Sustainable Living And Sustainable Campervan Travel?

 A Huge question, one that I asked myself when we got Georgie,

Can We still be sustainable in a camper van?

Answer.  YES!

How do we do it? well Im glass you asked....

To be honest when I started being more mindful and sustainable I sourced a lot of ethical brands, done a lot of research, reading blogs, finding like minded people on instagram, watched all the tv shows. so I was pretty much informed, and knew the right places to go, so for me it wasn't too difficult.  But if you are just starting out, Please don't get disheartened, Although I really am no expert of sustainability, I can and will help you, there is so much information now that you almost feel a little bombarded, Overwhelmed,  So Here I am, and maybe if you read this is will help you start or help you on your way.

I done a little Video on our YouTube channel so you can see what I purchased for Georgie from Ikea, to help us create more storage, and help with our Off Grid , Wild camping.   

There have been a few added extras which I will show you in our next video.

When I say being sustainable in our Van, what exactly do I mean?.... 

. No plastic....This is a big one for us, as we try to reduce our plastic intake, and use , well anything  we can that isn't plastic.   In Georgie that means No plastic boxes for storage & this one was tough as it's everyones goto, lets face it, how easy is it to just buy a plastic box and after watching numerous instagram stories on how to store everything, we have our brains filled with Plastic boxes for this and plastic boxes for that!  SO NO PLASTIC STORAGE BOXES FOR GEORGIE! And believe it or not its actually very easy finding alternatives, and cheap, in our favourite Ikea!

Love our little felt containers, they are not rigid, so flexible for movement, and 4 fit perfectly in our cupboard, we store our cutlery, wooden spoons, cups and one for miss Darcy's treats, and still room for some more bits and pieces.

I think they look quite good too!

Its only a tough one when we purchase food along the way, we try and source all our food from local shops, so farm shops, which you can mainly buy items plastic free,  and in local supermarkets , some have items with plastic, which we always try to recycle when we can, taking it home is our last resort.

Love our string bags from Ikea, we use these for all our fresh goods, fruit & veg, and hang them up, it keeps every thing fresh and easy access when cooking.

And we store all our Cans in a little wooden crate I also bought from Ikea, see I told you its amazing what you pick up there, its a camper van dream shop, believe me!

. Using ECO FRIENDLY PRODUCTS... Now this one is easy peasy, sorry not boasting, well maybe a little!  But Ive been using these products for a while so know my stuff. and have found some trustworthy companies which I can share with you.  My Favourite being Bower Collective, they are by far  ahead of the rest, with their mindfully chosen products, doing various polls, whilst growing their small business, always a win win with me.  They deliver their products in recyclable boxes, also including an envelope to return the packaging in for them to reuse again and again.  Within their products my favourite brand is BIO D ,There lavender scent washing liquid is fab, as is the conditioner,

 .A little bit of  FYI: Did you know a lot of garments now actually state NOT to use conditioner, especially towels , apparently it sticks to the fibres , they will last a lot longer if you don't use any, so one less thing to worry about.

 So how do I use these products in Georgie?   Im coming to that one a bit later...

. And for the Self care products, They have numerous choices at Bower Collective, and I also love supporting local small Businesses so for my Soap, No liquid soap in my Van! I get this from a wonderful small business called Mersea Mudshack , their Lavender and sea salt soap is just amazing, it feels so decedent and luxurious, so to transport this in Georgie I got myself a little soap bag, And some reusable flannels,

Now for me this goes bak to my childhood when Mum always had a damp flannel with her, No baby wipes in my day,( yes i'm that old!) in a bag. At home I use the Bamboo soap dishes, which look fab and stop the soap from going squishy.

It's easy when you just take it back to basics honest.  

. Now for the HAIR, This is probably the hardest one for me, let me explain, I have very thick course hair, A lot of it too, not the best combo, I won't moan as I'm well aware some will say I'm lucky.  Ive tried and tested various soap shampoo bars, But for me none have taken on my Mane, The best one I did find was actually a Lush shampoo bar, and the girl in the shop was very knowledgeable , so please  take a look on their website if you would like to try one.

But sadly I still haven't found my one. In my opinion If you have thin to medium , medium length or above hair then these will be fine for you.  If you have had any different experiences please let me know, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

So going back to how I use my wonderful Bower collective products in Georgie, Basically I decanter some each time we travel, I've saved a few little containers to put them into, for example my washing up liquid, & sanitiser. I also use a wooden cleaning brush from Bower collective and washable cleaning cloths for wiping the table.  

A few more felt containers for our toiletries , in our fab little shelves put in our cupboard

And for hanging up our smalls, and wet towels, Pegs, and of course they've got to be wooden ones.

For cleaning I absolutely love my PINK STUFF an oldie but tried and tested and stood the test of time....

The Pink Stuff Paste, established since 1938, is a versatile Vegetable Oil based cleaner, for use both inside and outside the home. This especially formulated product is safe and environmentally friendly, containing no phosphates, acids or animals ingredients

I can actually use this every where for cleaning and its so easy to store, along with the fab scrub daddy, win win I say.

Just think , what can I use to store that in....just like my tea lights, I store in this ikea glass bottle with cork top & again easy to store and No plastic, I actually use the larger one for water and store it in the fridge, then keep refilling for cold water.

J

And as I've said before ....its Spice Spice Spice all the way, makes cooking so much easier, and tastier.

in these little glass jars, I refill them from home before we go, they last for absolutely ages, No jars of Bolognese, or chilli for the Thomas's, we like fresh from scratch kinda cooking. Tastes so much yummier, and it's really part of the camper van lifestyle.

I told you it was easy!  But hey joking aside really it is, It may seem daunting to change everything you know, and have done for many years, But there are no rules that says your changes have to be Full on, maybe make one simple change at a time, for example if next time you need a new cleaning product try some pink stuff,  and then when your liquid soap, and shower gel runs out try some soap bars, do some research in finding a local small business you can support, its amazing how good it feels to get to know them and support them.  And in return you are doing your bit to save and look after our beautiful planet, The one that you love to explore in your camper vans, The one that gives you total freedom to discover, and is 100% FREE to roam in your beloved vans with your loved ones, creating treasured memories.

Our Planet is ours to nourish and rejuvenate , so for generations to come they can also explore and create adventures for their memories.

If you would like to ask me any questions, or fancy a chat about Sustainability Please message me or leave a comment. 

If you would like to see some of our adventure in Georgie please click play below and it will take you to our YouTube channel

Thankyou Amanda, Mr P & Miss Darcy 🙏