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Table of Contents
'Re-Thinking Progress' explores how through a change in perspective we can re-design the way our economy works - designing products that can be 'made to be made again' and powering the system with renewable energy. It questions whether with creativity and innovation we can build a restorative economy.
How Degrowth Can Save The World 37:54 minute video explores the harm that the myth of "endless growth" has caused society and our planet, then what benefits could be gained by refocusing our energy and time into sustainable alternatives such as a library economy, social services, and other community building practices.
How the Rich REALLY Cause Climate Change
How the Rich REALLY Cause Climate Change
20:36 minute video talking about why we focus so much on carbon footprints and how corporations make decisions about production for society, but without our knowledge nor consent, which have caused our current crisis.
Carbon, land, energy, and water footprints can be helpful in understanding our personal, community, school, family, or business's impacts on the planet, it is important to remember that the concept of carbon footprints were originally intended as a distraction from Big Oil to put focus on our consumption, rather than their production, lobbying, shady tactics, greenwashing, and outright lies to the public.
Companies are in a unique position where they can take control of supply lines, enforce adherence to circular economy, organic, and low-impact productions. Instead of giving into the myth of endless growth, companies would better serve society by producing things that are genuinely needed, instead of constantly producing low-quality items that end up destroyed or in land fills.
Impacts of Decisions
Impacts of Decisions
When trying to reduce our footprints (water, waste, land, deforestation, carbon, etc.) it can be a bit overwhelming with all the information, product labels and (sometimes greenwashed) promises. With this in mind, we thought it'd be helpful to provide remind people of some simplified ways to make sure you are saving resources including money, and maximizing your impact, minus the decision fatigue!
Reduce > Reuse > Recycle
Reduce > Reuse > Recycle
It might sound a bit trite, but Reduce > Reuse > Recycle are listed in order of importance. The " > " symbol being the "greater than" sign in math, but for our purposes case meaning "better than" or "having greater impact than". At every level from land clearing and production, to consumption, transporting items to be resold or reused by others, and even recycling use resources including water, electricity, and repairs or maintenance also require resources, potentially creating more pollution. This means our greatest impact can often start from the simple question:
"Do I really need this?"
If we engage in meditative practices such as "minimalism" we can often sort through our things or ask around and find that there's already one or maybe more items that can serve our needs. Sometimes people feel they "need" things because others have them, or they saw an add (designed to prey on people's insecurities), but don't actually feel happier or have an easier life after procuring the item(s).
Reduce
Reduce
Consider if the item is needed.
Find out if you already own something that will suit your needs.
Ask around to see if a friend, family member, charity, or someone else in your community already has one they don't need. You can even check your TrashNothing Group, or other services.
Even if the item isn't disposable, consider the long term impacts, and consider things like "What fuel does this require?" "How long will this last?" "What will my expenses/upkeep/taxes cost overtime?"
Bike or Trike > Electric Bike or Trike > Car or Truck (ordered in terms of environmental impact, upkeep costs, and benefit vs harm to physical health)
Passive Heating/Cooling Design for buildings > High Efficiency Heat Pump > both Heaters and A/C units
Native Plants & Xeriscaping or Pollinator Gardens > Imported Plants & Expensive Lawns might be about as bad for your budget and the planet as Astro Turf & Fake Plants
Solar Oven (greenest energy source, but only good in right conditions) > Convection Stove > Electric Plate or Oven > Gas or Wood or Kerosene which all release dangerous levels of indoor air pollution
Reuse
Reuse
We can reuse things we already have, or when considering a new purchase it's always worth spending a little extra money upfront for reusable versions of things that might seem cheap up front, but often cost a small fortune over the long term.
Bento box or Tiffin or Glass Jar or Thermos > Aluminum Foil (recyclable) > Plastic Tupper Water (leaches chemicals into human bodies) > Paper or Cardboard Take Out > Plastic Wrap or Styrophoam
Bidet > Toilet Paper
Handkerchief > Paper Tissues
Washable Period Pads or Cups > Disposable Tampons & Single-Use Period Pads
Salt-Based Deodorant Crystal > Standard Deodorants or Antiperspirants which are made from petroleum byproducts
Cloth Nappies > Disposable Nappies/Diapers
Some items can be serviced or repaired now and then.
Clothing - Most repairs can be done at home with the right equipment. Your local dry-cleaner can usually point you to a good tailor, or have one in-shop. Clothing makes up a large percentage of landfill waste, but they use a lot of chemicals and resources to make, which the average piece being worn about 6-10 times depending on the country, though many items are donated or tossed each year with the tags still on!
Shoes - Ask your local cobbler if they can repair your footwear (sometimes other items like leather bags too!)
Furniture Your local seamstress may be able to make you a slip cover for your old couch, or your local reupholsterer can fix wood dents while putting new padding and fabric on a family antique. Antiques are usually sturdier than the new fast fashion furniture currently eating up our forests.
Technology Phone and computer repair places can help in many cases, buy a repair technician can come to your home, or you may have to send certain items back to the factory depending on the brand.
Tools These may have to be sent somewhere for repair, or you may have a local repair shop/cafe where you can learn repair skills yourself. Your local Tool Library might have the equipment and classes you need.
Knives & Scissors The biggest problem with these is dullness. Make sure to keep them clean to avoid rust, and if they get dull you an use a sharpening device or take them to a local knife sharpener. Ask around at your local craft shop, kitchen wear outlet, or harware store. They often have a person who comes once a week or once a month to sharpen blades for a small fee (ofen a set price per unit of blade length).
Recycle
Recycle
There's been a lot of noise in the news lately about how we have been lied to and almost nothing we put into recycling is actually recycled. While it's good to keep recycling through official systems (to help indicate that we're willing to pitch in even if others in the system have failed us), there are some ways we can take things into our own hands.
Compost - This is THE easiest way to recycle and probably the most important. Overconsumption and abuse from agriculture is pushing our soils to their limits, crops are loosing nutritional value, and famine is affecting more people than ever, so it's crazy to throw valuable nutrients away instead of composting indoors, outdoors, on a balcony, with your local composting company, or even through a compost sharing app.
"Mulch" yard or farm waste and drop it over any bare earth. This reduces landfill waste, protects your soil, and helps retain moisture in the soi. Over time, the sticks, grass, leaves, etc. will rot down and provide nutrients for your soil.
Scrap Yards will often pay for metals, though prices vary by type and weight.
DIY Paper Crafting can be a fun way to use old paper to make birthday cars, note books, or wrapping paper. It uses simple tools that you may already have. The most complex generally being the deckle and mold which you can make from some scraps of mosquito screening, and two old picture frames.
Textiles like clothes can be sent to certain drop offs or mailed to addresses that can turn old fibers into new clothes, or more likely something like home insulation. This should be a move of last resort for items that are too damaged or stained to be accepted by charities or resale shops. Some locations only accept one type of clothing such as shoes or socks.
Resources
Resources
General Guides
General Guides
Discover the Circular Economy: Learning Hub "Let us guide you through these curated learning experiences. Expand your understanding of the circular economy and learn how the concept can be applied to different parts of the economy."
Carbon Footprint
Carbon Footprint
Water Consumption
Water Consumption
Truth Or Drought: Water This page breaks down how much water is available, and why we need to be more careful than ever to conserve water. There are charts showing which parts of the average consumer's activities use the most water.
The following resources are listed (according to the info in the link above), from greatest impact on water resources, to least.
Daily Footprint, #6 – Clothing (Sustainable Textiles, Part 1) This page offers a brief overview of different fabric types, what they are made of, and include the chart below, showing the energy and water use of some types of fabric.
PlaneteerHandbook Resources
PlaneteerHandbook Resources
Click any of the buttons beneath to find out what's in your area!
Apps and Extensions
Apps and Extensions
After Purchase
After Purchase
abillion "Discover and shop sustainable food, beauty and fashion, anywhere." Earn "$1" after rating sustainable foods and other products, then pick which charity you want to donate too. Options currently include vegan animal sanctuaries, conservation and outreach groups, even tree-planting programs.
Before You Shop or Dine Out
Before You Shop or Dine Out
Buycott (phone app) "Scan barcodes when shopping to learn product history & make an informed decision"
Happy Cow (app and website) Find low-impact foods at home or abroad. Read reviews, see photo's from other diners, and leave your own ratings.
abillion (app and website) "Discover and shop sustainable food, beauty and fashion, anywhere." Earn "$1" after rating sustainable foods and other products, then pick which charity you want to donate too. Options currently include vegan animal sanctuaries, conservation and outreach groups, even tree-planting programs.
Buy Second Hand
Buy Second Hand
Sift "the Sift browser extension allows you to find cheaper and more sustainable secondhand alternatives within a click of a button" (there is currently a wait list)
Earn Money for Earth-Friendly Projects
Earn Money for Earth-Friendly Projects
abillion (app and website) "Discover and shop sustainable food, beauty and fashion, anywhere." Earn "$1" after rating sustainable foods and other products, then pick which charity you want to donate too. Options currently include vegan animal sanctuaries, conservation and outreach groups, even tree-planting programs.
Ecosia This extension uses web search revenue to plant trees all around the world. "Instead of monocultures, we grow over 500 different native species where they are needed most. Always shoulder-to-shoulder with local communities." They upgraded their offices with solar power to further reduce their impact.
Reviews & Ratings
Reviews & Ratings
Before You Shop or Dine Out
Before You Shop or Dine Out
Buycott (phone app) "Scan barcodes when shopping to learn product history & make an informed decision"
Ethical Consumer Guides (UK) "We analyse in detail the policies and actions of hundreds of companies with respect to the environment, human rights, workers’ rights, politics and product sustainability.
The scores on our Ethical Shopping Guides are compiled from this research to give an overview of how the brands and products within different markets compare on a wide range of ethical issues."
Cruelty Free Kitty "We contact brands directly to find out the truth behind their animal testing claims. Our database currently contains 1192 vetted brands so you can shop cruelty-free in confidence."
Ethical Elephant "Need help with finding a cruelty-free and vegan product? Explore our hand-picked product guides to help you make every choice count and find products that are aligned with your values."
Green Citizen (USA) "is an environmental conservation company providing you with information and services to help you live a sustainable life."
Happy Cow Find low-impact foods at home or abroad. Read reviews, see photo's from other diners, and leave your own ratings.
HEALabel 'See how purchases impact health, environment, animals, and laborers.' Simple labels for a wide variety of materials from textiles to foods. You can click on these to read further in depth about each of the 4 rating topics.
Boycotts
Boycotts
Buycott "Scan barcodes when shopping to learn product history & make an informed decision"
After Purchase
After Purchase
abillion "Discover and shop sustainable food, beauty and fashion, anywhere." Earn "$1" after rating sustainable foods and other products, then pick which charity you want to donate too. Options currently include vegan animal sanctuaries, conservation and outreach groups, even tree-planting programs.
Looria Reviews "Find out how long products last, where they break, and how to fix them"
Online Communities
Online Communities
Groups
Groups
"The Ellen MacArthur Foundation develops and promotes the idea of a circular economy. We work with, and inspire, business, academia, policymakers, and institutions to mobilize systems solutions at scale, globally.
Our mission is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
Our vision is a new economic system that delivers better outcomes for people and the environment. Business models, products, and materials are designed to increase use and reuse, replicating the balance of the natural world, where nothing becomes waste and everything has value. A circular economy, increasingly built on renewable energy and materials, is distributed, diverse, and inclusive."
Oceana
Oceana
New Zealand
ZeroWaste Network "represents community enterprises across Aotearoa New Zealand who are working towards zero waste. Our mission is connect, educate, enable and inspire them to reach their goals and to be a unifying voice at local, regional and central government levels" Use the community map, and select business types including repair shops, resale shops, recyclers, and more.
Greenwashing
Greenwashing
What is Greenwashing? Examples [2020] "Greenwashing is a deceptive practice that companies use to trick you into thinking that their products are environmentally friendly when they are not.
This article is going to show you everything about greenwashing that you need to know, including:
The definition of greenwashing
The different types of greenwashing to look out for
What regulations are in place to combat greenwashing
Greenwashing example
How to avoid greenwashing
Greenwashing scandals"
"This book excerpt published on scientificamerican.com explains how alternative technologies like hydrogen cars can also be insidious examples of greenwashing."
Ecological Impacts of Food Choices
Ecological Impacts of Food Choices
It is estimated that with our current land use and technology, that we should be able to easily feed between 12-14 billion people, yet as our population has reached 8 billion, 828 million people go hungry each year. Climate change: warmer, colder, wetter, drier weather, with more extremes is negatively affecting our ability to feed everyone. War, fertilizer shortages, increased disease, pest outbreaks, and fungi are being exacerbated by climate change and further threaten our food security.
About 1/3 of food is lost to spoilage, poor planning, and other preventable causes, but worse still is the even greater levels of opportunity cost loss which occurs in fields before the food is even grown. This happens when farmers raise inefficient food sources such as livestock who require far more land than any other food type, more water, and consume more food in the form of crops than they replace when slaughtered.
Click the Food Security button to learn more, and what types of choices can provide more nutrients at lower ecological cost to the planet.
Animal Products
Animal Products
Meat generally has the highest ecological footprint in regards to land use, water use, water pollution, air pollution, increasing pressure on our resources which creates a greater global hunger crisis. The fishing industry, aquaculture, dairy, and eggs have serious consequences for the environment as well as human health.
Click the following buttons to learn more:
Rice
Rice
Rice produces methane and nitrous oxide when fields are flooded, then more dangerous pollutants are released during stubble burning. Changing farming practices can reduce water waste, air pollution, and nutrient run off.
Rice is a staple crop in many cultures so while it produces less pollution per unit than livestock, the sheer amount of rice eaten is what makes the crop problematic.
Food Waste
Food Waste
Focusing on removing high-impact foods like animal products will have the greatest impact, but about 30-40% of all grown, raised, or hunted food gets wasted.
Meal planning can help reduce waste.
Learning how long food can be stored for, and the best methods of storage can help extend the amount of time food can be saved.
Apps to Reduce Food Waste
Apps to Reduce Food Waste
Gumbo "Get delicious meals based on the ingredients you have at home with Gumbo's AI-powered recipe finder."
Ample Harvest: Find a Pantry "works to diminish the waste of food and therefore hunger in America by using education and technology to enable home and community gardeners to share their surplus harvests with a nearby food pantry instead of letting it go to waste." USA
Canada Helps "Millions of people around the world, including Canadians, don’t know where their next meal will come from. Every month, more than 850,000 Canadians rely on food banks, and one third of people who access food banks are children. Across the country, Canadian food banks are doing more than just trying to meet the needs of their community to make sure no one goes to bed hungry. These charities are also providing education and resources to advocate on behalf of at-risk communities to eradicate hunger. Plus, some even address global hunger with initiatives to feed people and address malnutrition around the world."
Cuatro por Venezuela "Help us fight against the shortage of food, the lack of medicine and the resurgence of diseases across the country."
FareShare "is the UK’s national network of charitable food redistributors, made up of 18 independent organisations. Together, we take good quality surplus food from right across the food industry and get it to nearly 9,500 frontline charities and community groups."
FlashFood "Get massive savings on fresh food items like meat and produce that are nearing their best before date at grocery stores across Canada and the U.S."
FoodBank Australia
Food Banks Canada "The food bank network in Canada spans from coast to coast to coast, supporting communities in every province and territory.
This network of dedicated community leaders and volunteers works tirelessly to help those in need today and to work toward a Canada where no one goes hungry."The Foodbank Project "is the first online donation platform in New Zealand where people can buy food items that are donated to food banks to be given to Kiwis in need."
Food Not Bombs "When a billion people go hungry each day, how can we spend another dollar on war? Food Not Bombs is an all-volunteer movement that recovers food that would otherwise be discarded, and shares free vegan and vegetarian meals with the hungry in over 1,000 cities in 65 countries in protest to war, poverty, and destruction of the environment. We are not a charity but dedicated to taking nonviolent direct action. Our movement has no headquarters or positions of leadership and we use the process of consensus to make decisions. We also provide food and supplies to the survivors of natural disasters, and people participating in occupations, strikes, marches and other protests." International
FoodRescue.In "Food rescue programs take excess perishable and prepared food and distribute it to agencies and charities that serve hungry people such as old age home, youth or senior centers, shelters and pantries." India
Food Rescue US USA
Lviv Vegan Kitchen a volunteer group that started when Russia invaded Ukraine. First the goal was to feed local volunteers and refugees, as many vegans were going hungry when they arrived in the area. Now their work has expanded to creating food packaged for vegan soldiers fighting for Ukraine. They feed hundreds of people for free, vegan or not.
No Food Waste "is a Not-For-Profit surplus food management organisation connecting untouched edible surplus food with needy people for making the World Hunger Free and Zero Food Waste." India
OLIO "Whether you’re a caterer, hotel, restaurant, office, retailer or any other food business or provider, OLIO’s Food Waste Heroes programme can be a sustainable solution to your business whereby we arrange to pick up and safely redistribute your surplus food to local communities." International
TooGoodToGo "Every day, delicious, fresh food goes to waste at cafés, restaurants, hotels, shops and manufacturers - just because it hasn’t sold in time. The Too Good To Go app lets customers buy and collect Surprise Bags of food - at a great price - directly from businesses."
RescuedBox"Did you know that every year around 4,000 tonnes of our fresh produce in Cyprus goes to waste before reaching the consumer due to aesthetic requirements and surplus?
We rescue fresh fruits and veggies unwanted by supermarkets, due to their aesthetics, that would otherwise end up in landfills and deliver them straight to your door."
"We want to build a community of Rescue Warriors that are mindful and concerned about the environment and want to join us in our mission."treatsure is an app that shares and reallocates excess food resources to people who would treasure them, minimizing food wastage. Singapore
The list above or organizations focused on ending hunger can be found on our Combat Hunger page along with organizations serving smaller areas (for example you can check for specific charities in certain states if you scroll to the USA section), as well as some countries' guidelines on laws concerning food donations or plans to eliminate hunger through better food management and planning.
"Eat the Invader"
"Eat the Invader"
Invasive species are a threat to global and local food security. Getting rid of invasive species can be costly in time, resources, and money. One solution that may solve two or more problems at once may be to "eat the invaders" whether these be weeds, seaweeds, or even certain animals like invasive clams, feral hogs, or lionfish.
Composting
Composting
Composting should be the last resort when it comes to food security and food waste.
Avoiding animal products reduces our dietary impact the most in respect to water, space, and energy use, also reducing the amount of emissions caused by food production, but an added benefit is that plant/algae/mushroom-based foods can all be easily composted in most cases. Animal products should not be composted except for specific situations which can be done safely in some industrial composting systems, but generally not at home or on a farm.
Composting produces greenhouse gases, and a lot of resources are lost when we waste food, but composting is better for our atmosphere than incineration or putting food into landfills. There is also the added benefit of keeping and recycling the nutrients from food waste, instead of letting those nutrients add to water contamination via other methods of disposal.
Click the Composting button to learn more about the benefits of composting, and some ways you can ensure your food is composted.
Click the How to Compost button to learn more about what can be composted, and a variety of ways to do it at home or work, whether you are only able to do so indoors, or you have plenty of room to do so outdoors.
Click the Composting Services button to for a directory of places that will take your compost. These include a compost-sharing app, and bike-powered composting services.
Life Expectancy of Products
Life Expectancy of Products
Understanding how old something is, historical lifespans of objects, and modern life expectancies of those same things can help us better understand how to invest our money, and when we are being cheated by greedy corporations.
Building Materials & Household Appliances
Building Materials & Household Appliances
Maintenance & Repair
Maintenance & Repair
Maintaining and repairing items is a low-impact way to help reduce your consumption habits by keeping items in use longer. In other words reducing the need for unnecessary mining, extraction, processing, production, packaging and shipping.
Right to Repair
Right to Repair
Unfortunately some issues stand in the way of this practice including lack of education (less schools offer spaces or classes to learn these skills, and less families are passing down the knowledge through generations as we used to), as well as corporate greed.
Specifically corporations and industries are increasingly focused on planned obsolescence, which includes making repair difficult or even illegal. In an attempt to fight back against such corporate greed, communities and politicians are working to solidify and protect the "right to repair" with specific right-to-repair laws.
Repair Cafés and Repair Shops
Repair Cafés and Repair Shops
These help you keep your belongings in working condition for longer.
Some places listed in our Repair directory help you repair your own items, while others offer another person's services.
Refurbished Goods
Refurbished Goods
The life of a product can be extended by refurbishment and repair. You can often get discount prices on very good products by visiting your local repair shops. For example many sewing machine and/or vacuum repair shops also accept used machines which they refurbish and sell back to their communities.
Resellers
Resellers
Some of the Zero-Waste shops in our Zero Waste Shops directory sell second and or refurbished goods.
Alternatively, you may want to look for online sellers for refurbished goods:
Back Market "Our mission is to build trust and desire for reborn tech."
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