The Beginning of an Environmentally-Sustainable Lifestyle
One of the biggest challenges we each face for living more sustainably, in my opinion, is: where to begin. One day, you look around your house and realize all your common household items come in plastic; half of your grocery list is in plastic; everything is plastic on plastic. Don’t panic. Maybe you feel changing your lifestyle will be impossible or that you have to throw everything away and start over. I’m here to tell you it is possible to make a difference, without wasting items you already have.Some ways to reduce your waste are: 1 When you run out of a household item you frequently use, find an eco-friendly alternative instead or refill/reuse your container. 2 When shopping, opt to go bag-less or use reusable bags. Ditch the single-use plastic bags. “A plastic bag has an average working life of fifteen minutes.” If you already have plastic bags at home, they can be recycled at several different grocery stores. Don’t throw them in the trash. 3 While grocery shopping, try to purchase produce that is loose, not wrapped in plastic containers. You can also shop at your local farmers market. There are several companies that make reusable produce bags, as opposed to single-use plastic. 4 Eating out is a different experience during COVID-19, but when ordering take-out, opt out of having the disposable plastic utensils. Before the pandemic, it was great to bring your own cup when ordering beverages. Eventually, we will be able to do this again! 5 Coffee lovers, there are reusable filters you can use in your coffee maker at home or a reusable k-cup for the popular Keruig machine, instead of the single-use pods. You can even find a recipe for homemade creamer to DIY. 6 Go straw-less. It is extra plastic we don’t really need. If you are partial to straws, there are several companies that make metal or silicone ones you can wash over and over. Some of the metal straws even fold up in a reusable case. 7 Get a reusable water bottle. Water is something we all need to survive, but the amount of waste produced from plastic water bottles alone is astounding. “According to the Container Recycling Institute, 100.7 billion plastic beverage bottles were sold in the U.S. in 2014, or 315 bottles per person. 57% of those units were plastic water bottles: 57.3 billion sold in 2014. The process of producing bottled water requires around 6 times as much water per bottle as there is in the container. 14% of all litter comes from beverage containers. When caps and labels are considered, the number is higher.” 8 Have a dog? As courteous as it is to pick up their waste, using plastic bags just creates a different type of waste that doesn’t disappear as quickly. There are biodegradable pet-waste bags that can be used instead. Then everyone wins! 9 Ladies, that time of the month can already be unfortunate enough without us further polluting the environment. “In the United States alone, approximately 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are discarded each year.” Reusable pads and menstrual cups are eco-friendly alternatives and still simple to use. 10 Ditch single-use makeup wipes, cotton tips, and plastic razors. All these items are available in a more sustainable way. There are reusable face cloths, Q-tips, and metal shavers. Some companies will recycle the razors as well. 11 Giving a birthday or other holiday gift? Reuse gift wrapping materials you already have, even things like old magazines or newspapers. That’s one way actually, to get a conversation started with friends and family about sustainability! 12 Ordering online is convenient and fast, especially with expedited shipping, but a lot of times the packaging for these items are used once and thrown in the trash. Some companies already use recycled materials for packaging and some will allow you to request eco-friendly packaging, but several do not. I try to avoid online orders where I can, but I will save the materials from things I have ordered to reuse again. Shopping locally is a great way to support your community and avoid unnecessary waste from excess packaging. “Packaging is the largest end-use market segment accounting for just over 40% of total plastic usage.”
Those are 12 tips to be more sustainable in your home, that I personally implement as well. I wouldn’t call myself an environmentalist or an expert on sustainability, but slowly over time I have been researching new ways and products to help me be less wasteful. I started out completely unaware of the impact other people and I have on the environment, but I continue to learn what I can do to enact positive change.
The best advice I can give in addition to those twelve tips, is when you are about to throw something away, take a moment and think “how can I avoid wasting this product now and in the future?” Research how you can reuse, repurpose, and replace items you use in your home. There are several great resources online to purchase eco-friendly items or make them yourself at home.
Less Than is an amazing shop to begin your environmentally sustainable journey. I remember the first time I visited the shop in Ghent. I came in with my reusable bag and empty jars, with no clue of how in depth being eco-friendly really is. I’m definitely still learning and Less Than is a great resource, not just to purchase zero-waste materials, but to have conversations about being more sustainable.
However, the most important thing you can do to become more environmentally sustainable is to remember to be kind to yourself. Sustainability will most likely start in one area for you and it will keep growing over time. Be proud of yourself for making the decision to pursue sustainability. Your efforts will hopefully spread to friends, family, and even strangers, when they see the changes you are making. Every positive change you make in your life towards being more eco-friendly matters! You can make a difference.
Claire is a Virginia Beach local that recently began her journey of an environmentally-friendly lifestyle. She spends much of her free time traveling, hiking, and scuba diving, so preserving nature’s beauty is a top priority for her. Claire, her husband, and rescue beagle Olive, are always looking for new ways to positively impact their environment and community. Claire Taydus @claireebearr6
COVID-19 has spread across the globe and upended cultures, economies,and the rhythm of daily life in a heartbeat. Since the beginning of this year, socialstructures have collapsed, hospitals have been inundated, and governing bodieseverywhere have taken swift and decisive action to mitigate the growing health crisis. While people have endured economic hardship, illness, and loss, …
When we nostalgically think back to the late 1940s and 1950s, we might envision a world castunder a black and white hue reminiscent of early television. Leave it to Beaver-style families sataround the kitchen table at breakfast and happily greeted the milkman as he dropped off freshmilk in exchange for the empty, glass bottles from …
Twelve Easy Ways to Begin an Environmentally Sustainable Lifestyle By Claire Taydus
The Beginning of an Environmentally-Sustainable Lifestyle
One of the biggest challenges we each face for living more sustainably, in my opinion, is: where to begin. One day, you look around your house and realize all your common household items come in plastic; half of your grocery list is in plastic; everything is plastic on plastic. Don’t panic. Maybe you feel changing your lifestyle will be impossible or that you have to throw everything away and start over. I’m here to tell you it is possible to make a difference, without wasting items you already have.Some ways to reduce your waste are:
1 When you run out of a household item you frequently use, find an eco-friendly alternative instead or refill/reuse your container.
2 When shopping, opt to go bag-less or use reusable bags. Ditch the single-use plastic bags. “A plastic bag has an average working life of fifteen minutes.” If you already have plastic bags at home, they can be recycled at several different grocery stores. Don’t throw them in the trash.
3 While grocery shopping, try to purchase produce that is loose, not wrapped in plastic containers. You can also shop at your local farmers market. There are several companies that make reusable produce bags, as opposed to single-use plastic.
4 Eating out is a different experience during COVID-19, but when ordering take-out, opt out of having the disposable plastic utensils. Before the pandemic, it was great to bring your own cup when ordering beverages. Eventually, we will be able to do this again!
5 Coffee lovers, there are reusable filters you can use in your coffee maker at home or a reusable k-cup for the popular Keruig machine, instead of the single-use pods. You can even find a recipe for homemade creamer to DIY.
6 Go straw-less. It is extra plastic we don’t really need. If you are partial to straws, there are several companies that make metal or silicone ones you can wash over and over. Some of the metal straws even fold up in a reusable case.
7 Get a reusable water bottle. Water is something we all need to survive, but the amount of waste produced from plastic water bottles alone is astounding. “According to the Container Recycling Institute, 100.7 billion plastic beverage bottles were sold in the U.S. in 2014, or 315 bottles per person. 57% of those units were plastic water bottles: 57.3 billion sold in 2014. The process of producing bottled water requires around 6 times as much water per bottle as there is in the container. 14% of all litter comes from beverage containers. When caps and labels are considered, the number is higher.”
8 Have a dog? As courteous as it is to pick up their waste, using plastic bags just creates a different type of waste that doesn’t disappear as quickly. There are biodegradable pet-waste bags that can be used instead. Then everyone wins!
9 Ladies, that time of the month can already be unfortunate enough without us further polluting the environment. “In the United States alone, approximately 12 billion pads and 7 billion tampons are discarded each year.” Reusable pads and menstrual cups are eco-friendly alternatives and still simple to use.
10 Ditch single-use makeup wipes, cotton tips, and plastic razors. All these items are available in a more sustainable way. There are reusable face cloths, Q-tips, and metal shavers. Some companies will recycle the razors as well.
11 Giving a birthday or other holiday gift? Reuse gift wrapping materials you already have, even things like old magazines or newspapers. That’s one way actually, to get a conversation started with friends and family about sustainability!
12 Ordering online is convenient and fast, especially with expedited shipping, but a lot of times the packaging for these items are used once and thrown in the trash. Some companies already use recycled materials for packaging and some will allow you to request eco-friendly packaging, but several do not. I try to avoid online orders where I can, but I will save the materials from things I have ordered to reuse again. Shopping locally is a great way to support your community and avoid unnecessary waste from excess packaging. “Packaging is the largest end-use market segment accounting for just over 40% of total plastic usage.”
Those are 12 tips to be more sustainable in your home, that I personally implement as well. I wouldn’t call myself an environmentalist or an expert on sustainability, but slowly over time I have been researching new ways and products to help me be less wasteful. I started out completely unaware of the impact other people and I have on the environment, but I continue to learn what I can do to enact positive change.
The best advice I can give in addition to those twelve tips, is when you are about to throw something away, take a moment and think “how can I avoid wasting this product now and in the future?” Research how you can reuse, repurpose, and replace items you use in your home. There are several great resources online to purchase eco-friendly items or make them yourself at home.
Less Than is an amazing shop to begin your environmentally sustainable journey. I remember the first time I visited the shop in Ghent. I came in with my reusable bag and empty jars, with no clue of how in depth being eco-friendly really is. I’m definitely still learning and Less Than is a great resource, not just to purchase zero-waste materials, but to have conversations about being more sustainable.
However, the most important thing you can do to become more environmentally sustainable is to remember to be kind to yourself. Sustainability will most likely start in one area for you and it will keep growing over time. Be proud of yourself for making the decision to pursue sustainability. Your efforts will hopefully spread to friends, family, and even strangers, when they see the changes you are making. Every positive change you make in your life towards being more eco-friendly matters! You can make a difference.
References:
https://stanfordmag.org/contents/planet-friendly-periods
Claire is a Virginia Beach local that recently began her journey of an environmentally-friendly lifestyle. She spends much of her free time traveling, hiking, and scuba diving, so preserving nature’s beauty is a top priority for her. Claire, her husband, and rescue beagle Olive, are always looking for new ways to positively impact their environment and community. Claire Taydus @claireebearr6
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