The first zero waste change I adopted, more than four years ago, when I had never even heard of the term “zero waste”, was buying a menstrual cup. At the beginning I was very perplexed and worried, fearing that it was too difficult to use, but the positive experiences of my friends convinced me to try it. I still thank Sara for making me discover this simple invention that has changed my life for the better! Unlike what many people think, this menstrual cup is not a new product on the market: the first patent dates back to 1932! But only in the ’80s it became more popular worldwide, because…
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Lush Naked Shop
Milan… Milan is a big city, you drink, you eat and… you get naked! No, we are not crazy, but we decided to join the #NakedRevolution not stripping our clothes, but getting rid of the useless packaging. How? Opening the first Lush Naked Shop in the world! The store is located in via Torino 42 in Milan, and was inaugurated on June 1st 2018, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the brand in Italy. What’s different with the other Lush stores? Well, this is the first to challenge the current state of the cosmetic industry, offering a wide range of products exclusively naked, solid and free of any…
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DIY: how to create handmade recycled paper
Paper is such a common material in our daily life that we do not pay any attention to it, even though we use it continuously during the day. On average, 300 million tons of paper are used worldwide each year. Throughout history, it has been the instrument that allowed men to preserve the cultural heritage of humanity: the most famous literary works were written on paper, as well as artists’ drawings and scientists’ calculations that led to great discoveries. Until a few decades ago, it was the only medium we used to store our memory. In the past, for centuries, paper was made using mainly rags of linen, hemp and…
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Zero Waste Tips: reusable bottles in stainless steel
How often, strolling around the city, the countryside or the beach, do you happen to see plastic bottles left on the ground? Have you ever been caught by a sudden thirst while you were away from home and you had to buy a (too expensive) drink in a pub or bar? Then I imagine you threw the bottle or can (in a trash bin, hopefully) immediately after its first, and only use. Or again, how many times have you forgotten a bottle of water in the car, hit by the sun, and you noticed that it had changed its flavor? Every time I leave home, I bring something to drink…
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Zero Waste tips: Lamazuna’s solid shampoo
Since I realized that over the years I have filled my bathroom with plastic, with so many products, mostly useless, I changed my attitude and I started simplifying, having less, choosing better. I started from my daily routine, to make it simpler, and I decided to break free from all the plastic bottles I stored up in my bathroom because they had a big impact on the amount of waste I usually produced. So many times I lingered over old photographs of my grandmother as a young woman: she was so beautiful, she didn’t use makeup, she didn’t have a thousand face and body creams that promised magical transformations (which…
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Domestic composting
When I was a child I spent a lot of time in my grandparents’ vegetable garden and I often saw them collecting fruit peels, egg shells and coffee grounds, crumbled and mixed with the soil of the garden. My grandma told me that this waste was perfect to feed our seedlings and get better vegetables. So every time I threw away an organic rest in the trash I thought I was throwing away a precious resource full of potential. What a waste! And that’s right, my grandmother taught me the right thing and now I can finally put into practice her teaching thanks to my composter! Unfortunately, where I currently…
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Zero Waste tips: solid toothpaste
My second zero waste tip concerns oral hygiene once again. I had already written about bamboo toothbrushes and the ones with the replaceable head, now it’s time for the toothpaste! Since long time I have wondered of how much unnecessary packaging there is around a toothpaste: the plastic tube, hard to recycle, and the box of laminated cardboard, both destined to end up in the waste bin. Not to mention the great problem of microplastics, often contained in the form of microgranules, which are killing our oceans! Fortunately, one day I found the solution: Lamazuna’s solid toothpaste! From the very moment I discovered this brand I have been attracted by…
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Throw your bombs… the seedbombs!
Put some flowers in your guns! For this post I have to thank my brother who unexpectedly gave me a beautiful gift: a bomb of seeds. The invention of seedbombs is attributed to a Japanese botanist and philosopher, Masanobu Fukuoka. In the 40s he gave birth to an agricultural technique called natural farming or do-nothing farming. Its revolutionary idea is based on supporting the natural biodiversity, minimizing human intervention. Therefore plowing, pruning, fertilization, or use of anti-parasitic are unnecessary. The germination occurs on the surface, mixing the seeds with clay and compost. So the farmer’s work is limited to sowing and harvesting. Recently the seedbombs have spread thanks to the activists…
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Zero Waste tips: the toothbrush
In my previous post I explained what Zero Waste means and how to start changing your habits a bit in general, now let’s get to the specifics with a first super simple thing to do. I want to start with a seemingly insignificant product that we all use from childhood to old age, every day of our lives: the toothbrush! Have you ever wondered how many toothbrushes you used so far? I sometimes thought about it and I tried to do some math. I do not know exactly when I started using the toothbrush, but I remember that in kindergarten brushing my teeth was a daily ritual, so I think…
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Zero Waste lifestyle
Have you ever seen those strange people doing stranger things with jars full of their own trash made in months or years? Well… they follow a zero waste lifestyle and they are the strangest people of the world. And I’d like to become one of them! Zero waste is a culture, it is a behavior. Its goal is to pollute less through simple everyday actions that everybody can do to contribute to the protection of the environment by producing less garbage. At first glance this concept can be scary because it seems impossible to reach. However “zero waste” doesn’t mean you make zero trash. No one can. But we can…
