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Welcoming "Small" Into Our Lives
Franck Lopvet, an incredible author and speaker, believes that we are made of 98% energy. It builds up around us and is completely part of who we are, made of both conscious and unconscious thoughts and believes. It is like wearing a shield made of what we think is true, what we are afraid of, what we think we deserve and what we want, echoing in waves all around us.
And as energy attracts energy, each wave we send attracts a similar one : « I’m not good enough », « men are threatening », « bad things happen to good people », « you have to fight for everything you get in life » - you attract energy that matches what you send, and create your reality. Some people call it karma, others law of attraction or destiny. The ball point is that we create our world with our minds and hearts and therefor, also have the power to change it.
Just like our thoughts, our actions have repercussions. We are only now seeing the correlation between throwing a paper in the street and a sea turtle choking on a plastic wrapper somewhere in the pacific ocean. Each of our actions and thoughts have consequences, including the positive ones. We all have the power, as individuals, to make a difference in the world - simply by changing our mindset and actions..
HERE YOU WILL FIND OUR FAVORITE WAYS TO LIVE SMALL !
1# WHAT DOES THAT REALLY MEAN
LOUISE HERE !
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I'm so happy that you stumbled on our little corner of the web.
I hope this space serves you in your journey to a more mindful and sustainable life !
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Of course, one person refusing single use plastic straws or a cheap fast fashion shirt is not going to change the world. But thousands of people making these conscious choice at the same time ?
Just like our thoughts, our actions are echoing through the world. By inspiring others to follow more mindful lives, by inspiring companies to treat their employees better, by ins- piring clothes manufacturer to use greener methods, by inspiring meat farmers to watch after their cattle and food vendors to find solutions for their food waste.. One person can inspire change.
We all have a voice, and just by using it, the five million vegans in Italy have influenced supermarkets to offer almost as many plant based meals as animal product ones; the people of Iceland have pushed to ban toothpaste cardboard cases; the city of San Fran- cisco has created one of the biggest compost system in the world, avoiding thousands of tons of waste from getting dumped into landfills.
Choosing a more conscious lifestyle DOES make a difference. It avoids waste and des- truction, abuse and neglect. Choosing mindfully means that we are part of tomorrow’s world, part of a movement of likeminded people, who stand together across the globe to support change.
Our personal journey towards sustainable living started (and stays) with a general desire to reduce our waste and carbon footprint. And although we of course still make waste, and no, we do not have a jar to put our yearly trash in (we actually have a bucket), we have tried to build a consciousness around what we can do for the planet, in our every day life, and wanted to share it with you.
It starts with a little key elements commonly known as the 4Rs. Here's how to put them to good use in your everyday life :
2# REDUCE
Reducing the dance of new items that flows through our front doors means dealing with less waste, a plus for the world and for our finances. Instead of going straight for the shopping cart, we try to give a glance at the items we already have, and how they could be of service. Otherwise, clothes can be mended, tools can be fixed, and a lot more can be borrowed.
So before jumping into the car for the store, you can get that good old network going to try and borrow what you don’t have from friends and family. There are also apps that exist, like Mutum, which allows you to borrow and lend the objects you do not use everyday to and from others. Instead of buying a new drill to make a few wholes a year, you could borrow it from someone near you who does not need it everyday either. If everyone did this, the world would be much better off, and our lives a lot simpler !
3# REUSE
Reuse what you already have in the house before shopping, and if you need something, try se- cond hand first. By shopping second hand we get to reduce waste and give an other chance to perfectly good items. It is also a great money saver. Consuming less is learning to live with less ! And if you truly have to shop new, think quality over quantity. If you can surround yourself with fewer things, but better ones, you’ll find that they will pay themselves off in the long run, as you won’t need to replace them as often - and it will allow you to support a different, more conscious brand or company, making all the difference for you and for them.
4# REFUSE
Refuse to follow what companies tell us about needing three different oven cleaners and a sham- poo for each day of the week, and learn what works for you. A tremendous part of our waste co- mes from items we use almost every day such as cleaning products, beauty products and food, often overly packaged and loaded with unnecessary chemicals.
Just like us, our grandparents had to clean their houses and go food shopping, they simply did it in simpler and more efficient ways.. And we can learn from them ! We did not and still do not need buckets of different surface cleaners, we need one good one, and preferably, one we can refill. Learning to make our own products is incredibly empowering. Realizing we do not need to be a genius to make our own soap, face cream, or even sponges gives us the power to reduce our waste, choose exactly what ingredients to surround ourselves and families with and relearn skills that were used for centuries.
3# REPURPOSE
Repurpose as much as possible. When waste is unavoidable, the best way to deal with it, is to repurpose it. If the berries you bought in a store came in a plastic container, you can keep it for the next time you go to a farmers market and use it again, instead of tossing it to grab a new one. If you get a plastic bag at the store because you didn’t have your reusable ones, keep it for your kitchen or bathroom bin, giving it a second purpose. You get the picture ! A simpler life might just be a less wasteful one..
Living with less has brought us so much more.. Infinitely more time, an opening of our minds towards what we actually need and want in our lives, and adding the constant beauty of being fully present for it all.
Somehow living with less, living "small" has opened up our hearts and minds to so much more, that we couldn't imagine going back now !
I hope these words will bring you the comfort that living such a small life is nothing but small ! Hopping you can feel us support you, in your quest to better, simpler living.
We are all in this together ! xx
I'M LOUISE
Thanks for giving this a read ! I'm a writer, photographer & self proclaimed environmental warrior, excited to share solutions, ideas and recipes to bring sustainability into our lives.
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