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2020: A Sustainable Look Back

2020 has certainly been far from normal, but I haven't let it stop me from trying to make sustainable swaps where I can. There's still so many things I need to change (dental routine, cotton buds, etc.), but all in all, it's been a good year for making lifestyle changes. If nothing else, I've had plenty of time to think about it all!

1. Deodorant

I've always used spray deodorant for as long as I can remember, and although I've been made aware of the benefits of swapping to a natural alternative, I've chosen to ignore it out of ease. Before going into lockdown in March, there never seemed to be a convenient time to find a new deodorant that works for me. Also, a lot of the natural deodorants I've seen have still come in plastic packaging, and if I'm going to swap, I want to make it completely worthwhile. 

Then I discovered Wild, and it was a game-changer. The reusable applicator is made from aluminium and recycled plastic, and the refills are completely compostable. To cut down on emissions, you get three refills delivered at once which means you can try out lots of the different scents each time. My personal favourite scent is the zesty orange, but I love the coconut too for a subtler scent. As an added bonus, for each sale, Wild contributes a percentage of the sale to the reforestation charity 'On a Mission'.

2. No fast fashion

When online shopping has been the only option for a lot of this year, it's been a lot easier to resist the temptation of buying from fast fashion brands (hiding clothing adverts on Social Media helps a lot if you do find yourself tempted). 2020 has made me realise how often I used to buy clothes for the sake of it, and now I only buy something if I'm certain I'll get a lot of wear out of it. I've wanted some Lucy & Yak dungarees for ages, so they were my one new buy this year, and it's safe to say I've worn them a lot!

In all honesty, I did cave and buy some jeans from Zara, because I really struggled to find any in a charity shop that fitted properly. Of course, the week after caving and getting some from Zara, I found a pair a week later in a charity shop that fitted perfectly- but that's life. All in all, one fast fashion purchase is a lot better than the amount I used to buy!

3. Cut out dairy

As I said in my Franco Manca review, I've recently cut out dairy completely from my diet for both environmental reasons and animal welfare. Shopping and cooking for myself has been going really well, and I've discovered so many great vegan recipes that I wouldn't have bothered trying otherwise. Here's a few of my favourites:

- Loving It Vegan's Baked Mac and Cheese

- Bianca Zapatka's Spinach and Mushroom Spaghetti

- Loving It Vegan's Falafel

- Veggie desserts' Dahl

4. Plastic-free period

I've been using washable pads for a while now, but have only recently had enough that I can go a whole period without having to use disposable pads too. Up until recently, I've carried on using plastic pads at night because I wasn't sure if reusable pads would work for 8+ hours. However, I've got some Modibodi overnight period pants on their way, so we'll see if these solve that problem so my period will be entirely plastic-free by the end of 2020.

5. Zero waste baking

Having zero waste stores easily accessible in both Cardiff and back home helps a lot in terms of buying ingredients for baking, but two areas I've always created a lot of waste is with piping bags, cling film and greaseproof paper. I've got so used to always having them in the cupboard, that I've never really thought about buying reusable alternatives. But when we went to Lakeland HQ on holiday this year (which I didn't realise how much I wanted to do until I was there), I stocked up on a reusable piping bag and cake/ traybake liners. This, alongside by beeswax wraps, now means I've cut down on the amount of I waste when baking significantly, and other than a little more washing up, they're all investments that are definitely worth it.

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