plant practice

life lately on film no. 01

Spring and longer days are here, and I’ve been embracing every moment of it. Here are some snippets that I’m grateful for:

Morning light and our east facing bedroom

The presence of animals

The moment you cut open an avocado and find that it’s perfectly ripe

Sustenance in smoothie form

Fresh, homemade donuts at midnight

checking in: march 2021

It’s been a few years, hasn’t it? I took an unintentional break from documenting here, and it was quite a strange experience to come back and rediscover my old entries from long ago. I admit, I have not prioritized reducing my waste during the pandemic. But that’s okay! I’m grateful for my health and safety, and I’ve been learning to not sweat over imperfection and unrealistic expectations. I once heard this quote that resonated with me: “I cannot do all the good that the world needs, but the world needs all the good that I can do.” I’m learning to be content as long as my intentions are true.

dreamy chocolate protein smoothie

This smoothie is quite a treat, my friends. On days when I have a sweet tooth or want something a little thicker or a little heartier after a good workout, I definitely gravitate towards this smoothie to satisfy. I like to add protein powder (something that I’ve recently been experimenting with), nut butter, and/or hemp seeds to boost up the protein. 

1 frozen banana

1 scoop plant-based protein powder

2 tablespoons nut butter (i’ve been using peanut butter these days)

3/4 cup cashew milk (or any non-dairy milk)

1 tablespoon cacao powder

Optional add-ins: maca powder, flax seeds, hemp seeds, 3-5 dates, oats for extra thickness, shot of espresso or a couple tablespoons of strong coffee.

waste journal, the first seven days of february

I was a little off my game the last few weeks of January, hence, why the waste journal was on hold. The weather has been dreary, we had family in town, we’re slowly planning a wedding, and I’ve been feeling just a little burnt out from work. Today, I’m back with a little more pep after a slow morning; I literally watched the sun shine on my bedside table for ten minutes because it was that dreamy and rejuvenating.

So here is my weekly waste journal. Maybe this is a new thing I’ll do instead of posting daily to switch things up for a bit. 

The first photo is everything sent to recycling:

aluminum cans

tofu containers

pasta box

glass vinegar bottle

Everything sent to the landfill:

produce stickers

twist ties

receipt

snack wrappers

plastic flour bag tab

misc seals on packaging

bottle label

computer screen wipe and wrapper

not pictured: chinese take out containers with plastic bags, sorbet cup, wooden chopsticks and wrapper

Forgot to mention that these photos don’t show what I composted–lots of hair, food scraps, paper bags, silk floss, toilet paper roll, etc.

in rotation: plastic containers

There are those days when I don’t pack a lunch to work. I have my excuses: I don’t have enough leftovers, I don’t want to eat my leftovers, I forgot to pack my lunch, I don’t have time. So when I have to buy a quick lunch, I usually walk to a cafe down the street from my office that has house made vegan soup which, unfortunately, always comes prepackaged in a plastic container.

I could go to another restaurant and do the whole “Thank you, but I don’t need any disposable cutlery/plastic bags/extra sauces/napkins/xxx” dance and save a few items from going into the trash. Or, I could buy the soup at the cafe “for here” so the cashier can transfer the soup from the plastic tub into a bowl, heat up the soup, and (hopefully) keep the plastic tub to be used again. I’ve been trying to get into the habit of weighing all of my options when making a decision and the potential waste involved, but here is a reason why my plastic-free life is not actually plastic-free. I choose to purchase the soup and the plastic tub even if it’s not ideal.

Plastic containers used to be the bane of my existence. They’re not the prettiest  and can be just another sad item sent to the recycling bin after a single use. But lately, I’ve been keeping them around for a bit longer. Isn’t this moving backwards? Shouldn’t we use less plastic? I think it’s always a good goal to use less plastic and to be aware of its harm, but I also think it’s just as important to use up what we acquire. So because I still let a plastic container into my life every so often, I’m trying to find ways to squeeze more uses out of them:

Freezer storage. I haven’t tried storing things that need to be microwaved directly in the container (like soups and beans), but I’ve had success freezing foods like dumplings and fruit.

Leftovers to give your friends. So much harder to miss than your favorite glass jar/pyrex.

Travel/camping snacks. Lighter on your pack, less likely to break on the go.

Mixing paints, dyes, etc.

waste journal 01/21/19

Receipts (trash)

Plastic shower curtain wrapper (trash)

Cardboard floss box (recycled)

waste journal 01/20/19

Produce twist tie (trash)

Plastic cat food bag (trash)

Toilet paper roll + wrapper (recycled)

Aluminum can (recycled)

waste journal 01/19/19

Plastic jar seal (trash), receipts (trash), plastic bag (trash), 2 jar labels (trash), 1 produce sticker (trash)

Paper smoothie container + lid (recycled) 

Chinese take out box (trash)

waste journal 01/18/19

Panty liner adhesive (compost)

Starbucks drink sticker (trash)

waste journal 01/17/19

waste journal 01/16/19

Floss (trash)

Paper bag, panty liner adhesives, bandaid wrapper (compost)

two weeks over 

After documenting my waste for over two weeks now, I thought I’d share some learns and thoughts. 

I started this project hoping to learn more about the products I use day to day and the ways I dispose of my waste (whether that’s by landfill, recycling bin, or home compost). In the past, I never had much luck keeping a trash jar or writing down my waste in a journal. It felt too serious and I didn’t like the baggage. Since I am a visual thinker, I thought taking a photo would be the best and most fuss-free way to look back and reflect.

Honestly, doing this has been an amazing way to keep myself accountable. I never saw patterns until I started to take photos and was able to see every item in one album at once. I’m really excited to see what this looks like one month, six months, one year from now.

waste journal 01/15/19

Receipt + produce stickers (trash)

Panty liner adhesives + tissue paper (compost)

waste journal 01/14/19

Produce twist ties (trash)

Floss (trash)

Panty liner adhesive (composted)

waste journal 01/13/19

Produce sticker, produce label, and part of a paper bag of pasta that’s lined with plastic (trash)

Toiler paper roll + wrapper (recycled)

Carton (recycled)

Wine bottle (recycled)

waste journal 01/12/19

Plastic noodle wrapper (trash)

waste journal 01/11/19

Cat food bag (trash)

Aluminum cat food can (recycled)