My Bargain Denim Jacket’s from Charity Thrift Shops, to support Sustainable Fashion Choices

Everyone loves a denim jacket right? To me it is a staple item in my wardrobe, especially in my Spring and Summer wardrobes. I just love a denim jacket as a lighter jacket alternative esp on a cool evening, when no coat would be a bit cold and a full jacket would be too warm. Denim jackets to me bridge that gap perfectly. So it’s no wonder when I visit Charity Shops and Thrift Stores, that the denim jackets always catch my eye. Let me share with you these bargain second-hand denim jacket finds I couldn’t resist…

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My top thrifty charity shop finds, as I take part in #SecondHandSeptember pledge to only buy second hand clothes to support ‘Sustainable Fashion’ awareness

‘Fast Fashion’ is a fast growing problem in the world today, as lots of people throw away clothes into landfill even though it may still be wearable – to plenty of others if not to them anymore. That is why I’ve always been a supporter of ‘charity shops’ what we call our second hand shops here in the UK (and I always visit ‘thrift stores’ the US version of charity shops when I visit the States too).

So I want to share with you my ‘top finds’ this month while shopping in lots of second hand shops, esp because if you have read my post #SecondHandSeptember Challenge not to buy any brand new clothes for 30 days, to help encourage ‘Sustainable Fashion’ in a ‘Fast Fashion’ world you will know about the pledge I took with Oxfam to only buy second hand clothes for the 30 days of September. If not, here is what ‘Second Hand September’ is all about:

#SecondHandSeptember Challenge not to buy any brand new clothes for 30 days, to help encourage ‘Sustainable Fashion’ in a ‘Fast Fashion’ world!

September is my favourite month of the year as it is my birthday month – yes that’s right I pace out my celebrations to span over the whole month (it suits me that way due to needing to pace for chronic illness reasons, but really I don’t even need an excuse to be more than happy to stretch out the fun!) However, this year I have something else I’m doing this month and that is ‘SECOND HAND SEPTEMBER’! Which means I have pledged to say no to buying any new clothes for the 30 days of September and just buy second hand ones instead. “Why?” you may ask, so let me fill you in, on the problem of clothes landfill… (like what I did there? I love a play on words me 😉 heehee)

Did you know that the UK has more brand new clothes brought every minute than any other country in Europe? Each minute TWO TONNES of clothing are brought in the UK!

– Oxfam Website statistic

#SecondHandSeptember is an Oxfam initiative to only buy second hand clothes in September, to try and make fashion more sustainable and for ‘fast fashion’ to have less of an impact on the environment and for us to have an impact on the landfills by us reusing and not throwing away, and buying second hand not brand new. Let me share with you their explanation of their reasons why this is an important part of our ‘buying’ culture, that we need to pay attention to & how we can help reduce fashions carbon footprint:

Product Review: ‘Anayah Natural Skincare’. 100% natural, organic and handmade.

When using natural beauty products it’s a great idea to follow different brands on their social media channels. Then not only can you keep up to date with their current products and new products being launched, but you also get to see their offers, promotions and competitions too.

A local natural product company I follow is ‘Anayah Natural Skincare‘ based here in Birmingham UK, but available to order online. They ran an Instagram competition to win free samples – so I entered and guess what, I only went & won! 👏 (So the reviewed products below were gifted to me as part of their online competition.)

‘WORLD EARTH DAY’ – What is it & how can I join in by making changes to my plastic use?

Happy ‘WORLD EARTH DAY’

April 22nd is ‘World Earth Day’ which grew out of this day in 1970 when millions went to the streets to protest things like pollution, pesticides use and other global ecological awareness issues. Below is a quote from the president of World Earth Day to know more about the origins of the day:

“It is a day of political action and civic participation. People march, sign petitions, meet with their elected officials, plant trees, clean up their towns and roads. Corporations and governments use it to make pledges and announce sustainability measures. Faith leaders, including Pope Francis, connect Earth Day with protecting God’s greatest creations, humans, biodiversity and the planet that we all live on.”

– Kathleen Rogers, President of World Earth Day. (Quote from www.earthday.org)

David Attenborough Quote to encourage people to look after the planet

The power of words! Everyone loves a good quote, right?

Well, I must say I’ve rather enjoyed taking part in a ‘‘3 Day Quote Challenge’ with choosing a new quote to share each day and explaining my reasons for choosing it. I love to have fun with words, I love sharing and I love encouraging others – the perfect challenge for me! 😉

As today 22nd April is ‘World Earth Day’ I felt it appropriate to choose a quote from ‘Mr all things nature’ himself, Sir David Attenborough:

Top Choices for Reusable Hot Drink Cups! Handy comparison guide and tips how to cut single-use plastics and enjoy your coffee the environmentally friendly and non toxic way…

When it comes to coffee I’m really not your girl – I dislike the smell and the taste! (Sorry, not sorry!) However, when it comes to changing your habits of using plastic cups, lids and other non-biodegradable materials and not knowing how or where to find natural alternatives – I am most certainly your girl for the job! So, I got to work and made this handy comparison list for reusable cups, flasks, and bottles for your hot drinks on the go.

 

I put together these top choices for when you are looking for a reusable hot drinks cup for yourself or a loved one (as they make a great practical gifts too!) The best part about it is you get to reduce the amount of single-use plastics being used as you make the switch to reusable. = Top marks from David Attenborough if you need more persuasion to make the switch, after all who can resist that national treasure!

 

Top Comparison Guide for Reusable Hot Drinks Cup options!

HAND CARE the NATURAL WAY! Looking after your hands by washing them the non-chemical way! Natural Hand Wash product reviews.

When it came to replacing products around my house from the ‘normal’ chemical-based products to natural chemical-free products, one of the first things I swapped was my bathroom hand wash! So I had to write a post about the different natural handwashes I have tried and to encourage you to make the swap too!

Now, I’m the type of person who uses tissue in my hand to open the bathroom door in public toilets, that annoying person who reaches into her bag for her (chemical-free) hand sanitizer after shopping, in restaurants or after using public toilets even though I’d just washed my hands. Yes, that person – and I know everyone reading this knows someone in life who is exactly the same!

I thought I was being health conscious in doing this, but in reality, I was reducing germs on my hands but covering them in chemicals. I know now that isn’t healthier at all! Let me talk you through changing to a natural handwash and a few of my favourite ones I have tried so far.

“Stop being a Sucker!” The best way to STRAW SWAP the ECO-FRIENDLY way. An alternative plastic-straw guide…

“Stop being a Sucker!” The best way to STRAW SWAP the ECO-FRIENDLY way… including a list of options for straws in lots of shapes, sizes & designs!

If you’ve read my blog post ‘3 Tips when deciding to go Plastic Free’ (If not I encourage you to read it by clicking on the title) you’d know that the 1st step I took in reducing my personal plastic use was doing a straw swap the eco-friendly way… and you’ll be glad to hear, it is an EASY PEASY change to make, that anyone can do!

Just what’s the problem with plastic straws???

Some may ask why are plastic straws an issue? Esp if they are a person who isn’t up to date with all things climate change or takes much of interest into issues affecting wildlife. However, there are plenty of reasons to do this because of the risk and damage it causes to humans – so because of that care about yourself and your loved ones, instead of the planet or animals, then maybe your question might change from “Why?” to “How?”

 Why should I stop using plastic straws?

3 TOP TIPS when deciding to go PLASTIC FREE! Encouragement & advice to start making easy changes…

If you are thinking of going plastic-free or interested in reading why people are being encouraged to –  then read on for 3 top tips from someone who’s made the changes bit by bit and can tell you how as well as the why…

The problems with plastics have been covered in mainstream news coverage more and more recently; from piled high dumps full of plastics that will take hundreds and thousands of years to decompose, to videos of animals tangled in plastic being set free. From David Attenborough’s netflix documentary ‘Life on our planet‘, to Governments and companies announcing their commitments to reducing their environmental footprint.

So it won’t be so much of a surprise why so many people are now deciding to become “plastic-free” or at least try to be more eco-friendly in their choices, life styles and purchases.

This post is to help you identify small changes that we can all start to make, but that can all add up together to make a bigger difference. Hopefully this post shows that we can all do something and to make a start – let’s be the change we want to see in the world!