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

Sticky Tempeh Barbecue Ribs

Last week I did not post anything on this blog due to personal circumstances. I had a post planned which was perfect for that week, but now maybe not so much. I am still posting it because I believe we will still have enough sunny weather in September in the Netherlands to do some barbecuing. Yes, today I am posting a recipe to be used when barbecuing. Sticky Tempeh Barbecue Ribs, I loveee those!

News + What You Can Do About It | August 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!

Have I Lived Eco-Positive the Past Year? 2020/2021

The moment of truth has arrived! Again! It’s time to measure the impact I’ve made the past year. My goal is to live within the earth’s capacity. Meaning that if everybody lived like me, we’d need 1 earth or less (as we have). I started calculating this score for the first time 4 years ago. I started with a score of 2.5 earths (while I was already a vegetarian, so before I started measuring it must have been like 4 earths or something. I was a disaster for our planet). The second year I went down to 1.7 earths and last year I had a score of 1.1 earths. If I go down this year, I will finally come to 1 earth or less. I am very excited for it and curious to see how I’ve done. I really think I have improved. Let’s find out!

Life Update: I’m Moving to Amsterdam!

It’s time for another big announcement, since my life will change quite a bit the coming weeks. Last year I wrote a big life update too, I was moving out of my parental house to go live with my boyfriend in Groningen. Today I’m reflecting a bit on this past year of living together and telling you about the next step. As the title says: I am moving again! This time I am moving to Amsterdam. Let me tell you all about it.

News + What You Can Do About It | July 2021

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.