Hannah's Veggie Lifestyle

The more we find out about the damaging effects of fast fashion , one question has been stuck in the back of my mind: If we all boycott these brands, what happens to the millions of workers when they are no longer needed to be employed? It's pretty clear that those at the top of the industry about those making the clothes. So chances are, if fast fashion brands were to go out of business, those at the bottom are not going to be given a big redundancy fee- even though the billionaire owners could probably  definitely afford it. So, what would happen if we did all give up fast fashion tomorrow? Mainly, the planet would thank us big time. From lower carbon emissions to saving water, it would dramatically reduce the amount of harm done to the environment from clothing. In reality however, people aren't all going to give up fast fashion at the same time. It starts with individuals committing to making change, so not everybody is going to wake up and think 'today is the day I...

Completely vegan chocolate cake - who would know? We are all aware that reducing our meat and dairy intake is a great way to reduce our individual impact on the environment, as well as holding large companies accountable for the damage they do too, of course. So, I've decided to share some of my favourite meat/ dairy replacements for when you want a taste of the original, with a much smaller environmental impact! I'd love to say I'm a vegan, but if I can't find a good enough alternative for some dairy items, I do still eat the original (although in much smaller quantities than I used to). As veganism continues to grow, so does the incredible alternatives available, which means it's getting easier and easier to swap out meat and dairy products in our diets. It's still important to incorporate lots of unprocessed foods like fruit and veggies into your diet, so I do try and only eat these when I truly want an alternative. But, if it's helping us eat less dairy ...

In my last blog post on fast fashion I promised I'd share some tips for reducing the amount of fast fashion we buy, so here it is! Below you'll find lots of options for keeping your wardrobe fresh without giving into the temptation of fast fashion as a quick fix. If you've got good intentions to stop buying fast fashion but it's feeling like an overwhelming challenge, why not take part in Oxfam's Second Hand September ? Or if you want to start right now, you could do your own version in August instead! Once you've completed a month, hopefully quitting forever won't seem as hard.  And if you do end up buying fast fashion, don't give up completely. Just like with any lifestyle change, slipping up is often inevitable, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. Admit that you made a mistake, return the item if you can (or if not, make sure you get good wear out of it), and carry on with your commitment to buying less fast fashion. Lowering the amount...

Since  Vidhathri Matety  went undercover at a factory in Leicester making clothes for Boohoo and found terrible working conditions, the hashtag #BoycottBoohoo  has been found all over Twitter and Instagram.  Great- this news story is raising awareness of the exploitative nature of fast fashion, but why is such an uproar being caused now, when this is not a new problem? Yes, scandals appear in the news every so often (think the  £1 Missguided bi kini ), but we hear about them, make a fuss, and then forget about it.  Simply boycotting Boohoo is not enough. Just because other brands such as H&M and SHEIN are not being targeted in the news right now, it doesn't mean they are any better. To make a real difference, we need to commit to stop buying from all fast fashion brands, even when it's not flooding our newsfeeds. Over 600 items added  per day-  on a site ever-increasing in popularity. The biggest excuse I've heard countless times for continui...

Now the weather has warmed up, it's the perfect time to get gardening. Here's a simple idea for germinating seeds using materials you might already have in the home! Slowly but surely, I've been convincing my family to swap to plant milk. However, this means we're also throwing out a lot more cartons. Due to the mixed materials, cartons have to be recycled at a specific centre, which currently we only have one of- in Yorkshire. This plant is capable of recycling up to 40% of the cartons produced here in the UK, but an article by The Times found that only 10% are actually recycled. Considering many people swap to plant milk for environmental reasons, it's ridiculous that most of the time the cartons end up in landfill, slowly breaking down and releasing greenhouse gasses. You can make plant milk at home, and it's a great option if you've got a zero-waste shop nearby because then you can make it entirely waste free. I have tried making my own oat milk ...

Lots of people are using extra free time to have a spring clean and redecorate the house (or just watch Netflix- which is totally fine too). But if you're feeling extra motivated to changes things up around the house, why not make some changes for the good of the planet too? Here are 5 easy ways to make your home more eco-friendly...  1. Get serious about food waste. Via Unsplash It's become pretty common to have a food waste bin now, but we should still be trying to put as little in it as possible. When you chuck out food, you're not only wasting money, but also wasting all the energy and resources used to produce and transport it. Even if you're pretty good at not letting the edible parts of food go to waste, there are lots of ways to reuse food scraps. Potato peelings can be baked with a little oil, salt and pepper for some zero-waste crisps, coffee grounds are a great fertiliser for your plants, and you can regrow loads of fruits and vegetables from scraps (...