This is my humble effort to reduce my plastic consumption and waste for Zero Waste Week 2022.
My health has been challenging with a painful right shoulder.
My health has prevented me from typing, walking and my anxiety has prevented me from visiting Zero Waste Shops and facilities.
I hope to support the Zero Waste Week 2022 movement with a translation in Urdu and more visits to Zero Waste Shops next year.
Below is my brief summary of my Zero Waste Week 2022
Introduction
We focus our campaign around small steps and a daily challenge. We’re going to start with something that’s already become a really popular habit and those on the journey for a while are pretty much bound to have already mastered.
Our challenge today is to start at the beginning of the Refill journey with coffee cups, lunch boxes and water bottles.
If you regularly use a Refillable coffee cup and water bottle or you take a homemade packed lunch when you go out and about your challenge today is to encourage others to do the same and share the story of your trusty reusable coffee cup/lunch box or water bottle and I’ll share mine.
Credit and Source: Zero Waste Week UK
Day 1 of #ZeroWasteWeek, I'm still sharing photographs of my re-usable masks, my reusable fair trade cup and shopping bags.
Today’s challenge is to find one product (or one more product – if you already refill some things) in a location nearby or via one of the online refill businesses.
Ecover Washing Up Liquid
I forgot to take photographs of the Zero Waste Shops I visited and will post them soon.
Three pieces of litter
Photos to be added
I am always reusing my pyrex dishes and IKEA covers.
Photos to be added
Over the past 5 years I have discovered, tried and tested many zero waste bathroom alternatives.
I'm still using the following zero waste bathroom alternatives.
Organic Loofah instead of a plastic one
Organic handmade soap instead of hand wash
Herbal Tooth powder instead of toothpaste
Bamboo Toothbrush instead of plastic tooth brush and
Miswaak (cleaning twig made from the Salvadora persica tree)
and
Organic Herbal Shampoo.
Flux period proof underwear, sustainable, eco-friendly, no nasties,
reusable and washable
Flux reusable underwear made from Tencel
Bloom and Nora reusable sanitary towel
What’s your top tip to share with anyone wanting to get started with your Zero Waste Journey?
This year I have started to cook more of my mothers healthy meals.
Hearty chicken soup
Gluten free pancakes with berries
I've taken an active interest in gardening and taking care of house plants.
Growing and taking care of house plants
More house plants
I completed the IKEA Sustainability Live Lagom Programme.
Me at the IKEA Tottenham Store
Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that my application to attend the IKEA Lagon Live Sustainability Programme would be successful.
Lagom translated in Swedish means 'just the right amount.'
This year I was happy to be selected with 4 other participants in London and attended the induction session at the Tottenham branch.
Here is my summary of the sessions I attended.
Time table of sessions 2021 - 2022
Sessions 2021
October 19th - Induction session
November 16th - Cosy Homes
December 7th - Sustainable Christmas
Sessions 2022
January 18th - Waste Not Want Not
February 15th - Re-love, Re-use
April 4th - Get Growing
Tuesday 14th June - Journey to Zero Waste
It was exciting to go behind the scenes at IKEA and the staff meeting rooms.
We were participants taken to a large meeting room were Tayyab and Ahmad our lead mentors talked and presented a two hour presentation about LAGOM.
We were asked to complete a worksheet about our goals during the programme.
My goals
LIVE LAGOM: Tell us about your household?
Where there any lifestyle changes you made during lockdown and after?
Did you find to easy to make sustainable choices?
LIVE LAGOM: Tell us about your household?
What would you change to live a more healthy and sustainable life at home?
Where do you see you home lifestyle in 6 months time?
Lagom Live Induction and Quiz
The induction began with introductions with Lagom leaders and the other participants.
AGENDA
Meet me - Lagom Leader
Meet each other
Understand the programme
Explore our products
Workshop dates
Question and Fika
Mostly to have Fun!
Q: What changed in your home last year during lockdown?
We all had a lively discussion what had changed with our lifestyles during the pandemic.
We were given the definition of Lagom and shown a short video about the Dotse family.
Great results for participants of Lagom Live over the years.
Our participants saved on Avg. per year per household
Electricity £74
Gas £55
Water £46
Food £1059
Total £1440
Energy Savings of 317.48kg CO2
Reduction in water consumption of 13.9%
Source: IKEA UK Lagom Live Programme
Reduction in household temperature 0.93 degrees Celsius
We were asked the join the Facebook Community Page which I did.
The Link to the IKEA Lagom UK Facebook page is:
QUIZ
Q1: Being Sustainable is expensive? FALSE
Q2: Glass bottles can be recycled indefinitely? TRUE
Q3: IKEA’S ambition is that by 2030, all of our products will be based on renewable or recyclable material? TRUE
Q4: Glass can be frozen? TRUE
Q5: All plant based plastics are biodegradable? FALSE
Q6: Healthy food is always sustainable? FALSE
Q7: What does COP26 stand for? Conference for Parties 26?
Q8: How much money on average per month does a UK household waste on food? 60 pounds
Q9: What is the best plant for purifying air at home? Peace Lily?
Q10: Turning your heating down by 1 degree can save you how much per year? 90 pounds
Q11: In 2019, how many products did IKEA recover and give a second life? 47 million
We were then told to have a look at IKEA's sustainable range and choose items up to the value 100 pounds.
Sustainable duvet cover
Zero Waste Cover
Peace Lilly's at IKEA
It was a cold a dark evening when we all reconvened for the Cosy Homes Session.
We were taken down to the IKEA shop floor to meet with head interior designer Alfonso.
Alfonso talked about the sustainability themes and designs used for the display rooms.
Here are some of the rooms and sustainability features he discussed.
The cupboards in this kitchen have been designed for consumers to see what foodstuffs are inside thus reducing waste and over consumption when shopping.
Easy to view cupboards that reduce waste when shopping
Recycling bins that can easily be accessible and stored away for convenience
Some of the furniture in this bedroom was designed for circularity and reducing waste and promoting upcycling
An air purifier a sustainable product, a new product introduced recently
This storage unit can be dismantled and reused again hence reducing over consumption and saving the planet, cutting down less trees
1. Turn the heating off before bed the house will keep warm all night.
2. Switch to timers
3. Use less water
4. Invest in good duvets
5. Invest in good led lights
6. Invest in good flooring, rugs, carpets
Tayyab asked us to choose Ikea materials and make our own draught excluder.
IKEA LIVE LAGOM VIDEO - MAKING A DRAFT EXCLUDER WITH LUCY
Many thanks to Tayyab and Ahmed for my IKEA Christmas Gift Bag.
Ikea candle, throw, timers and ginger biscuits
I celebrated supporting the Six Items Challenge with Labour Behind The Label.
چھ آئٹمز چیلنج 2022
لیبل کے پیچھے محنت کے ساتھ
Hello, Assalaam Alaikum, peace and blessings!
Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog.
I'm Sabeena, a social entrepreneur, fair trade campaigner and educator.
So here I am for the 10th consecutive year participating in the Six Items Challenge with Labour Behind The Label.
This blog has taken a long time to complete due to a horrible bacterial eye infection I've had since February.
This year the challenge commences 2nd March - 27th April 2022.
I'd like to begin this blog with love and gratitude for my beloved mother
Mrs Meshar Mumtaz Bano who returned to her maker April 2016.
Mum encouraged me to participate in the Six Items Challenge 2012 when she was first diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.
Miss you Mum!
السلام علیکم و رحمۃ اللہ و برکاتہ!
میرے بلاگ پر جانے کے لیے وقت نکالنے کے لیے آپ کا شکریہ۔
میں سبینہ ہوں، ایک سماجی کاروباری، منصفانہ تجارت کی مہم چلانے والی اور معلم ہوں۔
لہذا میں یہاں مسلسل 10ویں سال لیبر کے پیچھے لیبر کے ساتھ چھ آئٹمز چیلنج میں حصہ لے رہا ہوں۔
اس بلاگ کو مکمل ہونے میں کافی وقت لگا ہے کیونکہ مجھے ایک خوفناک بیکٹیریل آئی انفیکشن ہے جو مجھے فروری سے ہوا ہے۔
اس سال چیلنج 2 مارچ سے 27 اپریل 2022 کو شروع ہوگا۔
میں اس بلاگ کو اپنی پیاری ماں کے لیے محبت اور شکرگزار کے ساتھ شروع کرنا چاہتا ہوں۔
محترمہ میشر ممتاز بانو جو اپریل 2016 کو اللہ سبحان وتعالیٰ کی طرف لوٹ گئیں۔
ماں نے مجھے سکس آئٹمز چیلنج 2012 میں حصہ لینے کی ترغیب دی جب اسے پہلی بار میٹاسٹیٹک بریسٹ کینسر کی تشخیص ہوئی۔
I'd also like to congratulate Labour Behind The Label for their 20th year anniversary.
Labour Behind The Label is a campaign that works to improve conditions and empower workers in the global garment industry.
The garment industry turns over almost 3 trillion dollars a year.
Yet garment workers, 80% of them women, work for poverty pay, earning as little as 68 pounds a month.
Human rights abuses are systematic throughout the industry.
Poverty wages, long hours, forced overtime, unsafe working conditions, sexual, physical and verbal abuse, repression of trade union rights and short term contracts are all common place in the clothing industry.
It is an industry built on exploitation and growing under a lack of transparency that makes holding brands accountable difficult.
We are dedicated to changing this.
Source: Labour Behind The Label website
میں لیبر کے پیچھے لیبر کو ان کی 20 ویں سالگرہ پر بھی مبارکباد دینا چاہوں گا۔
لیبل کے پیچھے مزدور کون ہیں؟
لیبر کے پیچھے لیبل ایک مہم ہے جو عالمی لباس کی صنعت میں حالات کو بہتر بنانے اور کارکنوں کو بااختیار بنانے کے لیے کام کرتی ہے۔
ملبوسات کی صنعت ہر سال تقریباً 3 ٹریلین ڈالر سے زائد کا کاروبار کرتی ہے۔
اس کے باوجود گارمنٹس ورکرز، جن میں سے 80% خواتین ہیں، غربت کی تنخواہ کے لیے کام کرتی ہیں، جو ماہانہ 68 پاؤنڈ سے کم کماتی ہیں۔
انسانی حقوق کی خلاف ورزیاں پوری صنعت میں منظم ہیں۔
غربت کی اجرت، طویل اوقات، جبری اوور ٹائم، غیر محفوظ کام کے حالات، جنسی، جسمانی اور زبانی بدسلوکی، ٹریڈ یونین کے حقوق کا جبر اور قلیل مدتی معاہدے کپڑے کی صنعت میں عام جگہ ہیں۔
یہ ایک ایسی صنعت ہے جو استحصال پر بنائی گئی ہے اور شفافیت کی کمی کے تحت بڑھ رہی ہے جس کی وجہ سے برانڈز کا احتساب کرنا مشکل ہو جاتا ہے۔
ہم اسے تبدیل کرنے کے لیے وقف ہیں۔
لیبر بیہائیڈ دی لیبل دنیا بھر میں گارمنٹس ورکرز کی ان کے کام کے حالات کو بہتر بنانے اور فیشن انڈسٹری کو بہتر سے بہتر کرنے کی کوششوں کی حمایت کرتی ہے۔ ہم برطانیہ میں کلین کلاتھز مہم کی نمائندگی کرتے ہیں۔
ماخذ: لیبل کی ویب سائٹ کے پیچھے لیبر
The six items challenge means I choose six items of clothing to wear for six weeks.
Don't worry!
This does not include under garments or exercise gear. You can wear an endless supply of these. :)
This year I hope to up-cycle some of the clothes my mother purchased for me before she passed away.
It is a long term ambition to design a fairtrade slow fashion collection in memory of my beautiful mother Mrs Meshar Mumtaz Bano and support fair trade certified cotton farmers, sustainable and ethical producers.
My beloved mother was a great advocate for women's empowerment and education.
I believe she would have been happy and proud of me to continue my campaigning for the millions of countless individuals producing clothes and accessories in factories and workshops around the world.
Hopefully by the end of the Six Week Challenge I would have educated a few people and raised a few pounds/dirhams.
چھ اشیاء کے چیلنج کا مطلب ہے کہ میں چھ ہفتوں تک پہننے کے لیے لباس کی چھ اشیاء کا انتخاب کرتا ہوں۔
فکر مت کرو!
اس میں انڈر گارمنٹس یا ورزش کا سامان شامل نہیں ہے۔ آپ ان کی لامتناہی فراہمی پہن سکتے ہیں۔ :)
اس سال مجھے امید ہے کہ میری والدہ کے انتقال سے پہلے میرے لیے خریدے گئے کچھ کپڑوں کو بڑھاوا دے گی۔
میری خوبصورت والدہ مسز میشر ممتاز بانو کی یاد میں فیئر ٹریڈ سست فیشن کلیکشن ڈیزائن کرنا اور منصفانہ تجارت کے سرٹیفائیڈ کپاس کے کاشتکاروں، پائیدار اور اخلاقی پروڈیوسرز کی حمایت کرنا ایک طویل مدتی خواہش ہے۔
میری پیاری والدہ خواتین کو بااختیار بنانے اور تعلیم کی بہت بڑی حامی تھیں۔
مجھے یقین ہے کہ وہ دنیا بھر میں فیکٹریوں اور ورکشاپوں میں کپڑے اور لوازمات تیار کرنے والے لاکھوں لاتعداد افراد کے لیے اپنی مہم جاری رکھنے پر خوش اور فخر محسوس کرتی ہوں گی۔
امید ہے کہ چھ ہفتے کے چیلنج کے اختتام تک میں نے چند لوگوں کو تعلیم دی ہوگی اور چند پاؤنڈ/درہم اکٹھے کیے ہوں گے۔
Sabeena in London the Six Items Challenge 2022
with Labour Behind The Label, London, UK
black gold cotton kurta and black trousers
Six Items Challenge 2022 - my six items of clothing
Clothes for the fashion fast
Sabeena and the Label Behind The Label logo
Fast fashion is a term the fashion industry uses to entice consumers to purchase new trends, products and accessories every six to eight weeks. Some collections can be produced within a 12 day time frame.
Most of the products are cheap, poor quality and mass produced by workers in factories, work shops around the world.
Workers are paid low salaries, endure long hours and work in poor conditions to support their families.
Many are as young as 14 are the only bread winners and often forfeit the chance of a decent education and future
Many factories use hazardous chemicals to dye their fabrics and this water is discharged into rivers and the sea polluting eco systems and depleting fish stocks.
I hope to record vlogs in English and Urdu to raise awareness about garment workers over the next coming weeks.
Best regards to all the Six Items Challenge participants.
Love and regards
Sabeena X
فاسٹ فیشن کیا ہے؟
فاسٹ فیشن ایک اصطلاح ہے جو فیشن انڈسٹری صارفین کو ہر چھ سے آٹھ ہفتوں میں نئے رجحانات، مصنوعات اور لوازمات خریدنے پر آمادہ کرنے کے لیے استعمال کرتی ہے۔ کچھ مجموعے 12 دن کے وقت کے فریم میں تیار کیے جا سکتے ہیں۔
زیادہ تر مصنوعات سستی، ناقص کوالٹی اور بڑے پیمانے پر دنیا بھر کے کارخانوں، کام کی دکانوں میں کام کرنے والے مزدوروں کے ذریعہ تیار کی جاتی ہیں۔
مزدوروں کو کم تنخواہیں دی جاتی ہیں، طویل عرصے تک برداشت کرنا پڑتا ہے اور اپنے خاندان کی کفالت کے لیے غریب حالات میں کام کرتے ہیں۔
بہت سے لوگ 14 سال کی عمر میں صرف روٹی جیتنے والے ہیں اور اکثر ایک معقول تعلیم اور مستقبل کا موقع ضائع کر دیتے ہیں
بہت سے کارخانے اپنے کپڑوں کو رنگنے کے لیے خطرناک کیمیکل استعمال کرتے ہیں اور یہ پانی دریاؤں اور سمندر میں چھوڑا جاتا ہے جو ماحولیاتی نظام کو آلودہ کرتا ہے اور مچھلیوں کے ذخیرے کو ختم کرتا ہے۔
مجھے امید ہے کہ اگلے آنے والے ہفتوں میں گارمنٹس ورکرز کے بارے میں بیداری پیدا کرنے کے لیے انگریزی اور اردو میں vlogs ریکارڈ کروں گا۔
تمام چھ آئٹمز چیلنج کے شرکاء کے لیے نیک خواہشات۔
This video was recorded for the Six Items Challenge 2021
I've participated and attended more environmental, ethical and fair trade webinars.
How you can get involved and support Zero Waste
Start small....
Small steps and actions do make a difference.
Buy one fair trade or ethical product in your shopping basket and add more when you feel comfortable and have the budget to do so.
Join Zero waste, fairtrade and ethical facebook, twitter and instagram feeds for motivation and inspiration.
As a fairtrade campaigner and educator I usually buy fair trade chocolate and share with siblings which generally orchestrates a good conversation about food ethics and values.
Divine Mint Thins
Vegolino fairtrade pralines
Zero Waste week was founded by Rachelle Strauss in 2008 and began as a National UK Campaign.Campaigns last a week and take place annually during the first full week in September.
The campaign runs predominantly on social media and the website ZeroWasteWeek to reach a community of like-minded people who want to reduce residential or commercial waste, reuse materials and recycle as much as possible. The aim of the campaign is to help householders, businesses, schools and community groups increase recycling, reduce landfill waste and participate in the circular economy – in alignment with European recommendations and Directives.
This years hashtag is #ZeroWasteWeek
Credit and Source: Rachelle Strauss
IKEA Lagom Live 2021-22 Programme with Sabeena Z Ahmed
Six Items Challenge 2022 and Labour Behind The Label with Sabeena Z Ahmed
Plastic Free July 2021 Blog with Sabeena Z Ahmed
This month my right shoulder is still very painful and I have struggled to record this vlog and type this blog.
This month I supported fairtrade fortnight 2024 and celebrated Fairtrade's 30th Anniversary.
Here is my Easy Fairtrade Cocoa and Fairtrade Bananas Recipe which I baked for Fairtrade Fortnight 2024.
I have tried my best to translate this recipe in Urdu.
یہ ہے میری ایزی فیئرٹریڈ کوکو اور فیئر ٹریڈ کیلے کی ترکیب جسے میں نے فیئر ٹریڈ فورٹ نائٹ 2024 کے لیے پکایا تھا۔
میں نے اس ترکیب کا اردو میں ترجمہ کرنے کی پوری کوشش کی ہے۔
This month I supported fairtrade fortnight 2024 and celebrated Fairtrade's 30th Anniversary.
Sign up to get the latest on fair trade fashion.
I'm Sabeena Ahmed owner and creator of The Little Fair Trade Shop. I've been an individual associate member of the World Fair Trade Organization since 2011 and together with my artisans I bring you a bespoke collection of ethically sourced fashion & gifts.
© 2024 The Little Fair Trade Shop. “We love to listen to our customers and for this reason we would be delighted to hear from you if you would like a bespoke fair trade product made especially for you.”
The Little Fair Trade Shop Ltd
Registered in England & Wales
Company Number 08189489
