The everyday ecoist

Hey there! This post will be all about how to start a vegan diet or lifestyle. It will give you all the tips I wish someone had given me when I first started my vegan journey. I hope these will be helpful to some of you new vegans out there. It can be hard to make the transition but this will hopefully make it a bit easier. 

1. My first tip is to get educated and know what you are getting yourself into. I know doing research can seem boring, especially if it consists of going online and reading articles, studies and papers, but what I recommend doing is having a Netflix binge session instead. If you want to know all about the health, environmental and ethical benefits of being vegan you should give these 6 documentaries a watch;  - Cowspiracy (the environmental side) - Dominion and/or Earthlings (the ethical side) - Forks over Knives - I recommend this one over What the Health (the health side)  - Game Changers (the health side) - Seaspiracy - this one is on Youtube and is all about the fishing industry. That industry is often left out of the conversation but is also very important. 

There are also some podcasts I love listening to; - The Disclosure Podcast - The Viva! Vegan Podcast - Food for Thought (by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau)  These can be found on all the major podcast streaming services. 

Lastly there are some Youtubers I love watching; -Mike the Vegan; He debunks myths about veganism and always has rock solid research to back him up.  -Earthling Ed; He is a ‘street activist’ that has conversations with people about veganism and also does talks. He has the perfect answers to all the different questions vegans get on a daily basis. I highly recommend his Ted talk and this speech here.  -Colleen Patrick; She also has really good answers to all the questions about veganism. I highly recommend this speech of hers. 

So in a nutshell my first tip is all about learning the answers to all the typical and annoying questions you will get when becoming vegan. Unfortunately these questions and comments are unavoidable but you are going to be way more confident and better in social situations if you have your answers ready.  2. My second tip is to get a blood test to see if you have any vitamin deficiencies or if you need any other supplements. The only supplement all vegans have to take is B12, you should be able to get all other vitamins/supplements you need on a plant based diet, but it may be a little harder than what you are used to. It also doesn’t hurt to do a little research into plant based nutrition just to make sure you know all the basics. 

3. This is a little bit of a bonus tip but I just wanted to say that it is okay to become vegan in steps. A lot af people become vegetarians first and then vegan. It can be quite hard to adopt a vegan lifestyle over night or in a few days. It takes time to find the right vegan beauty products and clothes. It is also okay to mess up, everybody does it, as long as your intentions are in the right place. If you ever start to really crave animal products and want to go back to eating them it can be good to think of veganism as something bigger than yourself. You are not only doing this for you and your health. You are saving the animals and fighting climate change! Why go back to eating animals that don’t have to die? The only thing you accomplish is harming the animals, the planet and your health.  4. Now that you have done your research it is time to start cooking. In the beginning I recommend cooking similar dishes as you did before, just switching the animal products out for vegan versions. This makes the transition seem smaller. Then you can slowly move towards more whole food vegan recipes. In the beginning it is good to have 5 - 10 fairly easy recipes that you love and know how to cook, that way you always have something to cook when you run out of ideas or have little time to make something. Whenever you find a recipe that you love I recommend writing it down in a recipe book and soon you will have a book filled with delicious recipes you can cook at any time. 

If you have friends or family members that think vegan food is boring or tasteless I recommend cooking for them and showing them how wrong they are. This is also the perfect time to use your recipe book!  5. I know going vegan can be very hard in todays society. Food is after all a very social thing. You are going against societal norms and it can feel like you are swimming against the current all by yourself. That is why my last tip is all about becoming a part of the vegan society. It can be hard doing that in real life so I recommend following some vegan people on social media and joining vegan groups on Facebook (they will have answers to all of your questions). This makes you feel like you are a part of something bigger than yourself and motivates you to keep going. It can also be fun to find some vegan friends in real life and start a vegan food club where you come together and cook. 

You have to remember that in order to sustain and feed almost 8 billion people on this planet we must cut down our consumption of animal products. By becoming vegan you are ahead of the curve and are setting a good example for others. You are also saving hundreds of animals each year and bettering your health as a bonus. 

Hi, yesterday I listened to a podcast called Dramakastið, Mannmiðjukenningin, where this woman was talking about humans relationship with nature. Now, I have heard a lot about humans relationship with nature before but never from her perspective. I found it so interesting that I wanted to make a blogpost about it. 

Basically, the woman was talking about how humans have put a value on nature and what right we have to do that, since nature is not our property. Let’s take a waterfall for example. To us it has two kinds of values. Firstly we can generate it to create electricity and secondly it is very beautiful to look at. But what about a waterfall that is in the middle of nowhere and no one knows it exists? Does it still have value? Should it have value at all? When we put value on things, and by us I mean the human race - or more often than not the richest nations on earth, it becomes valuable to us. Therefore we give ourselves the right to claim ownership over it and use it (and perhaps destroy it?). But who gave us the right to claim ownership over things in nature? They are after all not our property. Who says we get to be number one and control everything? Especially if all we do is leave things in ruin. Our rainforests, oceans, climate, ecosystems, wild life… Most of the time we don’t even suffer the consequences. 

When we look at the aspect of climate change, why do we really care about it? Why are we only doing something about it now when we have known about it for 30 years or even longer? Because now is the first time we are realising how bad it will affect us humans. We know it has been destroying nature and it’s ecosystems for decades, we just haven’t cared because we weren’t the victims. 

Let’s take another example. We are all about ditching plastic straws to save the fish in the oceans - so we can fish and eat cleaner fish that doesn’t have plastic in it. We don’t want plastic in our food! But do we ever stop and think about the fish? The fish doesn’t want plastic polluting it’s home. It doesn’t want to eat plastic and die as a result. Yet we don’t care about that. We only care about ourselves. We only save the fish because it has value to us. 

Another interesting point discussed in the podcast is the purpose of things. Does everything in life have purpose? Like the waterfall earlier. You could say its purpose is to help us make electricity and be pretty to look at. What about the waterfall no one knows about? What is the purpose of that waterfall? Does it have to have a purpose? If something isn’t valuable to humans does that mean it has no purpose? I don’t think everything needs to have a purpose. The waterfall can simply exist, like it has been doing for thousands of years. That is after all what nature has been doing long before we came along and what it will be doing long after we are gone. 

Should we be allowed to put a value on things at all? Does our value always matter the most? We destroy the Amazon rainforest because it has value to us and we have claimed ownership over it. Yet it is probably more valuable to the species and ecosystems that live in the forest. Why don’t their values matter more? For them it is a matter of life or death but for us it is only a matter of convenience and luxury. 

We are self crowned kings/queens of earth and all we do is destroy it. If we had a leader that gave them selves power, was corrupt, did nothing but lie, made empty promises, took things from its citizens (usually the most vulnerable ones), destroyed the future, valued money and economic growth above all else and would leave everything in ruins - wouldn’t we have taken the power away from that leader a long time ago? Well nature and other species don’t have that option. They don’t have a voice. That is why we have to speak for them. As kings/queens of this kingdom it is our responsibility to make it just for all. To make sure everyone has a future. Otherwise the kingdom will fall and there will be no need for a king/queen. I don’t think we can change the fact that we rule over earth (so to speak). After all we are the most intellectual species. But with power comes responsibility. Therefore it is our responsibility to make sure that the planet is liveable for everyone. Not only for our own benefit, but for everyone else’s. 

I hope this got you thinking. That was really the only point of this rambling anyway. 

Hi my name is Salka and I’m vegan (hi Salka), and my main goal is to make your life miserable at dinner parties. That’s the stereo type we all know, right?. The pushy vegan who’s life goal is to make everybody around them miserable and angry. But their only success is making the vegan stereotype worse. 

I’m gonna let you in on a little secret... There is no such thing as a pushy vegan, and no, a vegans goal is not to make your life miserable. While we are on the topic, why do vegans make people feel uncomfortable in the first place when they talk about veganism? Let’s dive into it. 

Why are people vegan to begin with? Well there are 3 main reasons. Justice for the animals, environmentalism and health. Most people go vegan for one (or more) of those reasons. For me it was environmentalism. I realised that I couldn’t call myself an environmentalist and still eat animal products. Then I learned about the incredibly harmful and cruel meat industry and how being vegan is over all better for my health. All those 3 reasons are the reason why I’m still vegan today, 8 months later, and why I plan on being vegan for the rest of my life. 

What happens when you go vegan is that a lightbulb goes on in your head and suddenly you see life in a different way (literally). When you finally see the truth (about the meat industry) all you want to do is share it with the world. Because why kill and torture animals when we don’t have to? The only thing we accomplish is harming the animals, our planet and health.

So when you see a vegan being pushy that person is simply sharing the truth with you to make you see the world in a different way too. Because that person want’s the message to spread, to make the world a better place. That persons goal is not to make you feel uncomfortable. You simply feel uncomfortable because you realise that what you have been thought all your life (about eating animal products) is wrong. You feel bad about your actions and therefor, instead of blaming yourself and society, you blame the vegan. Because that is easier than changing your lifestyle. That is easier than going against societies norms. 

When I talk about veganism and how bad the meat industry is to people around me they often don’t believe me. Even though I am backed up by science and research. Again, it is because it is easier for people to live in denial than to change. 

Eating animal products is the norm. It is in our traditions, culture and religion. Why go against something that has been the norm for thousands of years? Because now we know better. Now we are informed. We have stopped viewing animals as things and we see them as beings with feelings and a will to live freely. We know that in order to sustain our planet we must cut down our consumption of animal products. We know that we can be perfectly healthy on a vegan diet. We know that we don’t need to harm and torture innocent beings anymore. 

Because when we realise that we don’t need animal products to survive, every justification for eating animal products becomes invalid! 

So the next time you come across a ‘pushy vegan’ try seeing things from their perspective. Listen and be respectful. Instead of arguing, try learning something new. I know it’s not realistic that the whole world goes vegan tomorrow but I believe the world is slowly but surely changing in the right direction.  

‘It’s only one straw say 7 billion people’

Have you ever been online and seen an influencer/celebrity talking about saying no to plastic straws? I have! What did you think of that influencer? Oh good job, you actually care about the environment, I think more highly of you now, I should do that too! Maybe you don’t care, OR maybe you see through it. You think about the extreme life of that person. How that person flies halfway a cross the world on a regular basis to attend events and go on holiday. How that person advertises un-environmentally friendly products on their social media for profit. How that person eats red meat and so on... 

This does not only apply to saying no to straws btw. Recently for ex. I’ve seen a lot of people posting on social media about the fires in the Amazon,  #prayfortheAmazon. Yet the next day they post a picture of them eating a steak?! A bit ironic isn’t it. Maybe even dangerous?

You see, saying no to plastic straws (or other similar things) is only a very very small part of dealing with the climate crisis. Yet those who do so are praised for being environmentally friendly while those who protest on Fridays or go vegan for ex. are criticised. I think it’s becoming a bit of a dangerous trend to think that skipping single use plastic once in a while or changing your profile picture on Facebook to a rainforest (for example, there are lot of other examples like these) is being an environmentalist and there for enough, and something to be proud of. 

But what is enough? Of course there is no such thing as a perfect environmentalist (as I’ve mentioned before in a different post) but I believe everyone should do their best in being environmentally friendly in their life. Correction; Everybody needs to do their best for us to tackle this issue together. That means action from both normal citizens and politicians. From both the companies and the costumers. From both scientists and world leaders. Everyone needs to come together. 

If you want to know how you can have an impact, a real impact that is greater than saying no to plastic straws I recommend doing some research. For ex. reading the other posts on this blog, going online, watching documentaries or reading books. The information is everywhere. That is why I won’t be talking about that in this post. The next step is then sharing the message with the people around you. I recommend using social media or joining local activism groups such as Fridays for the Future or Extinction Rebellion. 

‘It’s only one coffee cup say 7 billion people’ ‘It’s only one steak say 7 billion people’  I could go on forever...  The problem isn’t just plastic straws. It is our consumerism and capitalism. 

Thank you for reading my bambling rambling once again. 

Hey there, been a while, I know. But at least I’m back now! 

The other day I was listening to an interview with Jack Harries that he did with the BBC and it got me inspired to make this post. So basically the woman interviewing him was kind of criticising him for being an environmental activist while still driving a car/flying etc. (basically for not being a perfect environmentalist). His response was very good and much needed. He said “if you have to be a perfect environmentalist to be having this conversation, then no one is going to be able to have this conversation and we are not gonna get anywhere”. The conversation then being the discussion about climate change. 

I think this is such an important thing to talk about. It is much more important to have millions of people who are doing their best when it comes to environmentalism rather than a few hundred “perfect” environmentalists. To be able to tackle climate change we need everyone on board doing their best.  Obviously not everyone can commit 100% because of their job, financial status, where they live, health, age and so on. 

That is why today I’m gonna be talking about a few ares I could improve in when it comes to living sustainably. 

Firstly and maybe most importantly there is flying. I love to travel and visit new places and for the last decade of my life i have traveled quite a bit. The problem is that I live on an island and the only way off it is by boat or an airplane. So anytime I want to go to a new country I have to fly there, which is very bad for the planet. Of course I can always plant trees to try and carbon neutralize my travels but that isn’t a 100% effective. Now, as an environmentalist, I am obviously trying to cut down my flights but as a person that loves to travel it is not the most fun solution. 

Another thing is packaging, most importantly plastic. Online I am following a lot of zero-waste bloggers who are able to shop at package free bulk stores. Well in Iceland there is none of that. I definitely think most of my waste comes from food shopping and all the plastic waste that comes from that. By becoming vegan and shopping more whole-food items I have managed to cut down some of the waste but in the end this is something that I just can’t control a 100%. 

With Iceland being a small island in the middle of the Atlantic ocean there aren’t a lot of sustainable options yet especially when it comes to fashion, tech, food and so on. That will hopefully change in the coming years but now I will just have to accept the situation I am in and try to make the best of it. 

It is important to remember that there are always some ways to live a more sustainable life despite your obstacles. I for ex. take the bus and walk, try to be a more conscious buyer, shop less clothes and am vegan. 

What I’m trying to say is that you shouldn't let the pressure of being a “perfect” environmentalist stop you from doing your best. As long as you are trying that is the most important thing of all. Now go out and try to inspire others around you to become more sustainable as well :) 

When was the last time you went on a shopping spree? I can promise you that all the stuff you bought isn’t gonna make you happier in the long run. Sure it’s gonna give you a momentary release of happiness but that feeling will eventually fade and those items will end up in landfill. 

The average American will throw away about 1,8kg (4,4 pounds) of non recycle-able trash EVERY DAY! Now that is a lot of trash. I couldn’t find the numbers for people in Iceland but I’m sure it’s not far off. 

So what is the answer? Should we all just stop buying things all together? Not quite. 

I think one of the reasons people buy so many unnecessary things today is because of how cheap they are. This also gives us less of an emotional attachment to the things we own and makes us throw them out as soon as they break, or are simply out of style. 

I want you to stop throwing away perfectly good things you own.

If something breaks, let’s say your phone or computer, what is your first thought? Oh well it is almost as cheap to buy a new one as it is to fix the one I have so I will just upgrade mine to the newest version. Well, have you thought about all the recourses that go into making one phone or computer? It’s a lot, and terrible for our planet. So the next time you need to fix something, please consider just taking it to the repair shop first and replacing the thing that is broken. If that isn’t possible you can always find used items online that are in perfect condition and much cheaper than in the store. This does not just apply to tech btw, it applies to everything we buy. 

This is actually my next topic. Why do we have to buy everything new all the time? I feel like there is this shame in buying things second hand or used which is just ridiculous. If you can get something used, for a cheaper price than in the store, why not do that instead? You are saving the earth a great deal of resources and yourself some money. There are so many apps, groups on Facebook and other places online that make this so easy. Think about this option the next time you need to buy something! 

Doing research before buying something is such an important part of this problem. By doing your research you can find the item that is the most durable, ethical, sustainable and suitable to your needs. There are so many great companies out there today selling ethical and sustainable items that with a little bit of research you should be able to shop anything you need without harming our planet. 

What I like to do is to make a list of everything I need to buy (not including food and such). Then I wait for 30 days and if I still need the things on that list I will go out and buy them. This is a great way to stop buying unnecessary things that we often only buy to satisfy some underlying emotional need.  

One of my new years resolutions was to buy no new clothes for 2019 (within reason of course). However, for the past weeks I’ve been thinking of buying a new pair of pants (seeing as a somehow I only own jeans) and so yesterday I went into the Icelandic shopping mall Kringlan. My goal was to find a pair of pants for as cheap as possible seeing as I am on a broke student budget. 

Because of that my first instinct was to go into all the cheapest store’s in the mall. For ex. Vera Moda, Vila, New Yorker, Lindex and H&M. After walking into all of these stores I almost immediately walked out again disappointed. Why? Firstly I just didn’t find was I was looking for and secondly when I looked at the clothes I found them all to be cheaply made and was certain that they wouldn’t last me through the year. After being in all of these stores I also realised that I just couldn’t support these fast fashion companies anymore. Knowing that they are treating their workers unfairly and contributing largely to climate change. 

This has been a very complex topic for me in regards to living sustainably as I want to buy clothes from more sustainable companies but they are often out of my price range and very hard to find in Iceland. I just find it infuriating that in all of Kringlan and Smáralind (the 2 biggest shopping malls in Iceland) there are hardly any sustainable options when it comes to buying clothes, or most products for that matter. Yes I know that there are second hand stores around but seeing as I am a plus size girl it is very hard for me to find second hand clothes that fit me, as much as I would love to support those stores. 

So what is my solution?? I have to admit I don’t know yet. I’m gonna do my research and most likely I will have to end up buying something online (which also sucks because then It has to be shipped to Iceland). This is something that will hopefully be better in the future and I think it will just take some time to change. 

I am very happy to see that a lot of people are starting to wake up and see the harm in these fast fashion companies. However they are still growing and selling more clothes than ever that just end up in our landfill. I know this isn’t exactly the most educational blog post but I just wanted to get my thoughts out there and raise awareness to this issue. Having said that I encourage all of you reading this post to be more conscious buyers in the future and try to boycott these terrible companies as much you can. I know it’s convenient to pop in there to buy that cheap pair of socks or a sweater but think of everything that happened so that you could get those pieces so cheap and what will happen after you stop wearing them. I could make a whole blog post on the environmental harm of these clothes (maybe that will come in the future) but to be honest you probably know that already and if not I encourage you to do your research and watch the documentary “The true cost” on Netflix. 

Lastly, if you know of any good sustainable brands that have sizes for +sized girls please let me know. Let’s all tackle this together and help each other to live more sustainably. 

Please follow this blog if you are interested in reading more of my rubbish thoughts! 

Today I want to talk about 5 ways the everyday person can help the planet by eliminating single use plastic (and paper) from their life. I promise these will all be super easy and affordable. 

1. “It’s only one straw” said 7 billion people. Now that is a lot of straws.

Coincidentally that is also the first thing I want to mention. Switching out single use plastic straws for reusable ones is the easiest thing you can do. You can for example choose from;

Metal

Bamboo or Wood

Glass 

Paper

Just remember to have one with you when you are out and about and ask the waiter/bartender to remove it from your drink when you order :)  Little side note: If you need a plastic straw because of a disability or something else this will not apply to you. 

2. Did you know that every plastic toothbrush that has ever been made is still here today, in one piece. To prevent even more toothbrushes from ending up in landfill or our oceans you can simply get a bamboo one! A lot of people think they are somehow worse and don’t do the job. Well they couldn’t be more wrong and are just afraid of change. So the next time you need to switch your toothbrush out, opt for a bamboo one instead. 

3. I once read that less than 1% of all coffee cups get recycled. Most of them are coated in plastic and can therefore not be recycled. So what can you do? The easiest solution is to invest in a reusable cup that you can take with you to work, coffee shops, camping, hikes, you name it... You could also use that cup for water and then there is no need to buy bottled water ever again! Or you know, you can always get a reusable water bottle too. The more the merrier. 

4. Did you know that many plastic bags can’t be recycled? They are often too small or thin for the machines to pick up so they just end up in landfill or our oceans. I can almost guarantee that if you go look you can find at least 3 reusable bags in your house right now. Now all you need to do is to store them in an obvious place so you remember to take them with you to the store next time. This can for example be in the kitchen, in your car, your purse/bag, your bike etc. This also applies to those little plastic bags that you find in the fruit and vegetable section. Fruits and veggies most often have a natural peal that protects them from getting ruined on the journey home so you don’t even need the bags. If you can’t live with out them you can simply invest in reusable produce bags. 

5. My last tip is about carrying a container with you when you are out and about. It can be plastic, glass, silicone, or even a jar. They are so versatile and can be used for almost anything. You can take them with you to the store for bulk items. You can use them for ice cream, smoothies or at a restaurant instead of getting single use packaging. They are also great for home made lunch or to take home leftovers after a meal. 

So if you already follow most of these tips, good for you! You are clearly on the right path. If not, I hope these where helpful. I would consider this list a sort of beginners guide to use less single use plastic/paper. I have started to carry a sort of zero-waste kit in my backpack at all times that includes a cotton bag, a produce bag, a container, reusable straw and a water bottle. It has helped me greatly to reduce my waste on the go.