Clean Living Sunday Newsletter 2.9.25 ✨

Photo source: World Atlas

Positive Climate News of The Week

The Worlds Largest Protected Tropical Forest Reserve is being Created in The Democratic Republic of Congo

Stretching across six countries, the Congo Basin is the largest and healthiest tropical forest carbon sink in the world, with about 60% of it located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This week the DRC government announced an exciting new plan for a “green corridor”—a model for sustainable economic development, conservation, and peacebuilding. This initiative will protect an area the size of France from threats like monocrop plantations, industrial meat farming, deforestation, and climate change that have been worsening in recent years.

The Congo Basin is full of biodiversity, it is home to 10,000 species (a third of which exist nowhere else on Earth) and a vital resource for 60 million people who depend on it for their livelihoods. This rainforest plays a massive role in fighting climate change, sequestering 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2 annually, while its peat swamp stores a staggering 29 billion tons of carbon—roughly three years’ worth of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is a huge step towards protecting biodiversity, the people who rely on the tropical forest, and fighting climate change!

Source: MSN

Picture and recipe from @salads4lunch

Plant Powered Recipe

Crispy Cauliflower Bites

Need last minute super bowl party inspo? We got you! Everyone loves some crispy cauliflower covered in buffalo sauce, vegan or not. These come together super quick but have a restaurant quality that make it hard not to go back in for another. Skip bringing chips and dip and opt for these instead!

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk or soy

1 cup white or whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon garlic powder

pepper to taste

1 tablespoon oil

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into bite size pieces

1 cup breadcrumbs

3/4 cup Buffalo Sauce

4 tbsp Vegan Butter

2 tbsp chopped green onion

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut cauliflower into bite sized pieces. (Set the core aside and save it for your salads this week!) Combine your plant-based milk, flour, garlic powder, pepper and olive oil in a large bowl. Create a separate bowl with your bread crumbs. Dip the pieces in the batter (let any excess drip off), then coat in breadcrumbs, place on a foil lined pan and bake 15 minutes.
2. Melt butter on the stove or in the microwave and mix with buffalo sauce.
3. Remove cauliflower from the oven and gently toss in the buffalo sauce. Generously coat the cauliflower, but don't soak.
4. Place coated cauliflower back on the pan and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until cauliflower is tender and crisp.
5. Top with green onion and serve with carrots, celery and vegan ranch or blue cheese. Enjoy!

If you end up making this, tag us in your pictures in Instagram at @shopcanopycollective.

Skincare tip of the week

Skip the Towels

Unfortunately, towels harbor a ton of bacteria which is harmful to your skin microbiome. Their fibers can also be harsh on your skin, causing irritation and pre-mature aging. The good news? There is an easy and free alternative, which is simply using your hands to brush off excess water and applying your serums and other skincare to damp skin. Serums actually work better on damp skin because hydrated skin is more permeable, allowing active ingredients to absorb more effectively. When skin is damp, the moisture temporarily opens up the skin barrier, making it easier for small-molecule ingredients (like hyaluronic acid, peptides, and botanical extracts) to sink deeper into the skin. Water also helps carry the serum’s ingredients into the skin rather than just sitting on the surface. This enhances hydration, boosts absorption, and maximizes the serum’s effectiveness. It's such a simple switch that has impactful results!

Sustainability Challenge

Bring your own cup to the coffee shop

Bringing your own cup to the coffee shop is a simple yet powerful way to be more sustainable because it helps reduce waste, lower carbon emissions, and minimize plastic pollution. Disposable coffee cups may seem recyclable, but most are lined with plastic (polyethylene), making them difficult to process in standard recycling facilities. (They also leak chemicals and microplastics as your drinking!) As a result, billions of cups end up in landfills each year. Additionally, the production of single-use cups requires trees, water, and energy, contributing to deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions. By using a reusable cup, you help cut down waste, conserve resources, and reduce your overall environmental impact—plus, many coffee shops offer discounts as a reward for sustainable choices! It's a win for your health, the planet, and likely your wallet.

Deal of the Week

Valentines Day

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