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Episode 05: Do you suffer from eco-anxiety? What even is eco-anxiety? In this episode, Jenna shares the science behind this theory, plus provides 5 ways to manage eco-anxiety.

It’s time to Clear the Air of all this confusion about climate change. It’s time to learn how we, the youth climate leaders of today, can make a change. It’s time to take our future into our own hands.

Leading Change recap: https://ctablog.ca/leading-change-recap/

Make sure you check out my other podcast episodes for more amazing content:

• Episode 01: How to kick-start your sustainable lifestyle
• Episode 02: How to live sustainably when you don’t feel supported
• Episode 03: Five tips for going vegetarian
• Episode 04: Three ways to live sustainably this New Year

Make sure to rate, subscribe and follow the Clear the Air Podcast, and follow the journey on social media:

Blog: https://ctablog.ca

Instagram: @_ctablog

Twitter: @_ctablog

Don’t forget to share your sustainability journey on social media and tag Clear the Air!

About the podcast

Clear the Air seeks to educates, empowers and mobilizes youth to take action against climate change. These weekly episodes will focus on a specific theme, teaching you how to take action RIGHT NOW in your own life. By listening to the podcast, you will become a sustainability expert in no time.

Jenna Phillips is the podcast host, a passionate university student, and a local climate action leader. She uses her expertise and desire for change to make a difference in the lives of others.

It’s time to Clear the Air of all this confusion about climate change. It’s time to learn how we, the youth climate leaders of today, can make a change. It’s time to take our future into our own hands.

The post Episode 05: Five ways to manage eco-anxiety appeared first on Clear the Air.

With the year and decade coming to a close, I feel it is perfect timing to do a recap of 2019 and the major moments in my life that have happened. I can confidently say that 2019 has been one of the best years of my life, for many reasons. Of course there were tough moments, but the good moments far outweighed the rough patches. 

In this recap of 2019, I will share my top 5 moments of the year.  

1.  My first co-op job | January

First in this recap of 2019 is one of the biggest learning experiences I have faced in my life thus far. It was the first time I felt really independent. I moved to a new city (Guelph), a place where I didn’t know anyone or anything. I was living in an apartment with people I had never met. It was my first experience with the 9 to 5 working life, and in a sector I was passionate about. This was also when my passion for sustainability and youth climate action grew the most. I had free time to focus on the blog, and through my co-op I met amazing sustainability leaders. Without this experience I never would have joined Youth Action on Climate Change, the July conference would not have happened, and the initiatives I am running today would not exist.

2.  Muse Concert | March 

Not only was this the best concert of my life, but the experience demonstrates what lengths I am willing to go to for something I care about. The concert was in Montreal on a Saturday. On the Friday prior, I drove home from Guelph, took the 7am train on Saturday to Montreal, went to the concert in the evening, got back to the hotel around midnight, got up the next morning for the early train back home, then drove back to Guelph and went to work the next day. It was one of the most tiring weekends of the year, but one of the best. I got to see my favourite band since I was ten years old in one of my favourite cities.

Additionally, going to that concert myself made me aware of how important it is to do things that make you happy. You should not stop yourself from doing things because you think people will judge you, or because your friends don’t want to do it. I went to that concert myself, sang every song at the top of my lungs and danced in the aisle with other concert go-ers. I probably looked silly, but who cares? I had an amazing time. If the opportunity comes up again, you bet I will do it all over.

3.  2B school term | May to August

I am highlighting this entire school term because it is my favourite of my three years of university so far. I did a lot in this term: donned at a residence, sat on the student society, ran a conference, found another co-op job, all the while being a student in five courses. I made so many new friends while deepening the friendships I already had. I learned a lot about my leadership skills, that I work well under pressure, and how I can best handle stressful situations. I learned how to ask for help when needed, something I was always afraid to do. I learned how to say no and stand up for myself.

One of the most important things I learned was that, despite how stressful this particular school term was, I learned how to relax. I made time for friends regularly, and didn’t over-exert myself in school. I didn’t stress about the grades so rigorously and (surprise, surprise) my average didn’t budge. 

At the start of the term I thought I wouldn’t like being in school during the summer. After all, my friends back home were out of school and having fun without me. Instead, I learned that school in the summer is AWESOME because everyone is so relaxed, the weather is amazing, and there are so many more fun activities to do around the city. Moral of the story: this was another huge growth period for me, and a turning point in my university degree.

4.  Youth Climate Leadership Conference – Youth Action on Climate Change | July

Months of planning and organizing came to a peak in July when the Waterloo Chapter of Youth Action on Climate Change launched. The conference brought together youth from across Waterloo Region to discuss local climate change issues and collaborate on projects to tackle these issues. We had kids as young as twelve working with Masters students at the university. We are still working with this group on a project to tackle food waste within the community. 

This event was my first real experience with planning a large-scale event for the community. There was a lot of networking, delegation and adaptation involved. I had my first experiences pitching for grants, coordinating media coverage for the event and more. Most importantly, I saw how the actions that I took, along with my awesome YACC team, could make an impact on the broader community. It’s fueled my ambition and drive to keep tackling climate change issues locally, and continue inspiring youth to take action in their own lives. 

5.  Clear the Air | October

The rebranding of my platform marked a shift in my life. If you knew the blog before it was Clear the Air, it was Jenna’s Journey. This name was (unfortunately) chosen back in grade twelve when I thought I would just blog about my life experiences as I began university. At the time I thought it would be a reflective outlet for me, a way to look back on my life experiences. As I went through university it began focusing on sustainability, but it no longer focused on just my experiences. I interviewed other sustainability experts and discussed local environmental issues. I started running presentations and workshops about sustainability.

Going through these moments, I realized that Jenna’s Journey no longer suited what the platform was about. The platform’s main goal now is to dispel confusion around complex environmental issues, educate and empower youth about these issues, and mobilize them to take action in their own lives. Clear the Air suits this changing vision because I am clearing the air of all the confusion around climate change and how the individual action contributes to positive change. The rebrand also marked the moment where I realized outreach and education is something I love to do, and want to pursue it as a career. Who would have thought that a hobby blog started in high school could potentially become my career?

Final thoughts and the path forward

There were so many more amazing moments, but this recap of 2019 highlights the moments that resulted in the greatest personal growth, and had the largest impact on my outlook of life today. I look forward to all that 2020 has to offer. I know it’s going to be a great year. 

If you do a recap of 2019, what are your top moments and why? What are you excited for in the New Year? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time.

The post Recap of 2019: The year of growth appeared first on Clear the Air.

While the majority of the blog posts on Clear the Air focus on environmental sustainability, I occasionally write about sustainability through a personal development lens. Today I will discuss how daily goal setting, a form of personal development, contributes to environmental sustainability. I will also share my top tricks for daily goal setting, helping you achieve success in school, your personal life and your long-term future.

We are taught how to define and set goals since grade school. What is a goal? Something you hope to achieve. How do you achieve a goal? By taking deliberate actions that will bring you closer to that goal. 

As we age, these goals grow with us. They become long-term and short-term goals, forecasting our lives in five, ten or even twenty years. We have career goals, relationship goals, academic goals – the list never ends because we are always trying to achieve something. Today the world is concerned with environmental goals like national emission reduction targets. These are massive goals that not one action can achieve, requiring the consistent actions of billions of people committed to making a change. No matter what type of goal you are hoping to achieve, one thing is for certain: if you don’t set a good goal, you won’t achieve anything.

Growing up, I struggled with goal setting. Why? Not because I didn’t have ideas. I had a clear picture of what I wanted and the steps to get there. I also knew how to hold myself accountable. My struggle had to do with thinking only long-term. 

Let’s rewind: I wanted to be a fashion designer since I was seven, all the way until I was fifteen years old. I had set long-term career goals of opening my own store, designing my own clothing line, and even planned what my future house, wedding dress and closet would look like. I was researching iconic fashion designers, drawing designs in my sketchbook whenever I had the chance, taking fashion and visual arts class in high school, preparing to apply to Ryerson for their fashion bachelor’s program, all to get me to this goal set decades into the future. I had it all planned out…until things changed.

What changed, exactly? Many things. Long story short, I no longer felt motivated to pursue fashion as a career. Fast forward through several bouts of identity crisis, confusion and anxiety, I am now confident where I am. Getting here wasn’t easy, and I struggled so much because I devoted all this time to setting and achieving goals that would advance my fashion career. When I would achieve one of these goals I wouldn’t feel accomplished or proud because I would instantly start thinking about the next goal to achieve. I was so focused on living in the future that I forgot to live in the present. Had I done so, perhaps I would have realized I wasn’t as passionate about fashion design earlier.

What does this have to do with sustainability?

You’re probably confused right now, so allow me to clear things up. Focusing too much on long-term goals without tuning in to your current intuition, thoughts and feelings is bound to create trouble. In addition, preoccupying yourself with the future to the point that you hardly enjoy the present moments is not a way to live. While it’s good to test your limits (it’s the only way to get better at something), continuously doing so can be harmful to your personal growth. For instance, having emissions reduction goals is great, but without a plan for every province, every region, every city, every neighbourhood, every household on a short-term basis, how can these larger goals ever be achieved? Even when I look back at the perspective I had in my first and second years of university, I was too focused on setting goals for the long-term future to understand what actions to take in the present moment to get me there.

What I am saying is that hitting smaller, shorter-term goals should be your focus, rather than the long-term massive goals that seem a lifetime away. Yes, you should have those long-term goals, but within the larger goals establish single goals that add up to it. The best way to do this is to set one daily goal. Just one. By doing so you have one single task to devote yours efforts to that day that contributes to your long-term future. You don’t feel this overwhelming pressure to achieve this far off goal that you have no clue of how to get to. Instead, you take every day as it comes. You have a better indication of progress through daily goals, will live in the present and be in tune with your desires.

Let’s say you want to live a zero-waste lifestyle. Complete, total zero-waste living is not going to happen overnight, nor is it easy to plan for years down the road. Hurdles appear, like broken appliances or dropped containers or illness that requires medication in plastic bottles. Hurdles interfere with your long-term goal, and unless you set daily goals that seek to overcome these hurdles you will never reach that zero-waste lifestyle.

Instead of telling yourself you will live totally waste-free, promise yourself that today you will consume one less pre-packaged snack than yesterday. The next day, put homemade snacks in a reusable container. The day after, make your own lunch instead of getting a sandwich to go. Each day you build towards something greater. Maybe you spend one whole month setting daily goals focused on food waste reduction because you are living on your own and control your food choices. The next month you may focus on making your shower routine zero-waste, or your house cleaning process. The daily goals that add up to monthly goals build towards this life goal of zero-waste living. 

If an unexpected event occurs – say you receive a gift wrapped in packaging – you can set a goal to repurpose that packaging somehow. It’s easy to get upset when small instances like this occur to set you back, but living in the present and dealing with these issues intuitively is the most effective way to overcome them. Instead of saying, “No! This packaging ruins my plan. I’ll never achieve a zero-waste lifestyle if this keeps happening,” you are now saying “Okay, so this happened…but here are the resources and knowledge I have at this moment to deal with this issue and get back on track with my regular goal-setting.” A totally different mindset, and a more manageable one at that. 

“Here are the resources and knowledge I have at this moment to deal with this issue and get back on track with my regular goal-setting.” A totally different mindset, and a more manageable one at that. 

How do you set daily goals?

It is easier than you may think. My favourite way is planning for the week. Think about where you want to be in one week in terms of the project you are working on. I’ll use one of my own projects as an example: one week from today, I will apply for a grant to support a sustainability project I am working on. Getting this grant would help further development phases the following month, and achieve the project’s overall goal that is still several months away. 

I can’t simply write the application. There’s a lot of planning, research and editing that goes into grant proposals, and even more preparation if you are given the opportunity to present a live pitch for the grant. Grant applications on the whole are overwhelming, but broken into small, daily chunks makes the process less stressful. My goal for day one (i.e. today) is to finalize research. Day two is to clearly define the problem and solution I am proposing. Day three is to propose a budget based on the research I have done. You continue this process up until day seven, focusing on each task as the days come. If something shifts due to an unexpected event you still have a sense of direction to get back on track. 

Another habit I have for setting daily goals occurs first thing in the morning. The night before when I’m finishing my work, I’ll think about what I have to get done the following day and within the week. I think about my commitments the next day and how much time I will have to work on a particular project. I go to sleep, wake up, and the first thing I do is listen to my mind and body. I again reflect on the day’s tasks, then tune in to see how I’m feeling physically and mentally, which will determine the kinds of work I will be productive at that day.

Next, I say the first task that comes to mind out loud; that will become my daily goal. Sometimes it will be to send a certain email I’ve been putting off, or to call an organization about project partnerships. Saying the goal out loud may sound silly, but it is a way of legitimizing yourself, understanding what you really want, and holding yourself accountable. You can also write down your goals on a sticky, on your phone or on a white board for further accountability. Daily goals are easier to stay accountable to because they require a small time commitment compared to larger, long-term goals that take years to form – even though the daily goals contribute to the long-term goal! Your perspective of time and commitment shapes your reality.

Daily goal setting is a way of legitimizing yourself, understanding what you really want, and holding yourself accountable.

To say, “I want to live sustainably” is an example of a poorly designed goal. What does living sustainably mean? When do you want to live sustainably by? What measures are used to determine the sustainability of your actions? Instead, you could say “This time next year, I want to change five different habits of mine to support a more sustainable lifestyle.” Then, through the process of setting monthly, weekly and daily goals, you can achieve this longer-term goal. Living sustainably requires planning, diligence and continuous action. Daily goals are a way of keeping you accountable for these continuous actions. Sustainability does not mean doing an action once and then reverting to your old habits. It requires constant, repetitive changes until the changes become new habits. Daily goals that contribute to these longer goals make these changes possible.  

As you can see, sustainability encompasses all aspects of life, including personal development. How we perceive the world and our future will dictate how successful we are at reducing our impact on the environment. Taking smaller, deliberate actions every single day will keep you accountable and productive. It will also help you achieve sustainability in your own life, preserving the world where you will someday achieve your long-term goals.

The post Why daily goals are essential for success appeared first on Clear the Air.

On September 3rd my pet that I have had practically my whole life passed away. It was the hardest news to hear, especially because he appeared healthy and happy two days before when I moved back out for school. I wanted to write this post because I have done a lot of reflecting the past two weeks about what losing my pet taught me.

If you have ever had a pet you connected with well you understand this pain. Max was my best friend, he was always there for me. I learned so much from him, and from this experience. I wanted to share this knowledge with all of you now. 

When hard times hit, your true friendships shine. 

I am so grateful for the amazing friendships I have. Without the support of my friends this challenging journey would have felt impossible. There’s a sort of loneliness you feel when you lose something important to you, and my friends helped me overcome this.

You blame yourself for things you have no control over.

One of the greatest challenges for me the past two weeks is the feeling of guilt. I feel like I should have been there for Max, should have known what was going on. I realize now that there isn’t anything I could have done; everything happened so quickly that if I had known and tried to make it I likely wouldn’t. The day he passed was also the day I started co-op, so I had an obligation to be in Waterloo. What happened is not anyone’s fault. The time I had with him was precious, and even though I didn’t feel like I got to say goodbye because of the nature of his passing, the last few hours I did have with him at home were filled with him cuddling (while he usually hides when I go back to school). In that sense, I did get to say goodbye.

Getting through challenging moments makes you stronger. 

Every time you face something that makes you say, “wow, my life sucks right now” rephrase that to think “my life can only get better.” This thinking has been tremendously helpful not only in this situation but through other points of life (rejections, injuries and so on). See the glass as half full, rather than half empty. Eventually you will get through the rough patch and look back at it feeling accomplished. Every challenge you face builds your character and helps you see the world in a different light. Try to make the negative more positive by thinking about what you can learn and grow from in that experience. 

Live in the moment and enjoy what you have. Don’t get stuck in the past or future.

While I always thought Max would live at least a few more years, the sixteen years I had with him were amazing. Sure, we got mad at each other and I still haven’t let go the time he peed in my backpack full of homework, but even those moments were filled with love. Max always knew when I was sad, instantly jumping to my side. He was my door greeter when I’d come home from school; whenever I was preparing to visit home, my friends probably got annoyed by the amount of times I said I couldn’t wait to see Max. Same with my parents, who probably got tired by how many times I said “I miss Max” when we would go on vacation (i.e. I said this every vacation, every day, often many times a day).

I’ve tried blocking out a few of these moments since his passing because it’s really hard for me to think about them without feeling pain, but I know eventually I will be able to look back with joy and happiness. Instead of wishing for more time (which is still hard), I am thankful for all the beautiful memories and moments I made with my cat.

Over time, things won’t necessarily get better, just…different. 

Grief and loss are a part of life and will inevitably happen. We are never prepared for it, no matter what we may think. Accepting this and allowing yourself to feel is important to overcome the initial grief. It never goes away, exactly, but it changes. It becomes something else.

Looking back at the times I had with Max makes me tear up now, but eventually it will make me smile and laugh (and probably still cry, but less so). For instance, thinking about the fact that I wanted a fish (Finding Nemo was HUGE at that time) and was so mad when we were getting a cat used to be a funny memory; right now it makes me sad, but eventually it will be happy again. The person or thing that you lost wouldn’t want to use your grief to stop you from going on with your life. They’d want you to keep going, to be happy and enjoy every moment. Like I said, I’m still not past the grief stage at this point (I don’t think I will be for a long time) but I know, eventually, I will.

Final thoughts

I don’t think anyone wants to or knows how to deal with loss well. It lingers in the back of our minds, and when it hits we are overcome with emotion and confusion. Life does continue on after we lose someone or something, physically (a death) or metaphorically (a break-up). Moving on with life does not mean you’ve left behind the person or thing you lost. It means you are strong. It means you can face one of life’s most challenging experiences and push past it. 

I will always miss Max. He was an integral part of my growth. I struggled through many challenges over the years, and I strongly believe he waited until I was in a good spot physically and mentally to depart on his next journey. You may think I’m silly for thinking this, but Max never left me in any other moments. He knew it was time, and kept going strong until I was okay.

I hope this post helps you in some way. Perhaps I am helping you by sharing what losing my pet taught me. If you have lost a pet, family or friend, I am sure this will be useful to you.

I think the world gifted us with companions like pets to connect and grow with. While we take care of them (feeding, housing, bathing) they also take care of us. I couldn’t have asked for a better companion in my life. Max, I miss you I will always remember the love you shared with me. Thank you for everything <3 

The post What losing my pet (and best friend) taught me appeared first on Clear the Air.

In this post I share my top 3 all-natural, single ingredient skin care products. Why are natural, simple products important? Keep reading to find out!

Why simple is better

One of the biggest challenges related to skin care that I face is finding a product that works at a price I can afford. Skin changes throughout your life. A product that worked months ago may no longer work, making it challenging to find good, long-lasting products. The products we use today are filled with chemicals that do not belong on your body and harm the environment.

Furthermore, there are thousands of products claiming to do the same thing, making it all the more confusing to find the right product for you. Taking care of your skin shouldn’t be so hard, right? 

I am transitioning my skin care routine to a minimalistic, all-natural practice. My skin is dry and extremely sensitive, while some areas like my forehead and nose are prone to breakouts. If I use a thick and moisturizing product I break out. If I use something light my skin flares up. In other words, I am very picky about the products that I use. I can therefore vouch for the products I recommend below. Keep in mind that everyone’s skin is different, so what may work for me may not work for you. Nonetheless, it’s worth it to give new products a try, especially if you are in need of a change!

Without further ado, here are my top three all-natural, single ingredient skin care products.

Vegetable glycerin

This is a totally underrated product. You can often find it as an ingredient in products, but on its own it’s amazing. Glycerin is fragrance free and colourless. It has a low pH compared to other soaps, so it helps to retain moisture. As an oil-based product, it is good for removing makeup without causing flare-ups. Glycerin is hypoallergenic, meaning it (usually) does not cause allergic reactions. It is also very gentle on dry and sensitive skin. Since I started using it my skin definitely feels softer and less dry during the day. It lathers very easily, as well. 

You can purchase it for a few dollars at most stores. It comes in liquid or solid form; I use a solid bar which I got from a bulk food store to reduce my waste from packaging. Make sure the product is labelled vegetable glycerin if you are vegan/vegetarian, because glycerin can also be made of animal fat. 

I use it to wash my face and remove make up. I have found most other commercial cleansers to break me out, but I have no trouble with glycerin. It also has helped calm down my breakouts, making them look less noticeable. When using it to remove makeup, I can safely apply it anywhere (even eyelids) without irritation. 

Coconut oil

In addition to skin care, coconut oil is great for cooking and baking as a substitute for butter in vegan baked goods, grease a baking dish/frying pan, or to put on toast (seriously give it a try if you haven’t already). The multi-functionality of this product makes it a great bang for your buck and means fewer products in your kitchen and skin care routine.

Purchase cold-pressed extra virgin coconut oil to ensure you are getting a high-quality product. You can find this in grocery or health food stores. Since it is generally a product used for cooking, it is usually cheaper to purchase from a grocery store in the food aisles versus the beauty aisles where company’s try to inflate the price because it is a “trendy” beauty product. 

I use coconut oil as a face moisturizer after my shower at night. This is when your skin does its most repairing and restoring. I don’t recommend putting it on before a full face of makeup as it can cause your foundation to slide around. I also use coconut oil in my hair after washing it: I take about a dime’s size of oil (which is solid at room temperature) in my hands and press them together so the oil becomes liquid, then rub it into the ends of my hair. I leave this in, and as my hair dries it locks in my curls really well.

Note: coconut oil may not work for everyone. I’ve read about coconut oil breaking people out. If you have oily skin but still want to try coconut oil I suggest first using a small amount in one area for a week or two and seeing how your skin responds. 

Shea butter

Shea is another crazy-rich moisturizing product. Extracted from the African shea tree nut, it looks almost like butter (ivory/yellowish colour) and smells like cocoa (i.e. it smells really yummy). This is a commonly used product in body butters and other moisturizers, but using the product straight is not only cheaper but produces less waste and just as effective. 

Make sure to use a quality shea butter without additional ingredients. If you go to health food stores or other beauty markets you will often find “shea butter” in a container that is also combined with other ingredients or has been processed in some way. The shea butter I use comes as a thick block, which can be purchased online or in speciality stores. It’s usually pretty pricey in health food stores. 

You also want to be mindful that you are purchasing raw, unrefined shea butter. A helpful tip is that the whiter the shea butter, the more processed it is. Raw shea will also go rancid after some time, which is another indicator of how fresh and unrefined the raw product is. 

Shea can be applied directly onto your skin if you need some serious moisturizing. It’s also solid at room temperature and will melt as it heats up. You can take a square of it and rub it onto your skin where needed. You can apply it all over. It is also soothing if you suffer from eczema!

Final thoughts

I cannot go a day without these 3 all-natural, single ingredient skin care products. Thankfully they are easy to get a hold of and are possible to buy in bulk to reduce packaging (bonus points when I can use my own containers at stores to stock up!) Not only do using single, simple ingredients like these for your daily skin and beauty routines clear up a lot of shelf space, but they save you so much money and are good for your skin, hair and face. 

Have you tried any of these products? Do you have your own all natural staple products that I didn’t suggest? Let me know in the comments!

For more ideas on simplifying and naturalizing your daily routine, check out these posts for inspiration:

• How to create a sustainable daily routine
• Top 10 zero waste swaps for everyday life
• 10 tips for living sustainably in university
• 3 cheap, easy and eco-friendly cleaning secrets

Until next time!

The post My top 3 natural, single ingredient skin care products appeared first on Clear the Air.

One question I am often asked is how to stay motivated. Especially in busy times it can be hard. Time has flown by so fast this year. One minute I was moving to a new city to start my very first co-op job; the next I’m home, having finished my job, writing this post. How did this happen?

With another term coming to a close, I thought it would be fun to start a series that recaps each of my university terms. I will share lessons I learned, big events that happened and what’s in store for the next semester. This will be helpful for anyone going off to university for the first time, already in university, looking for a job or even if you just find the topic relevant to you. I think it will also be fun to reflect back on each of my terms to see how I’ve grown.

This term marks the end of my fourth term of university. If I were in a normal program I would have been halfway through my university degree already (that’s insane to think about, considering I feel like I just started first year!) My program is five years because of co-op, so I still have a ways to go.

Term highlight: My first co-op job

If you aren’t familiar how co-op programs work, essentially you alternate your school terms between classes and working. I took a full class schedule (5 courses) in the Fall term, which was my 2A term (i.e. first term of second year). This past Winter would have been my 2B term (second study term of second year) but because of co-op I will be in 2B this Spring. I have 4 more co-op terms to go before graduating (hopefully) in 2022.

Co-op is great because you get up to 20 months of real-world working experience, try out jobs all different jobs, make decent money and may even get a job lined up after graduation. The process itself can be stressful because you are applying to jobs and going to on-campus interviews while attending classes, studying for exams and more, but it also teaches you serious time-management skills. From this co-op I have learned what I like in the workplace, what my ideal work term would look like, how to work in a municipal setting plus plenty of soft skills that employers value. All great things that will surely benefit me in the future.

Term lesson: Picking yourself up when motivation dwindles

Now that Winter term is over it’s time to head home. It’s the time that everyone reunites to enjoy the nice, 4-month-long summer.

In contrast to others, because of my co-op program I’ll be back on campus for the 4-month Spring term. I can’t visit home too often because of my on-campus commitments, which as much fun as I’ll have, I am a little disappointed about. Many of my UW friends are in programs with opposite co-op sequences from mine so they also won’t be on campus this Spring.

From this point on I’ll go straight from school to work to school again; I finished co-op on the 26th and move back to campus next week. It doesn’t give me much time to recharge or rest. After an intense 2A study term followed by a busy co-op term, I found my motivation dwindling in the middle of the semester. I was contemplating how I’d be able to go straight back to university after co-op, hammer through courses, then go straight into co-op again in the Fall.

Like almost every university student, I was also questioning my program, whether I was in the right place, what I wanted to do in the future, and if I was taking the right steps to get to where I want to be. Throughout this term I also worked part-time job at UW, had multiple interviews and training sessions requiring me to travel throughout the term, switched my minor and a whole bunch of other crazy things that left me physically and mentally exhausted.

How to regain motivation in three steps

One main thing keeping me going the last few weeks of the term: my excitement for the future. I have learned that when I’m feeling bored, unmotivated or dissuaded, the best thing to do is create excitement for myself. I need to do things that make me look forward to the future. I don’t want to wake up every morning dreading the day – talk about serious motivation loss. But when I’m doing things I enjoy, following my passions and learning about topics that interest me, motivation will come naturally. During this stressful, busy and confusing time, I recognized that my motivation was dwindling and that I needed to create exciting moments. This could mean planning a trip home on the weekend, treating myself to dinner downtown, researching future job opportunities, or simply being artistic.

When motivation dwindled, three words got it back:

1. Reflect
2. Plan
3. Act

Reflecting on this co-op helped me better define my ideal job, where my interests lie, and plan where I want to go in the future. I can’t wait to act on my discoveries by applying to new jobs for my next co-op term.

By reflecting deeply on my interests and where I see myself in the future, I know that changing my minor was the right decision to make. My previous minor (Human Nutrition) was interesting, but I felt it was no longer relevant to my interests or the field I plan to work in. I was hesitant because I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to fit enough courses in before graduation to get the minor, but after some planning I realized I can do it. I acted on my interests, going through the process to change my minor; as a result I have created a Spring course schedule that I am excited about.

I reflected on my past involvement on campus and realized that I wanted to take on a greater leadership role. After researching and planning my options, I acted by applying to various positions. I’ll be a Don (a.k.a. an RA) and a Student Ambassador that give tours of the university, attending recruitment events and writing blog posts for the school’s website. I love educating and leading others, so these positions combine my favourite things while allowing me to help others.

Looking back

This time last fall I was dreading the Spring term. I knew how hectic second year could get and wasn’t sure how to balance all of my responsibilities. Now I am more excited for Spring than any other term so far!

The moral of the story is that if you ever feel dissuaded by an event, a multitude of events or just life in general, don’t give up. Remember to reflect, plan and act. Things may be hard and you might be swamped with work, but that’s okay. You may lose your sense of direction, completing courses that you don’t enjoy. It will be frustrating and seem pointless and you may just want to give up, but before you do just stop and ask yourself: what are your long-term goals?

Going forward

Where do you see yourself going in the future? Do you want to be a doctor? Then you’ll have to put up with several years of intense schooling, but just know that you can make it through. Do you want to be an artist? Then go for it, and don’t force yourself into a science-based program just because your family wants you to.

Not sure what you want to do, or don’t think school is the right place for your learning? That’s totally fine. Take a break, find some hobbies, do clubs or get a job outside of school that will help you find your passion. There are so many successful individuals out there who don’t attend post-secondary school (Oprah, Larry Ellison, Steve Jobs, just to name a few). Don’t force yourself to do things that make you unhappy. Do things that fill you with excitement every day.

Being honest, I thought about dropping out of university in first year. That or switching programs (or even schools) but I couldn’t find anything that really suited my interests. I thought I made a mistake because the courses weren’t interesting to me, I felt like I wasn’t learning and was facing more stress than what I thought was good for my health.

Overcoming “the block”

Instead of dropping everything I sat on the idea for a few weeks. I knew that my first year had to be basic so everyone in my program developed the fundamental knowledge and skills required for my field. To regain my motivation, I researched the upper year courses I could take that required my current courses as prerequisites and potential co-op opportunities. I found ways to keep me excited about my program and see the long-term benefits of staying in it.

Second semester rolled around, and I am so happy that I stuck with the program. I enjoyed my courses, learned new skills, theories and made new friends. My passion for the environment really grew in second semester; without what I learned that term, I wouldn’t have been inspired to start writing sustainability posts on my blog. My first semester of second year was even busier and more stressful, but I enjoyed it so much. The courses challenged me, taught me to think critically and showed me whole new fields I could get a career in. Now I can’t wait for the courses I’ll be taking this Spring term.

Final thoughts

We all have to face tough times in life. It’s normal. It’s also normal to feel less motivated during these stressful, busy seasons. The important thing is to pick yourself up from those tough times, brush yourself off and keep going. One day you’ll look back at this moment and be thankful that you pushed on.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure to check out these other ones that can help you boost productivity, regain your motivation and crush any task you face:

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• Why daily goals are essential for success
• How to be “successful”
• Expectations for the school year
• What to expect in university

Do you know how to stay motivated during busy times in life? Have you ever felt unmotivated in school/work? What did you do to regain your motivation? How did you feel about the decisions you made? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time!

The post How to stay motivated: Term recap appeared first on Clear the Air.

This post shares 3 cheap, easy and eco-friendly cleaning tips that you need to incorporate into your daily life.

Cleaning is an unavoidable part of our lives that can create a lot of waste and toxic chemicals that harm the planet. Buying “natural” cleaning products in health stores can leave you strapped for cash and still using harmful products, despite what the marketing says. Companies are not required to disclose all the dangerous ingredients in their products; these compounds are often found during lab tests and studies. As a result, we unknowingly use products that are toxic to you, your family and the environment.

Problems with conventional cleaners

What are some ways that synthetic cleaners can harm us? With prolonged exposure, inhaling cleaning products can cause the exposed individual to develop asthma. Additionally, many cleaning products contain carcinogenic ingredients like 1,4-dioxane or formaldehyde. Expecting mothers exposed to toxic cleaning products have an increased risk of delivering a child with birth defects. Cleaning products can also cause chemical burns, poisoning and skin and eye irritations or allergies.

Many cleaning products contain phosphorus, nitrogen and ammonia. These elements lead to eutrophication of lakes and rivers, which causes asphyxiation (cutting off oxygen), killing everything in and around the water. You can read more about eutrophication in this post I wrote last year. These ingredients are common in dishwasher detergents and sink or toilet cleaners, so we are practically dumping them right into our waterways. Aerosols use chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as propellants, contributing to climate change by creating smog and causing ozone depletion.

These chemicals are mass-produced, cheaply made products are made in far off lands, releasing emissions from their production and transport that further contribute to climate change. While some packaging from these products are recyclable, many of them cannot be recycled if they once held toxic chemicals (like toilet cleaners). Instead, they belong in Household Hazardous Waste because those chemicals can leach into the environment.

Clearly these products are dangerous to our health and the planet’s; but fret not, there are cheap, easy and eco-friendly alternatives out there!

Time to make the switch

There are so many more human and environmental health dangers associated with household cleaning products; this post would go on forever if I tried listing them all. The point is switching to all-natural cleaning products is better for your health, the planet’s health, as well as your wallet and shelf space. We don’t need a specific cleaning product for every single different item or appliance in our house. Instead, you can use simple ingredients you already have to clean your whole house. These ingredients are available everywhere, and extremely cheap and easy to use. I swear by these for my cleaning, as I’m sure you will too! To learn my top three cheap, easy and eco-friendly, cheap and easy cleaning secrets for a spotless home, keep reading!

1. Vinegar

Vinegar is hands-down the best eco-friendly and inexpensive way to clean your home. With this knowledge passed down from my mother, it’s become my holy grail for cleaning. A 1 litre bottle costs only a few dollars (if that). It’s extremely versatile, strong enough to get stains out but weak enough not to damage most surfaces. The acid kills bacteria and strips away mold, leaving your counters and appliances spotless. I always have a bottle of vinegar at home and a pre-mixed solution ready for cleaning.

You will need to dilute the vinegar to make a cleaning solution: for spraying counters, walls, faucets, mirrors and dishes, I follow a 1:3 ratio, so 1/3 cup of vinegar to 1 cup water. I make a big batch of this mixture and put it into a spray bottle, which I can easily use for different cleaning tasks. You can also use it as a produce wash!

To clean something larger like the toilet, pour half a cup of vinegar with a tablespoon of baking soda into the toilet bowl, allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes, and then scrub as you normally would. I also use a 1:2 ratio for de-scaling my tea kettle. Pour the mix into your kettle, leave for 10-15 minutes, then boil the water, swish it around and pour it out.

2. Baking soda

If you like to bake you probably already have a box of baking soda in your kitchen. It’s another all-natural, all-purpose cleaner that is effective at removing grease. You can mix a few tablespoons of baking soda with water until it forms a paste, then scrub surfaces with an old toothbrush. You can also use this paste to clean the bottom of your oven, just leave the paste for a few hours before scrubbing (but don’t turn the oven until its clean!)

For a drain cleaner that packs a punch without dumping toxic chemicals down your drain, try a vinegar-baking soda mix. First, pour 1 cup of boiling water down the drain. Next, pour 1/2 cup dry baking soda down and let it sit for a few minutes. Add 1 cup of vinegar and 1 more cup of boiling water, then cover the drain with a plug or impermeable surface (you know the classic baking soda-vinegar volcano experiment? That’s happening in your drain right now) and let it sit for 10 minutes. Remove the plug, pour another cup of boiling water down the drain and you’re good to go!

3. Lemon

Yet another item you probably already have in your kitchen, lemon is another all-natural, bacteria-killing (hence why you put lemon juice on ceviche) cleaner! It’s also a natural deodorizer. There are multiple uses for lemons, including:

• Getting your copper or brass pots like shiny-new again: dip half a lemon in salt and scrub your pot. This can be used for stubborn food stuck on dishes, too.
• Disinfecting cutting boards: rub a slice of fresh lemon across its surface to kill any lingering bacteria.
• Making your microwave spotless: cut a lemon in half, and squeeze the juice into 1/2-3/4 cup of water in a microwave-safe bowl. Place the halves in the water as well, pop the bowl into the microwave for 3 minutes, then let it stand for 10 minutes without opening the door. All of the icky sauces/food will have loosened up, making it easy to use a cloth to quickly wipe down the inside!
• Wipe away calcium buildup stains on your mirrors or showers by rubbing them with half a lemon, then rinsing with warm water.
• Removing discolouration and stains from reusable food containers. Cut a lemon in half, squeeze a bit of juice into the container, then rub it along the bottom and sides. Leave the container to dry in the sun, then rinse out the juice with warm water.

Final thoughts

Vinegar, baking soda and lemon can be used for just about anything in your home. With these three ingredients, you could definitely buy a few months’ worth of cleaning supplies for less than five dollars! They’re all available in bulk stores, so you could bring your own containers to make your cleaning routine zero-waste. In addition, you can use these products for cooking, making them even more versatile and affordable. Clearly, these 3 cheap, easy and eco-friendly cleaning tips have many benefits!

A clean, healthy home is important, but so is a clean, healthy body and environment. Switching to natural and gentle cleaning products protects your health and the planet’s while keeping your home clean. Every small switch, whether it’s to our diet, clothing choices, beauty products or household cleaning routine helps create a healthier, sustainable environment for future generations to enjoy.

Enjoyed this post on 3 cheap, easy and eco-friendly cleaning tips? For more affordable, eco-friendly swaps for your everyday life, check out these posts:

• 10 zero-waste swaps for everyday life
• My top 3 natural, single-use skin care products
• 10 tips for living sustainably in university
• How to travel sustainably

Do you have any natural cleaning products that you like to use? Do you have any other uses for these products that you’d like to mention? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time!

Image sources:

Vinegar: Getty Images

Baking Soda: Healthline

Lemons: Unsplash

The post 3 cheap, easy and eco-friendly cleaning tips appeared first on Clear the Air.

Hello, everyone! I hope that you have been safe and warm the past few weeks. In case you don’t live in Ontario, we’ve been experiencing winter storm after winter storm. I’ve never seen this many extreme weather alerts in such a short time frame…

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my story a few weeks ago hinting at this post. Now that it is complete, I am so excited to share with you another interview! I believe that the couple behind this amazing company are two of Ontario’s most innovative sustainability entrepreneurs. I was elated, then, when Ellin a.k.a. one of the co-founders of Zero Waste Bulk, agreed to do an interview with me!

ZWB is a zero-waste grocery store that opened in December 2018 in Waterloo, Ontario by Ellin and Kevin. I had been waiting for this store to open for almost a year, as soon as I read the announcement online that ZWB was coming to Waterloo. Already the store has attracted thousands of shoppers and media as it paves the way for sustainable shopping in our province.

When shopping at the store you have two options: bring your own reusable containers or pay a deposit to borrow/purchase one of the store’s containers. They have everything you could think of, from fresh produce to locally made bread (from one of my favourite cafe’s!), to cleaning supplies, personal care, frozen foods and more! When the produce is reaching the end of its life, they offer the items at a discounted price/free and share it in their Instagram story. They also sell items online on their website. They are always seeking new ideas for products and love feedback from the community.

Without further ado, let’s learn more about what it’s like to run Zero Waste Bulk.

What inspired you to start your Zero Waste journey? Have you always been interested in protecting the environment?

Ellin: I first heard of “zero waste” when I connected with minimalist communities about two years ago. It started with a journey of re-evaluating my possessions. How did I accumulate so much stuff and why was I so attached to my possessions? I was a borderline hoarder, but being surrounded by clutter was a constant source of stress. A key moment was when I realized I didn’t have an organization problem – it was a “too much stuff” problem. Too much stuff that didn’t even bring me joy (I was definitely inspired by Marie Kondo – now trending on Netflix). I realized much of this stuff I was decluttering was destined for the landfills, and this bothered me a lot as I’ve always wanted to prevent things from being wasted (that was part of the reason I held onto so much stuff). Being critical about my material possessions also led to the re-evaluation of my consumption habits. That’s where minimalism and zero waste overlap – both involve becoming a conscious consumer.

I’ve always been interesting in protecting the environment, but did not realize that so much of the waste I regularly produced could be avoided. In terms of waste, I thought recycling was good enough, but it’s best to avoid having to recycle in the first place. Recycling is just a form of waste management. What we want to do is reduce recycling by creating systems of reuse. Recycling is still resource intensive, and putting things in the blue bin does not necessarily guarantee that the item will get recycled. In addition, plastic “recycling” is really downcycling. Every time plastic goes through the recycling process, its quality deteriorates; plastic cannot be recycled forever – it eventually becomes waste.

Producing loads of garbage on a regular basis is so normalized we don’t really give it a second thought, but much of the garbage we produce can be avoided by being prepared with reusables and becoming mindful of our consumption habits.

What made you want to open Zero Waste Bulk? When did you officially decide that you were going to open the store?

Ellin: As I began trying to live zero waste two years ago, I realized that it was inconvenient. If there were a one-stop shop where you could shop zero waste, this would be much easier. I’ve heard of other zero waste shops popping up around the world and wanted to see one near me, but as far as I knew, this wasn’t happening. I did not want to wait for someone else to start a zero waste store in the area since I didn’t know how long that would take. So I decided I would take the initiative and start one myself. It took about two years from the birth of the idea to the opening of the store.

Did you have any experience as an entrepreneur prior to opening ZWB? If not, what was the process of opening your own store like?

Ellin: Nope! I had little interest in starting my own business, especially a brick-and-mortar business. The process of opening my own store was definitely a huge learning process. There are so many details to take care of to open your own store – it’s something I would not be able to cover here.

Why did you choose to open the store in Uptown Waterloo?

Ellin: First, the location had to be somewhere I could walk to since I don’t drive. I chose Uptown Waterloo because it is central and visible. I wanted the store to be in a place where random people walking by would walk in and become introduced to the idea of shopping zero waste rather than it being in a location that would only draw in people already interested in sustainable living.

How do you find the products that you sell in store? Do you prioritize local/organic/ethically made products? 

Ellin: Lots of research and connecting with the online zero waste community and local businesses. Yes, we prioritize products made locally, organically, and ethically. Though this often means that the price points also tend to be higher than if the products were mass produced, outsourced, and made in unethical conditions.

Since it was announced that Zero Waste Bulk was opening in Uptown, there has been a lot of hype and support for the store. It’s only been open for a month now and is already so successful. Did you ever imagine that the store would do so well, so quickly? 

Ellin: No way! We were blown away by the support and people’s eagerness to learning to shop the BYOC way. We are proud of the community’s dedication to reducing waste!

Were there ever times that you felt discouraged during this process? How did you get through the tough times?

Ellin: Lots. I just tell myself you only live once – might as well try and fail than not try and forever wonder what could have happened if you tried. 

What was the most challenging part of making ZWB a reality?

Ellin: Finding the right location.

Do you have a favourite memory that you made throughout the whole process of opening ZWB?

Ellin: Renovations were pretty fun as we got to connect with an amazing community of volunteers who wanted to help us make ZWB happen.

What’s your best tip for someone just starting their journey towards a more Zero Waste lifestyle?

Ellin: It takes practise to create a habit. Work on creating new habits, one or just a few at a time. Don’t get discouraged if you forget to bring reusables with you and end up accepting disposables. That is totally normal when you are starting out. Just keep trying and eventually becoming prepared with your reusables for all sorts of situations will become automatic. It’s also normal to feel weird about bringing your own containers to restaurants and such, but often times people love seeing us packing away our leftovers or putting food in our own containers. Also, if you keep forgetting to bring your own bag, it helps to hang them on the doorknob right after you come home so you remember to take them with you again when you leave the house.

What’s your favourite product in the store (available now or coming soon)? 🙂

Ellin: In terms of non-food products, one of my favourite items is the round stainless steel Onyx container. I also love the U-Konserve nesting trio containers. They are always with me in my backpack!In terms of food… That’s hard! A few of my favourites: Maple syrup pecans, organic dried mangos, and the gaia mix (the best trail mix)!

~~~

It’s hard not to be inspired by Ellin’s story. I seriously am amazed at how determined her and Kevin were to open Zero Waste Bulk, without any prior business experience. Their story shows that you really can do anything that you set your mind to. Thank you, Ellin, for sharing your journey on my blog! I know that your store will inspire and empower anyone who reads it. If you want to learn more about Ellin, Kevin and the story of ZWB, check out their Instagram, Facebook or website!

Next time you are feeling discouraged, or have a dream but have no clue how to bring it to life, do not give up. Yes, it could be a long and hard process with numerous setbacks and challenges. No successful business owner, actor, singer, writer, politician, engineer or student could be where they are without hard work. Take the setbacks and challenges you face as a learning process. The more you learn from your mistakes, the better equipped you will be to face similar challenges in the future, and the stronger you will be when you achieve your dreams. Don’t stop yourself from achieving your dreams just because you’re afraid of failure: often times, failure is the best way to learn.

I hope that you all have a great day, and thank you as always for reading!

Until next time!

The post An interview with Zero Waste Bulk appeared first on Clear the Air.

This weekend has been cold—really cold—so no better time to go away somewhere hot, right? While that isn’t practical for me right now, the dead months of winter are a common time for vacations to the tropics for many others. What’s the ideal vacation for you? Backpacking across Europe? Relaxing on a beach? Eating all the good food on a cruise or at a resort? Whatever your preferred vacation may be, one thing is for sure: vacations can be very unsustainable and wasteful.

I used to love going on cruises. I was fortunate enough to travel a lot with my parents as a child, and during my teen years I went on a few cruises. I remember my last cruise, back in grade 12, wasn’t anywhere as enjoyable as the first few, one of the main reasons being that I recognized how much waste was actually being accumulated on the boat. I went on my first cruise when I was thirteen, a time when I didn’t really understand the environmental issues facing our world and how significant they are. I was a completely different person when I went on my last cruise at age seventeen. I dreaded putting away my dishes after eating in the buffet; I was taught to clean my plate, so putting my empty dishes into the pile of dishes still filled with food made my heart hurt. Untouched pieces of bread, whole bowls of soup, bananas that hadn’t been peeled (seriously, what the heck?!), perfectly good foods, now being sent to the trash. This wasn’t the only waste I saw on that last trip: people swarmed the pool bars to get fancy drinks with plastic straws all day, every day; hundreds of plastic water bottles were bought at the port gates every day; towels in your suites would be replaced with fresh ones, even if you hadn’t used them.

Cruises aren’t the only wasteful vacationing spot. They’re basically just floating resorts, so all this waste and more would be accumulated on any all-inclusive vacation spot. Airplanes are incredibly wasteful, too, using plastic cups for every passenger, every flight, offering meals in plastic-wrapped Styrofoam containers, using individually wrapped hand towels and hand sanitizer packets. We buy 100mL plastic containers for our shampoo, makeup remover and other liquids that weren’t not allowed to bring on planes in large quantities. Don’t even get me started on how unsustainable air travel is…let’s just say it’s one of the biggest GHG emitters in the world.

All that being said, it’s not like we’re just going to stop taking vacations, right? Trust me, I like vacations just as much as the next person. People need to travel by plane for business, as well, and to visit family. However, there are ways to make travelling and vacationing more sustainable. How do you do that? Keep reading for a five simple tips for making your next vacation or travel experience more sustainable! And in case you’re wondering, all of the photos in this post are from my own adventures over the years. If you’re wondering where specifically some of these places are, unfortunately we went so many places that I just can’t remember them all!

1. Bring a reusable water bottle

One of the best ways to reduce your waste while travelling is to bring a reusable beverage container. I can’t remember a time where I didn’t go on a vacation or travelling somewhere without bringing water with me, can you? In the last few years I’ve switched from bringing plastic bottles with me to reusable ones. They’re light so they won’t weigh you down while hiking or sightseeing and can keep your drinks cool if you get an insulated one. If you’re travelling to a place where drinking tap water is not recommended, you can get a bottle with a built-in filter to save yourself from using plastic bottles. You also save money on vacation because we all know that tourist attractions charge five dollars for one water bottle. One small investment in a reusable bottle can save you a lot of money in the long run, perhaps even enough to go on another vacation (okay I know this is a stretch, but maybe you buy a lot of water bottles…). Save the planet while saving your cash!

2. Only fill your plate with what you will eat

When you’re staying on an all-inclusive resort or cruise ship, there’s just so. much. good. FOOD. You want to try everything because 1) it’s free (technically you already paid but you know what I mean), 2) it’s unlimited and 3) there’s a lot of foods you’ve never tried before or don’t eat too often. You load up your plate with all the good things, get ready to eat it all, then...you get full. Fast. Or you change your mind and don’t want something you grabbed. Or something doesn’t taste as good as you thought, so after one bite into the heaping mound of food you turn your nose up at it. At the end of your meal you’re dumping your plate that is still half (maybe in completely) full of food into the garbage – I’ve never been on a cruise with composting, so it does just go to landfill.

The best way to avoid food waste on vacation is to take only what you know you will eat. Especially when it’s all inclusive, nothing is stopping you from going up to get another plate after you finish your first if you are still hungry. But if you get too much food in the first round you’ll probably be dumping a good amount of it after. When loading up your plate, try to be realistic: do you normally eat a mountain of food in one go? You know your body. Maybe it’s not a great idea to grab five slices of pizza on top of fries, pasta, salad, dessert and whatever else you may take. You could always start with one or two slices, then if you’re still wanting more after you can go up for seconds. Stop food waste while still leaving the buffet with a happy tummy!

3. Ask for no straw

No beach vacation can be complete without a Piña colada in hand, am I right? If coconut isn’t your thing, maybe daiquiris are your thing. If not either of those, I’m sure that there’s a drink that is your go-to while on vacation. I’m also sure that most of those drinks come with a plastic straw while you order them. I don’t think I have to explain the detrimental effects of plastic straws yet again on this blog (but if you would like a refresher, check out this postor this one), so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I am saying to ask for your drink without a straw. It still tastes the same, and you’ll be saving some turtles while you’re enjoying your drink. Alternatively you could bring your own reusable straw, which you can now purchase just about anywhere (Walmart, Bulk Barn, Amazon, literally anywhere). If you refuse to drink your Piña colada without a straw, there’s no harm in bringing your own to make your drink extra fancy.

4. Pack your own snacks

Snacks are essential on any trip. Especially road trips. In my experience, most of my money on trips is spent on food. That’s why packing your own snacks can save money and the environment!

Bringing snacks is great for backpacking or touring. You can pack homemade trail mix, cookies or granola bars, a piece of fruit, or a peanut butter sandwich. Simple to make, easy to carry, and super cheap. At the same time, you’ll save your money so you don’t have to spend ten bucks on a sandwich from a dingy gas station, and if you wrap your food in a reusable snack wrap or container than you’ll also be snacking zero-waste style. I always have my own snacks on me (my friends judge me because I always have at least three different snacks in my bag all times) so that if I’m out somewhere and get hungry I don’t have to waste money to satisfy my hunger.

Bringing your own food also ensures that you can eat something you like. Sometimes when you’re in a foreign place you may not have access to familiar foods, so having something you already know that you like is the right way to go.

5. Experience the local life

When I’m on vacation I don’t like visiting the typical, “hot” sites. The Colosseum, the CN Tower, white sand beaches – they’re fine to see once just to experience it I suppose, but I would much rather explore small, local spots that aren’t swarmed by tourists. I never liked answering people that asked me where I went on a cruise because I never felt like I really went to each of the places the boat stopped at. This is because the boat doesn’t dock in a little town (not the big boats, at least), they stop at highly commercialized, built up ports with jewelry shops, Starbucks, Pandora, souvenir shops and everything else that we could find back home. Why pay thousands of dollars on a vacation to just see the same things that you have at home? I don’t need a fridge magnet with a seashell on it. I don’t need a new pair of sunglasses or sandals made in China, or a T-shirt with a seagull on it stating that I’ve been to X place. Cruises are usually only stopped at each port for a few hours, so you often can’t even go anywhere else.

When I go on vacation, I try to escape the crowds of people in white sneakers, with big DSLR cameras strung around their necks. I try to blend in with the locals. If I’m going somewhere it’s because I want to experience the culture, to see what sets this place apart from how I live my own life. I don’t want to go shopping for clothes or souvenirs and I don’t want to eat at McDonald’s. I want to support the local crafters and try their ethnic food. I want to understand and appreciate what makes them a culture. Call me a hipster if you want, but I truly can’t find the logic in travelling if you’re not going to experience something new. By doing so you’re saving money on all the cheap souvenirs you’re not buying, preventing the destination T-shirts you’ll never actually wear from ending up in a landfill somewhere, and you’ll be stimulating the local economy to keep small communities thriving.

I hope that you find some of these tips useful and think about them when planning your next vacation or travel session. Remember, every single one of us can make one small change to our lives that can create a huge impact on the planet. One person, for instance, needs at least 4 plastic water bottle’s worth of water every day; multiply that by a two week long vacation, and that’s 28 water bottles you are stopping from entering our oceans if you choose to carry one reusable water bottle instead. Small actions = big results. I challenge you to try at least one of these tips next time you travel and share your experience in the comments!

I hope that you all have a great week ahead, and stay tuned for more sustainability tips, tricks and inspiration. As always, thank you for reading!

Until next time!

The post Tips for travelling sustainably appeared first on Clear the Air.