16 Ways You Can Save the Planet without Interrupting Your Daily Routine
In the past few years, I have done what I can to make easy, sustainable swaps to my daily routine. One of my personal environmental goals is to significantly cut down the amount of single-use plastic I use on a regular basis. Being sustainable isn’t really hard, it’s just about being conscious in your decision making. It’s not about having the newest and most sustainable products, it’s about reusing what we have and consuming less. Below are 16 swaps that I have made (or am in the process of teaching myself to make) that make me a more sustainable consumer.
- Buy bar soap. Did you know that they make shampoo and face wash in bar form? It’s not just for body washing. Using bar soap cuts down on the plastic bottles that line the sides of our shower. I use this amazing face wash that you can buy at target or online here.
- Say no to straws. Straws are honestly unnecessary. They can’t be recycled. They fill up landfills and in some severe cases the oceans. We don’t need them. There are very few scenarios in which I ever need to use a straw. In which case, I opt for silicon or metal straw that I try to carry in my purse. Next time you get an iced drink at Starbucks, ask for a cold brew lid!
- Buying one item? No need for a bag. If you are just running to the store for 1 or 2 items that you can easily carry home or throw in your purse, do you really need a bag? Just because plastic bags are convenient, does not mean they are necessary. Let’s start thinking twice before accepting the plastic bag.
- Reuse your aluminum foil. This one seems kind of strange. But aluminum foil and plastic wrap are generally used once and done. Oftentimes, they don’t even touch the food they are covering. If it’s not ripped beyond use, I usually wash it off with dish soap and water and fold it up to use at least one more time. This doubles the life time of a single roll of aluminum foil and keeps more out of the landfills. Another option is to buy reusable beeswax wrap. I have this set and love to use it instead of of aluminum.
- Do a clothing swap. Instead of throwing out clothes you no longer wear or even before donating them, consider doing a clothing swap with friends! I have gone to a few of these, it is amazing the amounts of clothing people bring to donate and the stuff that I walk away with. I usually give a bag, come home with three. Way better way to shop too! It’s all free and it’s fun.
- Bamboo toothbrushes. I switched to bamboo toothbrushes last year. I am happy to say that I have zero complaints and neither does my dentist. These toothbrushes are way better for the environment, come in a set of 4 so you can rotate them out, and do not compromise on the cleanliness of your teeth at all. Buy the ones I use here. Bonus: Check out the silk floss too!
- Carry a water bottle. All I can say is, it’s 2020 why are we even still using single-use plastic water bottles? I take a water bottle with me almost everywhere I go. When I was on my mission trip in the Caribbean it was second nature to carry my water bottle everywhere and the habit has stuck. I love having my water bottle with me, being able to pass up on the drink when purchasing fast food or eating out. I have a good rotation going between my Swell, Contigo, and Nalgene. All are awesome for different reasons and keep me hydrated.
- Cut those showers short. I am very guilty of taking long showers. I catch myself regularly daydreaming, brainstorming, or thinking about the most random things while showering. Sometimes so intently that I forget to wash my hair! To help me cut my showers short, I play music. I tell myself I have three songs to complete my shower and then I’m done. Whatever works right?!
- It’s more important to reuse and reduce waste, than recycle. What I have come to find in my community is that majority of the items that I put in my recycling bin, get thrown out. Recycling is not always realistic, there is too much plastic being produced. If your plastic and glass jars have food remnants in them, they can’t be recycled. If your milk jug has the plastic seal or lid on it, it can’t be recycled. Lids and small milk seals are too tiny and clog up the recycling process (same with plastic straws) The best option, is to cut down on the amount of plastic we buy and bring into our homes. Then reuse as much as we can. Just recently I cleaned out some old candle jars and reused them as storage containers in my bathroom.
- Carry a tote with you wherever you go. This is something that I am still teaching myself. If we carry totes with us wherever we go, we never need to ask for a bag at the supermarket or retail store. Goes along with #3!
- Switch up your makeup remover. I got The Original Makeup Eraser in a FabFitFun box and it changed my life. I used to use single-use face wipes to clean off my makeup, thats 365 wipes a day if I wear makeup everyday ( I normally don’t but just putting things in perspective here) The makeup eraser is softer than a bath towel and removes your makeup with just water. It’s seriously magical. It’s also machine washable. Not an ad, just a really big fan. And as if this isn’t already amazing enough, it will save you money long term because you don’t need to purchase refills.
- Bring your own cutlery. Just like with straws, plastic cutlery gets used once and then thrown away, it’s too small to recycle. Like your plastic wrap you can wash it and use it again. Or you can bring metal cutlery with you and use it when you get take out or fast food.
- Do a community cleanup. It’s amazing the amount of trash that clutters our neighborhoods. It doesn’t need to be an organized project, just grab a trash bag, a few friends and take a walk around the block. Pick up trash and make the neighborhood better for you and all your neighbors.
- Learn to compost. Did you know that food scraps don’t breakdown in landfills? Instead they get stuck in a limbo-phase of decomposition and release methane. Which is bad! Composting was a goal I set for myself this year. I don’t know why but it seemed so intimidating. I found a simple step by step to building my own compost on the Zero Waste blog and it took me an hour to put together. So simple and so satisfying.
- Use what you have. As amazing as some of the new eco-friendly products are, the reality is that if we want to be more earth conscious we simply need to cut down on how much we consume and how much waste we produce. Reusing and repurposing old items is way better than buying new.
- Talk about it. We all have to live here and raise our children here. We all need to care, because if we don’t there is going to be no earth left for us to enjoy. Start small, with any of the steps above and we can all grow into more eco-conscious people.
Creating a sustainable lifestyle is a process. We need to accept that we aren’t going to be perfect, but if we take small steps each day towards progress, we can create a better future.