The Zero Waste Warbler

It’s snowing in Toronto! Which means it’s officially the holidays and I don’t care who says it’s too early!⠀
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Last year I got so many questions about easy, cheap and quick DIY’s for the gifter on a budget, so this year I wanted to put together a little guide of my favourite simple do-it-yourself gifts for family and friends. ⠀
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Most, if not all of these ingredients can be found either in your cupboard, or at your local health food/ bulk store and require 5 components or less. Challenge yourself to use what you have for containers, string and wrapping, and get thrifty by making whatever you have beautiful with a little creativity (LCBO bag wrapping paper, anyone?!)⠀
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All of my bulk ingredients were purchased at in Toronto, who ship country wide for dry non-food items, and city wide for everything they carry. It felt so amazing to support small business for all of these DIYs, especially during the second lockdown here in Toronto. ⠀
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Flip through to see how I made:⠀
—Beard Oil⠀
—Soy Candles⠀
—Pink Clay Mask⠀
—Herbal Tea Bath Soak⠀
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Stay tuned for my favourite small business “buys” for the gifter in a hurry. ⠀
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What is your favourite Holiday DIY Gift? Comment below 👇🏼

I’ve got a pretty cute collection of vintage tree decorations from my Grandma that I love, but as years go on, they break, or I’ve lost one or two in the thousands moves I’ve made over the years, and the tree starts to need some extra love. I think we can all agree this was not the year to skimp out on any joy-creating traditions, so I wanted to make some compostable tree decorations so I didn’t need to rush out and purchased expensive, plastic, landfill-destined crap. These dried orange slice ornaments are the stuff of my hygge dreams and were so easy to make: ⠀
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You’ll need: ⠀
-As many orange slices as you want ornaments, cut about 1/8 inch thick. (When I was choosing my oranges at the store I chose damaged, dry or “ugly” fruits that were most likely destined for the trash heap if not purchased.)⠀
-Silicone baking mat or parchment paper ⠀
-Cookie sheet ⠀
-Twine⠀
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Directions: ⠀
-Preheat the oven to its absolute lowest setting (if you have a convection oven with a dehydrating setting, use that) ⠀
-Place the slices on the silicone mat covered cookie sheet and blot off the excess juice from each slice ⠀
-Heat on that low setting for a few hours, flipping every hour until they are completely dried⠀
-I used the oven time to also roast some veggies and chickpeas for meal prep so I could really make that energy use worth while. ⠀
-Poke a tiny hole through the slice and loop twine for a hanger. ⠀
-Marvel at your self (and tree) ⠀
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If you know me, you know that I try to buck the idea that the holidays need to be all about purchasing. I try my hardest to make this time of year about experiences, and spending time with loved ones. But this year, experiences are, well, slim, and we have our vibrant incredible community of small businesses to uplift and support through these hard times. ⠀
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So, here are some of my favourite small, or Ontario local businesses that I’m planning on purchasing from this year, and maybe they’ll help you fill out your stockings as well. ⠀
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—A Different Booklist ⠀
—Green Jar —Beam Paints
—East End Vegan .vegan
—Cheekbone Beauty ⠀
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It’s never been more important to buy local. I KNOW its terrifying to think about leaving your house to frequent crowded shopping areas right now, and Amazon seems like the safest and easiest place to shop. But before you add to that cart, take a moment to think about all the folx being exploited by J*ff B*zos so your purchase can be that easy, and all the small local businesses that would appreciate your sale a million times more. ⠀
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Let’s bring our dollar home, and into the pockets our our neighbours, friends, and communities. What are your fave local businesses? Comment below so we can bring them traffic 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

What can’t you do with oats?! Those little SOB’s can be used for so many Zero Waste hacks they should win an award. Have you tried oatmilk before? Even though it costs an arm and a leg in your latte, it’s actually insanely cheap and easy to make. Most vegan mylks are so easy it’ll make you wonder why you ever bought them in those horrible tetra packs. Check out my MYLKS highlight for three separate recipes: almond, oat & coconut milk 🌿

The squirmy tummy, the nerves, the embarrassment. I remember it well. The feeling of having to ask restaurants or cafes for weird requests they’re not used to. I used to hate it but now I freakin’ love it. 9 times out of ten I end up having killer conversations with the people who work there about why I do what I do. And who knows how you might affect those people? On top that, you can reward businesses for having good practices by frequenting them often. One of my fave places in Hell’s Kitchen is , where they not only have discounts for people who brings reusables, but they don’t add any unnecessary frills that create waste. Don’t forget to pack up any leftovers you have to take home and compost (this avo toast didn’t stand a chance, though…) What are you favourite ways to ask for what you need at restaurants? Comment below 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

I love a real life tangible book. I can’t help it. My mom’s a librarian. But there are some easy ways to enjoy cracking open a fresh read without buying first hand. Most of my babies come from thrift stores. I’m always worried about bugs, since they love reading as much as I do, but here’s what you do: put your books in a bag or a cloth in the freezer for 48 hours. Anything in there will be killed off by the cold (sorry little buddies) and you can enjoy your reads without critter anxiety! If second hand isn’t for you, make sure you use your public library! They’re the masters of Zero Waste reading, and they’re in danger of constant de-funding, so go for a visit. There’s a special magic in a library ❤️

So you want to get rid of chemical room fresheners wrapped in plastic! What to use instead? I love diffusing essential oils (my fave is patchouli, obvs) but what if you’re travelling or just want something lower maintenance? I’m obsessed with burning Palo Santo, but there’s some concerns about the sustainability of importing it. Recently I’ve been burning Sage, which I’m completely hooked on! It’s lasts so long, and smells like a dream. Just light the end on fire and let it smoke like incense. 🌿

SECRET PLASTIC ALERT: did you know that many of your favourite brands of tea bags contain polypropylene (a sealing plastic) to keep the bags in shape? Ditch the bags and opt for loose leaf tea. It’s more fun anyway, and you get to feed your glass jar habit and ascend to true Crazy Jar Lady status, like your old pal ZWW. On top of the plastic, we should try to avoid products with packaging at all if there’s a package free alternative. Why compost something that we could eliminate all together? I’m absolutely rubbish at sleeping, so instead of using a plastic packed pill to help me sleep, I use Valerian Root tea and it’s off to dreamland. 🌿

If you’re like me, you hate carrying around 9 million things. When I first started ZW I kept thinking “AM I EXPECTED TO LUG AROUND AN ENTIRE KITCHEN ALL DAY?” But over the years I’ve realized that many of my staple ZW tools can be used for so many purposes. When I found my travel mug it was like a light bulb went on. I’ve used it as a coffee cup, a water cup, a leftovers container (I’ve fully fit sandwiches into this thing before), to take home unexpected bulk when I’ve come across it (I can’t pass up nutritional yeast when I see it), a party cup (I love stainless steel because it doesn’t hold on to the taste of all the booze I’ve put in it, heh heh). Instead of buying 9 million things, think minimally, and creatively. How do you use things interestingly?! Comment below 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

When you start planning a big life event like a wedding, usually the first thing you have to book is the venue. This is probably one of the more frustrating parts because each event space has rules, regulations and preferred vendors they like working with. For us, we searched high and low for an event space that would allow us to do things a little differently. If you’re going for a traditional venue, make sure you find one with a couple options: being able to bring in your own alcohol is key (you can regulate the type of containers the booze comes in), and one that allows an outside caterer (most caterers don’t know how to facilitate zero waste options, even if you ask. If you can bring your own caterer, you can find one who will accommodate you. More on that later). We opted for a less traditional situation. Our wedding is going to be held in our parents back yard in Nova Scotia. It allows us to brings our booze, use a rented tent locally, which won’t leave any waste, and hire a caterer who we worked with to supply our meals zero waste. It also allows you to monitor the compost and recycling at your event, which is crucial. Most event spaces will just haul the garbage away without allowing you to sort it. Further more, a backyard wedding cuts down on the use of the traditional wedding industry, which is overpriced and highly wasteful. Plus, Nova Scotia is boss.

So much waste from a huge event like a wedding comes from decor. We all want our event to be beautiful and memorable and have personal touches that will live in our minds forever. But, can you achieve that without buying a million single use items? There are a ton of rental companies out there that have a seemingly endless supply of decor. If you have a wedding planner like my amazing pal , even better. Planners often do the hard rental work for you, or they have a stock pile of their own. But what about if you want to do it by yourself? Ask yourself this question: how many people do you know who’ve gotten married? A bunch, I bet. Reach out to the people in your life who’ve had weddings and BORROW. Shop thrift for items like vintage vases, candle holders and jars. check out craigslist and kijiji for other brides selling off big bunches of stuff from their bash’s. If you’re in Toronto, throw up a request on and see how quickly you find what you’re looking for. Nix silly single use items that don’t add value (I’m looking at you, party favours). When you need single use items, like candles for instance, look for companies that sell them plastic free. They don’t even have to be fancy eco brands. I got a cardboard box of 72 candles packaged entirely plastic free for next to nothing. Between renting, buying second hand, and borrowing from people in your life, it’s entirely possible to have waste free decor at your wedding. Make sure to check out my story through the day, I’ll be giving a full rundown of our ceremony and reception and how we’re pulling it off with no garbage. I know it’s a special event, and it should be memorable and beautiful. But at the end of it all, it is just one day, and the single use plastic you created will last longer than your marriage, your kid’s marriage, and your grandkid’s marriage. Next time you plan an event, take on the challenge of searching for better alternatives, and have a waste-less, kick ass bash. Party on, dudes.

**EXCITING TORONTO GIVEAWAY NEWS** I know I talk a lot about refilling and reusing BEFORE recycling, but I think this is truly the key to a sustainable future. Waste is just lazy design on behalf of manufacturers, and that includes constant recycling. Refillable options are a perfect way for companies to sell their products without having to produce as much waste. One company that’s nailing this concept in Toronto is .ca . Not only are they making it possible for individual consumers to refill their jars full of popular personal care items like shampoo, conditioner, hand soap and household products, but they also provide a delivery system to the people and businesses of Toronto, enabling everyone to choose a low waste option. Not only can YOU refill your containers, Saponetti is dedicated to refilling THEIR bulk containers. Much of their product is local, which enables them to reuse and repurpose their containers, furthering the waste reduction of their products. If things like shampoo bars are not for you, or if you’re just not feeling the “everything I own is in brick form” situation, this place is heaven. What’s even cooler, they’ve set up refill stations in other areas of the city, not just their store. You can refill certain products at The Toronto Tool Library in a couple different locations. You can bring in your own containers to be refilled, or buy one of their mason jars. There’s even a handy reusable pump, to add some ease back into your daily routine. Here’s to amazing companies creating great solutions to problems that face our consumer culture! SO, to celebrate making new friends who care for the Earth, .ca & I are partnering on a give away contest! Follow both and .ca, PLUS tag one friend who you think would love this ZW swap to be entered. The Prize will be a zero waste starter kit full of products masterfully put together by the awesome people at Saponetti! It includes: A fill up of 500 ml of dish soap and hand soap of your choosing, a beechwood dish brush, a metal straw with a cleaning brush, and $20 in store credit!!! Trust me, you’ll fall in love with this place, so tag away my friends!