Becoming Less

Water

Bizz chats with Guiscela about wasting water and the differences she sees with water usage in Canada vs Mexico.
 
Tips to reduce water usage:
Turn tap off while brushing teeth
Turn on only the hot water while waiting to heat and start using as soon as it warms up
Water lawn before sunrise or after sunset
Change lawn from grass to garden to grow food, or to something that doesn't require watering
Shop less and/or shop second-hand (manufacturing requires water, too!)
Use concentrated cleansers and drink flavours
Check for leaks and running toilets
Get/make a rain barrel
Shower less often/shorter showers/skip the hair every other time
Low flow toilets and shower heads
Use a broom, not a hose, to clean driveways and sidewalks
Reuse clean wastewater for plants
Things we talk about:
Water isn't just used by using water directly, not just the water we see
Direct uses:
Drinking
Cooking
Water lawn/garden
Shower/bath
Indirect uses:
Agriculture 
Food
Raise animals
Materials for building
Materials for clothing
Industrial use
Make pretty much everything we use
About 1,800 gallons of water are needed to produce the cotton in a pair jeans
Processing materials such as paper and steel
Energy
During a water shortage, often it's the individuals who are restricted, while large corporations can continue using as much as they want to produce non-essential products.
Glaciers are receding - this is our water reserve!
Lakes shrinking
Oil spills can also affect water availability, and this can happen very quickly
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Balance

Bizz and Claire chat about how doing your best doesn't mean doing everything and that creating a balance in your life is the key to sustainability.
 
Concepts:
Focusing on one thing at a time
Doing research before diving in
Choosing to NOT do/use/have rather than finding an alternative
Don't need to fit all your waste in a jar to be low waste
Self care and self compassion
Just DO. Doing something is better than nothing, even if it's small.
Try to find the one thing with the biggest impact
Try to find the simplest thing 
Take into consideration other people in your life when making changes
New changes in life can mean going backward a bit
New job, new baby, new home, etc.
Specifics:
Public transportation 
Using it is the best way to make it better
Strategically choosing where you live 
Size
Location
Efficiency
Car share
Cycling
Meal planning
Shopping for food in bulk
Mending clothes
Visible mending
Compost alternatives to green bin for apartment dwellers
References:
Spud - spud.ca
Bulk Barn - bulkbarn.ca
Communauto - alberta.communauto.com
Bike Edmonton - bikeedmonton.ca
Bulldog Razors - bulldogskincare.com
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Circular Economy

Bizz and Bri chat about consumerism and the importance of switching to a circular economy system.
 
Things we talk about:
Composting toilets
Glass and aluminum instead of plastic
Reuse vs recycle
Clothing fiber content
Visible mending
Valuing service, not just "stuff"
Amazon hurts small businesses and the expertise they offer with their products
References we make:
Earth's General Store - earthsgeneralstore.ca
Compost S'Cool - edmonton.ca
Blush Lane -blushlane.com 
Patagonia - patagonia.ca
Fjallraven - fjallraven.ca
The Dress Library - dresslibraryrentals.com
Edmonton Tool Library - edmontontoollibrary.ca
Indigo Proof - indigoproof.com
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Maker Hobbies

Bizz chats with Megan about maker hobbies like sewing, crafting, knitting, etc.. With maybe a little tangent on the joys of cat ownership.
 
Things we talk about:
Getting creative with what we already have
Not being afraid to experiment
Sourcing the best materials available to us
Using all the little pieces
Making new things out of old things
Buying used tools and equipment, especially when just getting started
Normalizing second hand
Repairing and dying to lengthen the life of our clothing
What to do with "unusable" scraps
"Recyclable" doesn't always mean it's recyclable
Plastic spools replacing wooden spools
References we make:
Natural Earth Paint - naturalearthpaint.ca
Reuse Centre
Website - edmonton.ca/reusecentre
Facebook - facebook.com/edmontonreusecentre
Bead Sweaters - pinterest.ca
Yarn Ends Sweaters - ravelry.com/patterns/library/stash-dive-raglan
Bizz's Scraps Hoodie - instagram.com/p/CTlA0WMMeOq/
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

All or Nothing

Bizz and Lesley chat about many things, most of which revolve around the balancing act of doing what you can, not burning out, and avoiding the all or nothing mindset.
 
Things we talk about:
Avoiding the all or nothing mindset
Embracing minimalism in order to avoid over-cluttering
Minimalism
Experimenting with DIY options
Certain DIYs have a cost savings, others definitely do not
Problem with system that making clothes is more expensive
Mindful creativity
Everyone make a t-shirt, then think about how much you think it should be worth
Trading/swapping/barter system
Giving unwanted items directly to those who could use them rather than relying on thrift stores who throw out or export 80-90% of clothing they take in anyway
Read more on cbc.ca
Capsule Wardrobe
The struggle with finding your "magic bra" or any other unreturnable undergarments
Gift giving and receiving
Surviving cycling in the winter
Visible mending
References we make:
Blenderz - blenderzgarmentrecyclers.com
Girlfriend Collective - girlfriend.com
Everlane - everlane.com
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Get Ruth

Bizz chats with Anka from Get Ruth to discuss more convenient options for becoming less with our periods.
 
Find Ruth:
Website - getruth.ca
Instagram - @getruth.ca
LinkedIn Co-Founder - Anka Chan
LinkedIn Co-Founder - Nicole Sanchez
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Green Canoe Kids Thrift

Bizz chats with Steph about her kids thrift/consignment business, The Green Canoe Shop.
 
You can find Steph's kids' clothes at:
Website - greencanoeshop.ca
Instagram - @greencanoeshop
Facebook - facebook.com/greencanoeshop
Other great Instagram accounts to find second hand kids clothes:
Oak Forage - @oak_forage
Prairie Littles Co - @prairielittlesco
United Clothing for Motherhood - @unitedclothing4motherhood
Blenderz Garment Recyclers - @blenderz_garment_recyclers
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Weddings

Bizz chats with Jennifer of Jennifer Bergman Weddings about how to become less while celebrating one of the most important days of our lives. 
 
Find Jennifer:
Instagram - @jbweddings
Website - jenniferbergmanweddings.com
Things we talk about:
Food - Buy local, use reusable dishes, find out where food waste goes
Flowers - Buy as local as possible, buy in season, rent silk
Decorations - No balloons, rent anything you can, use what you have
Favors - Keep them personal, keep them plastic-free, or omit them altogether
Attire - Buy used, rent, take dresses somewhere where they can be reused
Location - Destination weddings have a huge footprint
Size - Every additional guest means additional waste
References:
The Dress Library - dresslibraryrentals.com
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Themed Thrift

Bizz chats with Tracy about the idea of themed thrift stores. 
 
Things we talk about:
Our own ideas to incorporate second hand into our own businesses
Second-hand pet supplies
Second-hand fabric and sewing supplies
What kind of themed thrift is already out there
Cars. Pretty much just cars.
Oh, and women's clothing
Other ideas for incorporating second-hand into existing businesses
Gyms and water bottles
Kitchen appliances
Coffee shop - mugs, etc.
Working around the "low end" feel of thrifting, normalizing
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)

Home Renos

Bizz and Emma chat about their own experiences doing home renovations and discuss ways to be less with our renovations.
 
Things we talk about:
Use what you have
Repair and freshen up before replacing
Get materials used or other people's leftovers
When buying new materials, aim for high quality that will last as long as possible
References we make:
Reuse Centre - edmonton.ca
Habitat for Humanity - Edmonton: hfh.org - Canada: habitat.org
Buy Nothing Groups - buynothingproject.org
Tool Library - Edmonton: edmontontoollibrary.ca - Everywhere else: Google It
Kijiji/Facebook Marketplace/thrift stores and other such resources for used materials and items
Donate to support waste reduction at wastefree.ca or on Patreon
Music by Vita Chino (@vitachino on Instagram, or find them on Spotify)