When A Teen Goes Green – Eco-positive living: a blog about among other things: zero waste, veganism, minimalism, vintage fashion, feminism, volunteering and other sustainable and social subjects

News + What You Can Do About It | July 2021

Mainstream news in The Netherlands is depressing. It has to be shocking, sensational and topical. Because of this news gets negative and people who only follow this news feel like the world around them is changing in a bad way. They lose trust in people and companies and they lose hope. Besides that, it makes people feel powerless. Yet, it has been scientifically proved that the world gets better every single day for humans. And so, I share 7 news-article once a month in these posts. A mix of positive and bad news, but mostly positive, to make sure that positive news has the upper-hand. Along, I share a practical tip on what you can do to change that news. This could be a lifestyle change, a petition to sign or a social media campaign to support, anything. To make you feel in power, because we are! This way you’ll know about the positive news, how to keep it that way, the negative news and how to change that!

Why The Hunger Games are a Reflection of Reality

Today I’m not writing anything practical or theoretical about sustainability or compassion. It’s more a philosophical thing I guess. A few months ago I re-watched one of my favorite trilogies; The Hunger Games Trilogy. I watched all films in two days, I just love them. The books are also my favorite, even though they’re fiction and I rarely read fiction. Anyway, the second time I watched this trilogy it got me thinking. That’s why I am writing about it today. My thoughts were: are The Hunger Games based on reality?

The Relationship Between Fast Fashion and Feminism

I think all people are secretly feminists. Feminists want equal rights for all genders. I mean, who doesn’t want equal rights for everybody? Some people think of something dirty when they hear the word feminist. I don’t understand this. And also, calling yourself a feminist is just the very beginning. It’s the first step and after that you can evolve your mindset and learn more. But feminism isn’t just about your values. It’s about actions too. Today I want to talk about feminism and it’s relationship to fast fashion.

Why Vegan Don’t Eat or Use Non-Vegan Rest Products

I try to live as vegan as I can. With food I have explained myself quite a bit already. I’ve written why I don’t eat meat, dairy and eggs and there is more to come. But I also am vegan on other aspects like clothing and cosmetics. I am simply against using animals for human pleasure, in any way. Therefore I don’t buy animal products. That’s clear. But what about by-products? Products that are the so called waste or rest product from the animal product industry. Things like animal fat or leftover leather. Why don’t I use/eat those?

The most fun and sustainable hotspots in Texel

The holiday season has started in The Netherlands and since the amount of COVID-19 cases was heavily falling my family and I went on a holiday. We did stay within our own country, we went to Texel, one of the Dutch islands. That feels safe because of COVID-19 but going on a holiday nearby can also be quite sustainable. That’s why I am writing a full post about the island today. I want to show you that a sustainable holiday can be a lot of fun!

My Sustainability Journey: from Details to Big Impact

I started this blog 5 years ago. That’s because I then started taking steps to make my lifestyle sustainable. Over these 5 years I have learned a lot. And so, my mindset and behavior has changed. I dare to say that I am a completely different human now than when I was at age 16/17. In a good way if you ask me! At first my sustainability behavior was very random but I’ve evolved. Today I want to discuss how I’ve gone from focussing on the details to focussing the big picture.

News + What You Can Do About It | June 2021

Knap voor een Dik Meisje by Tatjana Almuli

It’s crazy how many blind spots I keep discovering over the years of reading non-fiction books. I keep learning about the world around me. And even more important: about the people around me. I keep learning about different perspectives. Today I want to talk about fatshaming, body neutrality and fatphobia. The book ‘Knap voor een Dik Meisje’ (translated: pretty for a fat girl) by Tatjana Almuli was the starting point for opening my eyes. Today I’ll tell you more about the book.

Basic Hummus Recipe

Bread. It’s a typical Dutch thing if you’d ask me. Dutch people eat a lot of bread. For breakfast, with lunch, inbetween. Weekdays, weekend days. Bread seems to be the basis of the Dutch diet. Add cow-cheese to it and there it is: your typical Dutch lunch. And so, since I’ve gone vegan I made some adjustments as to what I eat on my bread. One of them is hummus! Hummus is like the ultimate go-to for vegan sandwiches. If there’s a vegan option in a mainstream lunch cafe it’s hummus 99% of the time. It’s easy to make and can go with any bread. For breakfast, during lunch, on toast or even with dinner. And that’s why I am sharing the basic recipe for hummus that I use.

Sustainable and Ethical Behavior is About Compassion

Over the years of living a sustainable lifestyle (or at least trying to) I think I have learned why I have never given up. I am still determined to live my best life. And for me, the best life is the most sustainable and ethical life. That’s the base. I think I am not giving up because I keep growing in this journey. And because of that there is one very important lesson which makes me continue: a sustainable and ethical lifestyle is about compassion. The core of this lifestyle is compassion and that’s why I would never quit alltogether.