I don’t tend to be a person who celebrates holidays on one day alone. Giving and showing love only on Valentines Day feels unnatural, just as celebrating Christmas only on Christmas Day would feel totally wrong, just wrong. I LOVE a good reason to celebrate, but I tend to enjoy a season of commemoration vs. confining it to a day on the calendar. Earth Day is no exception, and it feels like an appropriate time to dust off this blog for more regular writing practice. Below are some ways I celebrate Earth Day all year round!
I’ve spent the last few years really digging into sustainable living and defining what that means for me and my family. I gave zero-waste living all my attention for a few months and realized that lesser-waste living was probably more appropriate for my life. Same goes for gardening – I’m not going to grow 100% (or even 50%) of our food, but I can easily grow a good portion of our fruits and veggies. So, I put together a list of earth-friendly actions I’ve found easy to incorporate to become a natural part of my routine. Maybe you’ll find one or two that will fit you and your life.
Top 7 Earth-Friendly Actions
1. Carry a reusable straw everywhere you go. This switch has been one of the easiest to incorporate into daily life, as my straw effortlessly slips into my purse. These (affiliate link) are my favorite, though I also like these for smaller-sized drinks. It also works to just eliminate straws when ordering drinks.
2. Walk or bike some of your errands.
Of course this will depend heavily on your living and/or working location. It can be a simple as walking a message to your next-door neighbor vs. sending them a text (with a bonus of vitamin community to boot!). Or visiting the local grocery store for some of your groceries instead of the big box store a few miles away. Of course there are large-scale ways to make changes in this department, such as moving to a more walk-able city or neighborhood (see how we made this change 5 years ago), but that’s not always an option. I believe in starting where you are so don’t overthink this one.
3. Carry a reusable water bottle wherever you go.
At the top of most eco-friendly lists is the reusable drink vessel. I tinkered with many material options including stainless steel, aluminum and BPA-free plastic before landing on my favorite – glass. I’m a bit old school and glass is my jam. The container I carry with me daily is actually an old canning jar outfitted with a jar jacket and topped with a lid + my trusty stainless steel straw. Whatever your vessel of choice is, make it your mission to carry it with you for a couple of weeks and see how it feels.
4. Reduce your consumption. This is a vague one for a reason. Taking a look at general consumption is quite an undertaking, so starting small is, again, my go-to strategy. I started by looking at our trash and reverse-engineering our packaging use from there. The main culprits were actually food – processed food to be exact. Upon figuring out that the convenience products we relied upon were to blame, I began making swaps. Instead of granola bars, I began making these uber-easy snack balls for effortless lunch packing. Individual packages became my enemy, so I began buying nuts, crackers, dried fruit and even staples like flour in sugar in bulk quantities. Start by taking a look at your trash as an observation exercise – it takes just a few minutes. Don’t even make a change immediately. Just observe your kitchen garbage (and recycling too) to see how you feel.
5. Shop Used. I wrote a whole post about this, so I won’t bore you reiterating my thoughts here. Again, start small and see where buying used items leads. I went from only shopping in big box or department stores a few years ago to now sourcing 85% of our home and personal goods second-hand.
6. Go old school and hang your laundry to dry. Okay, I’ll admit that this is actually a tough one for many people. Even I don’t do this year-round and I have a complete clothesline in our yard. I do make an effort, seasonally, to hang out the wash. Sunny days beckon for a fresh load of sheets on the line, so I do my best to accept the invitation. This can also be as simple as hanging a few pieces of clothing on hangers in your laundry room, bedroom, garage or wherever you have space. It’s better for the longevity of our clothes which ticks the boxes of reducing consumption and spending less – the energy savings from neglecting your clothes dryer are a bonus!
7. Get an EV!
Yes, I saved this seeming mega switch for last as it’s a big one. Changing one of your gas vehicles out for an electric car requires less habit change than one might think, but getting there is often half the battle. I began thinking about making the switch a couple of years ago and it was ultimately the whopping $400+ our family was spending each month in gas that drove me to act. My daily driving is primarily within a 15 mile radius, so the fact that I was spending $70 per week on gas was eye-opening. Now, I spend about $40 per month to charge my 2015 Nissan Leaf. Since I’m a frugal gal and only wanted an EV if it saved us money, I sought a used vehicle with little battery degradation. There are many programs here in California (check your state and federal incentives here) that offer incentives and grants that make the switch a no-brainer. I am happy to report that we spent just $2,000 out of pocket which includes the $5,000 profit from selling my Honda Pilot. Earth and pocket-book friendly!
So, there’s my Earth Day eco-friendly living list. Do you have any to add? I’d love to hear them in the comments section!
Thanks for tuning in for my first blog post in a good, long while. I will be writing here more frequently with topics ranging from big adventures, sustainable-living, finances and simple + adventurous everyday experiences.
Until next time, friends.
xo, Lindsey
2 Comments
don’t forget reusable shopping bags and storage containers vs. zippies. and also dish vs. paper towels. even when not done at 100%, every little bit helps!
Love this list! And I agree wholeheartedly with the reverse engineering from the trash. It’s amazingly eye-opening to stop and take stock of what you use.
I’d add to the list: eat less meat – especially beef, and especially if you don’t know how it was raised.