Our long-time project finally came true! We managed to raise enough and make a donation to our favourite animal sanctuary – Dara Farm Sanctuary! It sure took us a long time to make this little project come true, but now it is over. We definitely …
Black Friday is here again. Millions will spend more than they can afford, buy more than they need, and create a ridiculous amount of waste!
As the last post on Plastic-Free July, we will leave you with various quotes on plastic. Learn and make a change!
We covered Plastic-Free July for the whole month and we hope that you found something useful you can apply in your life. There is always so much to do, but usually so little time. But if we find some dedication to start, then the change will happen. You just have to make a decision. Today’s post is a selection of quotes to motivate you to get up and start implementing the knowledge into action.
I was inspired by DiverBliss.com for this list. She had put together a wonderful selection of inspiring quotes. Some of them are really simple, but most of them are thought-provoking and show you the real picture. We can always do something, so this is your chance to be inspired now.
2. “There is no such thing as ‘away’. When we throw anything away, it must go somewhere.” – Annie Leonard, creator of film documentary The Story of Stuff
3. “It cannot be right to manufacture billions of objects that are used for a matter of minutes, and then are with us for centuries.”– Roz Savage
4. “I only feel angry when I see waste. When I see people throwing away things we could use.”– Saint Mother Teresa
5. “One of my big pet peeves is single-use plastic bags. I think it’s one of the stupidest ideas in the world.”– Philippe Cousteau, Jr.
6. “For all the environmental troubles single-use shopping bags cause, the much greater impacts are in what they contain. Reducing the human footprint means addressing fundamentally unsustainable habits of food consumption, such as expecting strawberries in the depths of winter or buying of seafood that are being fished to the brink of extinction.”– Susan Freinkel, author of Plastic: A Toxic Love Story
7. “Forget bottled water; tap water is just as good! Pour it into a reusable water bottle, and always have fresh water on the go without wasting plastic.”– Ashlan Gorse Cousteau
8. “Of all the waste we generate, plastic bags are perhaps the greatest symbol of our throwaway society. They are used, then forgotten, and they leave a terrible legacy. – Zac Goldsmith
9. “When plastics do break down, they don’t biodegrade; rather, they break into increasingly smaller pieces, many of which end up in the oceans as microplastics that harm aquatic life and birds.”– Dr. David Suzuki
10. “We are being choked to death by the amount of plastic that we throw away. It’s killing our oceans. It’s entering into our bodies in the fish we eat.”– Kevin Bacon, actor
11. “Pollution from oil and gas development, toxic runoff, and miles and miles of plastic trash foul the waters and threaten marine life.”– Frances Beinecke, author of The World We Create: A Message of Hope for a Planet in Peril
12. “You wouldn’t think you could kill an ocean, would you? But we’ll do it one day. That’s how negligent we are.”– Ian Rankin, author of several crime novels
13. “I often struggle to find words that will communicate the vastness of the Pacific Ocean to people who have never been to sea. Yet as I gazed from the deck at the surface of what ought to have been a pristine ocean, I was confronted, as far as the eye could see, with the sight of plastic.”– Captain Charles Moore, author of Plastic Ocean
14. “Waste isn’t waste until we waste it.”– Will.I.Am, musician
15. “Plastic will be the main ingredient of all our grandchildren’s recipes.”–Anthony T. Hincks
16. “Pollution is a necessary result of the inability of a man to reform and transform waste.”– Patti Smith
17. “Outright bans on plastic bags may not be the best solution, but education and incentives to get people to stop using them are necessary.”– Dr. David Suzuki
18. “I think, on a personal level, everybody, when you go through the checkout line after you get your groceries and they say, ‘Paper or plastic?’ We should be saying, ‘Neither one.’ We should have our own cloth bags.”–Woody Harrelson
19. “The most environmentally friendly product is the one you didn’t buy.”– Joshua Becker, author of The Minimalist Home
20. “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”– Robert Swan, explorer
Even though Plastic-Free July is over I hope you will carry the beliefs of the month into your every day. Stores are full of plastic, but also full of choices. Choose the glass jar instead of the plastic container. Choose cardboard over plastic. And choose no package over any kind of packaging.
Please read our other articles published this Plastic-Free July here:
Plastic-free July is here to make the useless plastic go away.
Plastic detox: deplastify your life.
Plastic-free beach Toronto thanks to Dora Attard.
We highly recommend checking out this wonderful website My Plastic Free Life.com. This is an awesome website with so much interesting stuff to go through. She has unfortunately stopped posting, but still, she put so much work into introducing her plastic-free life, so go ahead and take a look.
Do you have your own favourite plastic quote to share?
Cover photo by FLY:D
Be open and let the world inspire you. Dora Attard inspired us when we met her at Woodbine Beach. Please find out more about her work below.
We came up with a quick and short way of getting our messages out there. Let this plastic detox post be the first of its kind!
Most likely not, but July allows us to bring more attention to a (useless?) material, which is polluting our world in every field of the world.
We are literally drowning in plastic and most of it is absolutely useless. It found its way to our home as a wrapper around so many products. The main task of plastic is to offer a case in what we are bringing food home. Or something else like beauty, cleaning and household products, most of the things really. It almost seems pointless to talk about the useless plastic we are trashing daily.
It is a unique material with many benefits.
It is:
So all this makes plastic a valuable material for many functions. Ir provides environmental benefits, as believe it or not, it actually plays a critical role in the food industry. It helps to maintain food quality, its safety and helps to reduce food waste. Though it hurts us to see produce packed in plastic, most of the time excessive, it ables for the products to reach to the stores and our homes safely and fresh. Of course one can skip the plastic while buying local and visiting farmer’s markets. But as plastic is convenient, so is shopping at the grocery malls.
Even if we consciously are thinking of bringing less plastic home, it lurks in some little-known places. You can look around in your home, and not go that wild, as Werner Boote did. He bought out all the items at his home, which were made of plastic. And he set them on his lawn. Take a look at the photo and find out about the 2009 documentary here. So these are the most common items you can find at home made of plastic.
We all have most of these listed items at home. Can we live without them? Sure! Though it is difficult we can make wiser choices and eliminate as much as we can.
What we all can do to create less garbage, or at least bring less of it home, is to choose plastic-free items. Yes, not only products, which are wrapped with a material that is having a negative impact on our oceans and wildlife. But also products which are made of useless plastic. People tend to create more waste in high-income countries. So it should be also easier to implement the changes in such places. If you are in North America, when reading this, please do your part.
Here is a list of materials to choose over plastic:
Choosing these materials over useless plastic, which is so over-produced, because it is cheap and relatively durable, you will start seeing less plastic in your home. By choosing the above-mentioned materials you are already making the world a better place. A tiny step at the time. Based on where you are located the management of plastic determines the risk of plastic entering the ocean. High-income countries have quite effective waste management systems. So only a little will end up in the oceans. Worse is the situation in middle- and low-income countries. Because they are the main sources of global plastic pollution.
There are many easy swaps on how we all can start to cut plastic pollution. This is a small, but great step to make us feel good and do our part. Start with the basic manageable swaps, which are helping cut down the plastic use.
We suggest you start with the easier swaps, as listed above first and then move to the harder ones. Also, do not be afraid of reusing. This also helps to save items and helps to create less plastic. Some swaps are much easier to make than others — but you can definitely tackle the harder ones if you challenge yourself. Approach playfully and while looking for plastic-free options opt for cheaper options, so you can save more and buy other plastic-free items. Plastic-Free-July is here to provide much-needed information about (useless) plastic and how to avoid it.
Read more detailed suggestions from a wonderful article Learn Earth Easy has written and get more swap ideas.
We can’t help but notice as July is approaching that it is time to celebrate Plastic-Free July. We have a complicated relationship with plastic for some years. I mean we are not buying plastic things and if we want to buy something, we consider where it is made and of what it is made and then reconsider. The beginning was hard, but since we love challenges, we did it. It is the right moment to check the Plastic-Free July to-do sheet and be determined to keep your promises. Share THIS SHEET with your friends to make it more fun!
But on a more serious note, unfortunately, the trade-offs between plastic and substitutes are complex. As earlier said plastic is a good material to use in the food industry for example. As it is essential for the prevention of food losses, wastage, and contamination. Storage and packaging play a crucial role from harvest all the way through to the final consumption of the foods we eat. Even if some consider the final phase of packaging (from retail to home) to be unnecessary, it is likely it has played an important role in preserving food from the farm to the retail stage.
So, plastic may not be so useless then after all. And perhaps the main solution here is to close down plastic-producing plants. One by one. As otherwise, our best efforts seem like taping the crumbling wall with pieces of tape. Or should we do anything at all?
After watching this video – you will know more than enough about Tru Earth laundry eco-strips and you will be sold. We definitely are!
We have been throwing some challenges this year: Veganuary and volunteering. Perhaps you are ready for more?
Keto is referring to a diet that is low in carbohydrates but high in protein. While originating as a medical diet, its popularly is associated with weight loss.
The Key Dough was established at the end of 2019 in Toronto, Canada by Julie Sullivan. Vegan Very Much met the friendly and kind owner at the Cabbagetown Farmers Market in October 2020. During our nice chat with CEO Julie Sullivan, we introduced our work at Vegan Very Much, and our interest in reviewing vegan companies to our readers. As November was No-Buy Month, we were unable to purchase the tempting but healthy treats. Julie kindly offered that we choose a pack of Key Dough cookies (made from The Key Dough Mix) each, so that we can try and review them for our readers.
The opportunity to interview the founder of this fairly new establishment and share it with you is thrilling. Since we like food, we like to always explore this field. We hope you learn something new and purchase from The Key Dough. We can’t wait to hear about your first impressions.
Kerly tried them first with herbal tea in hand. Her first impressions are as follows:
It’s really good! Very rich…I love the texture. It is so….thick!”
She devoured it, albeit, mindfully savouring each rich, tasty bite. After eating the healthy cookie, she exclaimed: ”That one is all I needed!” This is a big compliment coming from this sweet tooth. She felt that it has scratched her itch for something dessert-like, although it was not very sweet. The added plant satisfied the brain!
Just a quick explanation of science, the brain has receptors that attract glucose. Without this glucose, the brain cannot functions. Carbohydrates we consume concert into brain-powering glucose. The Key Dough’s One Mix cookies contain complex carbohydrates and fat, which was responsible for our feeling of well-being and satisfaction after eating just one each at first try.
On the contrary, sugary cookies require you to keep eating to feel satisfied. To lead a healthy addiction-free life, as it relates to sugar, the Key Dough health cookies are a way to go! They are keto-friendly as the clever name suggests. The denseness due to the added plant fat is good for weight loss, as fat burns fat!
”Oh wow, the texture is nice. I agree that it’s very rich. Is that coconut oil? Wow, it’s very dense/ heavy, so I can see why you’re satisfied after just one!”
Still, I thought I would eat the other one, because I couldn’t stop, but also had just one. I must point out that this is very rare in our vegan household!
Note: We e-mailed the following interview questions to Julie Sullivan at The Key Dough.
We didn’t alter any part of this interview except for grammar check. We added our own Vegan Very Much comments to create a conversational read, as interviews are. Julie’s answers are in italics.
We asked The Key Dough to ”please put an asterisk* beside your favourite questions.”
I’m a dreamer, I see possibilities. I thoroughly approach life with a detective’s sense and all the why’s. On a much smaller scale, when I started the Keto Diet and prepared sweets weren’t readily available – I had to make or bake them myself and I have always loved being creative in the kitchen. I was in a one-year business certificate at Ryerson, where I took my very first marketing class (at 29), still figuring out what to do with my life and having had the entrepreneurial dream many times before, I saw an opportunity that I was passionate about.
VVM: I can definitely relate to being a dreamer, which makes it impossible to settle for just any job when you know you’re capable of so much more. I also attended Ryerson, and at the time. My course mates would sneer at the business major because we saw ourselves are opposites, fast-forward, multiple Social Workers have left the field, including myself, to pursue entrepreneurship.
It is wonderful that Julie took the step to attend Ryerson School of Business, it is important to invest in yourself. Interestingly, at 29 years old, she was in her Saturn return. Have you heard of this? Saturn is a slow-moving planet that takes 28-29 years to return to where it was at your birth. At 28-29, Saturn confronts us to make moves that will better our lives; to grow up so to speak. Even without knowledge of this astrological phenomenon, many people we know have married, left their 9-5 jobs (including Kerly at 29 years old), had a baby, or even divorced.
I wish I had a road map or guidebook specific to the GTA and the food industry and I intend to create something for entrepreneurs of the future.
VVM: This is a great idea! When we start a business, we look for examples of how to make it the best. It’s a great way to give back and answer the questions that were left unanswered for you.
It’s a lot of work and I think it takes a certain kind of person, but if you’re willing to work hard and are that type of person (passionate, creative, a self-starter) – then go for it because, in the end, nothing else will suffice.
VVM: This is true! It’s much easier to go to work and get a paycheque even if you do the bare minimum. What is not easy is, investing our whole self into a business, working harder than you ever have, and not make any money initially… If you are currently getting a paycheque from your job, pay yourself first and save as much as you can to bring your well-researched business idea to life.
I decided to make our prepared cookies entirely plant-based because, before Keto, I was a pescetarian from my early twenties onward. I know how bad factory farming is for animals and the environment so I wanted our brand to be as considerate as I could make it.
It took longer and they cost more – but we searched long and hard, high and low to find our biodegradable packaging.
VVM: As environmental low-impact vegans, we are concerned with ingredients and packaging. We’re glad that The Key Dough took the environmental and animal impact of our food choices into consideration by making The Key Dough prepared cookies, vegan! We hope that the future sees all companies making all their products plant-based, therefore cruelty-free, without sacrificing taste.
This is a good question. We feel like we’ve been welcomed into other communities more than creating our own thus far. Where I met you was at the Cabbagetown Farmers Market, a group of local independent food growers and producers. I use a shared-kitchen full of food startups.
I have found the keto community on Instagram to be hugely supportive. People love this diet – because it works. I feel way better on it. So it’s a genuine community of people living their lives passionately through food. The Keto community is the best. I have also had a ton of support from friends, family, and my co-workers (our earliest testers). Our retail partners are part of our community as well as our suppliers.
In the building I live in, my neighbours were my first employees and believers. They saw this thing blossom from the ground up and for that, I will be forever grateful. It’s the little guys in the beginning, who believe in you when you have nothing that is the true stars. They made all this possible. I should mention RISE Asset Development too. My first loan provider is funded by U of T’s Rotman School of Business and a CAMH partnership. There I met Steve – who was foundational in believing in me from the start, who helped me believe in myself and led me to Zain, my very first official mentor ever.
VVM: There’s so much here to comment on. It is heartwarming that many people believed in The Key Dough from the start, from friends, family to coworkers and business networks and loan provider. The journey of establishing The Key Dough illustrates the fact that community is key in any endeavour- united we stand, divided we fall.
I think The Key Dough Mix is the place to start. Since Covid, we have seen people bake and so we pivoted to an all-purpose sweet mix. You can use it for cookies, muffins, pancakes, or pie crust.
VVM: Being creative in the kitchen is a great stress reliever, we cannot wait to try these mixes. We’ve already requested it at our local Healthy Planet!
Sugar is a carb so if there’s one thing we recommend, it’s lowering your processed sugar intake. The stuff is junk. It makes you feel like crap. It provides no nutritional value and it’s addictive. We want to provide a low-sugar option without sacrificing taste. It’s a healthier cookie without sacrificing flavour.
VVM: We agree, sugar is more addictive than cocaine! As adults, we have to make choices that benefit not only ourselves but our dependents. The Key Dough’s cookies that we were reviewing were very tasty without being overly sweet. The fat content from seeds and coconut oil made them very satisfying- hence the reason why we had just one each with our herbal teas. Try it for yourself- you can be healthy and have tasty treats!
Comment from Julie:
Loved these questions, ladies. Really made me think and get clear on what we’re doing. I honestly teared up in the community part because we’ve had an unbelievable amount of support throughout this journey. I can’t wait to see the article – link me!
Have a great week,
Julie.
Our interview with Julie Sullivan, founder of The Key Dough was mind-opening. We learned a lot, and are happy to share it with you. You can take many gems from the answers that the company provided, whether you are currently keto or not. The Key Dough cookies are 100% plant-based and are a good addition to any vegan lifestyle. If you are vegetarian or pescatarian, you can enjoy the full range of products.
Currently, you get the chance to request The Key Dough products at your local health food stores!
Here is the link!