I love our planet, and I'm all for saving it and showing it some love.
But I'm not exactly completely zero-waste just yet.
So I'm reaching out to all those who, like me, want to do a bit more to save the earth and are willing to make small changes to make a big difference.
Here are some tiny ways to go green!
1) Reuse plastic grocery bags or bring reusable ones to the store
The best swap is to bring your own reusable bags, but if you can never seem to remember them, you can still do a little something to cut back on your grocery waste! Don't throw away all those plastic bags as soon as you unload the car! Use them for liners for your little bathroom or bedroom trash can, bring one with you to a sleepover pool party so you have somewhere for your wet suit, put your shoes in one before you put them in your suitcase so your clothes don't get dirty - get creative!
2) Pack it up
I'll admit: I used to pretty much only drink from plastic water bottles. But I am converted now! You'll see me with a reusable water bottle allll day allll the time. Do you brown bag it? Good! Make it better with a reusable lunch box and using tupperware instead of single use plastic bags.
3) You don't need that many paper towels
This one kind of came to be by accident. I had just washed my hands and waved my hand in front of the automatic paper towel dispenser, and I ripped one off. Instead of automatically reaching my hand up to swipe again, I paused and tried to see how dry I could get my hands with just one paper towel. Guess what? That's all you need!! I've always gotten two or three, and yeah, maybe it's not going to have a huge impact if I use one paper towel instead of two from here on out, but what if 100 people did that? That's 100-200 paper towels saved every time, which adds up!!
4) Buy used
There are all kinds of treasures waiting at DI, Goodwill, Plato's Closet, or any of those other secondhand stores. Next time you're looking for something fresh for your wardrobe, scope out these places before you head to the mall. Some of my favorite items of clothing are from Goodwill. No lie. You might find something that becomes your new favorite AND you'll save money too! ALSO reach out to friends!! If you're looking for some holiday decor, ask around, and I'm sure there are plenty of people who have boxes full that they are happy to see it get put to good use.
5) Recycle
If you do use single use plastic sometimes (congrats, you're human), put them in recycling! If you don't have a recycling program where you live, bring stuff to school to recycle! I've done this when I clear out my folders etc. from a previous semester - I end up with a huge pile of paper and I just dump it in a recycling bin at school.
6) Zero waste your skin care
This is one thing that was important to me when starting this business: that containers are reusable and/or recyclable. Plus, we have bamboo toothbrushes, earth-friendly shaving kits, and biodegradable sponges available to help cut down on more waste! I'll be doing a post soon about a bunch of different ways you can reuse the jars and tins that your Balm in Gilead products come in!
7) Walk it out
via GIPHY
You don't need your car to go everywhere. This is especially true if you live close to your college campus or job! Wake up a bit earlier, and you can skip the struggle of finding parking and walk to class OR catch a bus or shuttle to get there along with lots of other people who aren't using their own cars. Need to run something to a neighbor a few blocks down? As long as that something isn't an anvil, you can probably walk it there.
8) Let it shine
via GIPHY
You don't have to go buy new light bulbs for every room in your house right now, but next time one burns out, get an energy-efficient model to replace it (like an LED or CFL). Bonus! This will save you money too!
This earth is the only one we've got, so let's show it a little love!
Leave a comment