Being and becoming more Eco-Friendly can seem like a daunting task, like you have to do everything perfect right away to make any real difference at all. But that's not true. Every little bit helps and if more people just do their best and make an effort the Earth could be in a much better shape.
Here are a few ideas to make Eco-Friendly changes in your own life that are easy and simple.
A. Reduce Plastic in your Kitchen:
Avoid plastic bags by switching to beeswax wraps: You can make your own wraps by melting and layering beeswax onto a cotton cloth.
1. Avoid single-use plastics: of 8.3 Billion Tons of Plastic made by Humans, 91% of them aren't ever recycled, according to National Geographic and PBS.
Invest in filter pitchers, a filter hook up for your sink, or a water cooler with reusable gallon bottles to avoid buying and throwing away plastic water bottles.
Buy a few thermos' and tumblers to bring your water on the go. I purchased my large 64oz thermos from Walmart, you can also buy a two pack with straws at Costco.
Switch to reusable freezer bags. I purchased my 7 pack from Amazon for $14
Invest in metal or glass portable straws
Bring your reusable shopping and produce bags with you to the stores.
Shop in the bulk sections for spices and grains etc.
Shop at Bulk refill stores such as refill madness in Sacramento, Ca
2. Use 100% cotton organic reusable produce bags to shop. Here is a list of my top 6
#1 Tiblue reusable bags- set of 12 for $21.99
Biodegradable- nylon & polyester free
4 small, 4 medium and 4 large bags are included in the set
Each bag comes with a label with a tare weight
#2 Earth Junky bags- set of 6 for $19.95
3 Muslin, 3 Mesh and 1 Cotton swaddle sheet
Each bag comes with a label with a tare weight
#3 Ecology Produce Bags for $15.95
Heavy duty Muslin bags that comes in a set of 5 sizes
#4 Incok Cotton Mesh bags- set of 9 $18.99
3 small, 3 medium and 3 large
#5 Netzero Cotton Mesh Produce bags for $24.99
Comes in a pack of 10 washable bags, with a tare weight tag
2 fun sized bags, 2 small sized, 2 medium, 2 large, and 2 party sized bags
3. Reduce Food Waste
Store vegetable food scraps to later turn into soup stock
Store food scraps to turn into compost
freeze the container to keep it from smelling
Write down what is in your fridge to post onto your fridge to keep track of what is inside. You could also use clear organization containers to help you see what is in your fridge, which will help you finish food sooner
B. Make Swaps in the Bathroom
Use a metal safety razor rather than a plastic disposable razor
Install a bidet attachment for your toilet
Switch to bamboo toothbrushes
Buy and use Shampoo and Conditioner bars
Switch to sustainable menstrual products like cloth pads, Thinx period underwear, or menstrual cups
In the United States alone, approximately 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are discarded each year. While pads take up to anywhere between 500-800 years to decompose inside landfills, tampons can take up to 1000 years to decompose! On top of that, many tampons end up in the oceans, or clogging sewers, due to people flushing them rather than disposing of them in the correct way.
Shop at a refillable shop for you bathroom products like shampoos, body washes etc.
Refill madness is a good shop, if Sacramento California is in your area
you can bring your own containers to refill your products
opt to use glass bottles rather than plastic ones
Making Eco-Earth friendly swaps in your daily life can seem daunting and expensive, however, they end up being the cheaper option in the long run. As you can reuse them rather than throw them away after one to two uses, the products stay useful and make a permanent place in your home and routine.