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No crunchy hippie stuff here, just a few easy ways to live a more green lifestyle. Our planet is becoming warmer and warmer, putting us at risk for catastrophic effects in the future… here’s a list of the potential impacts of global warming. But there are simple things you can get in the habit of doing that will reduce your carbon footprint by quite a bit over time. So here are 10 realistic ways to be more eco-friendly:
1. Avoid plastic bags like the plague
Bring reusable bags with you any time you go shopping, whether you’re headed to the grocery store or the mall. I love these Baggu bags because you can fold them into a compact little pouch… they’re perfect for a trip to CVS or Michaels (two of my favorite stores!). Or make your own tote bag.
2. Go vegetarian once a week
It takes 1,799 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef. And of course, there are countless health benefits of eating a plant based diet. Meatless Monday anyone? Check out the highly-rated Love Real Food cookbook for some ideas.
3. Switch to more natural cleaning products
In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve become slightly obsessed with Grove Collaborative. They’re a company on a mission to help people create healthy beautiful homes (i.e. NO harmful chemicals). If you’d like to give them a try too, head over here to receive a free Mrs. Meyer hand soap (the scents are amazing!) plus a $10 credit with your first $20 purchase. So basically you get a bunch of eco-friendly products for your home for ten bucks. The offer will automatically be applied, and you can edit your cart as necessary. I just got my second shipment yesterday and it was oh-so-exciting.
4. Consider buying things used
This goes for lots of things… furniture, clothing, books and even electronics. Craigslist is my favorite, but I’ve also heard that Facebook Marketplace is great. And you can sell or swap clothing online on websites like ClothingSwap.com or ThredUp.com.
5. Reuse gift wrapping materials
Save gently used tissue paper for your next gift wrapping sesh, or reuse gift wrap for any number of fun craft projects. Check out these genius ideas.
6. Switch to paperless billing
Most banks and credit card companies offer this service… it will save lots of time, and lots of trees! You can also eliminate other junk mail to be more eco-friendly – check out these tips.
7. Start using washcloths or rags to clean up spills
I’m a spiller, so I’m constantly cleaning up messes. One time we found red wine on the ceiling… no joke. I’d probably kill an entire forest if I used paper towels to clean up every mess I make, so I try to use cloths whenever possible and then just toss them in the washing machine after.
8. Breathe new life into old things
Paint can do wonders for, well… anything! Also consider repurposing clothing – turn old jeans into cutoff shorts, t-shirts into rugs or dress shirts into throw pillows.
9. Cut back on water usage
This is surprisingly easy to do… turn off the water while you brush your teeth, only do full loads of laundry, don’t lollygag in the shower, and let it mellow if it’s yellow 😉
10. Get in the reusing mindset
Before you throw something out, stop for a minute and think about whether you could reuse it for a different purpose. Here are a few fun examples:
- Paint the top of a salsa jar and use it as storage
- Save security envelopes and use them as decorative paper
- Paint the inside of bottles to create pretty vases
- Turn corks into a wreath for your front door
- Repurpose drawers any number of ways
I hope this post has inspired you to be more eco-friendly and live like it’s Earth Day every day! For more ideas, follow my Creative Ways To Start Living Green Pinterest board.
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