My zero-waste hair care routine

I started washing my hair with only water three years ago. To be fair, I don't use water alone. Here is what I do:

1. Using my fingers I massage the scalp followed by a thorough brush twice a week, usually after my son goes to bed. If you are new to water only, scalp massage and brushing is key. Regular scalp massage and brushing helps to release the oil from building up at the scalp. It will be over a week before my roots start to look oily. Yay to washing hair less often!

My mum bought me a boar bristle brush after my Acca Kappa brush fell apart. I have read claims from others who wash with water only that boar bristles help move oil from the roots down through the hair with greater efficiency, but I can't say there was a huge difference between the boar bristles and a wooden pin brush.

The boar bristle brush is not my favourite as it's difficult to work through all of my hair (I have alot of hair!) and I can only guess it would suit those with less hair. Plus there is the whole animal exploitation issue of using boar bristles. There are vegan agave fibre hair brushes if you are looking for something similar to the boar bristle style. I'll continue using mine until it's broken then go back to a wooden bristle brush like this Holzstifte hair brush. Similar to my old Acca Kappa the Holzstifte is made of FSC Beechwood with a natural rubber cushion, making it compostable at the end of it's life if there are no adhesives used (I'll update this once Holzstifte get back to Biome who are chasing this information up for me). Only downside is the brush comes all the way from Germany. I would love to know if there are any similar hair brushes made within Australia or NZ.

2. On the day I wash my hair (about every 10 - 12 days) I'll take sprigs of rosemary, steep them in hot water until cool or an overnight cold brew the evening before. Transferring to a spray bottle I'll work it through my hair focusing on my scalp. Rosemary helps to remove any build up, reduces scalp irritation and alleviate dandruff while promoting hair growth. Plus it smells pretty.

Then I get into the shower, using my fingers to scrub at the scalp. I don't put anything into my hair like a conditioner since the natural oils in my hair conditioned perfectly well. It all sounds very lovely, washing rosemary through my hair la la la. Truthfully my son and I shower together, making it anything but a relaxing experience.

Once a month I like to use Ethique's Conditioner Wonderbar to add extra moisture too. Their packaging is compostable paper and cardboard. Being true to zero-waste I reuse the cardboard for writing lists or craft projects with my son, before I consider composting or recycling. One solid conditioner bar is the equivalent of five liquid conditioners, meaning I don't need much at all.

3. When I want to accentuate my waves I'll work through a teaspoon of linseed gel after the shower. Marshmallow root is useful with waves and curls too. Similar to the rosemary, I steep the marshmallow root in warm water, let cool and spray through my hair. The rosemary is collected from the garden or around the neighbourhood, while linseed and marshmallow root are sold at Friends of the Earth bulk store in Collingwood. Linseeds also makes a great egg substitute in cooking. I also share a homemade hair wax with the builder. Recipes for the hair wax and linseed gel are in my book. 

Boar bristle hairbrush, upcycled glass spray bottle that I've had for years, rosemary from the garden and a wide tooth comb for use post shower that I've owned since so long that I can't remember. 

Since giving birth my hair has lost some of its wave and volume, but that might be because I'm still breastfeeding. At least that's what a friend suggested. If you have knotty hair, marshmallow roots slippery properties help to keep hair tangle free. Simply spray on post shower. I still use a wide tooth plastic comb after a shower, especially if I'm putting linseed gel or my salt spray for a beach wave look.

The water only method was a movement I chanced upon by accident. We were tossing three avocado seeds into our compost each week and I began to wonder if there was another way to use them before sending to compost. I didn't expect to find a recipe for avocado seed shampoo. Over time I began decreasing how much shampoo I was adding until it was just the avocado seed water then simply made the switch to water only. I'm not sure if it was gradual reduction in shampoo or the avocado seed that allowed me to skip the whole greasy hair issue other water only washers experience at the beginning.

Prior to the avocado seed shampoo I refilled my shampoo and conditioner at the local bulk store. I used a shampoo bar like the brand Ethique when I travelled as they were light, before I knew zero-waste was a thing or that our obsession with plastic was an issue.

I did try the popular zero-waste no poo method of bicarb soda and apple cider vinegar. This never worked for me. The bicarb left my scalp red and sore, the apple cider vinegar didn't seem to do anything either. Rye flour was OK, but I have a lot of hair and I found it took a long time to get out.

When it comes time for a haircut I do let the hairdresser wash my hair with their shampoo. It's only a couple times a year so I treat it as a deep clean. My hair doesn't change and there is never a transition phase back. But this could be because the salon I go to uses gentle products. They are part of Sustainable Salons Australia. Sustainable Salons Australia help hair salons recover up to 95% of salon waste, diverting it from landfill through different programs. Think items like chemicals, paper, hair, plastics, razors and tools. Proceeds from selling materials such as foil goes to OzHarvest providing meals for the homeless. If your salon is not with Sustainable Salons Australia, let them know about this zero waste community initiative.

I was very nervous in the lead up to the photoshoot for my book. Part of me wanted to get my hair washed and blow dried, plus my makeup professionally done. But I decided to stick to what I do in my day to day to keep it authentic. I even went water only for my wedding day. When I have a speaking event or TV interview I'll usually style it straight or curl with my hair straightener. If I have time I'll use my blow dryer too. 

As my hair gets closer to wash day, I do need to sprinkle dry shampoo at the roots which is simply tapioca flour. It doubles as my face powder too. Usually by this time my waves have vanished.

Most of the time I wear my hair down or in a bun using a hair stick stick gifted to me by Saya Designs, braided, braids pinned up and if I have time a crown braid (my fave). The wood used to make these plastic-free hair sticks are from the large roots left behind from logging plantation sites in Indonesia. Their packaging is made of 100% recycled materials too. I love the hair stick because when when someone asks where my beautiful hair stick is from (which is often) it’s an opportunity to tell them about the issues with deforestation and mass production. Wearable activism, I like that.

The kind folk from Rubber Cuppy gifted me hair bands made from recycled bike inner tubes. They are a bit stiff at first but with some wear they begin to soften nicely. Rubber Cuppy are a Melbourne based reusable coffee cup company using old bike inner tubes as the protective covering around the glass. They are not selling the hair ties at the moment though. But they might if you ask!

I have hair ties collected off the street too, boiled to remove germs. If the thought of picking up hair ties sounds too germy then I'd recommend the Kooshoo a natural and biodegradable hair tie made of organic cotton and natural rubber, instead of the synthetic kind you'd find at most stores.

My upcycled hair ties, a Christmas gift from Rubber Cuppy and the beautiful Moonflower hair stick by Saya Designs

So why the water only? Why not just stick to shampoo & conditioner if your bottles can be refilled at the bulk store? Or at least shampoo bars?

When I started thinking about how much rubbish I was making (and leaving for the next generation) I also began to question everything I've told been is necessary. Turns out shampoo ended up being a product I did not need for myself. Simple answer to what people think will be a long winded reply. Zero-waste/minimal waste/low waste (whatever you want to call it) isn't purely focused on reducing rubbish, it's also about questioning the status quo. At least it is for me. Much of the stuff we use and bring into our lives is probably not needed yet we do it simply out of habit. I like to question those habits and hope to gently nudge others to do the same.

What kind of hair do you have?

To give you context, my hair is thin but there is alot, making it look deceptively thick. As I mentioned before it is wavy which means my hair is on the drier side as wavy and curly hair tend to be. My hair is naturally red but does have some henna colouring through it after I left it in too long when I was doing a conditioning mask with it. Henna is to messy for me and I'll continue to stick with the regular hair masks that I share in my book Waste Not. If anyone in Melbourne is looking for bulk henna visit Wholefoods on Lygon Street, East Brunswick. 

Fun fact, I used to work for a leading hair care brand. My hair was smothered and sprayed by a variety of products (I had a HUGE box of free hair products). It's been dyed many fun shades when they needed hair models. I loved it :) But I love my zero-waste hair care routine more. 

Our son's first birthday party

We celebrated our sons first birthday at the end of March...last year. It makes sense I'm posting this nine months later, right? I know, I know. It's almost the second birthday. Technically I did begin writing this blog post after his birthday, but the book promotion and talks, followed by writing another zero-waste lifestyle book has amongst other things, taken up some of my writing time. So here it is, better late than never. By the way, we did create rubbish....more than anticipated.

Invitations

Digital invitations were sent out via SMS using the location as the party theme. We invited around 70 people and 65 attended. Everyone was punctual with their responses however I did make the RSVP ten days before the party so we could plan what we needed accordingly. If you don't fancy using the SMS option try GreenInvite or even a private Facebook event.

Location

We are very lucky to be surrounded by parks and bushland where we live. I decided to utilise one of the local parks to host our sons party as it had BBQ facilities, toilets, water fountains and a playground. The Black Pearl Pirate Ship located on the Maribyrnong River in Aberfeldie provided the perfect backdrop and entertainment for free. Next to it was a pavilion with picnic tables and seats, meaning we didn't have to bring much from home apart from ourselves and the food.

Being the tail end of summer, we crossed our fingers the weather would hold out. It did by an hour.

Food and Drink

We served popcorn, fruit, biscuits, small baked goods, 'sausage' rolls and 'cheesy'mite folls, followed by a falafel station with bread, dips and salad. Everything was easy to grab and vegan. The day ended with a homemade cake.

It was the kind of food we wanted people to be able to eat while standing up and moving, because with younger kids adults are always rushing off making sure everything is OK and well, bigger kids are always moving. I didn't get any photos of the food, or many photos at all! My time was split between socialising and making sure nothing was flying away.

Everything but the biscuits and cake were purchased pre-made and this is when we ended up with plastic, some obvious and some sneaky. The Lebanese bread used to eat the falafel with comes in plastic, but we did try to purchase without. The owner of the bakery told us that if we were to buy the bread without plastic it would dry out by lunch time. We cringed and went ahead. It was only three bags (we quartered the bread) but still the decision was agonised over. The plastic is a soft plastic that can be recycled (ahem, downcycled!) through the major supermarkets recycling programs. Three bread bag ties went into my waste bin.

Our falafel and dip were bought in our own containers that we organised before the day. Nuts and popcorn came from local bulk food stores. We assembled a fruit platter but I think in the future we'll just serve watermelon as it was the only fruit devoured by everyone. The ingredients to make the biscuits and cake were purchased at the local bulk food stores too. My mother in law provided a salad to have with our falafels, and used tea towels instead of cling wrap.

Now the sneaky plastic came from our small baked goods. I had intended to drop off reusable plastic containers to the bakery the day before but simply forgot. I wasn't to worried at the time since I had seen cardboard carry boxes. When we took the empty boxes home after the party I noticed the inside  was shiny and I did the hot water test to see if there was a plastic coating. Sure enough there was. So I separated all the plastic (polyethylene) from the cardboard, took the plastic lining to the soft plastic drop off with the Lebanese bread bags and recycled the rest of the cardboard in our normal kerbside recycling bin. It was less than a handful of plastic but still, it was plastic and would have ended up in landfill during the recycling process.

The Builder accidentally dropped the esky carrying the beer and wine, smashing two beer bottles on the footpath. These were swept up and put straight into the bin at the park. This is kind of funny because the effort I went to find second hand plastic plates and plastic drinking glasses was done so we wouldn't have to worry about any of the children breaking glass in a popular public location.

Apart from beer and wine, there was a drinks dispenser from home full of lemonade, the same recipe from my book and used at our wedding. We had several glass bottles of water for guests to fill their cups up with too.

We set up a recycling bin for bottles and a small compost bin for any scraps too. 

Plates, cups and serving platters

We had regular plates for the adults and plastic plates for the kids, along with plastic drinking cups and wine glasses for the adults. As mentioned above I was trying to be cautious in a public area. I had the crockery plates from previous events on hand, so all I had to do was find the plastic kids plates and drinking cups. Luckily Savers had more than enough. Actually, I don't know if it is really lucky...goes to show just how much second hand plastic there already is. We've decided to hold onto these for future parties and loan out for friends and family to use. If you are in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne, feel free to get in touch should you like to borrow anything.

Extra serving platters and bowls were gathered from family and secondhand stores to. We used cotton napkins too. It was also a straw-free event but I did bring some of my metal ones from home just in case.

I will admit we are lucky to have storage space in our home to keep a lot of these party specific items. But we wouldn't hesitate to borrow everything instead of buy disposables. People are more helpful than we give them credit for so that's why I always encourage people to ask those around them to borrow and share. Otherwise buying from a secondhand store and returning is worth considering too as you can view it as a monetary donation while helping reduce waste.

In my book I break down how I plan for parties to help reduce relying on disposables through to planning the food to be bought and cooked. Using a piece of paper, usually a scrap of paper from The Builders invoices, i'll draw a line creating two columns. The first column lists each dish to be served, with second column used to work out how many plates or serving platters I need. This helps me work out if I need to borrow or buy extra, and whatever is needed will go onto my shopping list.

Related blog posts: My newborn essentials list and Baby shower gift ideas and Our Zero Waste Wedding

Decorations

The day of the party was VERY windy and it turned out the pirate ship was located in the windiest spot along the river. The linen table cloths, bunting and fun pirate decorations I had collected stayed in the car. We had a hard enough time stopping the wind from blowing the food away! It was a calamity but I can laugh now at all the effort I put into decorations for them to not be seen. At least for this birthday. When you have a party outdoors everything is at mercy of mother nature.

The pavilion next to ours was also hosting a party and they had balloons, single-use plastic cups and plates blowing around. It was hard to watch, especially being on the river. Another reason to avoid disposables.

Party bags

No party bags were handed out but we did encourage kids to take home as many cakes they wanted.

Gifts

We asked for no presents, but were aware some people would bring them. I've said before i'm not against presents, understanding people will bring them because some people are gift givers. And that's OK. Out of all our guests we received five presents, mainly champagne for us! But we were also happy to receive cuddles for our son.

The request for no presents was put into the SMS message like this:
We kindly ask for presents, your presence and a cuddle with the birthday boy is enough.

The gifts for our son were wrapped thoughtfully like this set of books in scraps of cloth and the leaves as the card and gift tag. Others wrapped gifts in old wrapping paper and even cloth bags.

To be fair, everyone knows the lifestyle we live so we didn't have to ever bring up the subject of wrapping paper with anyone. If you'd like to but don't want to offend anyone, try sharing a blog post or an image from Pinterest to your personal Facebook page to help pass on the hint you are trying to reduce your plastic and rubbish.

The party was easy to plan and this was because my son was turning one, so he had no say in what he wanted. Apart from the plastic, broken bottle and windy weather, it was a successful party. The party was also a learning experience, as are most things when we try them for the first time. We'll be better prepared for the next children's party which we might do when he turns 5. Hopefully my cake baking skills will improve by then and I can attempt a Woman's Weekly Birthday Cake. His 2nd birthday will be in the US visiting my family, and I'm excited for that.

Our son was happy, enjoyed his cake and we got to celebrate making it through the first year with our family and friends. A big thanks to my mum and dad who helped us get everything ready for the day and especially my mum, who saved the day with the cake. For anyone wondering, it was this banana cake recipe with a passionfruit glaze. The flour was substituted for a gluten free option and tasted great!




Btw, if you are wondering where the photos of the actual birthday boy are, we made the decision to not put photos of his face up on any social media, my blog or into my book. At the moment we'd prefer to let him have the choice where and how his face is used, and right now he wouldn't understand if we asked for his approval. People and media publications take content and images from this site, often without asking. We just wouldn't feel comfortable if they did that with his photo, amongst some other reasons. A personal choice we've made :).

Mainstream media the key to making zero-waste normal?

I have come to the conclusion that for zero-waste to become normal and mainstream, then we need to ask for help. Most of us who care deeply write to politicians and businesses (often) requesting them to propel this change through legislation, redesigning practices and packaging. While this is important (and please don't stop!) I'm wondering if we should carve out time for writing to another powerful group in the country:

The media!

In May 2017 ABC aired the TV show War on Waste reaching 4.3 million Aussies. It kickstarted conversations across the country with viewers paying closer attention to what they were throwing into their bins. The ABC's war on waste didn't end after the second series was shown this year either. If you pay attention you'll notice many programs and digital content created by the ABC are continuing to encourage us to rethink our plastic use and how much we throw away.

This is highly commendable and I applaud them for their commitment, but we all know the ABC doesn't have the viewership that commercial TV does. When the War on Waste hit our screens Masterchef on Channel 10 still out performed in viewers for each metro city. While the War on Waste was fantastic and necessary viewing, what we need is for these messages to make their way into more mainstream shows like The Block, Masterchef and even sporting events, because it turns out the most watched TV shows in Australia are our football Grand Finals....and a show called Australian Ninja Warrior?? I got the stats from ad news.

If we can convince these TV stations to weave messages to reduce plastic use, composting, rethinking food waste then this whole movement we are trying to push would pick up pace because it would appear normal. This would then lead to further changes by businesses if they see more consumers wanting to buy everyday items like food without all the excess packaging.

Let's look at our bins and what is making up most of it - FOOD! 40% of our bins are comprised of food scraps. That's almost half. When our food goes to landfill we are throwing away water and energy used to grow and ship our food, plus the farmers time and hard work. It's also a waste in landfill because the nutrients that could go back into the earth simply don't. Organic matter like food doesn't break down in landfill. It either becomes a liquid or mummifies, all the while creating methane a damaging greenhouse gas.

Related blog posts: Composting for all types of homes and Make your own compost bin

If TV shows like My Kitchen Rules, MasterChef Australia and The Block started integrating messages on food waste and composting (and plastic, because I think plastic packaging contributes to the problem in a big way!) we’d see change faster. It would help make the practice of diverting food from landfill a normal practice.

For instance The Block could make worm farms and composting a feature. How simple! Buying vegetables without plastic, reminding viewers that writing a shopping list will reduce waste can be easily integrated within the Masterchef dialogue. A visible food scraps bin so viewers can see the contestants putting scraps within. Then repeat these actions throughout the season so that by the end it looks normal.

Image Network Ten

It might seem farfetched, but then I never thought we'd ever see a TV show dedicated to a war on waste! If you think it's possible I'm going to invite you to help write emails, letters and comment on their social media letting the commercial TV stations to prioritise these messages.

Below is an example of a letter or email you can copy/paste with contact details:

To whom it may concern,

I'm writing to let you know that while I enjoy the TV shows produced, I would like to see an emphasis on waste education throughout your programs going forward. Some suggested ideas you could work into your TV shows are:

• Encourage composting and worm farms 
• Write grocery shopping lists to stop people from buying to much food and wasting food 
• Buy fruit and vegetables without plastic packaging 
• Using a reusable produce bag 
• Talk about reusable coffee cups 
• Include stories about repairing items that break instead of buying new

50% of the food Australian's waste is in our homes and household bins are made up of 40% food that could be composted. If all Australian's kept organics out of their bins then what we send to landfill could almost be cut in half. Since your TV shows are so popular I believe integrating the messages mentioned above would help Australians make some much needed changes.

If you would like to discuss further, I'd be happy to share more idea.

Kind regards,
(your name)


How to get in contact:

Endemol Shine Australia produce Masterchef and a range of other TV shows
Email: info@endemolshine.com.au

Channel 10
Email: contactus@networkten.com.au
Postal addresses: tenplay.com.au/contact-us

Channel 7
I was unable to locate an email
Postal addresses: sevenwestmedia.com.au/contact-us

Channel 9
No email only a contact form ninehelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-au/requests
Postal addresses: nineentertainmentco.com.au/contact-us


OR you can write a message to their social media too:

I enjoy watching (insert tv show here) but would love to see you help raise awareness on reducing waste especially food waste and teaching Aussies about how easy it is to composting/worm farms. 50% of the food Australian's waste is in our homes and our household bins are made up of 40% food that could be better used as compost. If all Australian's kept organics out of their bins then what we send to landfill could almost be cut in half. Since your TV shows are so popular I believe integrating the messages mentioned above would help Australians make some much needed changes.

Garage Sale Trail (without the balloons and plastic tape)

I was putting up my plastic-free garage sale sign today when a lady walking her dog commented how helpful garage sales are for passing on the stuff you don't use anymore. Most people know what a garage sale is and how good for the environment they are (reusing instead of buying new = less resource reliance and depletion = less waste), but how many know what the Garage Sale Trail is? The lady didn't and you might not either. In a nutshell, the Garage Sale Trail is...

“one BIG WEEKEND of garage sales that's happening right across Australia on October 20 and 21.”

It's like an Australia wide second hand party happening all over the country. Garage Sale Trail helps those thinking or planning on hosting a sale to advertise and have it placed on a searchable a map for people to find easily. Users are able to search a town or area of their city and plan out a trail of garage sales to visit.

The service is free with resources for not only households but also community groups, local businesses or even the street you live on if you are keen to get one going with your neighbours. According to Garage Sale Trail's website groups use it as a way to fundraise which I think is a great idea. If you are inspired to join up this year its not to late - simply visit their website to learn how to promote your garage sale like a boss this weekend.

Now, if you are joining the Garage Sale Trail this year (and why wouldn't you?) I'd like to make a request...please don't use balloons to advertise your sale. Often after garage sales balloons used on street signs and power poles can be forgotten. Street signs and power polls sit right next to our gutters. Those forgotten balloons will eventually end up in the gutter unless picked up or removed from the poles by people like me and gutters lead to our waterways where those deflated balloons can endanger wildlife. Yes, I know some are made of latex and will break down eventually. But unfortunately our wildlife don't yet know to wait until the balloons have degraded to a small enough size that would make it safe enough to swallow. You can read more at Melbourne Zoo on the dangers and alternatives to balloons.

And it's not only the balloons left behind, the plastic tape used to attach signs and those balloons mentioned above to poles also pose a serious threat and are often forgotten too. Most of the littler ending up in our waterways is by accident.

There is another way to hang a sign up alerting the neighbourhood about your upcoming garage sale and you can even add a bit of fun with cotton fabric. Want to see how I created mine?

I collect an old box, shone twine, jute or coir string (or hemp...anything made of 100% natural fibres), coloured pencils & pen (didn't end up using the pen), scissors and scraps of cotton or another 100% natural fabric.

I cut the sides of box and removed the plastic tape too. I'll keep the plastic tape rather than leave it on the cardboard to avoid it ending up in the environment.

I now have four individual pieces of cardboard. The two larger pieces can be used for the street signs and the others on the day of the garage sale as sign on tables.

Using my coloured pencils I write the details of the garage sale. With the scissors I add four holes in the middle top and middle bottom for the string. Seven holes were also added to the very bottom to thread the coloured scrap fabric through.

A close up photo of the very professional holes with the string threaded through.

And same for the fabric scraps. haha.

Now it's ready to hang up on a power pole. If you are looking to put your sign up on pole or anything with a smaller circumference move the holes the string are threaded through closer together. Of course you don't need any fabric or other embellishment if you don't want it. And don't forget to collect your signs after the garage sale.

If you know someone who are using balloons and tape ask them to collect after the garage sale and dispose of both properly.

Happy Garage Sale Trail, Australia! 

Pass on the stuff; pass on memories instead

My grandma's garden

My grandmother died last month. I'm still finding it hard to believe she is not here. Every other day I keep thinking I should call her for a chat, then realise I've forgotten she's gone. Even though we lived in different countries, I was lucky that I had a close relationship with her. After finishing high school I lived with her so I could get to know my grandmother better as our relationship was mostly conducted through long and expensive phone calls reserved for birthdays and Christmas. And I'm so glad I did live with her because I gained a deep friendship where I learned a lot.

This is the first time I've lost someone close to me. It hurts i'll never see her again and it hurts even more knowing my son didn't get to meet her beyond Skype video chats. The Builder and I had planned to visit next March just before his second birthday and it's now my biggest regret we didn't go sooner. I would have loved that memory of them meeting.

My sister and I inherited her small collection of jewellery but each time I look at her rings, all I think about are the moments lost and memories that will never be made with my son. While I have many of my own I'll share with him, there is something heart expanding about having the special people in your life meet one another. Losing my grandmother was a painful reminder that collecting stuff is not important. It's the people we love and the memories of these people we cherish, that make for a rich life. I'd happily trade her rings for one last hug. 

We might stick to our plans and make the trip to Arkansas in March (free air flights for children under two which is why I held off visiting for so long!) so I can say a proper goodbye and catch up with the rest of the family too. Our rough itinerary was to visit Little Rock to see dads family then onto New York where my brother lives and a stop off in San Francisco on the way home as the Builder expressed interest in visiting. Or it will be Dallas or Houston before coming back to Australia. It would be special to take my son for a stroll through her beloved garden. My book Waste Not launches in the US April 2 (7 March in UK) and If we do end up travelling I thought it would be fun to organise North American meet ups in those cities while we are there. 

In happier news, we are enjoying the warmer weather and getting excited about the Garage Sale Trail happening in a weeks time. Have you signed your garage sale up? This coming Sunday I'll be at Spring Into Gardening Festival doing a zero waste talk plus beeswax wrap demo and co-hosting the Waste Hub with Zero Waste Victoria. Come visit with your questions on how to reduce waste in your life. My speaking events are set for the remainder of the year. I just might be speaking near you soon.