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5 low waste swaps I’ve actually loved (and 2 I don’t recommend)

April 27, 2021

Latest ‘Grams

balancedtoni

Where has this spring gone? I feel like March was

Where has this spring gone? I feel like March was yesterday! Let’s catch up.

I’ve been a bit quiet on here lately because two of my favourite people in the world got married and I was in the wedding party. It was the loveliest weekend ever ❤️ then I had a corona-scare. Not corona this time either, I’m seriously starting to think I’m immune 🙈😄 (I don’t really think that though, I promise) But now I’m recovering from a fever and cough.

Being sick at home, I read a lot of news, and now I’m once again feeling very anxious about the war in Ukraine, and experiencing more climate anxiety than usual. Reading the news too often has honestly been horrible for my mental health 🥶 I have to be more mindful about how I consume media. And find a way in which it feels like I do my part. Maybe monthly donations? I’m not sure.

At the same time as I’m thinking about war and climate change, we’ve stepped up a gear in planning our own wedding. Weird contrast! But the wedding is creeping closer no matter the situation in the world, and we need to get everything sorted in time. It’s a good distraction from everything at least!

Wishing you all a lovely end of the week ❤️

#lifeupdate #springtime #weddingplanningtime #sustainablewedding #ecoblogger #weddingseason2022 #sustainableliving #summeriscoming #selfiemood #secondhandclothes #labdiamond

3 SUSTAINABILITY DOCUMENTARIES THAT CHANGED MY LIF

3 SUSTAINABILITY DOCUMENTARIES THAT CHANGED MY LIFE (save to remember)🌎🪸

I’m not even being dramatic – these documentaries really altered how I live my life!

I’d love to hear which documentaries (or movies/books maybe?) that have made the biggest impact on you! ✨

#mindfulconsumption #sustainableliving #ecofriendly #ecotips #environmentalist #consciouslifestyle #circulareconomy #ecoliving #ecotravel #createalifeyoulove #sustainablefuture #consciousliving #ecolife #ecofriendlyliving #climatescience #green #conciousliving #earthmonth

🌎 It’s Earth Day 🌎 Earth Day has been a m

🌎 It’s Earth Day 🌎

Earth Day has been a movement since the 1970s, and is a day that urges us to require action, to act ourselves, to support innovation and to implement changes. We know from the last @ipcc reports that time for action is NOW, and that the more we delay that action, the more damage is done and the harder it will be to stay under 1.5 degrees of global warming.

Things you can do:
- join a protest or write to your local politician and require climate action now 🌎
- Demand transparency and sustainable business practices from your favourite brands and organisations 🔍
- If you invest money, invest in funds that have a high ESG rating or in the stock of sustainable and innovative companies. You can ask your bank which of their funds are the most sustainable and why. By investing in sustainable companies and initiatives, you can help steer money in the right direction and divest from fossil fuels, weapons etc.
- Look at your own lifestyle and if there are any tweaks you could make - perhaps you could eat less meat? Or drive less? Travel more locally? Or repair more of your belongings, instead of replacing? There are thousands of little things we can all do, the trick is to find the ones that make sense to you in your daily life!

(here are a few pics of me enjoying the beauty our planet has to offer 💚)

#earthday #earthday2022 #earthdayeveryday #investinourplanet #ecoliving #mindfulconsumption #climateactionnow #climatecrisis #noplanetb #sustainableliving #enjoytheoutdoors #earthappreciation #natureappreciation #sailingtrip #hikingadventures

It’s #fashionrevolutionweek 👖♻️ Every ye

It’s #fashionrevolutionweek 👖♻️

Every year, Fashion revolution week happens in the week surrounding the 24th of April. This date is the anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster of 2013, where 1100+ garment workers died as the building collapsed. Many of the biggest global fashion brands were working with this garment factory, brands most of us have bought clothes from.

The global fashion industry has many issues that need to be addressed, such as:
- Exploitation of workers – the welfare and safety of workers is not protected, 98% of garment workers are not paid a living wage and child labour is still abundant.
- Severe pollution – fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world. The manufacturing, transportation, consumption and disposal of garments cause massive emissions and pollution, all around. Oftentimes, low quality fabrics are used, which have a short lifecycle and which cannot be recycled. The massive amount of polyester and other fossil-based fabrics lead to an increased use of oil as well as microplastics ending up in waterways and nature.
- The use of resources is completely unsustainable – for ONE t-shirt, around 2700 liters of water are required. That’s what an adult human drinks in 2.5 YEARS 🤯 Both natural and synthetic fibres require substantial resources, and the overconsumption of fashion means that more fabric than ever is made. At the same time, recycling methods are very limited and the world is flooded in secondhand clothing that no one wants.

This cannot go on. We need brands to radically change their business models, stop greenwashing and commit to change. The prices of garments need to reflect the true cost of production, social, environmental and economic.

This week can be a week to reflect your own consumption patterns and to demand answers from your favourite brands about #whomademyclothes and #whatsinmyclothes 🧐 Or perhaps a week to repair a garment, take your favourite shoes to the cobbler or organise a clothes swap with friends. Everything counts! What will you do? 🌱

Spring is in the air, finally 🌷🌱 Ps. Loving

Spring is in the air, finally 🌷🌱

Ps. Loving my vintage jacket (from @vintagemagasinet ) ✨

#ethicallymade #conciousliving #circulareconomy #ecolife #secondhandfinds #fairfashion #secondhandclothes #fastfashiondetox #slowfashionrevolution #preloved #fairtradefashion #environmentalist #fastfashion #shopsecondhandfirst #ecotips #consciouslifestyle #sustainablefuture #fastfashionsucks #thriftyfinds #ecofriendlyliving #conciousfashion #goingzerowaste #helsinkiofficial #prelovedstyle #ethicalbusiness #fashionrevolution #sustainableliving #ecofriendly #plaidjacket #springoutfit

Five ways to honour Earth Month 🌎 Remember to S

Five ways to honour Earth Month 🌎 Remember to SAVE and SHARE 🤗

April is #earthmonth and a month to take action, demand change & connect with other people and with Earth. How we take action can look different for everyone, depending on your current situation and where you are in your journey. But one thing is certain: we can all do something! 🌍

I’ve listed five ways to honour this Earth Month and #earthday , do you agree? What action would you add yourself? 💚

#refusesingleuse #ecofriendly #ecotips #environmentalist #consciouslifestyle #circulareconomy #ecoliving #ecotravel #createalifeyoulove #sustainablefuture #consciousliving #ecolife #ecofriendlyliving #climatescience #green #conciousliving

Goal for the week? More time outdoors! 🌿🌻

Goal for the week? More time outdoors! 🌿🌻

Not only is it healthy, but connecting with nature reminds me of what I as an environmentalist am working to protect. Whenever I feel climate doom and gloom creeping up on me, some time in nature helps.

This incredible oak tree grows close to R’s family’s country house, and we don’t know exactly how old it is, but it must be old. Its circumference is over 4.6 meters🌳I read somewhere that a 150 year old tree can be around 2 meters around, so just imagine how much this one has seen over the years⌛️

#refusesingleuse #getoutdoors #gowild #getoutside #outdoorgirl #wandermore #lifeoutside #shehikes #conciousliving #ecoliving #ecotravel #sheisthewild #hikemoreworryless #environmentalist #green #climatescience #outdoorlife #consciouslifestyle #ecolife #betterhabits #ecofriendly #sheexplores #sustainablefuture #wonderfulwildwomen #outdooradventures #adventuregirl #girlswhohike #ecofriendlyliving

A friendly reminder to mend 👏🏼 your 👏🏼

A friendly reminder to mend 👏🏼 your 👏🏼 clothes 👏🏼!

Do you agree with the quote above?

I mend clothes every now and then, but I’ve still had this pile of clothes in my wardrobe for years, all with something ”wrong” with them - a tiny hole, a broken zipper, a stain etc. I haven’t thrown them out, because I’ve told myself I’ll fix them ”soon”… and I never have.

I’ve recently read multiple books on sustainable fashion, clothing and mending, and it’s been very inspiring. Orsola de Castro’s book ”Loved Clothes Last” (swipe to see) was such a great read, I definitely recommend it 👏🏼 After reading the book, I got my 💩 together, accepted that I won’t have the time and energy to repair all these clothes myself, and took the whole pile to a local tailor.

As de Castro writes, ”the most sustainable garment is the one already in your wardrobe”. But of course not if you never use it. And that’s where mending comes in!

The past couple of years, I’ve really started to understand mending, reusing and repurposing on a new level. There is SO MUCH you can do even when you think all hope is lost. The percentage of my clothes and shoes that have been mended has grown exponentially the last years, and I really like it. It feels so good to wear something that you know has received love and care ❤️

Ideally, I would like to mend my own clothes, because it would be cheaper and feel satisfying to do myself, but currently, it feels like a distant dream. And I do really enjoy supporting local professionals.

Do you mend your own clothes/shoes? Or use services of pros? 🪡

#ecolife #zerowaste #ecofriendly #ecofriendlyliving #sustainable #fashionrevolution #ethicalliving #secondhand #slowfashionrevolution #consciouslifestyle #fastfashiondetox #nofastfashion #fairtradefashion #slowfashion #consciousfashion #shopconsciously #fastfashion #fastfashionsucks #sustainability #sustainablefashion #conciousliving #ethicalbusiness #ethicallymade #createalifeyoulove #fairfashion #sustainableliving #effortlesslychic #consciousconsumerism #environmentalist #sustainablefuture

A SHORT RECAP OF THE NEWEST IPCC REPORT 🌏 The

A SHORT RECAP OF THE NEWEST IPCC REPORT 🌏

The newest @ipcc report was released this week, and the focus is how we can mitigate climate change.

There’s no way to sugarcoat it – we need to cut emissions, drastically and fast. In 8 years, we need to cut our emissions in HALF. And with the current use of fossil fuels (still receiving more investments than climate change mitigation efforts 🙃), we cannot get there.

I think for ordinary people like you and me, the key is to put pressure on government and companies, to vote for people who take this huge matter seriously and to look at our own lifestyle and make the changes possible. We can still turn this around, but everyone (government, companies, people) need to carry their weight! Especially the countries who are responsible for the highest emissions per capita have a lot of work to do.

#climatechange #climateaction #ipcc #ipccreport #globalwarming #noplanetb #ecofriendly #ecoliving #unsdg #ecoinfluencer #sustainability #sustainableliving #ecoblogger #climatescience

This is unfortunately not an April fools 😭 Ye

This is unfortunately not an April fools 😭

Yesterday was Finland’s Overshoot Day – meaning, the day we’ve used up more natural resources than the world can regenerate during this year 💔🌍

When I talk about changing one’s lifestyle to a more sustainable direction, one of the most common arguments I hear from friends, family and colleagues in Finland is that ”it doesn’t matter what we do here, look at [insert large country]”. But it DOES matter. We live way beyond the planet’s means here.

If everyone on Earth decided to live like Finns, we’d need FOUR planets. That means, we can’t blame other countries for the blatant overconsumption of natural resources, we need to look ourselves in the mirror.

Maybe you can eat a more planet friendly diet. Maybe you can buy less stuff and really consider if you need more. Maybe you can use what you already have. Borrow and share. Vote for people who fight for the planet.

It doesn’t have to be a total rehaul of everything you do every day, but we ALL have to pitch in.

#sitrafund #overshootday #overshootday2022 #finlandovershootday #sustainabilitymatters #overconsumption #fossilfuels #ecoliving #sustainablelifestyle #conciousliving #noplanetb

A little spring photo dump from two weekends ago 🌷☀️❄️

#photodump #springweather #springsunshine #sunandsnow #finland4seasons #thisisfinland
#weekendvibes #springbreak #blueskiesandsunshine #localtravel #ecotravel

This International Women’s Day, let’s look at

This International Women’s Day, let’s look at the connection between Gender Equality and Climate Change! ⚖️
(sources on the last slide).

This is of course a very complex subject and impossible to discuss at length in an Instagram post, but I’ve tried to include a few points, if only to inspire further reading.

Fact is, women need to be included and gender equality needs to be centered in the fight against climate change. Women and girls, as well as marginalised communities, are at the forefront of the consequences of climate change, and are a natural source of extremely valuable information when it comes to actions to mitigate the impact. Women need to be heard, and equality must be reached if we’re to have a chance at a sustainable future.

How do you view the intersection of gender equality and climate change? 🌏

#genderequality #womensrightsarehumanrights #womensrights #unwomen #climatechange #sustainablefuture #ecoblogger #environmentalist #lowimpactliving #womensday #internationalwomensday #internationellakvinnodagen #naistenpäivä

Helsinki 💙 #myhelsinki #capitalsoftheworld #he

Helsinki 💙

#myhelsinki #capitalsoftheworld #helsinkifinland #helsinki #helsingfors #helsinkiofficial #finland_photolovers #finland_frames #capitalcity #standwithukraine

A short recap of the newest Climate Report by @ipc

A short recap of the newest Climate Report by @ipcc 🌎

At a time like this, it might feel heavy to focus on the climate crisis as well, but we have to remember that it’s all interlinked. The imperialism and colonialism that we see wreaking havoc today is so very closely related to climate change and all the injustices that come with it.

I by no means claim to be a climate expert, and this doesn’t by any means cover everything in this extensive report, which is part of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment. If you want to read more, I very much suggest looking at the ”Summary for policymakers” that IPCC provide. Link in my bio.

#climatechange #climateaction #climatescience #ipcc #ipccreport #ecoblogger #planetfriendly #climatecrisis #sustainableliving #infographic #ecoeducation

Trying to understand something that makes no sense

Trying to understand something that makes no sense.

The war in Ukraine and the Russian aggression is unfathomable, and it’s weighing heavy on my mind. I think of the pain of the Ukrainian people all around the clock. I feel helpless, donating and spreading awareness is all I’ve done, can I do more?

All my life, there have been ongoing wars in the world, and I know how privileged I am that none of them have directly affected me or my family. I’ve read about them and I’ve donated and I’ve felt sad for those affected. But this one is different for Finland. Having Russia/Putin as a neighbour and being the only non-occupied, non-NATO member, neighbour country to the west of Russia undoubtedly makes one worried.

But it’s Monday, and it’s a workday, and somehow I need to focus on that, because worrying won’t help Ukraine. Other things are happening too, important things. For example, the IPCC are releasing a new report today on the effects of #climatechange 🌏

#stopwar #stopthewar #stoprussianaggression #standwithukraine #ipcc #ipccreport #environmentalist #ecoliving #sustainableliving #mentalhealthmatters #ecofriendlyliving #helsinki #myhelsinki #helsinkiofficial

🇺🇦💙💛 #stoprussianaggression #withukra

🇺🇦💙💛

#stoprussianaggression #withukraine #standwithukraine #stoprussia

What awful, awful news to wake up to. #standwithu

What awful, awful news to wake up to.

#standwithukraine #ukrainerussia #ukrainerussiaconflict #ukrainerussiacrisis

I think’s it’s time for a quick ✨reintroduct

I think’s it’s time for a quick ✨reintroduction✨, since some new people have found my page lately! 🤗 Here’s me:

🌱 Name: Antonia, aka Toni, Tååni or Bimbi

🌱Location: Helsinki, Finland

🌱 What’s this page about: Eco-friendly living, tips and tricks, outdoor adventures, appreciating the small things in life and whatever may (or may not) relate to these

🌱 Occupation: Sustainability Manager at an e-mobility company

🌱 Hobbies: Sailing, hiking/all things outdoor, reading, choir, food (cook AND eat), painting/drawing and all things #sustainableliving

🌱 Favourite food: Pasta in any shape or form

🌱 Favourite colour: Ocean blue (the darker kind) or most shades of green

🌱 Favourite time of the year: late summer/early autumn

🌱 Eco-friendly living habits: recycling, avoiding single-use plastic, flexetarian diet with a lot of plant based food, low waste habits, enjoying what I own, minimising air travel, enjoying my surroundings and spending time in nature, in order to reconnect and remember what we’re fighting to save.

🌱 Eco-friendly living “sins/fails”: I still occasionally eat meat and I eat cheese almost daily, I buy things wrapped in plastic if there aren’t better options and if I drive, it’s with the family’s diesel/petrol cars. And much more! I’m definitely not perfect when it comes to #ecofriendlyliving 😊

🌱Carbon footprint in 2021 (using @sitrafund ’s calculator): 4500kg CO2. Most emissions come from driving a car, eating cheese/some meat, heating of our apartment and from a ferry trip last year to Åland. Improvements to be made here! (We should all stick to 2500/year in order to stay at 1.5 degrees global warming limit)

I’d love to know who YOU are as well, so please, feel free to tell me about yourself in the comments! Where are you from, what do you do, what’s your carbon footprint? 🙊

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#ecoliving #ecoblogger #greenlifestyle #greenliving #outdoorfinland #suomentalvi #winterland #carbonemissions #finlandssvensk #climatechange #climatefriendly #mindfulconsumption #conciousliving #winteradventures

Never forget the impact you can have, simply by NO

Never forget the impact you can have, simply by NOT buying something 🌏

Not everyone can afford the most ecofriendly option, as they often come with a price premium. And that’s okay! However, everyone can decide what NOT to buy. And to cut down on purchases overall.

Buying less but buying better is an excellent way to make an impact. It might feel insignificant, but if people would tweak their shopping habits even a bit, it could make a huge, world-changing difference.

Buying is a way of voting, with money. By buying the products or services of an unethical company, you make sure that it can continue its business. Every time you make a purchase, you vote to keep that company alive and thriving.

Let’s make sure we don’t give these companies our money any more than we have to 💸

#makeanimpact #conciousconsumer #ethicalbusiness #votewithyourdollar #emmawatsonquote #emmawatson #ecoquotes #sustainableliving #mindfulconsumption #ecocommunity

That one day of Winter sun in February ☀️❄️

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#helsinki #myhelsinki #helsinkiofficial #wintersun #winterday #finlandwinter #wintertime #uunisaari #outdoorfinland #february2022 #localtravel #ecoblogger #sustainabletravel

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