This is a bundle of my favorite articles that address Eco-Friendliness, Fair Trade and Sustainability
Ocean / Coral Reef Safe Sunscreen
Did you know that A LOT of sunscreens are very damaging to the ocean and its coral reefs? Between 6,000 and 14,000 tons of sunscreen washes off into our coral reefs every year and accelerates the process of coral reefs bleaching, as well being toxic to certain reef fish species.
Please be an eco-friendly swimmer (also when you go into waterfalls) and avoid the following ingredients in your sunscreen:
Here you can find a more detailed list with explanations: https://stream2sea.com/ingredients-to-avoid
Stores like Joho, Holland & Barrett and Eco-Plaza carry Eco-Friendly, Ocean Safe sunscreens!
We train and make all equal
In het National Museum in Nairobi kwam ik na het bekijken van de collectie uit in het museumwinkeltje. Er werden verschillende souvenirs en ook kaarten verkocht. Een van de kaartenvakjes bestond uit kaarten gemaakt door Keniaanse vrouwen en meisjes die door middel van het verkopen van hun zelfgemaakte kaarten geld verdienen. Hoewel het soms lijkt alsof alles made is in China, was deze kaart duidelijk made in Kenya. Bij de kaart zat een verklarend briefje: 'Our beautifal handcrafts are made by young women, girls and youth in Kenya who do this to earn a living. This concept is developed by our artisans, by recycling waste materials like copper wire, aluminium plates and food cans. We also work with weeds like water hyacinth that are a menace in the Lake Victoria region. - We train and make all equal. Kowil women and orphans self help group'. Als je het mij vraagt een prachtige manier van community based development, een initiatief vanuit de bevolking, voor de bevolking van Kenia. Niet alleen voor de ontvanger van deze kaart een 'merry christmas' maar ook voor de maker ervan een stap naar een beter leven! Als ik dit soort initiatieven tegenkom in Nederland en kan kiezen voor kaarten gemaakt vanuit een dergelijke gedachtengang, weet ik in ieder geval al waar mijn keuze naar uit gaat. Jij ook?
Travelling and the climate: what you could and shouldn't do
Climate has been on the forefront of international negotiations in the past decades. The evidence of human-induced climate change and its consequences is abundant and ever increasing. While states are delving into seemingly never-ending negotiations, citizens and other non-state actors are increasingly acting on reducing emission through all kinds of easy and more inventive ways. One contradicting issue rises, however; the increase in welfare in combination with decreasing flight prices is causing a boost in international aviation numbers. While I am trying to be a person who lives in a sustainable way, I have to admit that I am also one of the people contributing to air pollution by flying to Japan, Ecuador, London, etc. I find it difficult to come clean with myself about how much I am polluting through my travels, especially since this is one of the things which makes me truly happy. I became vegan for the environment, I take very short showers, I stopped using shampoo, I try to buy local products mostly, but then my flight just compensate for more than everything I am trying to contribute. Therefore, in this blog I want to write a bit about sustainable ways of travelling, to make myself more aware, but also to maybe help you if you're struggling with the same contradicting lifestyle.
While there is so much knowledge about pollution and travelling I will not claim to use everything here. That would just be way too much to cover in one blogpost. I will, however, look at trustworthy pages and share them with you (some might be in Dutch, but I will summarize what they say here). First of all for example, the Dutch website www.milieucentraal.nl, an organization focussing on the environment which was started by the former ministry of environment in 1988. They have a page called 'Vliegen of ander vakantie vervoer' which means 'flying or other ways of holiday-travelling' (https://www.milieucentraal.nl/duurzaam-vervoer/vliegen-of-ander-vakantievervoer/). On their page they give a simple comparison of the pollution caused by different ways of travelling. Visiting the page can be useful even if you do not understand Dutch since they show some figures you might understand. They give four tips, useful to keep in mind when planning your holidays:
They also compared several ways of travelling within Europe with the first one being the most sustainable: train/touring car, car with multiple people, airplane or car with only one person. However, they say you have to keep in mind the type of car your travelling with, since some are more sustainable than others. A trip by plane is usually around 7-11x more of a burden on the environment than a trip by train.
If you do decide to fly, however, then you can at least try to reduce the impact as much as possible by keeping in mind the following things:
The Guardian also released an interesting article about the impacts of flying. The article is from 2008, so a long time ago, but you can get the idea: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/apr/06/aviation-q-and-a . One of the important things they mention is that the impact of flying is not just about CO2 emissions, since this is not the only impact flying has on the environment. The contribution to global warming is often much higher than what you expect only based on CO2 emissions.
A relatively recent article in The Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/27/climate/airplane-pollution-global-warming.html) also stresses how bad flying is for the environment. However, they again give some recommendations to keep in mind
If you want to know more about these tips I suggest you read the article since it is interesting to read and well-written!
Yale Climate Connections also offers a good explanation of flying and its impacts. It is definitely worth a read: https://www.yaleclimateconnections.org/2015/09/evolving-climate-math-of-flying-vs-driving/
So what now?
Well, I am still in doubt about my next trip and definitely more aware of what I should and should not do. Now I at least know how I can reduce my impact if I decide to keep travelling by plane, which I am honestly not yet ready to totally give up. I am focussing more on other modes of travelling however. Especially travelling by train has caught my attention since you see so much more of the country then by flying, and since it's effortless in comparison to driving or biking. For example: I would love to go to China, and one way to do this and at the same time see so much of other countries is by taking the Trans Mongolian Railway for example. There is also the Danube Express in Europe (which is more of a luxury train), the Ghan in Australia, the California Zephyr in the USA, the Golden Eagly (Moscow-Tehran). The Telegraph also gives a great overview of train rides in the world https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/rail-journeys/the-25-greatest-train-journeys-in-the-world/. While it might take longer to travel by train, it is worth it when you decide to take fewer but longer trips. Other ways of travelling are by foot, bike or boat.
Well, I hope you learned something throughout this blog and that you can make up your mind. Good luck and enjoy planning your next trip! I see reducing my emissions as a fun and rewarding challenge.
Cheers,
Hannah
Fair Trade Banana Bread
'Fair Trade Banana Bread
225 g (8 oz) self-raising flour
100 g (4 oz) butter
150 g (5 oz) caster sugar
450 g (1 lb) Fair Trade bananas (the gooier the better) 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
175 g (6 oz) mixed dried fruit
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Peel and mash the bananas, and then mix all the ingredients except the dried fruit together. You can do this in a food processor, or by hand in a basin. When they're all thoroughly mixed, add the dried fruit. Spoon the mixture into a 1 kg (2 lb) non-stick loaf tin, spread it out evenly and bake it for 11⁄2 hours. The loaf is done when a skewer pushed into its middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Crumbly Banana Squares
175g Fair Trade sugar 175g margarine
225g self raising flour 100g porridge oats
2 medium Fair Trade bananas, mashed 25g sultanas (or similar)
Caster sugar
Directions
Warm your oven to 200°C. Cream the sugar and margarine together. Cut in the flour and oats to make a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle half into a baking tray (12 by 8 inch) and press down lightly. Spread over the bananas and sprinkle the dried fruit. Sprinkle the rest of the mixture over and again press down lightly. Bake it for 25 to 30 minutes until golden. To finish sprinkle with caster sugar Wait until it cools (if you can) and cut into appropriately-sized chunks
Chocco Bananas
1 lemon
4 large Fair Trade bananas
1 bar dark Fair Trade chocolate
a sprinkling of Fair Trade Raw Cane Sugar
Directions:
Peel the bananas and slit them lengthwise for about three quarters of their length.
Break the chocolate into portions and then cut the portions lengthwise. Insert chocolate pieces into the bananas lengthwise and gently close up the bananas. Put some baking foil into an oven proof dish and lay the bananas on top. Juice the lemon, and sprinkle lemon juice and sugar over the bananas. Fold up the foil to seal the bananas. Bake in the oven at Gas Mark 6 for 20 minutes. Gently turn out into serving bowls. Serve hot with cream, or Fair Trade ice cream. '
SIMPLY DELICIOUS!
Ready In: 0 min.
Guacamole
Guacamole: easy, quick, delicous, healthy and vegan! Who doesn't love it? You can dip your nachos in it, spread it on toast or put it as a topping on your rice bowl!
Here's how I make mine:
Ingrediënts
Unlike many others, I prefer my guacamole without tomatoes because I feel it can make it to thin/watery sometimes.
That's it! And so easy.
Let me know when you try it! What is your guacamole recipe?
Ready In: 7 min.
Ugandan vegetable Samosas
This recipe is from: blog.ssekodesigns.com
I didn't try to make them myself yet, but i ate lots of Samosas in Uganda and they absolutely were my favourite Ugandan food!!
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat the oil in a small nonstick pan. Add the mustard seeds and fry for about ten seconds, or until they begin to splutter.
Add the onion and ginger, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes over a high heat. Add the peas, and stir well. Add the coriander, cumin, chile powder, garam masala, salt to taste, and a splash of water. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, and then add the potatoes, and cilantro, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
Unroll the phyllo pastry dough, cover with plastic wrap and a damp tea or kitchen towel. Peel off one sheet and keep the rest covered so that it doesn't dry out. Lay the pastry sheet flat on a clean surface, and brush with melted butter. Fold in one third of the pastry lengthwise towards the middle. Brush again with the butter and fold in the other side to make a long triple-layered strip.
Place one rounded teaspoon of the filling mixture at one end of the strip, leaving a 1-inch border. Take the right corner and fold diagonally to the left, enclosing the filling and forming a triangle. Fold again along the upper crease of the triangle. Keep folding in this way until you reach the end of the strip. Brush the outer surface with more butter. Place the triangle onto a baking sheet and cover while you make the rest of the samosas. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden and crisp, turning halfway through the cooking time.
Enjoy!
Ready in: 50 min.
Ingredients:
Fairtrade bananen met chocolaMijn absolute favoriet: Banaan met een laagje chocola !
Snijd elke banaan in 6 gelijke stukken en steek in elk stukje een prikkertje. Laat de chocolade au bain marie smelten. Dat is dus een pan die boven een pan hangt met daar heet water erin. Als de chocolade gesmolten is, doop je één voo één ded stukjes banaaan erin totdat ze helemaal omhult zijn met chcocola. Als je kokossnippers erop wilt doen moet je dat gelijk eroverheen strooien nadat je een stukje banaan uit de chocolade haalt, dan blijft het namelijk plakken. Heb je alle stukjes gehad? Zet ze dan eventjes in de koelkast (5 minuten is al genoeg) en smullen maar!
Ready In: 0 min.
Ingredients:
WAAR, een winkel vol duurzame cadeaus 
Regelmatig bezoek ik de winkels van WAAR. Dit zijn winkels die investeren in eerlijke producten en je zult er dan ook geen één product vinden dat niet eerlijk of biologisch is. Het leuke van de producten is dat er ook vaak informatie bij wordt gegeven over hoe het product is ontstaan en wat jou aankoop van dit product voor effect heeft op de lokale economie van bijvoorbeeld ontwikkelingslanden. Zo kocht ik een paar dagen geleden een ontwerp van Piet Hein Eek.
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Ontwerper Piet Hein Eek heeft in Vietnam bijzondere woonaccessoires ontwikkeld. Hij heeft gebruik gemaakt van palmhout, een mooie en snelgroeiende grondstof. Nadeel is dat het snel krom trekt. Met een speciaal ontwerp loste Piet Hein Eek dit probleem op. De manden en schalen zijn opgebouwd uit dunne aan elkaar geregen latjes. Deze kunnen krimpen en uitzetten wat ze willen, het product blijft intact. Voor sterke knopen en stevig draad vroegen de houtbewerkers advies aan de vissers in hun dorp.
Het zijn super leuke winkels en ze zitten door heel Nederland dus kijk of er een bij jouw in de buurt zit en wordt geinspireerd!
Ook is er een website van WAAR:
httppublicpublic://blog/foto_4_7_0.jpgblog/foto_1_11_0.jpgwww.ditiswaar.nl
The bottle is the message
Dopper streeft naar een wereld waar mensen zich bewust zijn van het milieu, waar we actief de hoeveelheid single-use plastic afval verminderen en waar iedereen, dicht bij huis en ver weg, toegang heeft tot veilig drinkwater. We bereiken deze wereld door:
De Dopper community verspreidt zich sinds de introductie in 2010 in hoog tempo over de hele wereld. Er zijn veel manieren waarop jij jouw steentje kan bijdragen aan een kleinere plastic afvalberg en veilig drinkwater voor iedereen.
KOOP EN DOPPER EEN STEUN DEZE GOEDE ACTIE! HET IS NIET ALLEEN PRAKTISCH EN VOOR EEN GOED DOEL MAAR OOK NOG IS EEN HEEL LEUK FLESJE.
JE KAN UITERAARD OOK DONEREN VIA DE SITE: https://dopper.com/nl/
Being Eco-Friendly By Being Zero Waste VictoriaCrescent contributed on 11-02-2022 01:23
The term "zero waste" refers to a way of living that aims to reduce the amount of waste that we produce and then send to landfill. When we talk about "zero waste," we're talking about taking responsibility for our own rubbish, and not throwing anything away unless it's recyclable or compostable. Zero Waste also includes extending the life of products as much as possible before recycling or composting them.
To live a zero waste lifestyle it is important to be mindful of your consumption habits. You can do this by using reusable items such as metal water bottles or glass jars for takeaways. It’s also worth noting that compostable items are better than single-use plastics because they break down into nutrient-rich soil for plants to grow in.
Zero waste living doesn't have to involve an extreme change in your life but there are some simple changes you can make which will help reduce your impact on the environment. You can learn more about zero waste here.
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