomatoseason #supportsmallfarms #plasticfreeliving #zerowastekitchen #zerowasteliving

This is the third good-news-on-California's-waste-

This is the third good-news-on-California's-waste-front post in a row! A hat trick! But not a fast fashion hat...

This week, Governor Newson signed the Responsible Textile Recovery Act, the first of its kind in the country. The law requires apparel and textile manufacturers to develop and implement systems that collect, reuse, repair and recycle all that stuff they overproduce, no matter its condition—and they'll have to pick up the tab. The program should be up and running in July 2028. (In the meantime, continue to thrift and to buy less stuff!)

In 2021, of the 1.2 million tons of textiles that were tossed in California, 95 percent were either reusable or recyclable, according to the bill's author, state Senator Josh Newman. The new law, which places the burden on manufacturers to keep their wares out of the waste stream, should dramatically reduce these numbers.

California is the 5th largest economy in the world. What happens here has a ripple effect around the country and the world.

#fastfashion #fastfashionrebellion #textilewaste #zerowastelife #zerowasteliving #ZeroWasteFashion #climatesolutions

More good news from California! The state has ban

More good news from California!

The state has banned confusing food date labels such as "sell by" and "best before." Every year, these labels cause consumers to toss literally tons and tons of perfectly edible food, believing it will make them sick.

Beginning in July 2026, manufacturers must use the more straightforward labels “Best if Used By” to indicate peak quality and “Use By” to indicate safety. This label reform will reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by wasted food and save consumers money.

#zerowastelifestyle #climatecrisis #zerowastehome #foodwaste #lovefoodhatewaste #zerowastekitchen #climatesolutions

Good news from California! All plastic shopping ba

Good news from California! All plastic shopping bags will be banned in the golden state at grocery stores beginning in 2026.

California banned plastic bags a decade ago but the plastic/oil industry exploited a loophole to introduce even thicker plastic bags that customers could purchase. Now those will be banned as well.

From @guardian, "State senator Catherine Blakespear, one of the bill’s supporters, said people were not reusing or recycling any plastic bags. She pointed to a state study that found that the amount of plastic shopping bags trashed a person grew from 8lb (3.6kg) a year in 2004 to 11lb a year in 2021."

#climatesolutions #reusable #reusables #reusablebags #plasticfreeliving #plasticfreeoceans #plasticfree

Thank you @betterhomesandgardens for including me

Thank you @betterhomesandgardens for including me in your list of eco-warriors in your September issue. Swipe to read an excerpt.

#zerowastelifestyle #zerowastehome #slowfoodmovement #foodwaste #lovefoodhatewaste #zerowastekitchen #climatesolutions

I filled a jar with fruit scraps (strawberry tops,

I filled a jar with fruit scraps (strawberry tops, intact nectarine and peach pits with flesh stuck to them, a couple of apple cores), water and a bit of sugar. The good microbes present on the fruit ate the sugars and produced gases and acids. I then strained out the scraps and stored the soda in an air-tight container for a day to increase the carbonation. See my recipe index for the full fruit scrap soda recipe.

#foodwaste #ferment #fermented #fermenting #fermentation #fermentedfoods #zerowastekitchen

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