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How to Dye Fabric Pink With Mere Avocado Pits

Posted on January 3, 2023January 4, 2023by Anne-Marie Bonneau
Five reusable cloth produce bags in varying shades of pink dry on a clothes line outside

Put avocado pits to work and dye fabric pink with them. All you need are a large pot, a handful of pits, water and something to dye.

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  • Challenges

A New Year’s Challenge: 30 Days of Climate Action

Posted on December 31, 2021January 1, 2022by Anne-Marie Bonneau

30 Days of Climate Action kicks off Jan 1. When you sign up, you’ll receive a daily action to take to address our changing climate.

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  • Climate Crisis

How to Keep Caring

Posted on February 26, 2020September 3, 2021by Anne-Marie Bonneau

Asking the question, “How do I keep caring?” shows not that we don’t care about the planet but that we may not be caring adequately for ourselves.

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8 Comments
  • Climate Crisis

We All Need Good News and Here It Is

Posted on February 11, 2020February 14, 2020by Anne-Marie Bonneau
backyard chickens and their deluxe hen house

While the bad news on the environment has been very bad, the good news has been very good. If you’ve been feeling hopeless, here is some relief.

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9 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

How Do I Make My Parents Live More Sustainably?

Posted on January 15, 2020June 20, 2022by Anne-Marie Bonneau
food stored in jars reduces food waste because you can see what you have on hand

“I’m a teenager living at home with unsupportive parents. What can I do to make them stop using so much plastic and be more sustainable?”

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16 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

Things My Daughter Eats as a Busy Student

Posted on November 3, 2019January 3, 2020by Mary Katherine Glen
Dutch oven with minestrone soup

My daughter found zero-waste living inaccessible when she went away to school. Here, she offers some meal prep ideas for busy, broke students.

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12 Comments
  • All Recipes

Mexican Hot Chocolate Made on Demand

Posted on October 13, 2019December 13, 2021by Anne-Marie Bonneau
frothy Mexican hot chocolate made with homemade almond milk

Say no to plastic bottles of chocolate syrup and hot chocolate packets and yes to Mexican hot chocolate with a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg and cayenne pepper.

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16 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

Get Ready for Plastic Free July

Posted on June 26, 2019June 22, 2020by Anne-Marie Bonneau

Plastic Free July is here! Take the challenge and then follow these strategies for a successful month, free of single-use plastics.

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10 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

10 Easy Zero-Waste Snacks for Kids and Those Who Feed Them

Posted on June 11, 2019September 9, 2022by Anne-Marie Bonneau
zero-waste snacks for kids: kombucha and popcorn

Fill little bellies, not big garbage bags, with these healthy and simple zero-waste snacks for kids.

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9 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

But What Do We Do? Zero Waste for Beginners

Posted on June 6, 2019September 22, 2019by Anne-Marie Bonneau

At recent event, a few times after I explained one how I live plastic-free, an attendee asked, “But what do we do?” She needed easy tips.

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14 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

How to Create a Secondhand Store in Your School

Posted on May 12, 2019June 11, 2019by Anne-Marie Bonneau

Teachers and parents! Want to help the planet and save money? Organize a clothing exchange at school to keep secondhand clothes out of landfill.

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4 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

How to Stop Receiving Unwanted Gifts

Posted on May 8, 2019November 10, 2021by Anne-Marie Bonneau

You have the zero-waste and plastic-free routine down but well-meaning friends and family constantly buy you unwanted gifts. Here’s how to decline them.

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12 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

Why Bother?

Posted on May 1, 2019May 2, 2021by Anne-Marie Bonneau
fresh produce in homemade zero waste and plastic free cloth produce bags

You completely change your lifestyle on your zero-waste journey but those around you don’t seem to care. Why not simply throw in the paper towel?

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21 Comments
  • Zero-Waste Basics

How to Have Your Cake and Eat It Plastic-Free Too This Party Season

Posted on April 18, 2019November 18, 2022by Anne-Marie Bonneau
take real cutlery to events to cut down on plastic waste

Turn your next school function, picnic or barbecue into a plastic-free event with these simple steps.

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10 Comments
  • Rants

You Make a Difference

Posted on March 12, 2019March 14, 2019by Anne-Marie Bonneau

You may feel that your zero-waste changes don’t make an impact. But you do not work alone. Together we will change the world.

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Nearly indestructible perfluoroalkyl substances (P Nearly indestructible perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), aka forever chemicals, render food packaging heatproof, greaseproof and waterproof, including some supposedly eco-friendly, compostable food packaging. They prevent food from sticking to pans. They render fabrics stain-resistant. They make dental floss glide.

They make our lives more convenient but at an outrageous price. PFAS have been linked to  kidney and testicular cancers, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, and pregnancy-induced hypertension. They may negatively impact fertility, the endocrine system and the immune system. And the may reduce the efficacy of vaccines. 

But they are also everywhere! In these slides are easy ways to avoid them. Avoid non-stick pots and pans; avoid take-out containers and wrappers; consider eating more food cooked at home from unpackaged vegetables (they have their own packaging!); don't eat freshwater fish; skip the microwave popcorn and pop popcorn on the stove; choose PFAS-free dental floss.

I couldn't fit additional ways in the slides:

✨ Check the EWG website for the map of cities with contaminated water. (Link in my newsletter). Consider getting a reverse-osmosis water treatment system.
✨ Cosmetics, shampoo and other personal care items may contain PFAS. Search for products that do not through EWG’s Skin Deep database.
✨ Avoid stain- and water-resistant fabrics. Sofas, carpet, mattress protectors, outdoor clothing…many of them have been treated with forever chemicals. Do your homework before you buy.
✨ Sign petitions (I like to a few in my newsletter). We need regulations to stop the polluting corporations.

See my most recent newsletter for all of the links and more info. Link in bio.
These are three buy-the-seeds-once plants: bok cho These are three buy-the-seeds-once plants: bok choy (first two images), arugula (next two) and sunflowers (this one came up early with all the rains). Let some of these plants bolt and go to seed, save the seeds, repeat and you’ll have free seeds for life. (Ideally… things can and will happen…)

I actually didn’t buy my bok choy or arugula seeds. They came from a community garden share! Gardeners tend to be very generous. Share your seeds as well. When those things that can and will happen do happen, you’ll have a network to fall back on.

Did you save any seeds last year?
As promised, a sock darning Reel. I used embroider As promised, a sock darning Reel. I used embroidery floss for this. I don’t add any knots in here. The floss is so intricately woven, it’s not coming out.
Here’s a little clip from my first sustainabilit Here’s a little clip from my first sustainability workshop on @omnianetwork “Tips & Tricks For A Sustainable Kitchen,” which is now live!

Launched today, Omnia Network is a premium workshop platform on a mission to help people thrive in their pursuit of natural and holistic health and wellness. I’m excited to be part of the launch!

In this workshop, I cover tips for a sustainable kitchen regarding: food waste; composting; plastic and paper waste; water conservation; and energy conservation. You can sign up for my workshop at www.omnianetwork.com. With your membership, you’ll have access to other workshops as well, with more coming!
You may have baked with a flax egg to replace eggs You may have baked with a flax egg to replace eggs but have you every tried a sourdough discard flax egg?

I’ve been baking cookies with sourdough discard flax eggs and they taste delicious! Shown here are peanut butter cookies.

Flax meal eggs are not new. To make one, combine a tablespoon of flaxseed meal and with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water. If you search online (or on IG), dozens of recipes for them and articles about them will pop up. No one I’ve fed cookies made with them knows the difference. I love them for peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip, oatmeal...

But sourdough discard flax eggs?

Because discard contains only flour and water, I wondered if I could make a sourdough discard flax egg with it, swap that for the egg in a cookie recipe and compensate for the flour present in the discard by reducing the flour called for in the original cookie recipe. Turns out, I can!

Here is the recipe for replacing one egg with one sourdough discard flax egg:

✨ 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed
✨ 3 tablespoons sourdough starter discard (or fresh if you like), 100 percent hydration

✨ Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes to thicken.
✨ Reduce the amount of flour in the recipe by 3 tablespoons.
✨ Add the sourdough flax egg at the step where you would ordinarily add the egg and continue with the recipe as usual.

You wouldn’t want to use this for meringues or macaroons or recipes that call for loads of eggs. But it works so well as a binder for cookies and bar cookies. 

You don’t have to be vegan to enjoy these. You just have to like cookies; appreciate the ability to bake when you have no eggs or can’t find eggs; and value saving money.

Want to make a starter of your own? I still have some space in my free Feb 10th sourdough starter workshop. It’s my starter Eleanor’s 9th birthday! They grow up so fast 🥲 Go to my profile to register.
Mending socks is so darn fun! The big toe on one o Mending socks is so darn fun! The big toe on one of my favorite socks developed a fairly big hole ☹️ But I fixed it! 😀

For this sock, I used embroidery floss. I mended some thicker socks this weekend with thin yarn. I don't have a darning mushroom but my daughter has a very small embroidery hoop so I used that. I plan on posting a video of sock darning later this week.

I can't think of anything else that brings quite the same feeling of satisfaction as repairing my stuff. Repairing extends our stuff’s useful life, conserves resources and takes some pressure off of our bursting landfills. 🧦🧶🪡🧵
Turn a piece of newspaper into a free compost bin Turn a piece of newspaper into a free compost bin liner.

If the ick factor prevents you from collecting food scraps for compost, this trick can help. And if you do compost, these liners will keep your food scraps collection bin cleaner while adding brown matter (the paper) to the compost heap. Save money on compostable bags—and skip all the research for said bags (watch out for greenwashing). Plus these are fun to make!
"We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-orie "We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society, when machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered."

Martin Luther King, Jr., from his speech "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence," April 4, 1967
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#drmartinlutherking #drmartinlutherkingjr #drmartinlutherkingjrday #MLK #MLKday #MLKquotes #blackhistory #blacklivesmatter #blm #consumerism #materialism #equality
I'm speaking today in Southern California at the @ I'm speaking today in Southern California at the @camarillolibrary and the hotel I'm staying in provides shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion in refillable bottles instead of in tiny, throwaway bottles. These bottles won't save the world but less plastic—made from fossil fuels—ends up in landfill. I think we see more changes like these today thanks to the public's awareness of and revolt against plastic pollution. Corporations don't change until the zeitgeist does.

And you can also bring your own when traveling! I packed my shampoo and conditioners bars, rolled up in a beeswax wrap, and a jar of hand cream.

More of the stuff I packed: deodorant made of coconut oil, baking soda and cornstarch that can double as toothpaste (please keep in mind I am not a dentist!); utensils; loose-leaf tea and a tea infuser; sourdough crackers and hummus; homemade granola bars (so good!); my yoga mat...all the important stuff! A little bit of planning helps keep trash out of landfill.

I hope to meet some of you today in person! I also brought three kombucha SCOBYs to give away.
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#camarillo #reuseables #masonjars #granolabars #sourdoughcrackers #scoby #kombuchabrewing #fermentedfoods #wildfermentation #plasticfreeliving #plasticfreelife #plasticisfossilfuel #plasticpollutes #breakfreefromplastic #plasticfreeoceans #sustainablelifestyle #wastefreeliving #lowwasteliving #slowfoodmovement #artofslowliving #zerowastejourney #zerowastelifestyle #zerowasteliving #zerowastetips #zerowastechef #thereisnoplanetb #respectyourmother #loveyourmother
Another atmospheric river is headed for Northern C Another atmospheric river is headed for Northern California, followed by more next week! The National Weather Service has warned us that the storm will be worse than Saturday’s atmospheric river and to expect flooding, downed trees and power outages.

So today, I’ve been preparing a bit. This post is by no means a comprehensive list of emergency preparedness! @kqed posted a helpful guide earlier tonight and I encourage anyone in the Bay Area to go check that out.

Here’s what I’ve been doing today: I’m freezing a couple of giant blocks of ice in stainless steel bowls. If the power goes out, I’ll move those to the refrigerator to keep our food cold. I have many, many jars of frozen food in the freezer which will stay that way unless the power goes out for a prolonged period (which could happen). I did a bit of baking while I still could (my sourdough cracker dough would not have survived in the fridge during a power outage...it was getting a little past its prime). I’ve rounded up some candles and matches. I’ve located the wind-up flashlight. And tonight, I’m charging all the things, including portable chargers.

Stay safe everyone!
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