Mama Earth Talk

In this episode, we talk to Paul Rubin. He is the founder of Nude Foods the first plastic-free grocery in Cape Town, South Africa. 

During this episode, we take a look at his journey that leading him to open a plastic-free store, some of the challenges he had as well as the client’s feedback on the old-school grocery with a modern twist. We look at the why plastic and packaging are as pointless as a bodysuit on a butternut.  

[01:00] How did your sustainable journey start?

[03:50] That has really been the feedback from many of our customers, that exact point that they feel a lot more connected to their food or products that they buy.

[04:18] We currently have about 300 SKU’s or products and we source as much of those products locally. Wherever products are available locally we will give preference to those suppliers.

[04:57] We also have a zero waste lifestyle range because everything from your reusable coffee cup, to your reusable straws, dry produce bags, your fresh produce bags, your stainless steel lunch boxes, all that really useful products that help to live a zero waste lifestyle more easily.

[06:35] We are trying to make whole foods and earth-friendly products more affordable and therefore more accessible to a wider range of the South African community.

[08:04] Other than being package-free what would you say sets you apart from regular grocery stores?

[10:55] What happens to expired food items?

[11:25] We have partnered with an organisation called Streetscape, which upskill homeless people and teaches them how to grow or to tend their own fresh produce. All our unsold fresh produce are then send the Streetscape and is added to their existing compost.

[11:59] What has been the feedback so far from your clients?

[16:42] What is next for Nude Foods?

[18:15] What has been one of your most important decisions that you have made around mama earth?

1.What is one social media platform that you follow?

 Bea Johnson

2.What is your hope for mama earth going forward?

 I think mother earth as a planet is going to be just fine, she will probably still exist long after. My concern is more for the human race. I think as humans we are a bit more endangered as the planet. My hope is that the consciousness shifts from consumerism that we are seeing more and more of and reaching a tipping point much sooner than later.  

3.What advise can you give our crazy birds this week to help out mama earth?

 People are still sending organic waste to landfill even though the name implies it is a waste it is actually a great asset. All of our compostable waste should really be composted. 

4.What is one sustainability fact that you like to use in a room with people not yet on a sustainability journey?

 Every piece of plastic ever created still exists on earth. 

5.Where can people find you?

 Facebook

Instagram

Website

“ Every piece of plastic ever created still exists on earth. “

This is indeed a very scary fact and it makes me want to try even harder to refuse single-use items that are really not required. This way we would be able to slowly reduce the demand for items that we do not require.

In this episode, I will be talking to you about microplastic. These little particles seem to be making their way into the ocean, our environment, food chain and as a recent study has found microplastic in our guts. We will be looking at what exactly they are and I will also provide you with some tips for you to look out for when buying beauty products to make sure you do not buy something containing microplastics. I also provide tips on washing your clothes to reduce microplastics from entering our water sources as well.  

What is microplastics?

They are extremely small pieces of plastic debris that we find in the environment. This debris varies in size less than 0.2 inches or 5mm in size.

Microplastics are mainly created through two sources.

Microplastics are surely making its way to our food system. Recently 1 out of 4 fish tested from a Californian fish market contained microplastics.

The first is to minimise the purchasing of new clothing or textiles that are made from new plastic fibres. Instead, invest in clothing made from natural fibres.

Make sure you recycle properly. Less than 10% of plastics are recycled.

Avoid purchasing products with plastic microbeads.

Try to wash your clothing less and in the cases that it does require a wash try to capture the microplastics.

“Recently 1 out of 4 fish tested from a Californian fish market contained microplastics.”

Plastic seems to be everywhere and it is making its way into our food system as well. If we do not change our habits we will be facing more and more problems every single day.

In this episode, we talk to Bea Johnson. She is the global Zero-Waste Lifestyle originator, her book Zero Waste Home has been translated into over 20 languages and she also consults large corporations like IKEA and countries to address their waste issues. 

During this episode, we take a look at how her journey started to now where her family of four only create a jar of trash a year and that also inspired a global waste-reducing movement following her 5 R's. She also shares with us her tips for a capsule wardrobe and how we can shop zero-waste at our local store. 

[01:14] How did your sustainable journey start?

[03:19] With the manufacturing practices in place it is not possible today to be completely eliminate everything, but you can get pretty darn close it. Today our family of four produces just one jar of trash per year.

[04:04] In the book I describe the methodology of 5R’s.

[04:15] We found very quickly that people put too much emphasis on the 3rd R, Recycle.

[05:37] This lifestyle is not a competition, it is a journey. So it is obviously not overnight that we were able to reduce our trash to a jar per year and I do not expect anyone to be able to do it overnight. It is a question to find what works for you and what doesn’t.

[08:31] The best thing that the zero waste lifestyle has to offer to you is actually a life that is based on being instead of having.

[10:30] About Bulk finder web-based app.

[12:49] Bea’s advice to start you off on a zero waste journey?

[13:30] It is very important to learn to say no on the spot.

[18:30] Bea’s 15 piece wardrobe.

1.What is one social media platform that you follow?

 None

2.What is your hope for mama earth going forward?

 It is a society that is based on being instead of having. 

3.What advise can you give our crazy birds this week to help out mama earth?

 Learn to say no. 

4.What is one sustainability fact that you like to use in a room with people not yet on a sustainability journey?

 People only use 20% of their wardrobe. 

5.Where can people find you?

Facebook

Instagram

Youtube

Website

“Learn to say no. “

The first R that Bea has in the 5R’s is Refuse. It might not be something that comes easily to do but its something that can help us so much to avoid us to bring in any unnecessary items in our houses that find their way into the trash. Therefore one of the easiest ways to reduce the amount of trash you make is to not create them and by not taking the items in the first place. You do not have to sound rude when you say no, you might be able to work on a sentence that works for you and with that sentence you might even be able to create some sort of curiosity that can lead into people being more aware.

In this episode, things get a bit spooooky as I share with you some shocking facts about one of the most wasteful holidays, Halloween. I will also provide you with some great tips how you can have a more sustainable Halloween from the outfit, decorations and some great zero-waste candy treats that the kids will love as well.  

[01:09] Therefore today I am going to go through a few tips that will help you have a more sustainable Halloween and it might also save you some money. So let’s dig right into the decorations.

[01:30] Pumpkins

[01:59] These pumpkins are fully compostable, and you would be able to cook or bake with them afterwards as well. Pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, pumpkin biscuits oh my, the number of pumpkin recipes available are endless, so why not try a few out.

[02:19] You would be able to add some lighting in your garden or in front of your apartment by using some of your existing mason jars and adding a tea light to each one.

[02:45] Ghosts, witches and scarecrows can easily be made by stuffing a towel or sheet.

[03:10] Americans spend around $2.6 billion on Halloween costumes that are worn only for one night.

[05:15] Trick or a treat.

[06:58] You could also be able to bake some biscuits and treats and make up your own little goodie bags, by placing the items in a small paper bags that are just folded close at the top.

“Americans spend around $2.6 billion on Halloween costumes that are worn only for one night.”

It is really shocking to see the amount of money that is spent on costumes for only one night and that a lot of these outfits will not be used again and could end up in landfills. Therefore it is very important for us to practise our 5R’s when planning our next Halloween costume. We might not only save money but following this but also help out the environment by reducing the number of items we purchase and dispose of.

In this episode, we talk to Sian Rowlands. She is an award-winning creative businesswoman. She is the CEO and Chief Storyteller of a growing regional retail SME, Retold. The company focus on female fashion, where she gives clothes a second chance of happiness. 

During this episode, we take a look at the process of selling or buying with Retold. We look at what is a capsule wardrobe and how a few key clothing pieces could go a long way. We also talked about some of the clothes that you might find at Retold ranging from Zara to Prada to give these pre-owned clothing a second chance to shine.  

[01:44] How did your journey start?

[03:21] The problem at the moment is high street fashion is really pushing consumerism. They have 52 seasons, every single year now.

[03:33] We have 52 seasons in the fashion industry, the fast fashion industry. So every single week, most high street fashion brand are putting new products on the shelves.

[05:36] One of the things that I really wanted to do was to explain to our followers and our customers that it was the next chapter in our story, so not only is it the next chapter in the clothes that we sell but it is the next chapter for my ex-wardrobe and therefore Retold.

[06:15] What is the process for people purchasing or selling their clothing?

[09:08] Capsule wardrobe blog post.

[12:28] Overall feedback from people when they visit the store.

[13:40] About 25% of the products that we get through the doors still have their original tags on.

[15:34] By buying second hand you are reducing the carbon footprint of the item itself, you are feeding back into the economy.

[18:03] What has been one of your most important decisions that you have made around mama earth?

1.What is one social media platform that you follow?

 Kathryn Kellogg – Going Zero Waste

2.What is your hope for mama earth going forward?

 I just hope that society wakes up to and maybe starts to deal with our addiction to single-use plastic. 

3.What advise can you give our crazy birds this week to help out mama earth?

 Refuse single-use plastic.  

4.What is one sustainability fact that you like to use in a room with people not yet on a sustainability journey?

 150 billion items of clothing end up in landfills every single year, which is the equivalent to 410 million items every single day which is the equivalent 17 million each hour, so that is 284, 700 every single minute, which is the equals 4,757 every single second. 

5.Where can people find you?

Facebook

Instagram

Website

“150 billion items of clothing end up in landfills every single year, which is the equivalent to 410 million items every single day which is the equivalent 17 million each hour, so that is 284, 700 every single minute, which is the equals 4,757 every single second. “

Throwing things in the bin seems to be very easy, but the moment we place an item in the bin, it needs to go somewhere. Some items make it to a recycling facility but the majority ends up in landfills. When we throw clothing in a bin, it finds its way to the landfill. The number as you heard is shocking and there are a few ways how we would be able to divert this from landfills. The first being purchases better quality products that will allow you to use the clothing for longer. Buy second hand and if you want to get rid of items, rather sell them or donate them to have a second chance at life to someone that might need it more. You could also look into repurposing your clothing by converting them into bags, blankets or whatever you would require. The possibilities are endless.

In this episode, I will be sharing with you why some plastics are bad and how they are causing pollution that is harmful to us and the environment. I also talk a bit about The Ocean Cleanup’s first cleaning system, Wilson that will help to clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. I will also provide you with some tips on how you can phase out single-use plastic for a more sustainable future.  

I recommend listening to episode 10 where I explain a little more about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, The Ocean Clean-up and the Dutch inventor behind it.  

[01:26] In 1950 there were only 2.3 million tons of plastic produced. In 1993, 162 million tons rising to a staggering 448 million tons produced in 2015.

[01:51] Only around 9 per cent of that has been recycled, 12 per cent was incinerated, and 79 per cent accumulated in landfills or the environment.

[02:23] In June this year, a pilot whale died after eating 80 plastic bags. The animals often mistake these bags as food.

[03:02] Currently, the cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world and one that has very harmful effects.

[03:48] The study revealed that one single cigarette butt soaked in a litre of water for one day resulted in vastly lowering the water quality and resulting in the death of 50 per cent of the fish in the water.

[04:41] We have become more accustomed to purchasing items that are easily disposed of as well as purchasing lower quality items that need to be replaced more often.

[05:02] More than 40 per cent of plastic is used only once and then tossed. Plastic water bottles are something we see more often off.

[05:49] Often we wonder what difference one person can make, it might be small, but it also might be the start of a big ripple effect of a change.

[06:31] So, in a nutshell, my quick tips how you can reduce the amount of plastic you use is evaluate your life and to see what plastic items would you be able to easily phase out of your life by switching to a more environmentally friendly alternative.

“Currently, the cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world and one that has very harmful effects.”

When we look a little bit deeper into cigarettes and the effects that they have on the environment and the way people dispose of them, it really makes me fear for the environment and therefore when someone is littering, whether it is a cigarette, plastic bag or a straw we need to address the issue as they might not be thinking that they are doing any harm.

In this episode, we talk to Kathryn Kellogg. She is an author, professional actor, the founder of the leading zero waste living blog, Going Zero Waste.com. She is also a spoke person for National Geographic’s Planet or Plastic campaign. 

During the episode, we take a look at how her journey started, her involvement as a spoke person for National Geographic’s Planet or Plastic. We also talked about her book, 101 Ways to go Zero-Waste. Kathryn also provided us with some tips to help up reduce our waste and to embrace the inner three-year-old to ask more questions.  

[00:19] How did your sustainable journey start?

[03:00] When we talk about living a zero waste lifestyle, what exactly does that mean?

[03:03] The simple definition is to send nothing to landfill, but the more complex definition, the one that I really like is to completely wright waste out of existence.

[03:32] The goal with a zero-waste lifestyle is to recycle less and not to recycle more.

[04:08] How Kathryn’s GoingZeroWaste.Com blog start.

[04:40] Halloween treats

[05:24] Love a Lonely Banana: A Song About Food Waste.

[08:29] I recommend to people to start with the big 4 and they are, say no to straws, bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store. Produce bags too and then to bring a full reusable water bottle with you whenever you go out and then the last one is to say no to coffee cups.

[09:58] Planet or Plastic

[11:43] The photographer Randy Olsen was actually on this assignment for two years.

[13:41] Release of Kathryn’s new book 101 Ways to go Zero Waste.

[15:41] What has been one of your most important decisions that you have made around mama earth?

I feel like every decision that we make is very important and I think that some of the traps that people fall into are feeling like one person and that the small things don’t make a difference but really the small things, when they are done over a really really long period of time, are some of the most impactful things that you can do.

1.What is one social media account that you follow?

 Girl Gone Green

Snap Shots Of Simplicity

Litter Less

2.What is your hope for mama earth going forward?

 I just really, really hope that people will learn to see that connection. 

3.What advise can you give our crazy birds this week to help out mama earth?

 Really start to ask yourself questions. I always say, embrace your inner three-year-old. 

4.What is one sustainability fact that you like to use in a room with people not yet on a sustainability journey?

 [20:15] The water footprint for all the items we use is just crazy. It takes 3 litres of water to make one litre of bottled water. It takes 37 gallons of water to make a roll of toilet paper. It takes 8 gallons of water to make a paper plate 

5.Where can people find you?  

Facebook

Instagram

Youtube

Blog

Twitter

“ Really start to ask yourself questions. I always say, embrace your inner three-year-old. “

Question everything! Find out where your clothing is made, what is the process, where is the fabric from, who is the farmer that grows your food? It is only when we start questioning items in our life that we realise that not everything presented as good is always good and that you need to be able to make those conclusions for yourself based on real facts rather than marketing campaigns influencing our decisions without doing our research to confirm.

In this episode, I take a look at some of the things that had happened in the last few months that made me even more hopeful for a sustainable future.  

New Zealand banning single-use plastic bags. Ikea pledging to remove all single-use plastic from their product ranges as well as in-store restaurants and Norway becoming the first country to ban deforestation are just some of the things that I will be talking about during this episode. I will also be sharing some tips with you on how you can make a difference right there where you are.  

[00:44] New Zealand is one of the most recent countries to tackle plastic pollution by banning single-use plastic bags.

[01:27] Ikea, the Swedish furniture retailer, pledged to remove all single-use plastic from their products ranges as well as their in-store restaurants by 2020.

[02:06] They will also provide more vegetarian food options in their stores as well.

[02:11] Norway is the first country in the world to ban deforestation.

[03:07] The production of soy, beef, palm oil and wooden products in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea have contributed to 40 per cent of tropical deforestation.

[04:01] New York City has partnered with S’well in a step to reduce their single-use plastic bottles as part of their BRING IT campaign. They will provide all 320,000 New York City public high school students with their own sustainable steel bottle.

[04:47] The UK government have set a very ambitious and worthy goal and that is to fight to protect our oceans and marine life, by having a third of the world’s oceans protected by 2030. Currently, only 3.7% of the world’s oceans are designated as marine protected areas.

[05:22] The Ocean Cleanup. They have launched the biggest clean up in history, led by the Dutch inventor, Boyan Slat. Slat and his team created an artificial coastline system in the ocean where they will concentrate the plastic and remove it.

[06:21] Some ways that you would be able to help out Mama Earth daily.

“The production of soy, beef, palm oil and wooden products in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea have contributed to 40 per cent of tropical deforestation. “

We often wonder how we would be able to do more to make changes, and when we hear that 40 per cent of tropical deforestation is due to the production of soy, beef, palm oil and wooden products, it makes me rethink my habits. The choices we make when purchasing products that relate back to the cause of deforestation can indirectly support these organisation and is likely to increase the demand and contribute to even more tropical deforestation. In recent months palm oil have been under the radar of many organisation especially in Indonesia where photos have been released of orangutans forcefully been removed and trying to cling to the bulldozers trying to stop them from destroying the home to clear forest for palm oil production preparation. According to the WWF a century ago, there were more than 230,000 orangutans. The Bornean orangutan is now estimated to be about 104,700 and endangered and the Sumatran orangutan is now critically endangered with an estimated 7,500 left. Therefore I urge you to look at the ingredients in the items you purchase and if it consists of unsustainable palm oil, rather go for an alternative.

Photo credit: The Orangutan Project

In this episode, we talk to Adam Simone. He is founder of Leaf Shave, a company that is changing the way people get a great shave at the best value. 

During this episode, we take a look at how our shaving habits have an effect on the environment. How to recycle your double edge razor blades and find out what makes Leaf shave different from other razor companies out there.  

[01:18] How did your sustainable journey start?

[02:50] There is an amazing organisation called 412 Food Rescue it is led by Leah Lizarondo and she has built a network backed by technology and the goodness of people that has rescued more than 4 million pounds of food, and they do this by cutting off perfectly good food that would end up uneaten and in landfill and connecting them with people in need of food.

[03:22] We won’t stop until we have replaced every disposable plastic consuming razor on earth with a Leaf razor.

[04:51] The history of shaving is quite interesting it dates back thousands of years to when early humans were using tools and shells and even things like sharp teeth to remove hair from their head and face. It is not a new invention.

[05:11] Double edge razors which are what many today would kind of consider classic shaving tools that perhaps your grandfather used or maybe you have dabbled with in your sustainability journey. Those were invested and patterned more than a hundred years ago by and some people don’t know this but by King Camp Gillette.

[06:34] What modern razors brought to the table over safety razors is a comfortable easy shave with multiple blades and a pivoting head. What we lost was the quality and the durability of materials.

[11:56] We want that who when someone holds it, because it is a high-quality tool and something that I think people should be happy to own. because it is quality and it will last.

[12:13] It has a lifetime warranty. If you have any issue ever drop us a note.

[12:20] To keep our customers happy, we are learning a lot. We are still very young we have only been commercially available for about six- month ones as of the recording here, but we are in our next production of razors right now and we continue to learn and improve and listen to our customers.

[13:14] We have got three more finishes coming in our next production run.

[13:50] Maybe like four years ago I bought a pack of hundred of them for $11 and I am still using that pack. They will last a long time.

[14:02] From a storage perspective a footprint of a hundred pack fits in the same space size a four standard cartridge from Bic shave or any of those shave clubs.

[15:51] What can we do with our blunt blades?

[18:46] We decided to go to Kickstarter and in 30-days we raised a $110,000 on our Kickstarter campaign.

[20:25] If you are on the fence of trying us, give it a go. If we are not your jam, if it is not working for you, we will take it back within 30 days.

[21:03] What has been one of your most important decisions that you have made around mama earth?

1.What is one social media platform that you follow?

 Lauren Singer

Package Free Shop

2.What is your hope for mama earth going forward?

I hope that more folks learn about the small decisions that they can make to do personally to impact their footprint on Mama Earth and you know I am very happy that I am making the choices that I am making and honestly I also hope that there are a couple of people listening out there that are entrepreneurs at heart that hear my story and are encouraged to make that idea that they have for a more sustainable solution or product or service to make that a reality because it is as simple as starting. 

3.What advise can you give our crazy birds this week to help out mama earth?

 Think about the small choice that you can make but also think about how you can leverage a talent or an idea to impact more people. 

4.What is one sustainability fact that you like to use in a room with people not yet on a sustainability journey?

 It is as simple as purchasing a Leaf razor. 

5.Where can people find you?

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

Youtube

Website

“What modern razors brought to the table over safety razors is a comfortable easy shave with multiple blades and a pivoting head. What we lost was the quality and the durability of materials.”

When we look at some of the razors on the market and how often we had to replace some of the plastic handled razors and how many disposable razors we go through, it is shocking. Consumers all over the world keep on purchasing these razors that are not built to last for years and in the case of the disposable razor, weeks. So therefore by investing in a product that is durable, that would be able to last us years might seem expensive at first, but in the long run, your investment would pay off as you would not have to replace the razor as often and you would be able to reduce the amount of waste that your razor would generate over time as well.

In this episode, I will be sharing with you some more tips to reduce your food waste. In episode 21, we had zero-waste chef Max La Manna sharing some of his tips and recipes and I wanted to add to this with a few things I have learned on my journey that you might find helpful. Not only will these tips reduce your food waste but also help you save some money as you will be throwing away less food.  

[01:10] One-third of all the food that is produced for human consumption is wasted. That is about 1.3 billion tons of food that is wasted annually. There are many ways how this food finds themselves among this shocking number and there are many ways how we can avoid or reduce the amount of food waste we generate.

[01:33] Give the ugly produce a go.

[01:59] Imperfect Produce is a company that collects all of these ugly fruits and vegetables from farms in the US and sell the produce at 30-50% less than what you would pay at the store. By eating this imperfect produce, you are helping to build a more sustainable effective food system as well as fighting food waste. This also allows farmers to be rewarded for their entire harvest.

[02:40] It might be a good idea to talk to some of the farmers if you do not see their ugly fruit at the market as they might not have thought about bringing them, but might in the future if they knew people are interested in purchasing them at a reduced rate.

[02:59] The food scraps do not have to end up straight into the bin. There is a lot that you can do with your food scraps.

[03:09] Potato skins I normally keep aside and fry or bake them till they are nice and crispy, sprinkle salt or your favourite spice mix and you have your very own package free crisps. These are great to top off dishes to add that little crunch factor as well.

[03:49] Ones the container is full, you can place it a pot on the stove on a medium heat, cover it with boiling water and let it simmer for at least 30 minutes. Strain the vegetables until you are left with a beautiful stock, make sure you squeeze every last bit of stock out of the vegetables. You can then use the stock by keeping it in the fridge for up to 3 days or freezing it in your ice tray and using the little cubes when you require the stock. These can be frozen for up to 3 months.

[04:24] The leftover vegetables can then be composted.

[04:48] Reduce the amount of animal products you use.

[05:18] Maybe try to reduce the amount of meat that you use in your dishes. For example, you would be able to add more vegetables to your spaghetti Bolognese.

[05:50] Meatless Mondays or the odd day meat day.

[06:37] The amount of delicious vegetarian and vegan food is increasing in restaurants and grocery stores. This will make sure that you do not have to chew on a boring salad on those days and to give you some inspiration I have linked up a few great recipes from Max La Manna for you to try as well.

[07:00] Reduce the amount of food you dish up.

[07:40] I always have a beeswax wrap or lunchbox with me and in the case that I do have any leftovers, I would be able to place it in the container or wrap it in the beeswax wrap and take it home with you to enjoy later.

“One-third of all the food that is produced for human consumption is wasted. That is about 1.3 billion tons of food that is wasted annually.”

1.3 billion tons is a very high number of food waste and if we think of the number of people around the world that is starving it is even more shocking. There are many ways how we would be able to reduce the amount of waste that we as individuals produce. In reducing our food waste we might adopt new habits, like purchasing only what we need and therefore would have less food that would be able to go bad if we can not eat it in time. This is not only good for Mama Earth but for our wallets as well as by reducing the amount of food we throw out, we would reduce the amount of money that we spend when only purchasing what we require. It might only be a small step for us but if more people start doing it, can start a ripple of change.