Here are my top practical tips for reducing your waste while traveling abroad or near home. I share these tips after traveling for more than 11 months in the 4 years since I've adopted a zero waste lifestyle. I've found some aspects of Zero Waste travel to be very easy in certain destinations and quite … Continue reading 10 Practical Tips for Zero Waste Travel
I can't believe it's already been two weeks since we first left Barcelona with our van for the first time. Buying a van was a plan we've had for months. Not only because of all its obvious benefits such as the freedom to go anywhere with a home on wheels, but also because of Apolo. … Continue reading The Beginning of Our Van Travels
I am by NO means a financial expert, heck, I don't even have a retirement account, but I would like to share a few tips on how Fernando and I saved for our big move and paid off my debts in one year's time. Living a low impact lifestyle was an integral part of saving, … Continue reading How Living a Zero Waste Lifestyle Helped Us Save for Our Move to Spain
Barcelona was a Zero Waste dream! Bulk shops selling pasta, soap, nut butters, WINE, detergents, and dried fruits, plastic free bakeries, waste sorting bins, and independent produce shops - it was all there. Over the course of the week we were in Barcelona I visited a handful of bulk stores and other mention-worthy shops selling … Continue reading Zero Waste Week in Barcelona
When I was in my early 20s the opportunity came up for me to apply for Spanish citizenship. See, both my paternal grandparents were born there, but left as young children with their families, fleeing from Franco's persecution. Eventually, they arrived in Mexico where they were welcomed as refugees. It was my late grandfather's birth … Continue reading Moving to Spain!
This past weekend, with only 9 volunteers, we removed 864 pounds of trash from a deserted beach! The idea to do this cleanup arose months ago when my dad mentioned there was a beach south of Ensenada where he remembered seeing a lot of trash. He ventured down there years ago when he used to … Continue reading Baja Beach Cleanup
When Fernando booked us a camping site at the Grand Canyon a couple of months ago, I was beyond thrilled! For years I had wanted to go, but other trips and things had come up. It's at that distance (8-hour drive) where it's doable but still far, and it seemed we never had the time, … Continue reading Arizona & Zero Waste Camping
These are a few of my reusables. I often get asked about them and where I got them, so here's my review and a short story behind each one. Starting on the top left and going clockwise. Three- In-One Giant from ECOlunchbox Late 2015 I was getting ready to travel around southeast Asia without disposable … Continue reading Zero Waste Tools – A Review of My Reusables
Around this time last year, I was going through a very hard time. It was month 7 of traveling (plastic free) in South East Asia with Fernando, I had just finished a 10 day silent Vipassana meditation course, and was spending the next 2 weeks doing a work exchange at a place called Rainforest Camp … Continue reading Coming Back Up from the Deep – on depression and getting better
Happy World Oceans Day! Today is World Oceans Day, a global day of ocean celebration and collaboration for a better future! Although it's important to care for our oceans every day, today is a great day to raise awareness on the importance of our oceans and to encourage the protection of one of our greatest natural … Continue reading 5 Ways You Can Help Save our Oceans
Here's How We Reduced Our Waste Drinking Water- To avoid one of my top nemeses, the disposable water bottle, we chose to refill! We brought along a 5 gallon water bottle and filled it up with potable water down in baja. We also filled up a couple of individual bottles at the same place for … Continue reading Eco Camping in Bahia de los Angeles
Here's How We Made The Trip (mostly) Zero Waste Food: I bought two types of dehydrated soups at the organic co-op which were perfect for cold weathered camping. Combined with vegetables we already had at home, beans, and rice, we were perfectly nourished for all 2 days. For breakfast we brought our favorite, oats topped … Continue reading Eco Camping Adventures in Joshua Tree National Park
For me, living a sustainable lifestyle is all about the big and small choices I make every day that contribute to a healthier environment. These choices voice my opinion on climate change, food, health, waste, consumerism, and many other issues we care about. Below is a list of 15 small changes you can make in your … Continue reading 15 Tips for a Green Home
Life on the border may sound strange to some people, but it's very normal for me and my family. Going from San Diego to Tijuana and back is something I've been doing my whole life. My parents grew up there, my dad works there, I have a lot of family there, it's somewhat of a … Continue reading Tijuana Verde
I've been using a menstrual cup for over 2 years now, and for the most part, I really love it! I don't make trash, I save money, it's convenient, and it's less toxic for my body. So it's no surprise that's what I used for my travels. I want to share my experiences on traveling/backpacking/volunteering with a … Continue reading Traveling with a Period Cup
Pinto beans and tortillas have always been a staple at my parent's home, just like most Mexican families. It'd be really hard to live without them so it's super nice they can both be made zero waste! Pinto Beans are a low-fat legume rich in iron and protein. Today I learned one cup of boiled … Continue reading Zero Waste Homemade Pinto Beans and Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas
Fernando and I spent about half of our travel time volunteering, a little over 4 months total! Volunteering was something I wanted to do even before I started my trip. I wanted to spend time on organic and permacutlure farms to learn hands on what I had learned mostly in theory in a permaculture design course … Continue reading 6 Volunteer Projects in Southeast Asia
It's done! My eight month trip around South East Asia has come to an end and I'm back home in sunny San Diego, California. As most of you know I was traveling "Plastic-Free", more specifically, disposable plastic-free. I went to great efforts to refuse disposable plastics whenever possible and I was quite successful! (If you're … Continue reading Eight Months of Plastic Trash
I did an interview with the wonderful ladies at The Wanderlust Women as part of their Wander Women Series! I talk about my plastic free travels, living zero waste back home in California, and the challenges I face with this lifestyle. Check it out here!
Last month we escaped the crowded streets and beaches of southern Bali and made our way up the central mountains to a magical place among rice terraces and coconut groves. As an "eco traveler" we'd stayed in sustainable farms, small family owned guesthouses, and even camped in national parks, but we hadn't stayed at a real … Continue reading 10 Reasons Why I Fell in Love with Bali Eco Stay
Four weeks ago on a Saturday morning Fernando and I got picked up by our new friend YooYee, she's a Malaysian journalist living in Kuala Lumpur. YooYee told us about her friend Sharley's non-profit, The Green Life Project, and how she sometimes volunteers with them, I was excited to learn about it and told her … Continue reading Jungle Treks, The Green Life Project, and Genting Highlands in Malaysia
Avoiding disposable plastics back home in California had become a part of my life. I knew where to buy my favorite food like oatmeal, pasta, and fruit without plastic, as well as personal care items like soap and coconut oil. Asking for "no straw" at a restaurant was easy enough because the server and I spoke the … Continue reading How to Travel Without Using Disposable Plastics
When we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, a large, modern city, I wondered "are there any zero waste things happening here?". It was mostly for self interest, I was in desperate need for some plastic-free supplies and wanted to see if anyone here could point me in the right direction. So one day I googled "zero waste Kuala Lumpur" … Continue reading Zero Waste Day in Kuala Lumpur
Read about our time in Penang, Malaysia!
Today marks 3 months since I first arrived tired and nervous at the international airport in Bangkok. Now three months, three countries, and many adventures later I'm proud to say that I have yet to use a single disposable water bottle. YES!! This was the only plan all along, to experience South East Asia without … Continue reading 3 Months of Travel in Asia and ZERO Disposable Water Bottles Used (without getting sick or dehydrated)
When I left San Diego to travel, I wasn't sure how long I would be gone, or where exactly I was going, but I was sure about one thing; I didn't want to be another western traveler exploiting our natural resources and ruining local cultures and communities, I wanted to be a conscious, sustainable traveler. There … Continue reading How We Travel Sustainably
Hello there! After 2 years of Girl For A Clean World I've finally decided to start a blog and share a bit more about my sustainable lifestyle and travel adventures. For this first blog post I'd like to share a little bit about me and why I do what I do. About Me: I'm a … Continue reading Welcome!
