(Photo: zeevveez)

Men hvad betyder det egentlig, når EU siger, at de går ind for at forbyde engangsplastik?

Vi kender det alle sammen – det kan til tider være svært, at finde hoved og hale i alle de informationer vi får i forbindelse med klimaændringerne. Derfor vil vi prøve at give dig en opsummering på, hvad det faktisk vil betyde for klimaet, hvis engangsplastik blev forbudt.

Europa-Parlamentet har stemt ’ja’ til at forbyde 10 forskellige engangsartikler, hvilket bl.a. er plastikbestik, vatpinde og sugerør. Dette som en del af en lov mod al den plastaffald, der ødelægger strande og forurener havene. Det vil altså være en kæmpe gave for dyr, mennesker og ikke mindst planeten, hvis loven trådte i kraft. Herunder kan du se en kort opsummering på situationen angående engangsplastik:

• Afstemningen baner vejen for et forbud mod engangsplast, som vil træde i kraft inden 2021 i alle EU-medlemsstater.
• Udover at målrette mod det mest almindelige – nemlig plastik på strandene – vil der forbydes engangspolystyrenkopper, samt de kopper der er fremstillet af oxo-nedbrydeligt plast.
• EU-medlemslandene skal indføre foranstaltninger til at reducere brugen af plastikemballager og plasticlåg til varme drikke. I 2025 skal plastflasker være fremstillet af 25% genanvendt indhold, og i 2029 skal 90% genanvendes.
• EU bekæmper også vådservietter, som tilstopper kloakker. Vådservietter, bind, tobaksfiltre og kopper vil blive mærket, hvis de er lavet med plastik. Emballagen vil derfor advare forbrugerne om de miljøskader, de kan skabe ved at bortskaffe disse varer forkert.

 

Hvilke konsekvenser kan det få, hvis plastikemballagen ikke fjernes?

Hvis ikke plastiskemballagen fjernes kan det få katastrofale konsekvenser for dyreliv og levesteder. Plastik udgør mere end 80% af havaffaldet, og på grund af dens lagsomme nedbrydningshastighed er der fundet plastrester i fisk såvel som skaldyr. Plastrester er derfor på vej ind i den menneskelige fødekæde. Det lyder jo forfærdeligt, at vi faktisk er nået helt herud. Endnu mere skræmmende er det, at forskning viser, at der vil være mere plast end fisk i vægt i verdenshavene inden 2050…. Et eksempel på, hvor meget plastikaffald allerede fylder i havene er, at der tidligere på denne måned skyllede en hval i land ved Filippinerne. Den havde næsten 40 kg plastaffald inde i kroppen, og sidste år døde en hval i det sydlige Thailand efter at have spist mere end 80 plastikposer.

Vi håber sådan, at I vil være med til at bekæmpe det her plastikproblem – for gør vi alle bare lidt, så hjælper det i det store hele.

 

Hvilke alternativer er der til plastik?

Det kan lyde som lang tid at vente til 2021, men heldigvis behøver du ikke vente. Du kan nemlig allerede nu arbejde mod en mere plastikfri verden. Herunder giver vi dig 5 forskellige alternativer til, hvordan du bl.a. kan erstatte plastik og dermed være med til at gøre en forskel:

1. Nej tak til plastikposer, ja tak til eget net

Du har hørt det masser af gange, men ikke desto mindre – så er det værd at nævne igen. For er der et sted, hvor der virkelig bliver brugt plastik, så det næsten ikke er til at forstå mængden, er når vi er nede at handle eller shoppe. Sig nej tak til plastikposer og tag dit eget bomuldsnet med. Eller i hvert fald en form for genanvendelig pose, så du sparer miljøet for endnu en plastikpose - det vil gøre en kæmpe forskel; better choices in all matters – right? Link til vores indkøbsnet finder du her.

2. Tag dit eget genanvendelige sugerør med

Et alternativ til plastiksugerør kan være genanvendelige sugerør, som du kan have med dig overalt. Vores on-the-go stålsugerør er fantastisk at have med på farten – de fylder nemlig utrolig lidt i tasken (pssst! og så kan de vaskes). Du kan finde linket til vores sugerør her.

3. Ha’ dit eget bestik med

Ligesom med vores on-the-go sugerør, så har vi også et sæt on-the-go bambus bestik. Sættet er nemt at have med på farten, da det kan foldes sammen, så det ikke fylder i tasken. Du kan derfor have det med dig overalt. Sættet kan du se via linket her.

4. Drop vatrondellerne

Et alternativ til vatrondellerne kan være vores miljøvenlige bomuldsrondeller. De er super bløde mod huden, og så har du muligheden for at vaske dem i vaskemaskinen – de er derfor genbrugelige. De ser pæne ud på badeværelseshylden, du undgår kemikalier ved brug af vatrondeller, de er uden plastikemballage, og så sparer du penge ved ikke at skulle købe vatrondeller. What’s not to like? Link til bomuldsrondellerne finder du her.

5. Plastikkasser til opbevaring – nej tak

De fleste børnefamilier kender det sikkert – der står kasser med legetøj forskellige steder i huset. Og vi kender alle de små firkantede kasser, der er lavet af plastik. Vi har et godt alternativ til kasser af plastik – eller generelt et alternativ til opbevaring. Det er både vores zerowaste snackbag og zerowaste multibag. Begge er super smarte til opbevaring, hvilket bl.a. kan være til mad, nødder, frugt, slik, løs market, nips, makeup, smykker, frugt og grønt, madpakker, skoopbevaring/skovask, garn, legetøj m.m. Kun fantasien sætter grænser. Link til snackbag her. Og linket til multibag er her. 

  

Kilder

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/mar/27/the-last-straw-european-parliament-votes-to-ban-single-use-plastics

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/28/europe/eu-single-use-plastics-ban-intl-scli/index.html

http://time.com/5560105/european-union-plastic-ban/

The Environmental Costs of Mainstream and Fast Fashion are Destroying our Planet and Coming Generations

Copenhagen, Oct. 13, 2018 - by Ninna Helene Meacock, Master of Arts in Cultural Communication & Aesthetics

Most of us are finding ourselves living in a society, where everything is running full speed ahead. There’s a constant bombardment of notifications, deadlines, emails, expectations...

It could be described as a hectic living inside some sort of bubble, where no one is really being aware of the present. At the same time a lot of people are having trouble with really being in the moment, chill out and simply just enjoy the things they already have by keeping life simple.

Furthermore we’re not slowing down and taking the time to get to know the true story about the garments we choose to buy, because it’s much easier to just close ones eyes to it. To just close ones eyes to a harmful and often criminal industry, which doesn’t hold the perpetrators accountable.

Fashion has become faster, cheaper and more exposable. But the costs of stocking up on fresh looks are more extensive than one first assumes. It’s one of the most polluting industries in the world!

 

Fashion consumption is increasing, causing environmental degradation by draining water resources and letting out greenhouse gasses. It’s a billion dollar business that eventually comes with a large scale of consequences as a cost. An industry where power and greed is on the one side and poverty and fear is on the other side. It’s a business carrying secrets of animal cruelty, child labour, low wages, health and safety risks as well as a sky-high carbon footprint.

So why even bother digging into this in the first place? Wouldn’t it be easier to just ignore this without getting into further details? Isn’t it too late to actually do anything about this anyway?

Well, first of all think of the children you know today. What kind of world do you want them to live in? Or their children?

Are we not better than that?
The steps we as consumers can take will be small steps towards a better future for the coming generations. But it’s a step forward. And the more people who start caring about these issues the faster we can turn this around. It’s definitely time for a clean-up.

However, there’s a shift in the making. China, a huge export of textiles, has gotten much more serious about the subject shutting down factories in a move to curb pollution. And in general there’s been much more awareness  of textile recycling lately.

Sustainable production could be one of those things that could really make a huge impact on the environmental issues we’re dealing with today. Each piece of clothing leaves an environmental mark on the Earth, so imagine what would happen if we began to replace those one piece at a time with sustainable fashion?

More and more smaller handmade shops are also popping up locally as well as online. These are clothes that are cared for in the process, which for the most part means that they’re not produced using chemicals or under unethical circumstances (this is another blog post) As the consumers are gradually getting more aware of the origin of the products they purchase - as well as the impact these have on the environment - it becomes clearer that there actually is a huge market for slow fashion.

Regarding style, design and texture many of the bigger brands within the fashion industry will continue to plagiarize slow fashion artists and smaller, independent brands that make their own pieces. Bigger brands steal ideas. So not cool. But what can you do...

That being said the responsibility also lies in the hands of us (the consumers) who in reality has the choice to ditch fast fashion and start supporting smaller businesses that have both their background, certifications and ethics in order though the price might be slightly more expensive (and often the quality and price go hand in hand). Then again we must try to keep in mind where the money eventually ends.

Understandably this can seem quite overwhelming to get into and understand. Each section should have it’s own blog post, since there’s a lot of details to get into. The following is a relatively quick overview of why we as consumers must and should reconsider mainstream fast fashion as a shopping choice.

1) Fast fashion is fast!

The more collections and seasons the fashion industry has the more discarded outdated fashion items. Clothes are fast produced for little money and mostly only worn until it gets out of style (whatever that truly means). These sales cycles are spiraling endlessly and are playing a huge role in climate change related challenges that we need to deal with for the sake of the coming generations.

People have busy lifestyles, which make them time-poor. It’s easier to buy new clothes than to fix garments that need repairing. Garment workers pay the price of cheap clothing and they have no voice and most often no choice if they want to feed their families and survive themselves.

Our culture is obsessed with beauty and appearance, which the fashion and beauty industry indeed is very much aware of. Hence, the different seasons and collections, the various ads and samples.

2) Cotton- why NOT?!
Growing cotton organically is important for the environment, since cotton farming uses more insecticides than any other main crop; 16 percent of the world’s insecticides and 7 percent of pesticides. These harsh chemical agents are subsequently released into the environment, which can end up distorting ecosystems. Just look up aldicarb and glyphosate.

However, organic cotton still requires high amounts of water, but the workers and the environment are not exposed to damaging chemicals.

In comparison to conventional cotton organic cotton is less likely to contribute to global warming, acidification, and eutrophication. Organic cotton cultivation can also reduce the possible negative impact cotton farming can have on local water quality as well as biodiversity.

3) Dyeing, bleaching and printing fabrics with chemicals
Often chemicals are used to soften or dye textiles. Again we’re talking about the effect of chemicals on human health and the companies that cause the toxicity, which further leads to different health issues such as cancer, birth defects etc. Ironically - and sadly - these companies are also the same companies producing medicine for various illnesses caused by a toxic environment.

In the countries producing textiles you can also see the effects of these chemicals in the lakes and water streams, which often have unnatural vivid colours that stem from the untreated factory wastewater of the cloth dyeing industry. Again, this can cause distortion within ecosystems, which will eventually cause damage in various areas and basically make sure that nature will get out of balance.

Regarding textile printing the process includes

4) Non-decomposable synthetic fibres, microfibres of plastic threatening aquatic life and methane release from wool during landfill decomposition
The industry produces overwhelming amounts of non-decomposable waste that also leaves traces in water; the oceans and our groundwater.

Water is essential for life and the average adult human body consists of approx. 50-65 percent water depending on gender and fitness level. The plastic ends up in the oceans, where plankton is munching on microplastic that eventually gets eaten by animals, who finally ends up on our plate. So basically we end up having microplastic in both our food and drinking water.

Decomposing clothing releases methane, which is a hazardous greenhouse gas and therefore also a significant contributor to global warming.

5) OUR OWN LACK OF STYLE
“I have NOTHING to wear” is one of the most common statements that women have regarding their wardrobe. If you have nothing to wear, then why is your closet filled to the point of bursting? As mentioned before - the fashion industry constantly feeds the consumers with new seasons and collections creating a need for the consumer.

Well, style isn’t necessarily fashion. It’s how you carry yourself using what you’ve got and making the best of  it. Money can buy a lot of lovely things, but they can’t buy style. It’s something you have to create yourself. If you lack inspiration take a look at wonderful women with substance and amazing character 

There is an endless amount of inspiring women out there that can help to function as your muses. Think creatively about what you already have or mix ethical fashion with second hand or borrowed pieces. That you can’t wear certain things at a certain age is not true. Of course some things might be less flattering to wear, but you can wear what you want. Don’t let others dictate how to live your life. If you feel good about yourself and shine inside out, who can stop you?

And why not swap clothes with a friend or person online if both of you need a bit of change? When going to a special event consider borrowing an outfit instead of buying something you’ll only wear once or twice.

Etchy ethical:

Looking after both people and the environment are the two main aspects to consider, when choosing ethical brands.

Brands that recycle or use upcycled materials indicates that they’re committed to making better use of resources and creativity.  

Ethical fashion can create jobs that are both fairly paid, meaningful, skilled and fairly paid for people in disadvantaged communities. This especially includes women who have previously been marginalised. Supporting local brands is making a smaller carbon footprint and minimises  the environmental impact of large global supply chains.

 

You can also decide to choose brands that are limiting their environmental impact and reducing their carbon footprint. Try to do a little research on the brand’s environmental commitments and processes

Also - what you bought 3 weeks ago is no longer “in”. Therefore, care less about seasons and collections. Nora Abousteit, founder and CEO of CraftJam, believes in sowing your own clothes as a way to conquer fast fashion and offers classes covering different projects, tools, and materials and ideas for you to make at home and CraftJam is therefore a place where creativity is available to all. It’s all about how you style garments and how you wear them. Go be create and most important of all - have fun, while doing it!

Another ethical option is to buy clothes made of organic cotton dyed with only non-toxic materials. Make a green difference by looking at the label to see if the garment is made of organic cotton.

The use of natural packaging can also be a big plus in the attractiveness of an ethical brand. Of course it’s also clever to charge money for a bag, so the customers might reuse old ones or bring a tote bag to save money, but first and foremost we should think more about plastic and where it eventually ends up.

The travelling distance of your garment is of course also an aspect to pay attention to - considering the energy it takes to get from the sender to the purchaser.

When all is said and done… How sexy do you now feel in your fast fashion clothes knowing that it has most certainly polluted water, air, and land? THINK AGAIN, EARTH FRIEND ❤

This Month's Writer is the talented & Dear Friend:
Ninna Helene Meacock (b. 1986) holds a Master of Arts in Cultural Communication with a focus on Urbanity & Aesthetics from Copenhagen University, Denmark, and Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.

She loves to put all sorts of music on (everything from bluegrass and baroque to dark synthwave and 60s psych) and cook plant-based food from scratch. She also enjoys writing and creating art in her home studio. When she’s not biking around Copenhagen, she enjoys travelling the world and experiencing different cultures.

 

Ladies, we have a common task to lift.:

To reduce the consumption of plastic! 

It's absolutely brittle how much plastic is being used in our every day life.

& when you put the numbers together you can really imagine what a massive amount of plastic produce there is…. 

Here we have just a few examples:

► In Denmark we spend around 460 million pcs. plastic bags a year. This corresponds to approx. 85 bags per Dane a year! 

► In the US 500 million straws are used pr. DAY!  It corresponds to 125 buses filled with (ONLY) straws ...

►Worldwide we use about 1 million. plastic bottles pr. MINUTE - That’s 20,000 bottles per second. !! 91% will not be recycled - and over half of them end up in the landfill, in nature and in the sea ….

► For now we have more plastic in the Ocean than we have stars on the MilkyWay (Galaxy)

► Did you know that our world plastic consumption corresponds to emptying a stuffed container into the Ocean EVERY MINUTE ! (Terrifying) 

► In most major brands within skin and body care products, you will find micro plastic. You do not think so, but if you look a little closer to your products, you can see that there are actually plastic in many of them. It's called PE, polyethylene or polypropylene. So therefore look closely on the ingredient list next time you are buying a new product. 

Huge amounts of microplastics are flushed out in our aquatic environment to eventually end up in our food …

New studies has actually shown that we are also eating plastic. Image that! Our stomach filled with micro plastic?! 

In the United States, microplastics have been banned in creams and toothpaste from 2018, but in DK there are still specific legislation in the area, although there is still an increasing focus on the problem.

YAH! it’s a sad story ...

So therefore! : 

We need to do something smarter! 

We hope you will help raise awareness about plastic and microplasticism. There is so much need for it.

Inspire others - and until next time SPREAD THE AWARENESS ❤️

Psssst: We have made it easy for you and designed some cute and recycled Tote Bags. These are perfect til next time you are buying groceries. 

+ Our Stainless Steel straws are Back in stock <3 

We actually got that question a lot. Many people did not get why conventional cotton isn't vegan. 

In this Blog post we will try to *break it down* and tell you why we choose better choices. & why our PETA vegan certification is so important to us. 

Conventional cotton/ Pesticides 
Did you know that: 25% of world consumption of insecticides and 10% of world consumption of pesticides is used for the cultivation of conventional cotton. 

It is quite wild and overwhelming to imagine the huge amounts of insecticides and pesticides that are used in conventional production. 

 

Obviously, so large amounts of pollutants have a major negative environmental impact.

Even though pesticides are sprayed on land, many times, they can make their way into a water source, such as a river, ocean, or pond.

Many fish and other animals may die and get sick. This can throw the whole ecosystem off balance! 

Exposure to pesticides can also alter an organism’s behavior, impacting its ability to survive.

Birds for example, can impede singing ability, making it difficult to attract mates and reproduce. Pesticides can also affect birds' ability to care for offspring, causing their young to die.  

For bees, pesticides result in impacting mobility, feeding behaviors, and navigation.  

We all depend on the animals. Our world would crash if we didn't have that eco system. 

These facts are why we strongly believe in better choices in all matters. And why it is important to look after the GOTS organic & VEGAN certified symbol when choosing garment. It's your guideline to know that you are making a choice and not support animal cruelty. So we all can save the planet and all the living organisms.  

For our animals, our planet and our future. 

Until NEXT TIME- BEE KIND 🐝

HAPPY World Vegetarian Day

The whole month of October is Vegetarian Awareness Month. Celebrating everything vegetarian (YAY) 

We want to CELEBRATE with you and therefore giving you FREE SHIPPING. Just add Promo Code: freeshipping to your cart before checking out. 

If you—or someone you know—have been considering a plant-based lifestyle, today is the perfect day to give it a try.

Read more below about the 6 myths about going vegetarian. 

By making a simple change in your diet, you are taking part in a lifestyle and world-changing campaign where what’s good for you is also good for the animals and the planet. Simply devote at least one day a week to eating meat-free.

Aha-moments when shifting to a vegetarian diet: 
1. It is almost effortless. Everything can easily be 'vegetarianized' The simplicity is quite impossible to argue to go back!

2. Your meals gets so much more diverse now that other ingredients gets the spotlight. Before you just surrounded your meal around the meat, chicken or fish. Focus now on your vegetables, grains and dip. 

3. Eye opening benefits such as always feeling full but still “light” Your stomach will THANK you for it. 

6 myths about going vegetarian

You won’t get enough protein 

Every vegetarian or vegan has heard this 1 time (or 100!) And the truth is that there's plenty of protein in vegetables, grains and beans. So make sure you focus on these different food groups and you will not need to worry about protein. 

You need to take supplements for all vitamins and minerals
For many vitamins and minerals it’s actually the opposite as you focus more on plant-based foods. A few vitamins that however only exist in animal products are vitamin B12 and vitamin D.  

You won’t get enough iron
Myth! Iron exists in many plant based foods as well. Green leafy vegetables and any beans you can think of. They not only provide iron, they’ll also give you a great amount of other essential vitamins and minerals such as calcium.

In addition the vegetables contains a good amount of Vitamin C that will increase the Iron absorption.

You eat the same boring food day in and day out
I EAT GRASS! Actually this much is why we made that T shirt! Because when you eat a lot of green stuff, people often make jokes about it and this T-shirt is an ironic way to own your statement. 

Meat is not the only thing that can be marinated and seasoned until it tastes amazing. The difference is that vegetarians have cracked the code, that you can marinate just about anything and make it taste delish!

As soon as you switch to a vegetarian diet you’ll get healthy
This is a very common misperception. Yes, a vegetarian diet often leads to more fruits and vegetables but you still need to think about whole foods VS processed foods, not having too much sugar, too many fried foods, too much sodium and too much fat etc. So, - to eat vegan pizza and Oreos is not the kind of plant based food we recommend. ;) 

It’s hard
It’s new, it’s not hard! You will learn, really fast but if you start by veganizing your favorite meals you won’t even notice a difference. Then you can move over to making new or more advanced stuff, if you like. 

The internet is loaded with recipes and it will really benefit your creativity in the kitchen, - as well as your taste buds. 

We absolutely love the talented women behind the blog: Elephantlove. She makes the most beautiful and mouthwatering pictures of food. 

You can see more here: 
elephantlove.bloggersdeligt.dk 

 

Until next time, BE KIND 

 

 

 

 

 

The Story About Pargaard and how Iben & Helle met.

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