5 simple ways to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle and VOTE for your favourite charity with Jislaaik

Living a more "eco-friendly" lifestyle is something we are all aware of nowadays.

Less plastic, more sustainable options are so much more available to us all but it is not easy to always make the changes.  I often feel or hear - "I don't have time" or "I wouldn't be able to do that" or "I don't have the money".

But my friends - there is always something you can do to make a small difference.
ALWAYS.
And can you just imagine if we all made small changes - no matter how small - what a BIG difference we could make?

I have spoken more about this here - I know it can be overwhelming but we have to take some sort of responsibility - we can't fob it off to someone else.  Have you ever thought about some simple changes you can make to your lifestyle to produce less waste?

If not - or you have no idea where to start, I thought I would share some ideas with you that I have personally done the past few months - maybe this can inspire you to try some out too?

1. Menstrual Cup
Now I know this one especially can be overwhelming - but OH MY WORD it has changed my life.  No more tampons, no waste, less money and it is so empowering.  Rona Mirimi stocks these and can help you with the right style and size.  And there are so many places you can pick these up from.  Rona explains are the facts and has all the information you need on her website here.  GO AND READ IT!

2. Eco-friendly household cleaners
Whilst I haven't purchased these products yet from The Green Bee, they are on my shopping list for the end of the month.  I have stopped buying any cleaning products from the shops and have been using vinegar, bicarb, lemon and essential oils to make my own cleaners.  But how amazing are their products - I LOVE the fact they come in 5l bottles - dishwashing liquid, all purpose cleaner, handwash, laundry liquid, dishwasher powder! So amazing! You could also make your own of course, but we don't always have time!

3. Weekly Vegetable Box
If you follow me on instagram you would have seen my weekly vegetable boxes that I get from Abalimi Harvest of Hope and these have changed my life.  Fresh, organic produce, supporting local brands as well as giving me more inspiration to cook healthy, wholesome food.  Such a win in my book.  Go and check out all the details.  AND no more plastic packaging waste - the best!

4. Toiletries - toothbrush and soap
Recently I bought a bamboo toothbrush for me and the boys.  I love them and I can just pop them on the compost heap after 3 months.  No more plastic waste.  Our aim by the end of the year is to have a plastic free bathroom.  We started with the toothbrushes and we no longer use shower gel - beautifully made soap with essential oils, hemp, beeswax and the like are what we use now.  I buy different brands depending on what shop I get to.  But so much better for our skin, no chemicals - just natural stuff and no plastic wrapping or bottles.  My next goal is to go natural for shampoo and conditioners and getting one of these stainless steel razors from Raw Co.

5. A ban on plastic straws and bags.
If I forget my fabric bags when I go shopping I either buy another one or just carry the shopping.  I refuse to buy plastic bags anymore.  And I am so happy to see so many places offering paper straws now.  So amazing.  You can pick up an reusable silicon straw from Silistraw.  They are easily cleaned, foldable and stored in a little capsule you can carry easily in your handbag!

I'll also tell you a little tip a friends told me which really helped me to be more aware of what waste I produce.  Imagine if you personally, had to get rid of your rubbish.  Every bit of plastic, wrapping, packaging, box and bag....let that sink in for a minute.  It is quite scary isn't it!  We put stuff in the bin and then just watch it get taken away and out of sight out of mind.  And more than likely it ends up in the sea.

Some scary facts for you: (taken from the Jislaain SOS tees post)

• According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), South Africans use between 30kg and 50kg of plastic per person per year.
• More than 8 million tons of plastic are dumped in our oceans every year. – plasticoceans.org
• There are 5 giant garbage patches floating in the ocean of which the largest one contains more than 80,000 tonnes of plastic. – theoceancleanup.com
• Have you ever thought that some of your trash might be in those patches? Or that something you threw into your dustbin ended up killing an animal?

You might have seen recently that I teamed up with Jislaaik Online Shop who are running an AWESOME  Jislaain campaign at the moment.  You can read more about it here but the basics are that they have launched a range of Save our seas t-shirts and proceeds from each t-shirt sold will be donated to a charity - and we have some awesome nominations for charities that have come in.

Check them out:

The Retrade Project - an organisation that encourages families or individuals to collect recycable junk and they can bring it every Friday to a location where it is assessed and in return for their recycables they gain points which they can use to buy goods in the trade store.  Based in P.E.

All Hearts Foundation
An organisation passionate about different causes whether it be animal welfare or such as rescuing the Canadian Timber Wolves, the spaying and feeding of feral cats and community outreach.

Owl Rescue Centre
Dedicated to protection of owls in Southern Africa - they help create awareness of the owl as well as rehabilitate and are involved in conservation projects around South Africa.

Green Pop SA
A social enterprise who are on a mission to reconnect people with the planet and plant trees in communities that need them. Such an awesome and fun initiative!

Go and read up on what these amazing charities are doing and vote with your favourite one so we can decide who the donation can go to this month!  You can vote in the comments or over on my instagram grid or stories.

And let me know what small changes you are currently planning or doing so I can cheer you on!

♥