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For the month of March on Instagram, I'll be going through some aspects of how life was when I was growing up in the Philippines. You can read more about that here. I have also partnered with a few great companies to do some giveaways in March. There's been a lot of discussion about zero waste and how sometimes among the white walls and perfect portrayals of neatly stacked jars, privilege reigns. I'm lucky to be where I am today. My parents sacrificed a lot to come to the U.S. as immigrants. As with everyone else, our life perspectives will be different. Mine contains a glimpse of life in a country that did not have a luxury, but we made do with what's possible. Fast forward years later and I am lucky that I do not have to struggle to meet my basic needs and can therefore spend my time and money on other things. I recognize that zero waste as a movement isn't necessarily about getting the latest gear, but learning to understand what it means to consume and how to consume in a way that doesn't harm the environment. As someone who also just went through the zero waste transition and continues to make changes (the journey never ends), I wanted to giveaway a few items to help others break away from wasteful habits.
As it is also my birthday, I want to give instead of receive this year so hopefully these will help you on your journey.
I reached out to amazing brands that helped me in my transition. When I first started my zero waste transition, I had the luxury to spend the time to research what would allow me to make the transition easier. The brands that I have partnered with are brands that I fully trust. I originally purchased their products years ago. I continue to be impressed with the quality. With their support, I will be giving away a combination of these products every Sunday in March over on Instagram.
Skoy Cloths
When I was auditing our kitchen to reduce waste, I found three main things in our trash can: food packaging, food and paper towels. I tackled paper towels by switching to Skoy Cloths. I found Skoy Cloths after a thorough review of other alternatives and scouring Amazon reviews. These work wonderful and significantly reduced the amount of paper towels that we use at home. You can find a full review of the cloths here.
Skoy is a woman owned business in California. They manufacture their products in Europe and package it in California.
I continue to use Skoy Cloths in our kitchen and still have the original 4-pack that I purchased 2 years ago thought I am down to 1 cloth.
Guided Made Notebooks
I came across Guided Notebooks when I was looking for a new notebook for 2018. Despite living almost 100% digital, I still like the tactile feel for pen to paper. I took a personal project this year to get on the bandwagon of bullet journaling as a way to disconnect from the screen. After using their Recycled Notebooks for a month, I found that the notebooks really held up.
I wasn't much of a doodler growing up, but I was a massive note taker and I took a few art classes even though I wasn't that good. I've been getting creative and taking on some classes via Skillshare and CreativeLive to get my creative juices flowing.
I am a fan of these notebooks and take theme everywhere with me because they are so light. Once I'm done and if I want to, I can easily dispose of them by composting or recycling them.
Simple Ecology
Part of the stash for the giveaway.
Simple Ecology bags were part of my first transitional items. These bags help me eliminate needing to use plastic produce bags and skip a lot of food packaging. Although, my grocery shopping hauls are not 100% zero waste or plastic free all of the time, these bags have been a lifesaver. From using them to grab Brussels sprouts, beans, rice to a few pastries here and there, they are easy to use, easy to clean and definitely easy on the eyes. I've gotten so many compliments when I roll up to the cashier with my items in the bag. I've had mine for almost two years and they have certainly held up which is awesome. They are made of 100% GOTS certified cotton too and will biodegrade naturally.
Klean Kanteen from EarthHero
One of my first goals when starting the zero waste journey was to give up bottled water. For years, I would readily buy 24-packs and leave them half drunk around the house. It was not very earth-friendly. Fast forward to today and and I have not used a single plastic water bottle in almost two years. I've greatly enjoyed carrying my water in my insulated Klean Kanteen. It has held up from my many trips around the world too. So of course, I've already gotten my return on investment.
If you are looking to purchase, head to earthhero.com and enter "DOSOMETHING" to get 15% of your order until the end of March 31.
Enter your information below to get a list of Zero Waste alternatives for common household items.
ToGoWare from EarthHero
For full transparency, I have actually not used ToGoWare products before as I have my own wooden utensils set that I got from a while back, but I've heard so many good things about this. Having this in your purse or backpack will be a great way to reduce single-use plastic utensils. It's sleek with it's own holder, a full utensil set and chopsticks too.
If you are looking to purchase, head to earthhero.com and enter "DOSOMETHING" to get 15% of your order until the end of March 31.
Beeswax Wraps from EarthHero
Another item that I have not fully used, but have heard a lot of good things with is Bee's Wrap. What a great way to eliminate plastic and foil use. I choose the 3-pack because I read it's the most used for those half eaten fruits and breads that we have sometimes lying around. These will also be great to cover bowls and small plates.
If you are looking to purchase, head to earthhero.com and enter "DOSOMETHING" to get 15% of your order until the end of March 31.
Rules and Restrictions
The Giveaways will be posted each Sunday in the month of March. It is for U.S. residents only in the 48 contiguous states. Sorry Alaska and Hawaii, just don't want to deal with shipping. There will be additional rules such as which vendor to follow, etc. over on Instagram. Each giveaway will contain a mix of the prizes above as well as some extras so follow along.
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