Lifestyle

Earth Day Thoughts…

Happy *almost* Earth Day. There are so many gorgeous corners of this world and we are so fortunate to be alive to appreciate it. Starting this Earth day, lets get serious about taking care of the planet we call home. It may not feel like much, but the more people involved, the larger impact we have.

Taking care of our planet does not come without sacrifices, most of them are fairly minor and adapt easily to your every day life. Most of these save the planet AND your wallet. While it might be a bigger expense initially, you’ll save in the long run.

* Reusable straw. Instead of using a single-use straw every time you go to a Starbucks or restaurant, bring along a reusable straw. Recently, I purchased two metal ones and I keep one at my house and one in my purse. A lot of them also come with a cleaning tool to make them last longer.

* Make-up wipes. Instead of single-use wipes, I’ve shifted to wash clothes for my makeup removal. This might be kind of weird, but another idea is to buy nursing pads. It is already designed to be sensitive and comfortable on your skin. They are the exact shape of typical makeup removing cotton swabs, but you are able to wash and reuse these.

* Reusable water bottle. Carry around a reusable water bottle and fill that rather than purchasing plastic bottles. Some places, like the airport, don’t allow a full bottle but you can still bring your empty bottle to fill after you get through security. I try to keep a variety of sizes for water bottles so I can assess which one will be most convenient to carry.

* Travel Mug. Instead of grabbing Starbucks on your way to work and using their single use cups, invest in a travel mug and purchase some fair trade coffee. It just requires you to start your day a bit earlier. I find that most coffee shops have no problem putting drinks in your own mug, if you chose to go that route.

* Recyclable products. Check the products you already use, like shampoo and face wash. If your container is recyclable, make sure you are doing just that. If it is not, consider switching brands.

* Reusable lunch bags. Instead of ziplock bags, grab some reusable lunch bags/pouches. Recently, my mom got some from Amazon and we have been able to eliminate plastic bags completely.

* Dine in. Instead of piling up tons of drive through bags and take out containers, chose to dine in at restaurants; share meals or order half-sized entrees. This will save waste and usually has better food anyways. 

* Tote bags and produce bags. When grocery shopping, bring your own tote bags to carry your grocery items and skip the produce bags. This is an easy way to avoid unnecessary plastic.

Enjoy this Earth day and use this day as the first day of simple switches to take care of this planet. What is a simple change you are applying to your everyday that positively impacts Earth?