Published 13 July 2022

(Actually) convenient compromises to decrease your footprint

By Angelica Doria, volunteer at Sustainability Trust

Between the rising cost of living and the rampage of cold, flus, and Covid, people are feeling stretched to say the least. If I see any more videos of smiley influencers explaining how easy it is to shop zero-waste by simply going to 12 different supermarkets and buying organic items that cost five times more than my frozen veggies, I might just give up completely. Because doing your best every day is not easy- in reality it can be really hard.

So, if you are like me and you want to do your best on a thin stretched budget and even thinner energy, then here are some small changes you can work with that can actually give you back time and money.

Swapping bottled soap and shampoo for bars

Soap bars are efficient for several reasons. They don’t use as much plastic- if any- as bottled products which are often non-recyclable (especially the pumps) and take up a lot of waste space in your bin. There is a growing range of options for different needs. Eco-store is just one brand that has a range of soap bars available in supermarkets starting at a neat $1.99 per bar.

Shampoo bars are also becoming more prominent, with a growing range available for different hair needs and coming with no more packaging than a paperboard box. If you have difficult hair you might need to pass on this but generally speaking, unless you’re buying salon quality products, you’re not going to get much difference.

To get the most out of your bars, keep them dry in between uses or use a well-draining soap dish.

 Scrappy broths

A left-over quarter onion. Half a carrot. Slightly limp celery. Maybe a floret or two of cauliflower.

These neglected off cuts can be the gems of your vege drawer. Put them in a pot with some salt and water and watch them transform into a hot, healthy broth. Drink it straight or use it as stock for meals later.

Prep time: 30 seconds - 1 minute.

Cook time: 30 minutes - or as long as you want.

 Reuse roots

Spring onions are notoriously expensive, especially being an optional ingredient in most meals. But who doesn’t love some spring onions in their stir-fry? My work around? Buy them once and regrow them.

Save about 3 inches of the bottom of your spring onions and pop them in a glass of water so that about 2 cm are above the surface. Within around two weeks your spring onions will have regrown into fully usable produce again- for free!

This can be done with plenty of other produce too such as leeks, Bok choy, lemongrass to name a few. Don’t Waste the Crumbs lists many more and offers tips for the best growing techniques for each.

Taking the bus

Not to exaggerate, but bussing changed my life. I used to spend at least $100 a month on Ubers, Olas and Zoomies - whichever had the lowest fare at the time. Buses- especially with the current government subsidy providing half-price fares for everyone until the end of August - can take you virtually anywhere for just a couple of dollars.

Getting to know your local routes can save a lot of the hassle and stress that can come with the timing of bussing and pays off on your wallet.

The ride can also be a great time for catching up on some reading, completing online errands or just taking a moment to gaze out the window and relax.

BYO containers

Bringing your own containers and cups when you know you might be purchasing food can also pay off- not just environmentally- although really, that’s incentive enough.

The cost of coffee has skyrocketed over the years with increased wages for hospitality workers and reduced accessibility to coffee beans and supply chains due to climate and economic events. Do you really want to top it off with an extra 50c per take away cup?

I know. What difference does 50c make? Well, we all noticed our coffees going from 4.50 to 5.00, so, evidently, a bit. Especially when you add up every 50c increase in your daily and weekly purchases- the change in your total spending can be significant.

The same can be said for containers. Many businesses are now charging for their disposable containers as they are an added expense, especially for small businesses, many of which are struggling in the current strained economy. Bringing your own can save on resource waste and save you money whilst still being able to support local businesses.

Having your own containers handy can also prevent your options from being limited in circumstances where the plastic container might hold you back from an otherwise worthwhile purchase. Many food and beverage providers are happy to accommodate your BYO container, even if it takes a few moments longer.

And if you forget? Keep an eye out for vendors of reusable and returnable container schemes. Again Again have a list of vendors participating in their newly designed scheme and by utilising the service, you’ll help it to grow. As well as vendors, workplaces are also signing up for Resusabowl’s initiative to ditch the disposables by keeping a store of reusabowls for staff use in case you forget to bring a container to work. With Plastic Free July upon us, this could be a great initiative to raise awareness around single-use plastics at your workplace! Given enough support, initiatives like these can begin to replace single use containers for good.

Community Initiatives

Community initiatives like repair workshops, markets, clothes swaps and food stores are all established to help communities through sustainable practices, and in turn your engagement with these initiatives keeps them going.

If you have items that need fixing, keep an eye out on the Sustainability Trust website or social media pages for news on local repair workshops and Repair Cafes. Need (or want) new clothes? Clothes swaps are a great way to find new garments without buying new or searching through second-hand stores. The Free Store (Wellington) is available to any one who needs it and provides a range of quality staples and meals.

These initiatives, beyond being convenient and cost-efficient, help to extend the life of items, keeping them out of landfill and avoiding the need to purchase new. In the bigger picture, this prolonged use of existing materials slows the rate at which new resources are harvested.

You are (actually) making a difference

With all their benefits and negligible costs, one might even say that these changes are not compromises at all (but the word worked for the purposes of alliteration). One of the biggest deterrents to going greener, on individual and larger, scalable terms, is the time, money, and energy it often takes. For some changes, this investment is unavoidable and we as individuals, as well as companies, governments, and organisations must bite the bullet now to reap the benefits in the long run.

But this only accentuates the need to also focus energy on changes that do not cost, and to balance out exhaustive efforts with small, rewarding steps so that we don’t burn out. In any case, doing the best you can with the resources you have is, well, the best thing you can do.