Waste(less)

Every Saturday night, I get my sourdough starter out of the fridge, feed it, and leave it to grow overnight. Once I wake up, I take the amount I need for both my breads for the week and I'm still left with plenty. After a few weeks of doing this, I realized I was starting to have way too much starter for the amount I used regularly, and my freezer was getting too full of discard so, the quest for recipes to use it up began. I tried a few muffin recipes but they fell short, I made some pizza dough but, as much as I'd want to, I can't really have pizza every week (no matter how healthy I can make it), and so, I finally decided to give sourdough pancakes a try. Pancakes have always been my breakfast of choice, and once I found myself living alone, my Saturday mornings were filled with sky-high stacks of pancakes and I ate nothing more for the rest of the day, those were the days. After moving back in with my mum, that tradition kinda died down but alas, my sourdough has saved me and now, Sundays are officially pancake day at our place. 

For this recipe you'll obviously need your own starter, if you still don't have one here's the link to the video where I learnt how to make my own. Now that that's off the way, here's what you'll need:

Simply mix all your ingredients, making sure to take care of any lumps with a whisk, and make your pancakes as normal. I find they don't really stick on any of my pans, but maybe test a small one to make sure if you need to oil your pan or not. Depending on the size of your pan and on how thick you like your pancakes, this should make around 12 pancakes, and I like to serve mine with a sprinkle of sugar and lemon juice, while my mum loves hers with sugar and cinnamon, a family favourite. But, now that the weather is starting to get warmer, I love filling my pancakes with a few strawberries, the choice is yours!

*depending on how old your starter is, your pancakes may taste different, if you've had your starter for only a few weeks, the taste shouldn't be strong, but if you've had your little dough pet for a few years, you'll definitely feel a kick, it's all part of the beauty of sourdough*

I couldn't really have a blog about living a more sustainable lifestyle without mentioning fashion, especially as that was always the main focus of my blog when I first started. Fashion, and having lots of clothes, were always dear to my heart, no matter the quality or how many times I wore each piece, as long as I had lots of them, I was happy. When I first started delving into the whole sustainability matter I read a lot about how the fashion industry was one of the planet's biggest threats, and my first step to help out was to stop buying anything with polyester&co, if a piece of clothing had even 2% of plastic I was staying away from it, nothing that wasn't linen, viscose, rayon, cotton, wool, etc wasn't coming into my home, but I was still buying from the same stores, every sale season I would buy more and more, so was I really helping at all?

Well, yes, I was no longer consuming as much because it's hard to find pieces that 100% fall into that category in high street stores, and I was no longer contributing to the synthetic-ridden clothes problem, but I was still supporting brands that weren't environmentally friendly, not to mention brands that had awful policies regarding workers and their conditions. My second step came after I saw a documentary about how clothes in Zara (and Inditex in general) are made, I was absolutely shocked to see how polluting the whole process is, just making a simple pair of jeans had horrible repercussions not only to the planet but also to the people making them. I stopped buying from Zara right there and then, it has been two years, and haven't felt tempted to go back, but I do still, occasionally, shop at high street stores, which is something I'm trying to stop altogether. 

Becoming aware of the problem is the first step to fight said problem, so I don't feel as though I'm on level 1 of dealing with it, I've made other changes to the way I shop, which I'll talk about in another post, but I know there's still so much to learn and figure out. None of us need a whole new wardrobe every season, we don't need 10 new dresses for summer, and we certainly don't need to throw away perfectly good pieces just because it's trendy to do massive clearouts every other week. Even though not all of us can buy from fully sustainable and ethical stores, I know I can't, we can still have a mindful approach to fashion and the way we shop. I read an article on Business Leader that said "The fast fashion model has spiraled into a marketer’s dream. Consumer purchase behaviours are driven by short-term pleasure. We show off our wealth, style and personality but once this temporary fulfilment is over, it’s a vicious cycle to continuously satisfy our rational materialistic values, becoming a desire not a necessity." and this couldn't be closer to the truth, we need to stop living in a constant state of want and focus on what we truly need, and hopefully if consumer desires evolve, the industry will have to follow, this won't be a quick process, and not everyone will be up for it, some people will continue to prefer quantity over quality, but it's up to each one of us to make that change.

Each one of us needs to become aware as a consumer, making mindful decisions as to how we spend our money and how this will affect the people as a whole and the planet itself. Sure, conscious consumerism almost seems like a trend nowadays, but trends fade and what needs to remain is the core of the movement, it needs to be a lifestyle, not just something you dip your toes into for some Instagram likes. We need to break the cycle, the more we consume the more we demand, and the more we demand the more is overproduced, as long as we live our lives this way, the world will keep on hurting, and so will we. 

There isn't a foolproof way to become a mindful consumer, but there are a few steps you can take to help you find your way:

• Ask yourself if you really need that thing you're about to buy, how often will you use it? How was it made? Do you already have something similar? Can you borrow it from someone else? Asking questions is important, if it's something you need and know you'll use/wear for years and years to come, and if you know it was made to last and in a sustainable way, buy it. If you need it but will only use once or twice, maybe find someone that will let you borrow it, or will rent it to you, we don't need to buy a new dress for every wedding we're invited to.

• Get rid of your trend mentality, you don't need something new just because it's trendy, more often than not that trend will be over within a few months, and you'll be left with something you won't want to wear anymore. And while you're at it, get rid of the "retail therapy" mindset too, buying new things may feel good while you're doing it, I've been guilty of that myself, but the temporary mood boost will only result in a house filled with things we don't really need or want, and those things that made you so happy a few days ago will become waste. Fill that void with an activity that will be useful instead, learn to bake, teach yourself a new language, read a book, watch a movie or a show you love, have a cocktail.. 

• If trends are something that still call out your name, all you need to do is remember: all trends have been trendy before so, most likely, you can buy that item you've seen in every store and on every influencer's Instagram just by visiting your closest secondhand shop, or even by rummaging through your parents' or grandparent's closets. This winter I really wanted a baggy coat and needed something warmer to wear to university and my grandma was so happy to let me have a look in her closet and find something I loved and that she hadn't worn in over two decades, it can be a really great way to connect with your family too.

• Learn to value experiences, time and people instead of new things. Once I stopped spending money on dozes of clothing pieces every sale season that I didn't actually need, I was left with so much extra money I was actually able to travel (I wasn't spending thousands of euros each time, but all that money was put aside and every year I would go on a trip with my friends or my boyfriend) and I value those memories so much more than I would value those clothes.

• Take a look at Good On You, here you'll find ratings and reviews on ethical brands, and learn more about all the different stores and brands that care about our environment. 

Switching our mindset entirely is never easy, but it is necessary, and with time we can learn how to do better. With the Mindful Fashion series I'm hoping to not only teach you what I've learned so far but to also learn more about a topic that is so dear to me, this is where I'll be documenting my journey, making mistakes along the way but learning from them as well. I hope you've enjoyed this post and that it gave you some helpful tips on how to become a more conscious consumer. Let me know in the comments below if this is something you're also trying out and how it's going for you!  

If last time I came to you talking about how uninspired I had been through the whole month of January and how much I struggled with writing anything for the blog, I can all assume we are now all on the same boat. I'm not going to bore you with more of the same we've all been reading so I'll jump right into what this post is all about, March's swap: biodegradable pads by Clementine Take Good Care. Clementine is a brand created by Marta after she found out how much plastic was in all period products, not to mention how many harmful and unhealthy chemicals were used in tampons, such as bleach and chlorine.

Regarding their products, Clementine uses only the best and safest materials, their tampons are 100% certified organic cotton and are free of synthetic fibers, chemical additives, fragrance, dyes, chlorine bleach, GMOs, pesticides, toxins, latex, or formaldehyde. Unfortunately, they are still wrapped in plastic as that is still the only way to ensure total hygiene and safety before use, but they do use BPA-free recycled plastic. The ultra thin pads with wings and panty-liners are made out of cornstarch and bamboo fiber, naturally antibacterial and breathable. Their pads are 95% biodegradable, the only reason they haven't reached the 100% mark is because they still use a polymer layer to ensure no leakage, although Clementine is working on a better option to substitute it. Truth is, as all pads go in the regular garbage, they are incredible polluting so reducing the amount of plastic in the whole thing by any percentage can already do wonders. And, to literally wrap it all up, the wrappers are all 100% biodegradable, compostable and plastic free, made with cornstarch film. You can also read the Clementine Blog to learn more about the products and other issues surrounding periods.

The second great thing about Clementine is the fact that you can sign up to their My Period Box, a subscription period box you can adjust to your own needs, which you can buy only once or have it scheduled to arrive at your door every 19, 20-29, 30 or 60 days, which will get you a 20% discount in every box. In this box you can choose from regular, plus and super-plus tampons, panty-liners, day pads with wings and night pads with wings, picking exactly how many of each you want. If after receiving your first box you realise you didn't have enough or had too many products, you can easily re-adjust your box on your account, or even skip a box if you have enough for next time. Shipping costs 3,20€ and you can use the code FREESHIP on your first box order. (This code isn't mine, the brand itself advertises it on their website.)

Having written my fare share of period related posts, which you can read here, I was surprised I hadn't heard of Clementine yet, and I first learned about them through my The Bam&Boo subscription order, which have recently started sharing new and eco-friendly initiatives and brands every month. After reading more about them I decided to use my discount code (pictured below, although I don't know if it still works), I ordered a regular Period Box + a box of 9 night pads, as I sometimes have a heavier flow and go through those the most. Both boxes arrived in less than a week, beautifully packed, and super discreet too, all the boxes are recyclable and use paper tape, so there is no plastic in sight. The order also came with a little cloth bag to carry your period products in, which I loved. 

My main reason to try this brand was because I was tired of the waste I was creating every month, and even though I had found many great options to substitute regular period products, these can be costly if bought all at once, I already have a pair of period underwear and two reusable pads, but those aren't enough for a full cycle so, whenever I have a little money to spend, I get a new one to add to the collection. Until I have a full set that really sees me through my cycle, I'll be using Clementine to fulfill my needs and I'll feel a lot less guilty for using something that I can't use again. 

As to the quality of the products I can't actually review the tampons just yet, as I usually only wear tampons during summer I didn't add any to my box. I did, however, try all three pad sizes and I am a convert. The night pads aren't as big as I'm used to because I usually get the biggest ones any other pad brand offers, this is the only way I feel safe while sleeping (although I no longer sleep with pads but with my period underwear), and both the day pads and the panty-liners are the exact same size as the regular branded ones. Every single one of these pads is incredibly soft and comfortable to wear, there is no artificial scent, no irritation afterwards and the absorbency is amazing, you almost forget you're wearing a pad.

As to the cons I only have two to mention: the wrapping, especially in the night pads, is sometimes quite hard to open and it seems to rip into several pieces quite often; regarding the panty-liners I find they don't really stay in place, I wear only cotton underwear and pads usually stick really well, but these have barely any adherence, I do find this a problem in most panty-liners on the market, but especially so with this brand.