Today we celebrate 50 years of earth day. YAY MOMMA EARTH.
Every year around earth day we see the same things, and one thing that’s hard to ignore, is the amount of consumerism driven by the notion that we always need more.
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Being eco conscious is first and foremost, never perfect, and always evolving.
What this means is – its unnessesary to go out and invest in organic cotton grocery bags, if you already have a pantry of plastic bags, or other bags that work just fine. (truly their carbon footprint and how they were made is the real focal point)
You don’t have to toss out all of your plastic in order to go out and purchase sets of new glass containers. You don’t have to shop at the most expensive specialty food store to prove that you are serious about local, sustainable food practices.
If anything, this perspective, and “keep up with the jones’” way of thinking is even more harmful to our precious planet. Sure, social media has heightened our wants to fit in, have the neat, pretty things, and be all like, earth loving, hippie like, and what not. But if you are throwing things out, purchasing new for the sake of being like the next guy. You are doing it wrong.
Reuse, repurpose, recycle.
Three key words to live by if you are truly serious about showing up for this planet.
Loving Earth is an Ever Changing Process
We started transitioning our household and lifestyle to be more eco-friendly, about 5 years ago. We say transitioning, because this is all an ongoing process. It doesn’t happen overnight, and you learn, and grow, and adapt to what works best for you. EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT.
IT’S NOT – about purchasing what the next influencer advertised, or what your earth loving best friend uses and loves, or even the highest quality of this or that.
It’s about doing WHAT YOU CAN, WITH WHAT YOU HAVE.
Reuse, repurpose, recycle.
Today I am sharing some super easy, nearly effortless, eco-friendly swaps that are really easy to implement. I recommend taking your time, being conscious of your end goal, and above all, also being patient.
Here are some of our favorite eco-friendly swaps we have implemented over the years.
1. Food Packaging – opt for glass.
Our path to better sustainability began in the kitchen. It was a pretty natural place to start, just because thats really where we spend most of our time. Taking a step back to access how you store your food is a game changer! The approach was basically this- if its plastic, or more important, only one use- by the end of the year, it needs to be gone. (did you catch that… we gave ourselves a YEAR)
It is incredibly easy, and much healthier to switch out plastic containers, or one use packaging for glass. It also encourages us to shop bulk grains, rice, and dry goods; which is incredibly cost effective. Next time you’re in the store, opt for packaging you can re-use. I am always reusing glass jars from things like jelly, peanut butter, sauces, and so on, purposely choosing glass over plastic. Even things like spices can now be found in glass, and the best part is you can buy in bulk, and just keep refilling. The goal here is to eliminate waste, and also clean up some of the microplastics that easily find their way into our oceans, and our bodies, all through something as wasteful as packaging. I started with the purchase of a few different sized sets of jars, which you can purchase here, but truly, we started with what we had, and repurposed jars and such over the course of months.
Tip – Soak them in a vinegar, soap, and baking soda mixture to remove labels, and watch your pantry tranform.
2. Swap Mindless Shopping for Consious Shopping
Even something as small as changing how we approach our grocery shopping, can make all the differerence in the world.
10% of the food in grocery stores will never leave the shelf, and 30% of a stores trash is food waste. (retail food waste statistics)
Not only is food waste an incredibly huge issue, but most stores package produce in plastics and paper, quite unessesarily. Its a massive amount of waste, and we dont need the extra plastic particles. While shopping, opt for only plastic free items, stay clear of picking plastic produce bags, only shop items in reusable containers when you can, and use your voice! Speak with your local retailer about concerns with packaging, or ideas where you see there are things that could easily be eliminated. Take it one step further and invest in a local CSA, support your local farmers, and frequent local farm markets or food co-ops whenever possible. Theres a big awakening happening with americans and how we get our food, and I know, we are totally here for it.
3. Water – ditch the plastic.
There is a little known fact about me, and its that I am a self proclaimed water snob. I like it filtered, and crisp, with no trace of taste, and dont even get me started on spring water. puke. Dont be fooled. I am not proud. But this easy swap is something to be proud of.
Americans alone – throw out nearly 35 billion plastic bottles EVERY YEAR!
Not only were we consious of how awful we were treating momma earth, but we were also growing tired of spending so much money on water, and having to make multiple trips a week to stay supplied. Easy fix. I purchased a water crock and stand for less than $55, and we now stock up on 5 gallon water jugs from our local water supplier, which we will use and refill multiple times, and then eventually switch out for new ones every couple weeks. You can even have jugs delivered and picked up ya’ll. Not only are we saving a ton of money, but according to the Container Recycling Institute, there are 315 less plastic bottles in landfill and oceans, just from our household contribution.
4. Reusable Water Bottles
This should be a no brainer by now. Especially if you know the numbers. But, I didnt even realize how much plastic we were unconsciously buying up and throwing away, until I started carrying my reusables everywhere with us. They’ve come in handy during bar crawls, road trips, coffee breaks, and shopping trips. The result, a step to a healthier planet, and some influence over friends and family. Tip- store one in your vehicles for those days when you accidentally forget. If you are carrying a reusable and still purchasing a daily coffee, complete with a plastic cup and straw, come on now, do better.
Need one? Grab my favorite coffee tumbler, and insulated bottle. They are insulated and stay hot and cold for hours!! Plus Klean Kanteen is a B-Corp business. They are truly for the planet.
5. Tupperware Overhaul
Much like what was stressed when we spoke about food storage, completing a sustainable tupperware overhaul is also a work of time. It will take months, if not years, and that’s all okay! Some of our favorite swaps have been ditching zip block plastic bags for Stasher bags. Which I have linked here. We also opted to swap out purchasing sets of plastic Tupperware for glass, which is more versatile anyway. Other staples we stock are sealable paper lunch bags, linked here, and insulated food containers for items like takeout leftovers, or lunch box goodies.
This does not mean our cupboards are clear of ALL PLASTIC. Remember our three key words. Reuse,repurpose,recycle. Don’t you dare throw that shit out. We save and wash nearly all plastic containers, takeout containers, and even any plastic container that might come from our grocery trips. I can repurpose containers for things like sending leftovers home with friends without losing good tupperware, or storing extra trimmings from produce, and even garage storage for things like screws and bolts. Tip – when the holdiays or birthdays roll around, we layout all of your plastic tupperware and let guest build their own leftover boxes. You will clean out your cabinet, and have space to start collecting and reusing for the year to come.
6. Straws
Can we talk about containers, and bottles without addressing plastic straws. I think not. Let’s break it down, there is over eight million tons of plastic that flow into oceans every year, of that number, 8.3 billion straws are found on our beaches every year. It’s unfathomable to think of the wildlife these straws wreak havoc on. How can such an easy swap, be so far from catching on. Do your part, and replace the plastic straws with reusable ones! We have different sizes for smoothies, and coffee, and even have small carrying cases so that we can bring them along with us.
7. Reusable Bags
Ditch the plastic baggage and opt for resuable, or USE WHAT YOU HAVE! Todays day in age, its hard to accept that not everyone has a canvas tote, or cheap screen printed bag that they picked up at some event. Even that collection of plastic grocery bags, yah use those! Anything that keeps from grabbing up another plastic bag is worth the swap. Ive linked these bags, because I love that they have measurements and weight labels on them, but if you have somehting you can repurpose and reuse, do that before investing in something with a higher carbon footprint. Tip – store a few in each vehicle, and even a couple in your purse or travel tote, that way even if you forget to grab them on your way out the door, you wont be at a loss and feeling all sorts of guilty. And remember, this isnt about perfection, or trendiness. This is about doing what you can.
8. Swap Dryer Sheets for Dryer Balls
LOVE THESE BABIES! If you are unfamillar with these, they are wool dryer balls, usually made from sheep wool, or alpaca. Instead of a dryer sheet, you throw a few of these babies in the dryer with your clothes, and voila! They bounce arund in there helping your clothes to dry better, and they also do wonders snatching up lint and pet hair. Plus, hello, money saver, and you arent coating your clothes in scented chemicals. I purchase ours from local wool vendors. When in doubt on where to find them, do a quick instagram search for any wool or fiber vendors or farms near you. Tip – dowse balls with 6-10 drops of your favortie essential oils to give clothes a lovely scent, my fave is lavendar.
9. Bar Soap over Bottled and Packaged
This swap couldn’t be any easier! And I’ve found that its much easier to find naturally friendly and less harmful soap in bar form, than the liquid soaps. Bonus if you have a local vendor whom you can purchase homemade soap from. Switching to bar soap holds an ecomnomic incentive, as much as a eco insentive. Give up on buying plastic bottle after plastic bottle that sits in a landfill for eternity, and just go with a good ole bar.
10. Swap Traditional Feminine Hygiene for Sustainable Options
Feminen hygien products were not on my radar as threatening the planet up until recently, and I think a lot of that is just becuase we’ve been so used to having so few options for so long. So heres the deal, that box of tampons we go through once a month, contributes nearly 18-34 individual pieces of plastic wrapping, and plastic applicators into our landfills, where they will sit, forever.
Combined, tampons, pads, and liners, equate to 200,000 tons of waste per year.
Swap some, or all of the use with options like reusable menstrual cups, or my personal fave, Thinkx Period Underwear. Do some research, most of these companies are paving the way for women, and don’t be afraid of trial and error. Everyone is different in what they are comfortable with. Opting for an alternative option even if its just 25% of the time is still a helpful swap.
No one is perfect, and there will be days where you need to use plastic, or you forget your water bottle, but it’s all okay, it’s all a part of the process. DO NOT- go out and purchase all of these things or throw out your entire way of life because Amanda said its going to be better for the planet. Instead focus on small changes, over long periods of time. Focus on creating a new normal, transitioning, growing, learning, and just being more conscious. Get creative, reuse what you have, repurpose those old bags, or takeout containers, and never fear judgement.
Most of all, just stop to think every time your tossing something in your garbage. Is it really garbage? Can it serve no other purpose? Will no other person use this? How long will it sit in a landfill? How can I help?
Nine times out of ten, a lifetime in a landfill, or in our oceans, is the overwhelming last result for anything one person might call trash. We only have one planet. We are celebrating 50 years of celebrating that planet, the least we can do, is our best.
Dont forget to share and tag us if you have, or are making any eco-friendly swaps! @adventuringgypsy .
Happy Earth Day Friends