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juliana.essen

#Wellbeing tip 172: Boycott single use products. W

#Wellbeing tip 172: Boycott single use products. We can influence business by not buying items that perpetuate the linear Take-Make-Waste model. As demand for these short-life products decline, so will profit, and it will no longer make good business sense to produce them!

#Wellbeing tip 171: Resist disposable culture. Cou

#Wellbeing tip 171: Resist disposable culture. Countless goods we buy are produced with planned obsolescence, forcing us to replace them quickly. When grandparents complain, “They don’t make things like they used to,” they're right! Before a purchase, think how long it will last.

#Wellbeing tip 170: Live like a homesteader. Moder

#Wellbeing tip 170: Live like a homesteader. Modern homesteading is different from when my great-grandma vanquished rattlesnakes with a broom on her Montana homestead--you can even do it in a flat! But it's still about living well (and creatively) with the resources you have.

#Wellbeing tip 169: Learn new circular skills. The

#Wellbeing tip 169: Learn new circular skills. The biggest obstacle to keeping stuff in circulation is lack of know-how. For many repair/repurposing tasks, a Youtube tutorial is all you need. But this is a great chance to learn a new skill! How about woodworking or welding?

#Wellbeing tip 168: Make art from found-objects. R

#Wellbeing tip 168: Make art from found-objects. Remember how the reuse ethic applies to other people's trash? Well sometimes you can find things like tile, fabric, or metal scraps that can be turned into art, like mosaics or mobiles. Just keep an eye out for shiny objects :)

#Wellbeing tip 167: Give upcycled gifts. I love to

#Wellbeing tip 167: Give upcycled gifts. I love to upcycle, especially for teacher gifts. My daughter had 17 teachers, so even a $10 gift card for each was a stretch. Besides, handmade gifts (like votive candle holders out of jam jars) are better than another coffee mug!

#Wellbeing tip 166: Get creative with recycling. W

#Wellbeing tip 166: Get creative with recycling. With a child who loves art, every bit of trash holds creative potential. Even if it eventually gets tossed, it stays in circulation longer & brings joy! Bonus: saving tons of money on craft supplies!

#Wellbeing tip 165: Find purpose in repurposing. F

#Wellbeing tip 165: Find purpose in repurposing. Finding ways to reduce waste is meaningful – it takes critical & creative thinking so it promotes self growth, it helps the planet & it can benefit others. You could even turn it into a project or job with far-reaching impact!

#Wellbeing tip 164: Make worm castings. I'm an acc

#Wellbeing tip 164: Make worm castings. I'm an accidental vermaculturist--worms flock to my compost, so I scoop them up & toss them in. After eating the scraps, their poop is black gold for the garden! No citrus as it's hard on their gut. You can buy a set up for under the sink!

#Wellbeing tip 163: Compost kitchen scraps. Food w

#Wellbeing tip 163: Compost kitchen scraps. Food waste in landfills produces methane, which is more harmful than CO2. So instead of tossing kitchen scraps, compost them. You can make a cheap DIY system that turns raw produce waste (no cooked food or meat) into garden soil!

#Wellbeing tip 162: Use up food first. Our Depress

#Wellbeing tip 162: Use up food first. Our Depression-era parents made us clean our plates—unthinkable to waste food when it was so hard to come by! Now that I shop & cook, I watch the perishables & get creative with leftovers—tossing food is like throwing money in the trash!

#Wellbeing tip 161: Repair durable goods. In my ho

#Wellbeing tip 161: Repair durable goods. In my house we divvy up repairs based on skills & Youtube the rest. Our Depression-era parents taught us to care for possessions—a little maintenance extends a thing’s life! We take satisfaction in DIY, and we like to save money, too.

#Wellbeing tip 160: Refresh old furnishings. Resis

#Wellbeing tip 160: Refresh old furnishings. Resist the urge to buy new stuff when it looks dingy--refresh instead! This also goes for "dumpster" finds (like a trashed teak recliner we refinished). Have fun with it! Cover cushions with funky fabric or paint stencils on tables!

#Wellbeing tip 159: Go dumpster diving. The reuse

#Wellbeing tip 159: Go dumpster diving. The reuse ethic applies to other people’s trash! Keep your eye out for perfectly good items out on the curb, like lamps, furniture, TVs, baskets, flower pots, umbrellas, etc. Often they only need a bit of cleaning/repair. It's brilliant!

#Wellbeing tip 158: Save stuff without clutter. Mo

#Wellbeing tip 158: Save stuff without clutter. Modify Marie Kondo's approach to decluttering: consider each item destined for the bin; if it has POTENTIAL to spark joy (or at least potential use), make space to store it neatly. Decorate coffee cans/jars so they look nice, too!

#Wellbeing tip 157: Reuse to the fullest. Remember

#Wellbeing tip 157: Reuse to the fullest. Remember the central tenet of thrift or frugality: How can I use the resources I have to reduce my need to spend money in the future? Most of us could save quite a chunk of change if we reused items we buy for as long as possible!

#Wellbeing tip 156: Start growing in circles. To d

#Wellbeing tip 156: Start growing in circles. To deal with our #waste problem, we need a long-term strategy: shift from a linear way of life (extract-use-toss) to a circular one. A #CircularEconomy keeps resources in circulation for as long as possible, with little to no waste.

#Wellbeing tip 155: Aim to sustain, not gain. Soci

#Wellbeing tip 155: Aim to sustain, not gain. Societies all around the world value frugality. Subsistence-based #economies strive to achieve a level of production sufficient for the continual reproduction of their system (sustain, not gain). What's leftover is progress.

#Wellbeing tip 154: Feel satisfied in sustainable

#Wellbeing tip 154: Feel satisfied in sustainable living. Frugal personal finance bloggers find that beyond financial benefits of repurposing waste is satisfaction in doing things yourself, new self-sufficiency skills & empowerment in relying on yourself long into the future.

#Wellbeing tip 153: Secure finances with frugality

#Wellbeing tip 153: Secure finances with frugality. Personal finance bloggers include reducing waste in their multi-pronged approach to financial security. They prompt: how can I use the resources I have now to reduce my need to spend money tomorrow? This is thrift or frugality.

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© Juliana Essen 2021

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Juliana Essen @JulianaEssen·

#Wellbeing tip 173: Pass plastic free ordinances. Individuals can affect change via purchasing power, but it helps to have government support, like ordinances prohibiting single-use plastics. Let your reps know you're concerned about plastic waste so they'll be motivated to act!

Reply on Twitter 1407715629415731207 Retweet on Twitter 1407715629415731207 Like on Twitter 1407715629415731207 Twitter 1407715629415731207

Juliana Essen @JulianaEssen·

#Wellbeing tip 172: Boycott single use products. We can influence business by not buying items that perpetuate the linear Take-Make-Waste model. As demand for these short-life products decline, so will profit, and it will no longer make good business sense to produce them!

Reply on Twitter 1407353026269138951 Retweet on Twitter 1407353026269138951 Like on Twitter 1407353026269138951 Twitter 1407353026269138951

Juliana Essen @JulianaEssen·

#Wellbeing tip 171: Resist disposable culture. Countless goods we buy are produced with planned obsolescence, forcing us to replace them quickly. When grandparents complain, “They don’t make things like they used to,” they're right! Before a purchase, think how long it will last.

Reply on Twitter 1406990680434561025 Retweet on Twitter 1406990680434561025 Like on Twitter 1406990680434561025 Twitter 1406990680434561025

Juliana Essen @JulianaEssen·

#Wellbeing tip 170: Live like a homesteader. Modern homesteading is different from when my great-grandma vanquished rattlesnakes with a broom on her Montana homestead--you can even do it in a flat! But it's still about living well (and creatively) with the resources you have.

Reply on Twitter 1406628079829721089 Retweet on Twitter 1406628079829721089 Like on Twitter 1406628079829721089 Twitter 1406628079829721089

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