Being Eco-friendly is
the new trend, but does that mean you have to live zero waste for it to count?
The answer is NO.
Going zero waste is a
big commitment and isn’t easy, but don’t worry, there are many eco-friendly
things you can do that don’t involve completely taking on a new lifestyle!
Here are simple ways to
journey towards being eco-friendly:
1. Use reusable shopping bags
You can find super cute
ones everywhere! Pretty much every store has them now and you can order cool ones online! I have a bunch from Tjmaxx and some zoos! The average person uses about 350-500 plastic bags a year, so imagine how much plastic we'll keep out of the environment by using reusable shopping bags!!!
2. Reusable Water Bottle
Why constantly spend
money buying plastic bottles when you can just bring a reusable water bottle
with you wherever you go?! I have so many, just because whenever I find a cool
one I usually end up buying it.
I’ve started getting into glass bottles, and my favorite is definitely my SandCloud bottle! It says Save the Fishies on the lid, and it is just too cute! Follow this link to the bottle and you can use my ambassador code ZAuger25 for 25% off!
3. Reusable Travel Mug
Instead of Styrofoam or
plastic travel mugs, take a reusable one to work with you! A lot of coffee
places will put your coffee in your eco friendly mug if you ask!
3. Ditch plastic straws
I am new to this one,
because I never use straws at home, but recently I have been for my smoothies.
There are tons of cute metal ones that you can find on Amazon and Etsy!
4. Walk
Not only does this help
the environment, but a little walking is good for your health too! This is a
big one for those of you on college campuses. If you can walk to your classes, try to do
that instead of driving!
5. Don't use plastic bags in produce section
This is something I’m
going to start doing! Having an iguana, I am constantly buying tons of fruits
and veggies. Buying and reusing these bags you can find online are a good way
to limit how much plastic you are bringing home from the store!
6. Reusable sandwich/snack bags
These are another thing
you can easily find on amazon and etsy! We go through tons of plastic bags for
lunches and snacks, so these are super awesome! You can even find them in cute fabrics!
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| HeartStitchesForever on Etsy |
6. Less Lights and Water
This sounds super basic,
but I’m saying it anyway - Shut off the lights when you leave a room and use
less water! By decreasing your shower by 1 minute (ONLY 1 MINUTE) you can save roughly 500-2000 gallons of water per year!!! Nuff said.
7. RECYCLE
Designate a bin in your
kitchen, bedroom, dorm room, whatever room, to items that are recyclable. Now
instead of throwing everything away, take your paper and recyclable plastics
and put them in your designated recycling bin!
8. Reusable K-Cups
This one is for you
coffee drinkers! It’s well known that K-cups aren't great for the environment, but
now they have reusable k-cups! You just dump your favorite coffee in the cub
and your good to go!
 |
| Click Here for Reusable K Cups on Amazon |
9. Use washcloths for dishes or reusable sponges
Instead of sponges that
get yucky and you throw away, use a cloth or reusable sponge! All you have to do is throw them in
the washer and then you're good to go!
10. Bamboo Toothbrushes
This is another one I
haven’t done yet, but come my next paycheck I will! Recently I read in an
article that between 850 million and over a billion plastic toothbrushes are
thrown away each year AND they take hundred of years to decompose! That is
insane! Bamboo brushes are
recyclable, so why not!
 |
| WowE Natural Bamboo Toothbrushes |
Click here for a website I found that compares different bamboo brush companies!
These are just some ways
to reduce your waste, but by all means there are more! Amazon and etsy have
tons of eco friendly products and alternatives to everyday products. I love
just scrolling through to see what there is!
What are some of your
favorite ways to help the planet? Leave a comment below!