🎀Avocado Dye-ing 🎀

When I first heard of dyeing fabrics with avocados, I couldn't believe it. How does a brown pit or green (nearly black) skins turn fabrics a millennial pink??

The answer is tannin! It's a biomolecule that can bind and separate proteins and it also helps keep the color attached to the fabric!

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(I followed the instructions off of this Youtube video which I'm linking, so all credits go to her! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M06DKQsYKFc&t=2s)

~Here you can see the color start to develop for the dye! It's like some avocado broth/stew. Though it looks orangey, the fabrics WILL dye pink I swear haha

~In the pic above, you can see the difference in color between the dyed and undyed fabric (this is a polyester blend for reference)

~The finished product! I am wearing an off-white colored robe for comparison :)

~You can see the difference in how fabrics react to the dye. On the left, the synthetic fabric has a less vibrant tint than the cotton shirt on the right.

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Some more tips:

• darker the skins, the more you can see little spots of pink/purple that can indicate the color or quality of dye, I have found that skins produce more of a deep magenta while the pits have more of a baby pink color

• also be sure to hand wash the fabrics to keep the color as vibrant as possible!

• the leftover dye can be used to water plants! it's non-toxic and natural which is a lot safer than if synthetic dyes were used

• cotton and natural fabrics are highly encouraged because the dye will hold on longer to these materials (however I also used clothes that had polyester and they seemed to work ok with this dye, the color just looked more magenta than pink)

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Avocados and sustainability:

While this is a fun project and a good way to use alllll of the avocado, it's good to acknowledge the origins of avocados and how they impact the environment.

From 1914 to 1997, avocados were mainly grown domestically since there was a ban on avocados imported from Mexico (due to fear of pests and NAFTA agreements). However, when the ban was lifted, imported avocados from Mexico increased and as such, most of the US' avocados come from Mexico.

While this sounds great for Mexico's economy, it is actually detrimental to the local land. Avocados are incredibly land and water intensive. 320 Litres of water are used to produce just ONE avocado. If that isn't bad enough, the water used to grow avocados often come from the local communities and aquifers.

Since avocados have increased in demand, a lot of land has been dedicated to avocados solely. This creates large monoculture plantations which depletes the land of nutrients (since only avocados are being grown on these lands) and the nutrients don't get a chance to replenish.

Using so much land also increases deforestation and helps accelerate climate change since trees are being cut down. Species biodiversity decreases because of habitat loss.

~sourced from World Economic Forum and Sustainable Food Trust

Therefore while avocados are high in oleic acid, vitamins, and tastes good, we shouldn't needlessly consume and buy avocados. As consumers, we have the ability to vote with our dollar and contribute to the demands in specific industries. 

Plant W/ Us Meeting! 7/27/20

Hey guys!

Here is a recap of the Plant With Us Meeting!

Overview of topics we went over: Invasive species, bamboo propagation, future environmental political plans, & Australia's plans for the Great Barrier Reef

Invasive Species:

Invasive species (especially ones outdoors) can be aggressive and compete for the same resources as the native species. Native species are better because they are better suited for that specific environment and keep the local ecosystem in balance (as intended). Some of the Native species we saw were Texas Ash tree, Pride of Houston Holly Tree, and Texas salvia plant.

You can pot down a propagation once roots grow out

• Healthy roots are typically white, though some plant species have darker colored roots (like sansevieria/snake plant)

Tips on keeping Live Houseplants

• Don’t overwater! You can always add more water, but it's much harder to take moisture away :)

• It’s best (for most plants) to let soil dry out and then saturate the soil thoroughly

• Make sure there’s drainage

• Don’t give up! Plants are living things and yes they will die so don't feel bad if they do

Environmental Updates:

• On Tuesday, July 14 Joe Biden announced two new climate plans, one of them would invest two trillion dollars over four years in climate solutions. The other would focus on a decarbonized electricity sector by 2035. In his proposal he planned to establish a national clean energy standard and amend climate injustices.

• Early this month, Joe Biden assembled a Climate Engagement Advisory Council in order to gather more people in the fight against climate change.

• In late last June, the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming released a Climate Crisis Action Plan that was 500-plus pages.

• In Australia, a government-backed research program is developing a way to aid the Great Barrier Reef to become more resilient from the damaging effects of global warming.

• The method they are using to help the Great Barrier Reef is by spending millions to develop technologies to be able to shade corals and by making clouds more reflective during the marine heatwaves. It is known as Marine Cloud Brightening and along with that method, controlling the population of Crown-of-Thorns Starfish is also a method being used to aid the Great Barrier Reef as Crown-of-Thorns Starfish mainly eat corals and with a recent outbreak of these starfish, many corals are being eaten at an increasing rate.

• These solutions are only band-aid solutions however as looking at the bigger picture, there is a continuing growth of global warming occurring which is a much larger task to be handled.

The bamboo pictured above is not very healthy, but I will hopefully show an update as it recovers!

Here is an example of some propagation stations! it doesn't need to be fancy, you just need a container, water, and a cutting!

🎨Painting Upcycle Ideas🎨

During this time, many people have been decluttering their homes. But what do you do with your old stuff?

Besides donating and recycling, you can also upcycle!

Upcycling saves items from going into the landfill. Sadly, ~728,000 pounds of trash are produced in American daily (source: saveonenergy.com)

We can help minimize the trash by responsibly dealing with our belongings

Give items new life by painting them anew. Here's some upcycling DIY ideas to inspire!

• Item One: A Simple Tier Stand

  • I painted the tier stand white to match my room and am currently using it to hold plants!

• Item Two: Cactus-Themed Pencil Sharpener

  • To make the surface flat I took some modeling clay to smooth over the face. Then I painted a little cactus design on with three different colors (dark mint green for the base color, mint green stripes, then white pinstripes)

I hope this inspires you guys and helps upcycling/decluttering. Have fun!