Chrystal

The significance of 1.5°C of warming

Chrystal Carbon Footprint, Climate Science, Global Warming June 9, 2020June 9, 20201.5 celsius, COP21, GHG emissions, GHGs, GISS, GISTEMP, Global Warming, HadCRUT4, IPCC, JMA, MLOST, NASA, NOAA, Paris Agreement, UNFCCC

One concept which confounds many people in discussions around climate change and global warning, is that a rise of 1.5°C could be significant. I’ve never known a single day in my life where there’s not been greater variation than that, let alone then talking about seasonal variations in temperatures. So it’s no wonder that an average increase of a paltry 1.5°C leading to disaster is a difficult concept to come to grips with. Let’s explore how much it could really mean.

Who needs self care? YOU do!

Chrystal Food, Personal Care May 26, 2020May 27, 2020beauty products, body scrub, DIY, facial cleanser, facial toner, food waste, Skincare, zero waste beauty

Soooooo, the novelty has probably well and truly worn off of this isolation bit. But we’re all going to stick with it and #stayathome because we care. We care about our elderly relatives; we care about our front line health professionals (and their families); we care about the grocery store workers and their families; we care about the planet and this short respite she’s getting. But somewhere in there, we need to also keep caring about ourselves. If we’re in the position to stay at home and self-isolate, we’re in a privileged position, no doubt about it. But that’s not to say it’s not wearing us down. So here are 7 super easy, helpful, and all-natural DIY skincare recipes that you can pamper yourself with. And you probably don’t need to leave home for most of the ingredients! You’re welcome! 😉

Is Coronavirus going to cause a viral awakening?

Chrystal Climate Change, Food, Health, Sustainability May 19, 2020May 18, 2020Avocado Green Mattress, COVID-19, Food Security, food waste, Meat processing plants, OnePoll, Recycling, WHO, working from home

Although there’s been plenty of images posted to social media by Fakey McFake and others, there are actually some real stories which demonstrate a silver lining to these unprec… uncer… downright scary times.

Coffee Cup Bamboo-zle

Chrystal Food, Sustainability May 5, 2020June 7, 2020bamboo coffee cup, formaldehyde, melamine, Reusable Coffee Cup, Stiftung Warentest

So you’ve got your ‘eco-friendly’, ‘sustainable’, ‘biodegradable’ bamboo (and __________and ________) coffee cup, and are keen to put it to use! What do you fill it with? Hot coffee. And here’s where we run into issues. The acidity and heat of the liquid will very likely cause carcinogenic chemicals to leach into the beverage!

Shrimp wrapped instead of shrink wrapped?

Chrystal Food, Oceans, Shopping, Sustainability April 21, 2020April 21, 2020chitin, chitosan, fibroin, Plastic waste, prawn plastic, prawn shells, shrimp plastic, shrimp shells, spider web, wood flour

When you think about prawn laksa, you probably don’t automatically start picturing the discarded prawn shell wrapped around another food item. But some scientists (and a teen from Australia) have been thinking just that!

Plastic is the environmental problem that just keeps on giving. But it can’t be disputed that it’s an incredibly handy material. So finding plastic alternatives which do the same useful tasks but don’t pollute our waterways (or bellies, after it’s been ingested by fish first), is high on the lists of people trying to help save the planet.

Top 10 Watch List – Quaranstream

Chrystal Climate Change, Climate Science, Emissions, Environment March 31, 2020March 31, 20202040, A plastic ocean, An Inconvenient Sequel, Before the flood, Blue Planet II, Climate change - the facts, documentary, Life after People, Merchants of doubt, miniseries, More than honey, Movies, series

Woman holding a remote control watching tv with a bowl of popcorn

By now we’re getting used to being alone. And by alone I mean you might be completely solo in your home, or you might be within your family or housemate unit. But either way, it certainly means no physical IRL contact with the outside world. So we’re relying heavily on social media, YouTube, exploring new indoor hobbies or reading. We’re going to throw some viewing suggestions at your this week. Read on for our Top 10 – related of course to climate change and our spectacular environment.

Top 10 Podcasts (learn stuff & stay sane in isolation!)

Chrystal Climate Change, Climate Science, Environment, Sustainability March 17, 2020March 17, 2020Alan Rusbridger, America Adapts, Amy Westervelt, Doug Parsons, Drilled, Fergal Byrne, Hot Take, Jay Siegel, Josh Dorfman, Laur Hesse Fisher, Maeve Higgins, Mary Annaise Heglar, Mary Robinson, MIT, Mothers of Invention, Podcast, Project Drawdown, Scott Breen, Sustainababble, Sustainability Defined, The Drawdown Agenda, The Guardian, The Last Environmentalist, The Sustainability Agenda, TILclimate

There’s no doubt we’ve entered a strange time on Earth. A global pandemic is sending panic, anxiety, impulsive buying, altruism, science-speak, ignorance, selfishness and selflessness all tumbling out of people’s mouths. Sometimes mixed with a virus. So what do you do when you’re housebound, maybe for 14 days, maybe all alone?? The internet isn’t the place you want to spend ALL
your time, lest your brain starts to actively dissolve.
Here’s a list of 10 of our fave informative, interesting sustainability/climate focused podcasts to flow through your auditory canal and tickle your tympanic membrane.

Top 10 NYC Sustainable Restaurants

Chrystal Food, Sustainability, YouTube Channel March 10, 2020March 11, 2020Billion Oyster Project, Blenheim, Clay, Common Ground, Grand Banks, Hearth, LIC Market, Lighthouse, Mayanoki, NYC, NYC restaurants, peacefood cafe, Pilot, Red Pipe Cafe, sustainable dining, sustainable lifestyle, sustainable restaurants

New York City sure has a plethora of eateries! It’s actually quite overwhelming! And being on your journey to a more sustainable lifestyle can add a complicating factor when looking for an ideal place for dining out. So we’re here to help! We’ve researched many of the restaurants who fly the flag for being sustainable, and have come up with this list: 10 of the Best. Read on for some of the best places to jump into and grab some sustainable, delectable nosh!

Breeding Vs Sustainability

Chrystal Carbon Footprint, Sustainability, Women February 18, 2020February 18, 2020children, climate anxiety, education, parenting, population control, sustainable parenting, thrift shop

parents and baby feet form the end of a bed

Population control is an increasingly common debate I’m seeing pop up on forums, FaceBook groups and the like. Some particularly hard line folks contest that anyone who is truly an ‘environmentalist’ or ‘fighting climate change’ or ‘leading a sustainable life’ is simply not going to procreate. But I have two delightful, tenacious, challenging little girls. And as an ‘environmentalist’ and co-founder of a company aimed at helping direct people along a path toward sustainability, I will not concede that having children puts me at odds with those things. In fact, the idea that climate change is bringing a far less comfortable world to live in for all the children of the world, is 100% motivating. And this is 100% necessary to grab hold of, instead of guilt at bringing children into this world. So, the idea of this piece is to look at taking a practical approach for maintaining a sustainable lifestyle for those of us who already have (or who will have) children.

Author: Chrystal