Tag Archives: glass

Green-up your Summer

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Sorry for the rest of you Northern Hemispherians… It is summer time here in the Cape. Good and proper. Today boasts a scorching 38 degrees in Cape Town and woweeee we can feel it.

I’ll keep this brief – because there is pool splashing, ice lolly making, braaing and chilled rose to be drinking.

Here are some of my all time fave green-ish goodies for summer this year:

  1. Zoku Quick Pop Maker. I bought the duo quick pop maker as our family Christmas Pressie this year, and after one use, it felt like it had paid for itself (not really, it cost us R550, but we were thoroughly impressed). We juice up fresh fruits (and veggies) and pour them in, wait 10 min for them to freeze and voia-la. Healthy homemade ice lollies your kids will LOVE. (You do get the slow pop maker as shown below, but the quick pop has that instant gratification effect which is great – ermmm… especially with kids.) I’m yet to try the mojito, margarita and strawberry daiquiri quick pop recipe for once the kids have gone to bed. A win for all family members.Zoku Quick Pop MakerZoku Pop Maker
    Zoku Slow Pop Makers

2. oh-lief Sunscreen. The sun is hot. HOT HOT HOT and being burnt is not okay. I’ve always loathed slapping chemical sunscreen on my kids and so this local, natural and mineral sunscreen goes with me everywhere. For the Beauty of It blog agrees with me on this one… Read more about it here.

sunscreen
3. We need a mozzie repellent. Every summer, I send my husband to my in-laws to get their industrial sized standing fan and it blows hurricane type winds over us all night. I can’t handle mozzies. With a fan on they can’t land on you – I win. HA. We also recently made my youngest (who gets chowed) a mozzie net which has been amazing, but you need to have some alternative solutions on hand – enter Pure Beginnings 100% Natural Insect Repellent (R45) and oh-lief’s Natural Olive Insect Balm. (R69.50)

Pure Beginnings Insect Repellent
oh lief Natural Olive Insect Balm

4. Smartsun Wristbands are intelligent UV wristbands originating from the UK, which change colour depending on whether or not you need to reapply sun protection. These are especially handy for when you are outdoors for long periods of time and might be a little distracted by the blissfulness that is summer to keep a timer on when to next top up on your (or your families) sunscreen.

‘Perfect for kids and adults alike whether you’re on holiday, at the beach or enjoying outdoor activities and sports, Smartsun allows you to enjoy the warm weather by indicating the optimum time to top up your SPF.’ Smart huh?

Smart Sun Wristband

Smartsun Wristbands

Each band is one wear only, and starts out as yellow, changing to beige and then pink to alert you when it is time to top up on sun lotion, or when it is time to avoid the sun for the rest of the day.

They’re available in packs of 5 for R99.95 from Clicks stores.

5. Glass Drinking Bottles. I wrote a blog post about how much I loved glass here but everything gets warm in the summer and so having your drinks in glass bottles prevents that chemical leeching and festering from plastic everythings… I don’t know the exact science behind what happens to the chemical process in the plastic, but I don’t like it. So I simply stay away.

For my family, I use Lifefactory and Greenkid bottles. The glass is hardened and never has one broken. They are amazing. And you don’t lose them easily either because they’re quite novel and if you spend a bit of money on them, then you tend to take better care of them. You can buy Greenkid bottles here. They go for around R140 for the glass bottle and R60 for a colourful silicone sleeve.

lifefactory_16oz_raspflip_lg_matte_870_1110_matte_290_370

I carry this bad boy around with me everywhere.

Green kid glass bottle and sleeve

5 small changes, resulting in a happier, healthier and greener summer. Do you make any specific greener changes as different seasons approach? Tell!

Picture credit: For the Beauty of It (oh-lief sunscreen picture).

 

 

I love glass

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Glass.

I love glass. I love every.single.thing about it EXCEPT that when it breaks it’s a blimmin mission to clean with little blissfully unaware feet stomping the ground. But regardless, it’s a beaut.

I’m on a mission, slowly, and sometimes unsuccessfully, to move towards an all glass/stainless steel life and eliminate plastic. I’m not binary, I’m not so black and white that I’ll stick my nose up to your plastic (un-biodegradable) cutlery when you hand it to me (I’d rather be your friend enjoying a picnic together however it goes down) but for myself and my family, this is something we’re rethinking.

If you’d like to read up on the dangers of plastic, you can do so here. Besides the hidden chemicals and the difficulty to recycle, there is automated ignorance around how much waste we are producing (and therefore polluting). We are also wasting money by how much we mindlessly purchase and re-purchase.

And so slowly, in different areas where possible, we’re moving towards a plastic free life. I still love Tupperware and Lego, and always will. We’ve replaced plastic water bottles with glass bottles (which never hold a odor), and we use glass for our homemade kombucha, natural baby products, sippy cups and bokashi juice (for the garden). We store food in glass mason jars, both in our pantry and the fridge. We like to decant milk sachets into vintage milk bottles, store our homemade yoghurt, jam and salad dressing in rustic old-school jars, and our toothpaste and mouthwash in glass ‘click’ jars. Mason jars are easily available and cheaper by the dozen overseas, so it’s a no brainer using them. I’m thinking about investing shares in Consol because – well, how rad is their new solar power glass lantern?

Not only is glass cool, and we’ll think you’re lank trendy if you make the move across, but glass bottles are begging for some creative flair. You can literally let you imagine run wild – and if you’re feeling creatively-lethargic, browse my Pinterest board here.

Think about it. What are you using right now, that you can replace with a better material? Buying one product is better than nothing.

Boycott ziplocks and replace them with reusable material snack bags. Stop buying plastic water bottles and carry a permanent (preferably glass) one around with you. Plastic bags? Are you kidding! Fabric grocery bags are available EVERYWHERE.

Start small, think it through – and GO.