SLOW down, think and live differently

Guest writer feature

 

Alternatives to plastic

‘If you think that you are too small to make a difference,

try sleeping with a mosquito’

Dalia Lama

 

We all use them but why not consider alternatives to plastic.  Next time you need to purchase some new pegs or toothbrushes, why not consider purchasing bamboo or wooden alternatives.  There are many online sites available.  Just search wooden or bamboo clothes pegs and tooth brushes and see what comes up.  If possible, check that the raw materials are ethically sourced and manufactured.

 

 

boime.com.au

 

myplasticfreelife.com

 

 

 

 

I remember wooden pegs when I was a child.  Not only were they very functional and durable but they also made great play things.  I think that we even called them ‘dolly pegs’ and dressed them up and made happy families!!  Perhaps the ‘shaggy dogs’ of our make believe family were our old tooth brushes!

 

  SAY NO TO…

 

https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1136675

 

Why Use Bamboo?

Bamboo is a remarkable and highly versatile natural resource. For many centuries it has been utilised in Asia in a range of uses, including in cooking, construction, transport, textiles and medicine. It is only relatively recently that the Western world has discovered how bamboo offers a wide range of benefits and an eco-friendly solution to many of our modern requirements.  Bamboo is, quite simply, a wonderful, green resource that is hugely beneficial both to the way we want to live our lives and to the environment.

Sustainable Bamboo is amazing – it is one of the fastest growing plants in the world. Once harvested, bamboo can replenish itself within a year and some species grow a whopping 120cm per day! It is a naturally prolific and resilient plant, which does not need fertilisers to boost its growth, or pesticides since bamboo is naturally pest-resistant. This marks it out from cotton or timber, which needs to be replanted at every harvest and requires extensive spraying and watering to achieve optimal growth

Eco Friendly Since bamboo requires no chemicals and very little water to grow, it is an environmental wonder-plant. As if this were not enough, bamboo absorbs more carbon dioxide from the air than either cotton or timber. It also releases more oxygen into the environment which improves air quality. Cotton farming, on the other hand, famously requires extensive irrigation and chemical spraying – a single cotton T-shirt can use up to 2700 litres of water in the growing process!  Bamboo is by far the greener option.

Biodegradable Bamboo is 100% natural and biodegradable which gives conscientious consumers real peace of mind. Once you have no further use for a bamboo product you can rest easy, knowing that it will return to the Earth leaving minimal environmental impact. Plastic, on the other hand, will continue to clog up the ecosystem for the remainder of your lifetime, your children’s lifetime and your grandchildren’s lifetime.  So much better to enjoy a product that has a small environmental footprint and leaves barely a trace.

 

 

bamboovillage.com.au/about-bamboo/

 

Alison Besselaar