April 9, 2025 • 36 mins
Think sustainable living is confusing, expensive, or just plain overwhelming? You're not alone. With so much conflicting advice out there, it’s hard to know what actually makes a difference.
Lottie Dalziel is here to set the record straight. Founder of Banish, one of Australia’s most trusted sustainability platforms, Lottie has helped thousands of people and businesses cut through the noise and adopt realistic, impactful changes. Recognized as the NSW Young Australian of the Year and a driving force behind sustainability education, she’s been featured on major platforms for her expertise in reducing waste and making eco-friendly choices more accessible.
In this episode, Lottie and I dive into:
- The easiest way to drastically cut our energy use at work with one simple change
- A surprising trick to keep your veggies lasting longer in the fridge
- The everyday household items that might be leaching microplastics into your food and body
- The biggest sustainability myths that are wasting your time and money
- How to make sustainable swaps without breaking the bank
- Four eco-friendly items you can replace almost every cleaning product with.
If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the pressure to be ‘perfectly sustainable’ or struggled to separate real impact from greenwashing, this episode is
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Are you feeling paralyzed by climate anxiety? With countless eco
choices and contradicting advice, where do you even begin? The
overwhelming maze of sustainability options leaves most of us stuck
at square one? But what it? Making a real environmental
difference was actually simpler than you've been led to believe,
(00:24):
and could save you some serious money along the way.
Helping others discover how to do just that is the
mission of Lotti dl an Australian sustainability advocate, author and
founder of Banish, a platform helping Australians adopt eco friendly lifestyles.
Lotty was named the twenty twenty three New South Wales
(00:46):
Young Australian of the Year and featured on Forbes thirty
Under thirty list, And to top it off, she has
made all her knowledge accessible in her book three hundred
and sixty five plus Ways to Save the Planet and
your money at the same time. In this episode, Lottie
reveals the easiest way to drastically cut our energy use
(01:07):
at work with one simple change, a surprising trick to
keep your veggies lasting longer in the fridge, and the
everyday household items that might be leaching microplastics into your
food and body. Welcome to How I Work, a show
(01:32):
about habits, rituals, and strategies for optimizing your day. I'm
your host, doctor Amantha Imber. My first question, Lottie, is
I want to not like, what is one really small,
low effort change that people can make at work, either
in their home office or in their office office that
will have a surprisingly big impact on the planet.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
That's a really great question. I think for me, it
would be saying goodbye to stand by mode, so you
know when you've finished for the day, or you've decided
that I don't know, you've wrapped up for the week.
It is not leaving your devices lingering on standby mode
all weekend. It's actually shutting them down. And I remember
when I was working full time. This is an email
(02:17):
that I would get a lot and I would just
completely ignore because I didn't really understand why. And when
your devices are setting idle, they are actually consuming energy
and power. And what we want to do is it
sort of stop that. So it's just a small thing
that will add up to make a big difference. I
love that.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
I never would have thought about that, and I'm a
massive culprit for just leaving everything on. So I want
to be quick because I've got a laptop that I
then plug into the monitors in my home office. If
I close down my laptop, is it still using power
or is it more if it's open and not shut down.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
So if you close down your laptop, then that is great,
But if it's still plugged in to the devices to say,
for example, or those screens, those screens are still pulling power.
So you need to switch off the screens if there's
a button on the screen, or turn them off at
the wall. It's the same with like if you've got
you know that like that charge of for your phone
(03:12):
that's sitting and plugged into the wall, and you don't
turn it on and off at the wall, but you
only just kind of unplug and plug your devices in
when you unplug your devices, but you leave it on
at the wall. It's called phantom power. It just sits there.
It's I kind of like the equivalent of a dripping tap,
just sits there pulling a little bit of power every
single time. So yes, if you finished for the week
(03:34):
or the day, shut your laptop down, but make sure
that your screens are off because often they'll automatically kind
of look like they're off, but we need to switch
them off at the wall or using the button too.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Oh my gosh, that is gold. Okay, let's get further
into the home office, because I know a lot of
listeners are hybrid. They'll probably spend two or three days
a week in their home office and then the rest
in an office building. So in the home office, you
said you work from home every Monday. What are like
(04:05):
one or two things that you do that it may
be a little bit unusual but easy to do to
have a lovely sustainable setup.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Yeah, it's a really good question, and I think for
me it comes down to first and foremost, using what
you've got. You don't need to get a really fancy
set up. It doesn't need to look flash or wisbang.
So if we're not going out there and buying new things,
that's the best thing for me. I'm using a second
hand desk that I got on Marketplace. I am using
one of our beautiful new laptop stands that we've just
(04:35):
created made from bottle top lids. So that one is
something that yes I did buy new, but it's made
from recycled materials. But it's also I think when it
comes to the home office, it's thinking about things like lighting, Like,
as I was saying to you, it's a cloudy day today,
so I've had to switch on the lights. But normally
I would be near a window, so I wouldn't need that.
I'd be using cross ventilation rather than having to turn
(04:58):
on air conditioning or things like that. So cross ventilation
is when instead of opening up one window, you open
up a window and a door that kind of almost
face each other to create a cross breeze and a flow.
So that is actually going to continue to let that
air circulate and push through, which is a great one.
I actually speak about this in the book a little bit,
(05:18):
and I'm a bit cheeky, and I feel like if
anybody's boss is listening, they're probably not going to lie me.
But I'm my own boss, so I can do what
I want. My work from home days are when I'm
making the most of doing all of those odd chores.
I hate cleaning with a passion, and I don't want
to be doing washing all weekend. My weekends are for
enjoying myself. So for me, I'm making the use of
(05:40):
the hours that I've got to kind of put the
washing on, to hang it on the line, to do
those things, so that I'm multitasking because time is money,
and if you are working from home, you do have
the time to be able to put on a five
minute load to take ten minutes to hang it out
on the line.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
And why doing that? Is that about peekin' off peak
power usage? Is it for money savings? Does it benefit
the environment? Like why why would you do that?
Speaker 2 (06:06):
So there's a couple of different reasons, as you mentioned,
the off peak and the peak timing. So when we
come home from the office or from school or university,
that night time period when we're all using energy is
what we call a peak period. It's going to cost
us more money. So when you're putting on you're washing
at six or seven pm at night, that's a really
expensive time to be washing our clothes, whereas if you
(06:28):
can be doing it at one or two o'clock in
the afternoon, it's a lot cheaper. You've also, I would argue,
you've got time to actually hang your things on the
line to utilize the most at daytime. If you're coming
home at six or seven o'clock at night and hanging
out your clothes at midnight. That's not really going to
be conducive for letting everything dry in the sun, So
(06:48):
you'll probably be then going, well, maybe I should be
using the dryer something that is going to use all
of that energy, cost a lot of money, and won't
be good for the planet as well.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Okay, how about for those those times when we're in
a shared office space and you know, we probably don't
have a lot of control over like the lighting and
the air conditioning and all of the things that are
using up lots of power. Because I imagine at banish your
company things, you've probably nailed it. But how about you know,
(07:20):
for the rest of us that are going into an
office and what is in our control? What are the
highest impact things we can do?
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Yeah? I think a really good one when it comes
to your impact when you're in a shared what work
environment is single use plastics? So if you're a coffee drinker,
are you using a reusable cup? Are you bringing your
own reusable water bottle? For example, if you're somebody who
gets takeaway for lunch, when you are buying your takeaway
lunch items, are you buying them in plastic packaging? Can
(07:49):
you bring your own container. If you can't bring your
own container, can you bring your own knife and fork?
Just small things that mean that you're cutting down on
that plastic usage that little bit more. And also do
find like when you bring your own coffee cup, you're
often getting fifty cents off as well. It's great, it's amazing,
But when you are in a shared workplace as well.
I think one thing that people underestimate is your role
(08:13):
is a role model. If you're bringing your reusable cup,
or you're bringing your own water bottle, you're letting everybody
else know in that shared office environment that yes, they
can bring theirs for it too, And maybe they just
needed a little reminder to oh, yeah, I do have
a reusable cup at home that I can bring in
to have my coffee.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
It reminds me of something you write about in your book,
which I'm going to hold up even though people are
probably listening three hundred and sixty five plus ways to
save the planet and your money. At the same time,
it was such a good book, Lottie. I've discribbled all
over it. It's oh my gosh, it is a wealth
of information and just very very practical. So I loved it.
(08:54):
One of the things you suggest is creating a single
use quitter kit. Can you explain exactly what that is?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Yeah, no, thank you so much, and try and say
single use quitt kit five times. That's really roll off
the tongue at all. But it is that kind of thing.
I find organization is one of the biggest things when
it comes to saving money in the planet. It's often
when we're caught in a pinch that we're going to
be consuming the single use plastics, spending more money on things.
(09:22):
So building this quitter kit, what I like to say,
is a way to kind of just know that you've
got things with you that are going to help you.
So for example, it is a tote bag or some
kind of bag. It is a water bottle. It's a
reusable coffee cup. For me, it's a knife and fork.
It doesn't have to be a fancy bamboo one that
looks all schmicking perfect and matching. Mine is a knife
(09:44):
and fork from my kitchen that I just carry around
with me. If it is somemer min will include a
straw as well. Also could include a handkerchief. I find
these are just so handy in case you need a
napkin or anything like that a bit of a nanner
at heart, and for me it's also a reasonable project
bag because this can just be great for those little
bits and pieces.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
I want to talk about sustainable travel choices because I imagine
you probably do a lot of travel for work, and
I think, you know, when I'm traveling, you know, I
think about offsetting, you know, like buying carbon credits to
offset my flights. And inventing Him is a B corporation
as well, So we do try to think about these
(10:24):
kinds of things. But what are some things that maybe
people might not have thought of that are just easy
hacks when we are traveling for work orf for play
to have less of an impact on the environment.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
No, I definitely agree with you there. It's one of
these things when you are traveling a lot. For me,
I'm quite conscious of my consumption. Still. I think there's
two things you need to think about. First and foremost
is that, yes, you're out of your routine, it's going
to be slightly different and coming to terms with the
fact that you are going to consume a little bit
more than usual, but also not giving yourself a complete
(10:59):
get out of jet free card. So for me, that
single use critic kit is still coming with me. I
am using my reusable cup when I get a cup
of tea on the plane. For example, when I have
a glass of wine on the plane, it goes into
that reusable cup. But also if I am staying at
things like hotels and things like that, I'm using only
what I need. I'm not getting daily laundry service, I
(11:22):
am not getting I don't know, those mini little shampoos
and things like that. You just need to think about
the footprint that you want to leave behind on this planet.
And also just in general, do you need that item?
Do you need to be consuming that? And when I
am traveling, I love utilizing public transport and walking because
(11:42):
I want to feel a part of the community. I
want to feel like I am a part of wherever
I am traveling to, and by walking and catching public transport,
I think that's a really great part. Cabs they're expensive,
they're not great for the planet, whereas catching buses, trains.
It's pretty simple to kind of understand that our impact
is going to be a lot less when it comes
(12:02):
to transport as well. And then when I am traveling,
I am that person that's getting a table for one
and dining out. Yes, it's easy to sit in your
hotel room and order takeaway, but for me again, getting
out there experiencing whatever there is around, meeting the locals.
But dining in means that I'm going to save on
(12:23):
those single use plastics, save on however that item was
going to get to my door, and it just helps me,
I think as well, feel a little bit more normal
when I'm traveling.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
I want to talk about one of the I guess
the biggest culprits that I know I can be quite
guilty of in terms of my impact on the planet,
and that is food wastage. And one of the things
I was I was so interested in. You had a
little table in the book that the most commonly wasted
foods that we have, like in the average household.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Can you share what those are? Yeah, You're not alone.
Food wasted just one of the biggest issues when it
comes to saving money and the planet. So the most
commonly wasted foods in Australia are bananas, bread, your leafy
greens and your kind of lettuces. Then also you've got
dairy and then meats. So there's something that I think
(13:18):
we can all agree that there's probably some city in
our fridge or our pantry right now that aren't looking
too pretty. So when it comes to reducing our food waste,
it's a really great way to reduce our impact on
the planet, but also to save some money. Because in general,
it's estimated that one in every five shopping bags that
an Australian brings into their home goes into the bin.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Oh my god, that is crazy. Wow.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Yeah, So it's like looking at your grocery bill and
taking twenty percent off it and just throwing that quite
literally in the bin.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
So what do you do, Lotti, because I feel like
you would have mastered the art of not wasting food. Like,
what are things that you potentially do differently to the
average person.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
I think for me, something that surprises people is I
shop with a list, but I will only buy the
quantity that I need. And I know that this kind
of sounds a little bit counterintuitive because if you've got
a recipe that's asking for, I don't know, four hundred
grams of pasta, but then buying a kilo of pasta
is going to be a lot cheaper per hundred grams.
(14:22):
You're often upsold to be buying that bigger one. But
for me, I found that by having buying less and
buying exactly what I need, I'm not going to have
any of that wastage. So that wastage, even though the
price per hundred grams is cheaper, the things that I'm
throwing out actually kind of makes that counter productive for me.
It's having a plan. I know my recipes, i know
(14:44):
what I'm going to be cooking. I'm not browsing a
supermarket and just picking up anything and everything. And also
something that I do that makes super laugh is it
has been scientifically proven that if you go shopping hungry,
you will buy more. And you know, at the front
of a supermarket, how they have those little kind of
like fruit baskets for kids that are like they could
(15:05):
have an apple or an orange. I don't go into
those ones, but I will go through the whole supermarket.
I will buy a banana, I will buy an apple.
I will stand outside, I will eat it, and then
we'll go shopping. Because it does actually mean that I
buy less because so many times I feel like I
am just pulling everything in anything off the shelf, not
because I need it, but because I'm really hungry in
(15:26):
that exact moment.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Oh wow, okay, so we can see you outside supermarkets
everywhere just having.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Yea, a little sack before I have my supermarket shop.
Another thing when it comes to the supermarket is because
obviously there's a lot of packaging in those supermarkets, is
I love to shop the perimeter. That's the easiest way
to avoid as much packaging as possible. So obviously when
I'm having a when I'm shopping for produce, I'm buying
loose produce or I'm using rearsable produce bags for loose
(15:57):
things like beans or the leafy greens, and then you
kind of stick to the perimeter. That's so you're going
to find your dairies, that's where you're near your eggs,
You're going to get other things like that. Try and
avoid all of that packaging in those processed foods in
the middle of the aisles. For me, that really helps
make a big difference. And when I am shopping and
choosing my recipes for the week and planning it out,
(16:20):
I'm eating seasonally because that inevitably is going to be
better for the planet because you're eating what's available right now,
but often that's what's in special. And I was talking
to somebody the other day and they were like, the
irony of the fact that when we buy produce at
its cheapest, it tastes its best, And I thought that
was something that was really interesting. It was like, yes,
(16:42):
when the berries are two dollars fifty a punnet, that's
when they taste the most amazing. And I went, oh,
that's a really interesting conundrum, but something that we get
to benefit from just by eating seasonally.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Wow, I've never thought about it that way. Oh, that's
super interesting. I want to ask about best before versus
used by dates. I feel like this is I mean,
I get confused by this, and I feel like I
am conservative with perhaps throwing things out for fear of
getting a Tommy ache or seek. But tell me how
(17:15):
should I be reading in interpreting best before versus used by.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Yeah, well, it's really great that you even understand that
there is a difference between the two, because not many
people do realize. They just think that it's like, oh,
the packaging is just chosen which one they're going to
use today. But yes, when it comes to best before dates,
it's more of a recommendation. It's saying this item is
we think going to be in the best condition if
(17:40):
you consume it by X, whereas use by date is
more of a hard and fast rule. This is something
that we need to take more seriously. So used by
dates where you found on things like meat and dairy,
whereas the best before dates you'll find on things like
long life foods or on vegetables. And it's just kind
of saying, we think that this will be the optimal
(18:02):
quality if you consume it before this date. So that
would be my thing is that you is something that
you need to remember.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
So how lax can we be with best before? I mean,
could we let it go for a month after or
does it just really depend on the food And like.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
You exactly, it depends on the food. So if you've
got I don't know, some spices that have a best
before date on them, Like I think there's some pretty
old spices in my spice cupboard that I keep on using.
But if you've got some spinach that says that it's
best before Sunday, you can probably get a couple of
days extra out of it, but you're not going to
get months after that.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Okay, So use your brain. Something that my team and
inventim is doing at the moment so I mentioned we're
a bee Corp. In March is be Corp Month, and
for those that haven't heard of bee Corp, basically organizations
that are accredited I suppose in putting purpose before profit.
And as a team, we're doing what we've termed corp Olympics,
(19:01):
where we have a points system and when we do
certain activities that are good for the planet, good for
the team, good for all the I guess the criteria
that b corps are graded on, we get points and
so we're in two teams, and so last night to
get points for my team, my husband and I had
tofu for dinner, and I think we ate too much
(19:22):
because we both had a tummy acufter which we really
loaded up on the tofu. But in your book you
talk about the different environmental impact of different proteins that
we can have, and it really surprised me. So I'd
love to know from a sustainability point of view, which
proteins are having the biggest impact on the planet and
which ones I guess are having the lightest impact.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
So it is a really difficult one and it's one
that I do kind of say two people in the book, Look,
I don't think everybody needs to be vegetarian, but the
first and best thing that you can do is to
reduce your meat intake. So beef is the most carbon
intensive protein that we can have, closely followed by lamb
and farmed crustaceans. Now, the farmed crustaceans one was a
(20:08):
bit of an interesting one, and that one kind of
took me by surprise. But if you think about because
they are a farmed animal, similar to when there's beef,
there's a lot more resources that need to go into that.
You've got the resources in terms of machinery, in terms
of maintenance, in terms of everything. So that really added
to the carbon emissions of the crustaceans in comparison to
(20:31):
when you do have the fish that's a bit lower
down the chain of the in the protein, juiciness and
how much carbon emissions they take. But yes, the top
three if we're thinking about the lowest environmental impact, are
going to be nuts, tofu and beans. So yes, you
get a big tick for your dinner last night having
(20:53):
some tofu in there.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
And if we are not having a vegan or vegetarian meal,
what proteins should we be choosing to have the lightest
impact on the planet.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Yeah, so the lightest impact would be eggs and poultry.
That's going to be the best ones, followed by fish.
So that's kind of when we're looking kind of the
chain of everything. Beef and lamb are the most intensive.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
We will be back with Lotty soon. When we return,
she'll reveal the common household items, leaching microplastics into your
food for eco friendly items you can replace almost every
cleaning product with, and her simple trick for making fresh
produce last longer. If you're looking for more tips to
(21:43):
improve the way you work can live, I write a
short weekly newsletter that contains tactics I've discovered that have
helped me personally. You can sign up for that at
Amantha dot com. That's Amantha dot com. Now in your book,
there's a whole section on food storage and how to
(22:04):
make food, particularly fresh produce, last longer, which, oh my god. Again,
like the book is just jam packed with information, but
what aberhaps some of the most surprising tips or things
that people should know around how to make food last longer,
particularly in the fridge.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Yeah, it's a really a good one, and I think
it applies to so many different households, and I get
a lot of feedback about this section in the book
that I call hugs and swims. So what a swim
is is in my fridge, I have a old or
non mold I have a plastic container filled with water,
and in that I actually put a lot of vegetables
(22:46):
and store them in water in the fridge. So things
like carrots, celery, lemons all go in there and they're
floating around having a great time. Because what happens in
our fridge is it's actually dehydrating a lot of our produce.
So that's why your carrots go bendy, That's why your
spinach goes limp. So by keeping them nice and hydrated,
(23:09):
we're able to keep them crunchy, keep them fresh for longer.
The other section is hugs. So what I recommend is,
in order to again stop things from dehydrating, you wet
a teatowel and then you wrap up things like you're
a leafy greens and then that is going to help
keep your produce fresher for longer.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Oh God, so you've literally got a swimming pool in
your fridge. Lighting I do.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
It's so fun. Just can't open up the fridge too
aggressively and then it's all good. But the thing is,
when you've got these items that last so long, people
can look at me like I've got two heads, but
I go, well, I've got fresher produce in you, and
it's fine.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Oh my gosh. Now microplastics, I feel like microplastics are
getting more and more attention. Can you just put for
those that I guess have been living under a microplastic rock, like,
what are microplastics? Why should we care?
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Yes? So, microplastics are defined as a piece of plastics
smaller than five millimeters in size, So some of them,
they could be a tiny little shred that you can
actually see. Some of them are so small that not
even we can see them with our eye. And there's
been a lot of news articles, headlines things like that lately,
because microplastics have been found in human brains, in fetuses,
(24:26):
in testes, in everything, so pretty much research has shown
that it's microplastics are in the air we breathe, the
water we drink, the food we eat. The thing is
that we're not entirely sure what the impact that they're
having on us is. We can kind of put two
and two together and say that they're not going to
(24:47):
be as nutritious as chomping on some kale. But there
are microplastics that are just becoming a part of our
lives and quite literally our diets. So there's a lot
of talk and chatter at the moment about how we
reduce these microplastics. And there's definitely a lot of things
that you can do. Like when you, I don't know,
(25:08):
have a coffee in a single use coffee cup that's
lined with plastic, you're drinking plastics. When you drink from
a single use plastic water bottle, you're also drinking plastic.
When you have a cup of tea with a tea
bag in it, most tea bag brands contain plastics, so
you're consuming plastics.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
That blew my mind? Can I say when I read
that about tea bags.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
So these are all ways that we can control our
microplastic consumption and reduce our microplastic consumption. But the issue
is we can't control everything. So when you're walking around
your office, when you're walking outside, when you are just
doing life, you're consuming microplastics. And I think that's probably
(25:50):
the scariest thing for people, is it's going even if
I try and do everything and anything I can they're
still coming, I'm still consuming them. What does this do
for me? And I think that's why there is this
really scary time that we're in at the moment, because
it's kind of going we're just chomping away at them unknowingly.
So what's going to happen to us in the future.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
What are some of the most surprising sources of microplastics?
Because like for me, tea bags it was a complete surprise.
But what else surprises people most from your experience?
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Yeah, so the tea bags is a huge one that
kind of people's jaw hits the floor. Another one is
plastic chopping boards. So when you're cutting your vegetables, dicing
your chicken, doing whatever you're doing, you're slicing into that
plastic chopping board. And not only are you eating the
chicken or the carrots, you're eating microplastics too. The other
one is chewing gum. That's another one. What other item
(26:49):
can you chew on for five to six hours it
doesn't disintegrate, it's plastics. And the next one would be
paper towel, So often a lot of brands have a
lot of paper towel. Brands have a plastic weave in them.
So even if you're wiping down your benches, if you're
doing whatever, you're leaving a microplastic residue behind that you're
(27:10):
inadvertedly going to be consuming. And I think the last
one would be in our clothing. So if you have
any man made fibers, things like polyesters, las stanes, they
are plastic, so as you wear them, as you wash them,
tiny little fragments are breaking off and are entering our
oceans or entering the air we breathe. So just by
(27:32):
wearing a garment that is made from polyester, you're breeding
that into.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Can I ask about cleaning cloths? So the paper towels
thing I found very surprising, and microfiber cloths have microplastics
in them as well. That is pretty much what we
use to clean things in my household. Like what should
we be buying instead?
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Yeah, so it's a really good question. So for me,
I love using Swedish dishcloths. They're made from a plant
based cell you and they will wipe down my benches,
they will do everything that a paper towel does, and
then I just wash them with my tea towels as well.
When I did move away from using paper towels and
using things like wetexes and chuses that also have plastics.
(28:14):
I noticed that my teatowel consumption went up, but my
teatowels are made from linen or cotton, so that's fine,
and I'm just washing them and reusing them more. And
then when it comes to cleaning my dishes, I have
a it's almost looks like chain mesh. It's a stainless
steel scrubber. So that's to clean all of my kind
of cast iron pots, and then to clean everything else,
(28:37):
I use this funky spaghetti scrubber that's actually made from
peach pits. And what it does is it's got an
abrasive surface to it, and then it cleans all of
my dishes.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
Wow, oh my gosh. Okay, if I'm going shopping after this,
I feel like another area that I found really interesting
in the book. And you talk about like cleaning products
and the chemicals that we're using to clean, and you
have a section called the Mighty for cleaners. Can you
talk about what they are and just some simple swaps
(29:12):
that we can do for how we clean our clothes,
how we clean our dishes, and how we clean ourselves.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
So it's a great one because I feel like, as
I mentioned before, I do not love cleaning, but I
do clean, of course. And it's estimated that in Australia
we have thirty different cleaning products in our cleaning cupboard
and I don't even know what that is to clean.
There are so obviously with a lot of things to
clean in our house, but we don't need thirty different
(29:40):
cleaning products. Not only are a lot of cleaning products
like a bathroom cleaner and a kitchen cleaner often made
with the same ingredients, but there's often a lot of
chemicals that are unnecessary in this And when we clean
our shower screen or when we wash our dishes with
a dish washing liquid, we're inadvertedly going to be breathing
in that steam from the shower screen. We're going to
(30:03):
be eating off those dishes, so we're going to be
eating and consuming those chemicals, and for me, that's something
that I don't want to be doing. Also, the cost
of all of these items, and if you look at
the back of the pack of a lot of the
cleaning products, you'll actually see that the number one ingredient
is water. So we are shipping around the world and
around Australia a whole lot of water in bottles. So
(30:26):
for me, the Mighty four or the Powerful four is
for ingredients that I think that ninety percent of households
will already have in their cupboard, their low cost and
the best thing is their multi use because so many
of the different things that I talk about in the book,
it's all about coming back to not buying so much stuff.
So in the four are lemons is to any kind
(30:48):
of citrus, so it could be orange as lemons, limes,
it is, bicarb, soda, white vinegar, and castile soap. And
using these items, either individually or in combos, I think
can clean pretty much your whole entire house. I did
a video the other day showing three different ways to
use lemons. One of my favorite things to do when
(31:08):
I've kind of squeezed every last ounce of a lemon
up is I put it in the kettle and I
boil it. And what this does is it actually descales
your kettle completely literally by just boiling it and leaving
it in there. The same with if you wanted to
get all of that grease out of a oven or
a microwave, you just put a glass bowl with a
(31:28):
lemon in it and water and you cook in the
microwave or cook in the oven, and that actual citrus
that comes out of there then acts as a natural degreas,
So then you don't need to use any elbow grease
and you can just wipe away your microwave or your oven.
The other one with lemons is it's really great to
kind of clean and sanitize all of your wooden chopping boards.
(31:50):
And also you can pop it in the a squeezed
half lemon in the top rack of your dishwasher and
it acts as a natural rinse. Aid.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
Oh, that is nuts. How about for clothes washing, like,
which of those four ingredients or a combination should I
be putting in the clothes washup? And I do wash
with cold water, not hot, because I know that has
a massive impact on the planet and the power bill
as well. So what should I be putting in?
Speaker 2 (32:15):
Big tick for you then for doing that. So white
vinegar is something that is going to soften your laundry load.
So if I'm washing towels or sheets or anything like that,
white vinegar is what I'm going to do. You can
also again add lemons because that's going to help get
rid of those yellow stains. But when it comes to
washing my clothes, I actually use a thing called soap
(32:35):
nuts or soap berries, and what they are is they
are quite literally what they sound like, a little berry
or nut. You put four in a bag into your
laundry and what happens is when they touch water, they
release a natural soapnin that cleans your clothes. So there's
no chemicals, no nasties, They're completely natural. And then you
(32:56):
just let the soaps or the berries dry in between
each use, and then you use them four times, so
four berries four times, and then you just compost them
when you're done.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Okay, how about the dishwasher, because I know you're actually
an advocate of the dishwasher over hand washing lots of
things like filling that you sink to do. So like
what do you put in the dish washer? Because right
now I use those little dish washing pods and I
now know after reading your book that is a nightmare
for the environment.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Yes, because of that little dissolvable layer around your dishwashing
at tablets is one that is actually going to be
made with plastics probably, So when it comes to actually
cleaning and using the dishwasher. You're right, less water is
used if you use the dishwasher than actually hand washing
each of our dishes and plates. So for me, I
(33:48):
use a dish washing powder that's mostly made of a
bicub soda. I use a brand called Kinkin, which is
just a natural brand that you can buy online, and
that's the dish washing powder that I use, and then
it's just happy days. But again, I'm only washing full
loads in the dishwasher, And the only time where the
stat doesn't work about its saving water by using the
(34:10):
dishwasher is when you pre rinse every item before you
put it in, so no rinsing.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Now, I would love to know, out of everything we've
discussed today on maybe something that we haven't like, what
is just one change that you would recommend that people
make today that will have a really big impact.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
So it's really difficult because I hate being prescriptive because
everyone's leading different lives, everyone's at different stages in their
sustainability journey. So I think one thing would be to
go and do that thing that you've been meaning to do,
because I believe that everybody's got that thing that's kind
of on their bucket list or they've been thinking about.
I don't know, getting a more energy efficient appliance, or
(34:52):
walking to work more or doing something like that. But
if I was going to tell everybody a second thing,
it would be to eat what you've got left in
your fridge. For me, I don't go to the shops
once a month, one week every month, and I just
eat whatever is in my fridge, my freezer and my pantry,
and I've never gone hungry. There is always something that
(35:14):
I can create there. So for me, that would probably
be the biggest one. It's going to save you a
ton of money and the planet at the same time.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
Lottie, thank you so much for all these tips. I
feel like you make like having a better impact on
the planet and also just on saving money, like you
make it so easy and so practical. So thank you
for writing a brilliant book and for your time today.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
No, thank you so much for having me, and I
really appreciate it because it is that thing. I'm just
trying to make living sustainably something that we can all do.
I don't think it's up to a handful of individuals.
I just think that every person can be doing just
a little bit more than they currently are.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
I hope you loved this chat with Lottie as much
as I did. I know that I will be making
sure not to leave my computer on standby mode at
the end of the day anymore. If you want to
learn more about Lotty, I highly recommend her book three
hundred and sixty five plus Ways to Save the Planet
and your money at the same time, and also check
(36:15):
her out on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
The links to both are in the show notes.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
If you like today's show, make sure you git follow
on your podcast app to be alerted when new episodes drop.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
How I Work was recorded
Speaker 1 (36:27):
On the traditional land of the Warringery people, part of
the Cooler Nation
Are you feeling paralyzed by climate anxiety? With countless eco
choices and contradicting advice, where do you even begin? The
overwhelming maze of sustainability options leaves most of us stuck
at square one? But what it? Making a real environmental
difference was actually simpler than you've been led to believe,
(00:24):
and could save you some serious money along the way.
Helping others discover how to do just that is the
mission of Lotti dl an Australian sustainability advocate, author and
founder of Banish, a platform helping Australians adopt eco friendly lifestyles.
Lotty was named the twenty twenty three New South Wales
(00:46):
Young Australian of the Year and featured on Forbes thirty
Under thirty list, And to top it off, she has
made all her knowledge accessible in her book three hundred
and sixty five plus Ways to Save the Planet and
your money at the same time. In this episode, Lottie
reveals the easiest way to drastically cut our energy use
(01:07):
at work with one simple change, a surprising trick to
keep your veggies lasting longer in the fridge, and the
everyday household items that might be leaching microplastics into your
food and body. Welcome to How I Work, a show
(01:32):
about habits, rituals, and strategies for optimizing your day. I'm
your host, doctor Amantha Imber. My first question, Lottie, is
I want to not like, what is one really small,
low effort change that people can make at work, either
in their home office or in their office office that
will have a surprisingly big impact on the planet.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
That's a really great question. I think for me, it
would be saying goodbye to stand by mode, so you
know when you've finished for the day, or you've decided
that I don't know, you've wrapped up for the week.
It is not leaving your devices lingering on standby mode
all weekend. It's actually shutting them down. And I remember
when I was working full time. This is an email
(02:17):
that I would get a lot and I would just
completely ignore because I didn't really understand why. And when
your devices are setting idle, they are actually consuming energy
and power. And what we want to do is it
sort of stop that. So it's just a small thing
that will add up to make a big difference. I
love that.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
I never would have thought about that, and I'm a
massive culprit for just leaving everything on. So I want
to be quick because I've got a laptop that I
then plug into the monitors in my home office. If
I close down my laptop, is it still using power
or is it more if it's open and not shut down.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
So if you close down your laptop, then that is great,
But if it's still plugged in to the devices to say,
for example, or those screens, those screens are still pulling power.
So you need to switch off the screens if there's
a button on the screen, or turn them off at
the wall. It's the same with like if you've got
you know that like that charge of for your phone
(03:12):
that's sitting and plugged into the wall, and you don't
turn it on and off at the wall, but you
only just kind of unplug and plug your devices in
when you unplug your devices, but you leave it on
at the wall. It's called phantom power. It just sits there.
It's I kind of like the equivalent of a dripping tap,
just sits there pulling a little bit of power every
single time. So yes, if you finished for the week
(03:34):
or the day, shut your laptop down, but make sure
that your screens are off because often they'll automatically kind
of look like they're off, but we need to switch
them off at the wall or using the button too.
Speaker 1 (03:44):
Oh my gosh, that is gold. Okay, let's get further
into the home office, because I know a lot of
listeners are hybrid. They'll probably spend two or three days
a week in their home office and then the rest
in an office building. So in the home office, you
said you work from home every Monday. What are like
(04:05):
one or two things that you do that it may
be a little bit unusual but easy to do to
have a lovely sustainable setup.
Speaker 2 (04:14):
Yeah, it's a really good question, and I think for
me it comes down to first and foremost, using what
you've got. You don't need to get a really fancy
set up. It doesn't need to look flash or wisbang.
So if we're not going out there and buying new things,
that's the best thing for me. I'm using a second
hand desk that I got on Marketplace. I am using
one of our beautiful new laptop stands that we've just
(04:35):
created made from bottle top lids. So that one is
something that yes I did buy new, but it's made
from recycled materials. But it's also I think when it
comes to the home office, it's thinking about things like lighting, Like,
as I was saying to you, it's a cloudy day today,
so I've had to switch on the lights. But normally
I would be near a window, so I wouldn't need that.
I'd be using cross ventilation rather than having to turn
(04:58):
on air conditioning or things like that. So cross ventilation
is when instead of opening up one window, you open
up a window and a door that kind of almost
face each other to create a cross breeze and a flow.
So that is actually going to continue to let that
air circulate and push through, which is a great one.
I actually speak about this in the book a little bit,
(05:18):
and I'm a bit cheeky, and I feel like if
anybody's boss is listening, they're probably not going to lie me.
But I'm my own boss, so I can do what
I want. My work from home days are when I'm
making the most of doing all of those odd chores.
I hate cleaning with a passion, and I don't want
to be doing washing all weekend. My weekends are for
enjoying myself. So for me, I'm making the use of
(05:40):
the hours that I've got to kind of put the
washing on, to hang it on the line, to do
those things, so that I'm multitasking because time is money,
and if you are working from home, you do have
the time to be able to put on a five
minute load to take ten minutes to hang it out
on the line.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
And why doing that? Is that about peekin' off peak
power usage? Is it for money savings? Does it benefit
the environment? Like why why would you do that?
Speaker 2 (06:06):
So there's a couple of different reasons, as you mentioned,
the off peak and the peak timing. So when we
come home from the office or from school or university,
that night time period when we're all using energy is
what we call a peak period. It's going to cost
us more money. So when you're putting on you're washing
at six or seven pm at night, that's a really
expensive time to be washing our clothes, whereas if you
(06:28):
can be doing it at one or two o'clock in
the afternoon, it's a lot cheaper. You've also, I would argue,
you've got time to actually hang your things on the
line to utilize the most at daytime. If you're coming
home at six or seven o'clock at night and hanging
out your clothes at midnight. That's not really going to
be conducive for letting everything dry in the sun, So
(06:48):
you'll probably be then going, well, maybe I should be
using the dryer something that is going to use all
of that energy, cost a lot of money, and won't
be good for the planet as well.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Okay, how about for those those times when we're in
a shared office space and you know, we probably don't
have a lot of control over like the lighting and
the air conditioning and all of the things that are
using up lots of power. Because I imagine at banish your
company things, you've probably nailed it. But how about you know,
(07:20):
for the rest of us that are going into an
office and what is in our control? What are the
highest impact things we can do?
Speaker 2 (07:26):
Yeah? I think a really good one when it comes
to your impact when you're in a shared what work
environment is single use plastics? So if you're a coffee drinker,
are you using a reusable cup? Are you bringing your
own reusable water bottle? For example, if you're somebody who
gets takeaway for lunch, when you are buying your takeaway
lunch items, are you buying them in plastic packaging? Can
(07:49):
you bring your own container. If you can't bring your
own container, can you bring your own knife and fork?
Just small things that mean that you're cutting down on
that plastic usage that little bit more. And also do
find like when you bring your own coffee cup, you're
often getting fifty cents off as well. It's great, it's amazing,
But when you are in a shared workplace as well.
I think one thing that people underestimate is your role
(08:13):
is a role model. If you're bringing your reusable cup,
or you're bringing your own water bottle, you're letting everybody
else know in that shared office environment that yes, they
can bring theirs for it too, And maybe they just
needed a little reminder to oh, yeah, I do have
a reusable cup at home that I can bring in
to have my coffee.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
It reminds me of something you write about in your book,
which I'm going to hold up even though people are
probably listening three hundred and sixty five plus ways to
save the planet and your money. At the same time,
it was such a good book, Lottie. I've discribbled all
over it. It's oh my gosh, it is a wealth
of information and just very very practical. So I loved it.
(08:54):
One of the things you suggest is creating a single
use quitter kit. Can you explain exactly what that is?
Speaker 2 (09:02):
Yeah, no, thank you so much, and try and say
single use quitt kit five times. That's really roll off
the tongue at all. But it is that kind of thing.
I find organization is one of the biggest things when
it comes to saving money in the planet. It's often
when we're caught in a pinch that we're going to
be consuming the single use plastics, spending more money on things.
(09:22):
So building this quitter kit, what I like to say,
is a way to kind of just know that you've
got things with you that are going to help you.
So for example, it is a tote bag or some
kind of bag. It is a water bottle. It's a
reusable coffee cup. For me, it's a knife and fork.
It doesn't have to be a fancy bamboo one that
looks all schmicking perfect and matching. Mine is a knife
(09:44):
and fork from my kitchen that I just carry around
with me. If it is somemer min will include a
straw as well. Also could include a handkerchief. I find
these are just so handy in case you need a
napkin or anything like that a bit of a nanner
at heart, and for me it's also a reasonable project
bag because this can just be great for those little
bits and pieces.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
I want to talk about sustainable travel choices because I imagine
you probably do a lot of travel for work, and
I think, you know, when I'm traveling, you know, I
think about offsetting, you know, like buying carbon credits to
offset my flights. And inventing Him is a B corporation
as well, So we do try to think about these
(10:24):
kinds of things. But what are some things that maybe
people might not have thought of that are just easy
hacks when we are traveling for work orf for play
to have less of an impact on the environment.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
No, I definitely agree with you there. It's one of
these things when you are traveling a lot. For me,
I'm quite conscious of my consumption. Still. I think there's
two things you need to think about. First and foremost
is that, yes, you're out of your routine, it's going
to be slightly different and coming to terms with the
fact that you are going to consume a little bit
more than usual, but also not giving yourself a complete
(10:59):
get out of jet free card. So for me, that
single use critic kit is still coming with me. I
am using my reusable cup when I get a cup
of tea on the plane. For example, when I have
a glass of wine on the plane, it goes into
that reusable cup. But also if I am staying at
things like hotels and things like that, I'm using only
what I need. I'm not getting daily laundry service, I
(11:22):
am not getting I don't know, those mini little shampoos
and things like that. You just need to think about
the footprint that you want to leave behind on this planet.
And also just in general, do you need that item?
Do you need to be consuming that? And when I
am traveling, I love utilizing public transport and walking because
(11:42):
I want to feel a part of the community. I
want to feel like I am a part of wherever
I am traveling to, and by walking and catching public transport,
I think that's a really great part. Cabs they're expensive,
they're not great for the planet, whereas catching buses, trains.
It's pretty simple to kind of understand that our impact
is going to be a lot less when it comes
(12:02):
to transport as well. And then when I am traveling,
I am that person that's getting a table for one
and dining out. Yes, it's easy to sit in your
hotel room and order takeaway, but for me again, getting
out there experiencing whatever there is around, meeting the locals.
But dining in means that I'm going to save on
(12:23):
those single use plastics, save on however that item was
going to get to my door, and it just helps me,
I think as well, feel a little bit more normal
when I'm traveling.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
I want to talk about one of the I guess
the biggest culprits that I know I can be quite
guilty of in terms of my impact on the planet,
and that is food wastage. And one of the things
I was I was so interested in. You had a
little table in the book that the most commonly wasted
foods that we have, like in the average household.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Can you share what those are? Yeah, You're not alone.
Food wasted just one of the biggest issues when it
comes to saving money and the planet. So the most
commonly wasted foods in Australia are bananas, bread, your leafy
greens and your kind of lettuces. Then also you've got
dairy and then meats. So there's something that I think
(13:18):
we can all agree that there's probably some city in
our fridge or our pantry right now that aren't looking
too pretty. So when it comes to reducing our food waste,
it's a really great way to reduce our impact on
the planet, but also to save some money. Because in general,
it's estimated that one in every five shopping bags that
an Australian brings into their home goes into the bin.
Speaker 1 (13:39):
Oh my god, that is crazy. Wow.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
Yeah, So it's like looking at your grocery bill and
taking twenty percent off it and just throwing that quite
literally in the bin.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
So what do you do, Lotti, because I feel like
you would have mastered the art of not wasting food. Like,
what are things that you potentially do differently to the
average person.
Speaker 2 (13:59):
I think for me, something that surprises people is I
shop with a list, but I will only buy the
quantity that I need. And I know that this kind
of sounds a little bit counterintuitive because if you've got
a recipe that's asking for, I don't know, four hundred
grams of pasta, but then buying a kilo of pasta
is going to be a lot cheaper per hundred grams.
(14:22):
You're often upsold to be buying that bigger one. But
for me, I found that by having buying less and
buying exactly what I need, I'm not going to have
any of that wastage. So that wastage, even though the
price per hundred grams is cheaper, the things that I'm
throwing out actually kind of makes that counter productive for me.
It's having a plan. I know my recipes, i know
(14:44):
what I'm going to be cooking. I'm not browsing a
supermarket and just picking up anything and everything. And also
something that I do that makes super laugh is it
has been scientifically proven that if you go shopping hungry,
you will buy more. And you know, at the front
of a supermarket, how they have those little kind of
like fruit baskets for kids that are like they could
(15:05):
have an apple or an orange. I don't go into
those ones, but I will go through the whole supermarket.
I will buy a banana, I will buy an apple.
I will stand outside, I will eat it, and then
we'll go shopping. Because it does actually mean that I
buy less because so many times I feel like I
am just pulling everything in anything off the shelf, not
because I need it, but because I'm really hungry in
(15:26):
that exact moment.
Speaker 1 (15:29):
Oh wow, okay, so we can see you outside supermarkets
everywhere just having.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Yea, a little sack before I have my supermarket shop.
Another thing when it comes to the supermarket is because
obviously there's a lot of packaging in those supermarkets, is
I love to shop the perimeter. That's the easiest way
to avoid as much packaging as possible. So obviously when
I'm having a when I'm shopping for produce, I'm buying
loose produce or I'm using rearsable produce bags for loose
(15:57):
things like beans or the leafy greens, and then you
kind of stick to the perimeter. That's so you're going
to find your dairies, that's where you're near your eggs,
You're going to get other things like that. Try and
avoid all of that packaging in those processed foods in
the middle of the aisles. For me, that really helps
make a big difference. And when I am shopping and
choosing my recipes for the week and planning it out,
(16:20):
I'm eating seasonally because that inevitably is going to be
better for the planet because you're eating what's available right now,
but often that's what's in special. And I was talking
to somebody the other day and they were like, the
irony of the fact that when we buy produce at
its cheapest, it tastes its best, And I thought that
was something that was really interesting. It was like, yes,
(16:42):
when the berries are two dollars fifty a punnet, that's
when they taste the most amazing. And I went, oh,
that's a really interesting conundrum, but something that we get
to benefit from just by eating seasonally.
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Wow, I've never thought about it that way. Oh, that's
super interesting. I want to ask about best before versus
used by dates. I feel like this is I mean,
I get confused by this, and I feel like I
am conservative with perhaps throwing things out for fear of
getting a Tommy ache or seek. But tell me how
(17:15):
should I be reading in interpreting best before versus used by.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
Yeah, well, it's really great that you even understand that
there is a difference between the two, because not many
people do realize. They just think that it's like, oh,
the packaging is just chosen which one they're going to
use today. But yes, when it comes to best before dates,
it's more of a recommendation. It's saying this item is
we think going to be in the best condition if
(17:40):
you consume it by X, whereas use by date is
more of a hard and fast rule. This is something
that we need to take more seriously. So used by
dates where you found on things like meat and dairy,
whereas the best before dates you'll find on things like
long life foods or on vegetables. And it's just kind
of saying, we think that this will be the optimal
(18:02):
quality if you consume it before this date. So that
would be my thing is that you is something that
you need to remember.
Speaker 1 (18:11):
So how lax can we be with best before? I mean,
could we let it go for a month after or
does it just really depend on the food And like.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
You exactly, it depends on the food. So if you've
got I don't know, some spices that have a best
before date on them, Like I think there's some pretty
old spices in my spice cupboard that I keep on using.
But if you've got some spinach that says that it's
best before Sunday, you can probably get a couple of
days extra out of it, but you're not going to
get months after that.
Speaker 1 (18:39):
Okay, So use your brain. Something that my team and
inventim is doing at the moment so I mentioned we're
a bee Corp. In March is be Corp Month, and
for those that haven't heard of bee Corp, basically organizations
that are accredited I suppose in putting purpose before profit.
And as a team, we're doing what we've termed corp Olympics,
(19:01):
where we have a points system and when we do
certain activities that are good for the planet, good for
the team, good for all the I guess the criteria
that b corps are graded on, we get points and
so we're in two teams, and so last night to
get points for my team, my husband and I had
tofu for dinner, and I think we ate too much
(19:22):
because we both had a tummy acufter which we really
loaded up on the tofu. But in your book you
talk about the different environmental impact of different proteins that
we can have, and it really surprised me. So I'd
love to know from a sustainability point of view, which
proteins are having the biggest impact on the planet and
which ones I guess are having the lightest impact.
Speaker 2 (19:45):
So it is a really difficult one and it's one
that I do kind of say two people in the book, Look,
I don't think everybody needs to be vegetarian, but the
first and best thing that you can do is to
reduce your meat intake. So beef is the most carbon
intensive protein that we can have, closely followed by lamb
and farmed crustaceans. Now, the farmed crustaceans one was a
(20:08):
bit of an interesting one, and that one kind of
took me by surprise. But if you think about because
they are a farmed animal, similar to when there's beef,
there's a lot more resources that need to go into that.
You've got the resources in terms of machinery, in terms
of maintenance, in terms of everything. So that really added
to the carbon emissions of the crustaceans in comparison to
(20:31):
when you do have the fish that's a bit lower
down the chain of the in the protein, juiciness and
how much carbon emissions they take. But yes, the top
three if we're thinking about the lowest environmental impact, are
going to be nuts, tofu and beans. So yes, you
get a big tick for your dinner last night having
(20:53):
some tofu in there.
Speaker 1 (20:55):
And if we are not having a vegan or vegetarian meal,
what proteins should we be choosing to have the lightest
impact on the planet.
Speaker 2 (21:05):
Yeah, so the lightest impact would be eggs and poultry.
That's going to be the best ones, followed by fish.
So that's kind of when we're looking kind of the
chain of everything. Beef and lamb are the most intensive.
Speaker 1 (21:20):
We will be back with Lotty soon. When we return,
she'll reveal the common household items, leaching microplastics into your
food for eco friendly items you can replace almost every
cleaning product with, and her simple trick for making fresh
produce last longer. If you're looking for more tips to
(21:43):
improve the way you work can live, I write a
short weekly newsletter that contains tactics I've discovered that have
helped me personally. You can sign up for that at
Amantha dot com. That's Amantha dot com. Now in your book,
there's a whole section on food storage and how to
(22:04):
make food, particularly fresh produce, last longer, which, oh my god. Again,
like the book is just jam packed with information, but
what aberhaps some of the most surprising tips or things
that people should know around how to make food last longer,
particularly in the fridge.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
Yeah, it's a really a good one, and I think
it applies to so many different households, and I get
a lot of feedback about this section in the book
that I call hugs and swims. So what a swim
is is in my fridge, I have a old or
non mold I have a plastic container filled with water,
and in that I actually put a lot of vegetables
(22:46):
and store them in water in the fridge. So things
like carrots, celery, lemons all go in there and they're
floating around having a great time. Because what happens in
our fridge is it's actually dehydrating a lot of our produce.
So that's why your carrots go bendy, That's why your
spinach goes limp. So by keeping them nice and hydrated,
(23:09):
we're able to keep them crunchy, keep them fresh for longer.
The other section is hugs. So what I recommend is,
in order to again stop things from dehydrating, you wet
a teatowel and then you wrap up things like you're
a leafy greens and then that is going to help
keep your produce fresher for longer.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Oh God, so you've literally got a swimming pool in
your fridge. Lighting I do.
Speaker 2 (23:32):
It's so fun. Just can't open up the fridge too
aggressively and then it's all good. But the thing is,
when you've got these items that last so long, people
can look at me like I've got two heads, but
I go, well, I've got fresher produce in you, and
it's fine.
Speaker 1 (23:49):
Oh my gosh. Now microplastics, I feel like microplastics are
getting more and more attention. Can you just put for
those that I guess have been living under a microplastic rock, like,
what are microplastics? Why should we care?
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Yes? So, microplastics are defined as a piece of plastics
smaller than five millimeters in size, So some of them,
they could be a tiny little shred that you can
actually see. Some of them are so small that not
even we can see them with our eye. And there's
been a lot of news articles, headlines things like that lately,
because microplastics have been found in human brains, in fetuses,
(24:26):
in testes, in everything, so pretty much research has shown
that it's microplastics are in the air we breathe, the
water we drink, the food we eat. The thing is
that we're not entirely sure what the impact that they're
having on us is. We can kind of put two
and two together and say that they're not going to
(24:47):
be as nutritious as chomping on some kale. But there
are microplastics that are just becoming a part of our
lives and quite literally our diets. So there's a lot
of talk and chatter at the moment about how we
reduce these microplastics. And there's definitely a lot of things
that you can do. Like when you, I don't know,
(25:08):
have a coffee in a single use coffee cup that's
lined with plastic, you're drinking plastics. When you drink from
a single use plastic water bottle, you're also drinking plastic.
When you have a cup of tea with a tea
bag in it, most tea bag brands contain plastics, so
you're consuming plastics.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
That blew my mind? Can I say when I read
that about tea bags.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
So these are all ways that we can control our
microplastic consumption and reduce our microplastic consumption. But the issue
is we can't control everything. So when you're walking around
your office, when you're walking outside, when you are just
doing life, you're consuming microplastics. And I think that's probably
(25:50):
the scariest thing for people, is it's going even if
I try and do everything and anything I can they're
still coming, I'm still consuming them. What does this do
for me? And I think that's why there is this
really scary time that we're in at the moment, because
it's kind of going we're just chomping away at them unknowingly.
So what's going to happen to us in the future.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
What are some of the most surprising sources of microplastics?
Because like for me, tea bags it was a complete surprise.
But what else surprises people most from your experience?
Speaker 2 (26:27):
Yeah, so the tea bags is a huge one that
kind of people's jaw hits the floor. Another one is
plastic chopping boards. So when you're cutting your vegetables, dicing
your chicken, doing whatever you're doing, you're slicing into that
plastic chopping board. And not only are you eating the
chicken or the carrots, you're eating microplastics too. The other
one is chewing gum. That's another one. What other item
(26:49):
can you chew on for five to six hours it
doesn't disintegrate, it's plastics. And the next one would be
paper towel, So often a lot of brands have a
lot of paper towel. Brands have a plastic weave in them.
So even if you're wiping down your benches, if you're
doing whatever, you're leaving a microplastic residue behind that you're
(27:10):
inadvertedly going to be consuming. And I think the last
one would be in our clothing. So if you have
any man made fibers, things like polyesters, las stanes, they
are plastic, so as you wear them, as you wash them,
tiny little fragments are breaking off and are entering our
oceans or entering the air we breathe. So just by
(27:32):
wearing a garment that is made from polyester, you're breeding
that into.
Speaker 1 (27:38):
Can I ask about cleaning cloths? So the paper towels
thing I found very surprising, and microfiber cloths have microplastics
in them as well. That is pretty much what we
use to clean things in my household. Like what should
we be buying instead?
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Yeah, so it's a really good question. So for me,
I love using Swedish dishcloths. They're made from a plant
based cell you and they will wipe down my benches,
they will do everything that a paper towel does, and
then I just wash them with my tea towels as well.
When I did move away from using paper towels and
using things like wetexes and chuses that also have plastics.
(28:14):
I noticed that my teatowel consumption went up, but my
teatowels are made from linen or cotton, so that's fine,
and I'm just washing them and reusing them more. And
then when it comes to cleaning my dishes, I have
a it's almost looks like chain mesh. It's a stainless
steel scrubber. So that's to clean all of my kind
of cast iron pots, and then to clean everything else,
(28:37):
I use this funky spaghetti scrubber that's actually made from
peach pits. And what it does is it's got an
abrasive surface to it, and then it cleans all of
my dishes.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
Wow, oh my gosh. Okay, if I'm going shopping after this,
I feel like another area that I found really interesting
in the book. And you talk about like cleaning products
and the chemicals that we're using to clean, and you
have a section called the Mighty for cleaners. Can you
talk about what they are and just some simple swaps
(29:12):
that we can do for how we clean our clothes,
how we clean our dishes, and how we clean ourselves.
Speaker 2 (29:18):
So it's a great one because I feel like, as
I mentioned before, I do not love cleaning, but I
do clean, of course. And it's estimated that in Australia
we have thirty different cleaning products in our cleaning cupboard
and I don't even know what that is to clean.
There are so obviously with a lot of things to
clean in our house, but we don't need thirty different
(29:40):
cleaning products. Not only are a lot of cleaning products
like a bathroom cleaner and a kitchen cleaner often made
with the same ingredients, but there's often a lot of
chemicals that are unnecessary in this And when we clean
our shower screen or when we wash our dishes with
a dish washing liquid, we're inadvertedly going to be breathing
in that steam from the shower screen. We're going to
(30:03):
be eating off those dishes, so we're going to be
eating and consuming those chemicals, and for me, that's something
that I don't want to be doing. Also, the cost
of all of these items, and if you look at
the back of the pack of a lot of the
cleaning products, you'll actually see that the number one ingredient
is water. So we are shipping around the world and
around Australia a whole lot of water in bottles. So
(30:26):
for me, the Mighty four or the Powerful four is
for ingredients that I think that ninety percent of households
will already have in their cupboard, their low cost and
the best thing is their multi use because so many
of the different things that I talk about in the book,
it's all about coming back to not buying so much stuff.
So in the four are lemons is to any kind
(30:48):
of citrus, so it could be orange as lemons, limes,
it is, bicarb, soda, white vinegar, and castile soap. And
using these items, either individually or in combos, I think
can clean pretty much your whole entire house. I did
a video the other day showing three different ways to
use lemons. One of my favorite things to do when
(31:08):
I've kind of squeezed every last ounce of a lemon
up is I put it in the kettle and I
boil it. And what this does is it actually descales
your kettle completely literally by just boiling it and leaving
it in there. The same with if you wanted to
get all of that grease out of a oven or
a microwave, you just put a glass bowl with a
(31:28):
lemon in it and water and you cook in the
microwave or cook in the oven, and that actual citrus
that comes out of there then acts as a natural degreas,
So then you don't need to use any elbow grease
and you can just wipe away your microwave or your oven.
The other one with lemons is it's really great to
kind of clean and sanitize all of your wooden chopping boards.
(31:50):
And also you can pop it in the a squeezed
half lemon in the top rack of your dishwasher and
it acts as a natural rinse. Aid.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
Oh, that is nuts. How about for clothes washing, like,
which of those four ingredients or a combination should I
be putting in the clothes washup? And I do wash
with cold water, not hot, because I know that has
a massive impact on the planet and the power bill
as well. So what should I be putting in?
Speaker 2 (32:15):
Big tick for you then for doing that. So white
vinegar is something that is going to soften your laundry load.
So if I'm washing towels or sheets or anything like that,
white vinegar is what I'm going to do. You can
also again add lemons because that's going to help get
rid of those yellow stains. But when it comes to
washing my clothes, I actually use a thing called soap
(32:35):
nuts or soap berries, and what they are is they
are quite literally what they sound like, a little berry
or nut. You put four in a bag into your
laundry and what happens is when they touch water, they
release a natural soapnin that cleans your clothes. So there's
no chemicals, no nasties, They're completely natural. And then you
(32:56):
just let the soaps or the berries dry in between
each use, and then you use them four times, so
four berries four times, and then you just compost them
when you're done.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
Okay, how about the dishwasher, because I know you're actually
an advocate of the dishwasher over hand washing lots of
things like filling that you sink to do. So like
what do you put in the dish washer? Because right
now I use those little dish washing pods and I
now know after reading your book that is a nightmare
for the environment.
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Yes, because of that little dissolvable layer around your dishwashing
at tablets is one that is actually going to be
made with plastics probably, So when it comes to actually
cleaning and using the dishwasher. You're right, less water is
used if you use the dishwasher than actually hand washing
each of our dishes and plates. So for me, I
(33:48):
use a dish washing powder that's mostly made of a
bicub soda. I use a brand called Kinkin, which is
just a natural brand that you can buy online, and
that's the dish washing powder that I use, and then
it's just happy days. But again, I'm only washing full
loads in the dishwasher, And the only time where the
stat doesn't work about its saving water by using the
(34:10):
dishwasher is when you pre rinse every item before you
put it in, so no rinsing.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Now, I would love to know, out of everything we've
discussed today on maybe something that we haven't like, what
is just one change that you would recommend that people
make today that will have a really big impact.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
So it's really difficult because I hate being prescriptive because
everyone's leading different lives, everyone's at different stages in their
sustainability journey. So I think one thing would be to
go and do that thing that you've been meaning to do,
because I believe that everybody's got that thing that's kind
of on their bucket list or they've been thinking about.
I don't know, getting a more energy efficient appliance, or
(34:52):
walking to work more or doing something like that. But
if I was going to tell everybody a second thing,
it would be to eat what you've got left in
your fridge. For me, I don't go to the shops
once a month, one week every month, and I just
eat whatever is in my fridge, my freezer and my pantry,
and I've never gone hungry. There is always something that
(35:14):
I can create there. So for me, that would probably
be the biggest one. It's going to save you a
ton of money and the planet at the same time.
Speaker 1 (35:21):
Lottie, thank you so much for all these tips. I
feel like you make like having a better impact on
the planet and also just on saving money, like you
make it so easy and so practical. So thank you
for writing a brilliant book and for your time today.
Speaker 2 (35:39):
No, thank you so much for having me, and I
really appreciate it because it is that thing. I'm just
trying to make living sustainably something that we can all do.
I don't think it's up to a handful of individuals.
I just think that every person can be doing just
a little bit more than they currently are.
Speaker 1 (35:54):
I hope you loved this chat with Lottie as much
as I did. I know that I will be making
sure not to leave my computer on standby mode at
the end of the day anymore. If you want to
learn more about Lotty, I highly recommend her book three
hundred and sixty five plus Ways to Save the Planet
and your money at the same time, and also check
(36:15):
her out on Instagram.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
The links to both are in the show notes.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
If you like today's show, make sure you git follow
on your podcast app to be alerted when new episodes drop.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
How I Work was recorded
Speaker 1 (36:27):
On the traditional land of the Warringery people, part of
the Cooler Nation
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com