Romee Hoeksma

What is an eco-positive lifestyle?

Note: this is an old post. Due to a technical bug, nobody could open it. I am hoping now that I’m re-posting it, it will work this time.

An eco-positive lifestyle, it’s the lifestyle I thrive. It’s in line with my values and it makes me happy. I’ve written about it a lot, since it’s the subject of my blog. I I try to give tools and information so that an eco-positive lifestyle becomes tangible. I feel like it would be best if we’d all thrive to live eco-positive. But never have I dedicated a blogpost on what an eco-positive lifestyle actually is. That’s what I’d like to describe today. What is an eco-positive lifestyle?

Amsterdam to Budapest by Train

If I remember correctly, I took my last flight in 2018. After that last flight, I decided to stop flying to holiday destinations, as we’re in the middle of a climate crisis. However, that does not mean I won’t go on holidays at all anymore. The contradictory is true! And so, this past summer I went on a holiday again, to Budapest. The most sustainable way to travel there is by train (leaving biking and walking aside, haha). And so that’s what I did. I traveled from Amsterdam to Budapest by train. In this post I’ll tell you all about that journey.

Have I Lived Eco-Positive the Past Year? 2021/2022

Yes! Another year has passed and so it’s time to measure how I’ve done. If you’re wondering: no, it’s not actually a new year, it’s still September. But I once started measuring whether I had lived eco-positive the past year in September and since I do this on a yearly basis, I keep doing it in September. It’s the big moment of truth for me every year. Have I lived eco-positive this past year? Edition 2021/2022. Let’s find out!

News & Personal Impact | August 2022

Mainstream news in The Netherlands is depressing. It has to be shocking, sensational and topical. This way news gets negative and people feel like the world around them is changing for the worse. They lose trust and feel powerless. Yet, sciences proves it over and over again: the world is getting better every 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 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!

Finding Vegan Restaurants: HappyCow

Past Monday I came back from my holiday. I traveled to Budapest with my partner and two friends (the coming weeks I’ll tell you more about the traveling itself). Today I want to talk about another sustainability aspect while on the road: vegan food. I personally find the Netherlands a walhalla for vegan food (but we can do much better) and I know where to look for vegan food. But in other countries this can be tricky. Luckily there’s an amazing website/app for finding vegan restaurants: HappyCow.

Cynicism is Easy but Wrong

If I had to categorize all the reasons why people do not act on the facts they know, live a sustainable or eco-positive lifestyle, cynicism is definitely the biggest reason. There are many things I say about cynicism, but there is one feeling predominant. Cynicism is easy, it’s a reason to be lazy. But that does not make it morally right. Today I’ll tell you why I think cynicism is easy, but wrong.

5 Ways to Volunteer in Your Own Time

When I talk about volunteering with someone, people usually think of organizations where they can do something. Think of the food bank, the animal shelter or a local school. That’s great and I’ll soon write something about those options. However, you can also do something on your own terms. This way you’re not bound to specific times. There’s a lot we can do without these organizations. Today I’ll tell you about 5 ways to volunteer in your own time.

My Experiences with Getting Off The Birth Control Pill

About 11 years ago, when I was about 12 years old, I started taking the birth control pill. My doctor recommended it to me and my mom, while we were at her practice. She recommended it because I had quite severe acne and that made me very unhappy. After some years the acne went away but I stuck with the pill as a contraceptive. In December 2021, last year, I started doubting it. Was the pill still right for me? I decided to test it and quit taking it. Today I’ll tell you about my experiences with getting of the birth control pill.

News & Personal Impact | July 2022

The 9 Planetary Boundaries

The past 3 years I have followed a pre-master in Earth and Economy and a master in Environment and Resource Management. And up until now, I mostly wrote about sustainability and an eco-positive lifestyle in the personal sphere, as I believe that we all have a share making the earth a happy place for everybody. However, as I gained my master in science, I feel like I can also share more about sustainability on a global level. Today I am starting with the ultimate base, the 9 planetary boundaries.