Since I adopted a healthy lifestyle of clean eating and daily fitness, I have also been looking for ways to be more environmentally friendly overall. I decided to clean up more products around my home and do a bit more of my part to be kinder to the environment.
It’s interesting that when we open our eyes to what it means to live a healthy lifestyle, we are more open to evaluating choices that we previously wouldn’t have considered. Here are 5 ways to be more environmentally friendly that are easy swaps to make. Some will even save you money!
1. Save on Shampoo
When I switched my soaps for more natural soaps from a local soap maker, I decided to try a shampoo bar too. I switched to natural soaps because a friend suggested that might be a way for my skin to be less dry. A shampoo bar means no more plastic shampoo bottles that end up in landfills.
I am happy with the soap switch and the shampoo bar too! It’s true that a shampoo bar may not lather as much as the liquid shampoo you’re using now, but a shampoo bar also do not strip your hair of natural oils like SLS, sodium lauryl sulphate, (a foaming agent) does. Because it is more gentle, using a shampoo bar allows your hair to retain color and moisture and cuts down on conditions like, dry scalp and oily scalp.
2. Bring Your Own Bag
I remember when the local market starting crediting customers 2 or 3 cents to bring their own bag. It worked for me most of the time. I would take in one or two reusable bags to save some pennies.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized I should always carry my own bag to cut down on plastic bags. Now, I keep a lot of reusable bags in my car so they are always there when I need them.
When we visited California, you had to have your own bag at Trader Joes or you paid for the paper bags! Those are pennies I didn’t want to spend. Plastic bags are easily picked up by the wind and are a significant source of plastic pollution in the ocean and they also cause major problems on land, blocking drains and contributing to floods. Agree to BYOB, my friend!
3. Swap Out The Sponge
If you’re anything like me, you hate a soggy, smelly sponge sitting around the sink. I found a solution after I got invited to a Norwex home party. I was interested in the products, and figure a home show would be an educational experience. I only ordered a couple of things – dishcloths and kitchen cloths because I realized I could swap out my sponges and cut down on my paper towel use.
I love the Norwex Dish Cloth!!! It is loosely-woven, and can be used anywhere scrubbing action is needed. It might seem strange to use a cloth with holes all over it to clean dishes – give it a try and I bet you’ll be a raving fan too.
The dish cloth is also great for everyday use. They’re great for removing flour, dough and other sticky substances from countertops after baking. I know from experience since my daughter loves to bake.
- Easily removes stuck-on food
- The loosely woven mesh cuts down on the ability to harbor germs, odors or food particles
- Cleans anything from plates and bowls to pots and pans
- Can be used on counters and inside microwaves
- Dries quickly
- Set of two, so you always have one handy
4. BYOS – Bring Your Own Straw
Single-use straws are a real problem for the ocean. This is a problem I didn’t give much thought to until I saw a student news report about it when I was researching for a second grade lesson.
It’s estimated that we use over 500 million single use straws every day in America, and most of those end up in our oceans and killing marine life. It’s possible according to Strawless Ocean that by the year 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. I learned that most plastic straws are too lightweight to make it through a mechanical recycling sorter. They drop through sorting screens and mix with other materials and are too small to separate, and end up getting disposed of as garbage.
My solution is to use stainless steel straws at home and I have a set for the car too. When I am out, I am trying to remember to say no to the straw at a restaurant and I am keeping some paper straws in my purse now. I notice as we travel that some restaurants are already using paper straws and in other places, you have to request a straw now.
5. Compost!
Composting is a something new I am learning. With clean eating, we are eating a lot of fresh produce and rather than tossing the remnants and scraps, I thought I’d have a go at making my own dirt. I also throw in grass clippings, paper and other yard waste. A compost should have both green and brown waste.
I read that food scraps and yard waste together make up about 30 percent of what gets thrown away. Compost it instead! Making compost keeps the natural waste out of landfills where it takes up space and releases methane, a greenhouse gas.
My composting is currently taking place with this compost bin. I am looking to upgrade my process by adding a second bin or converting to a compost pile. Composting is worth looking into if you make a lot of food scraps like we do.
