Happy Earth Day

The blog topic of sustainability and going green has been in my head for a while. I recently spoke about how I’m reducing my carbon footprint through clothing rentals, and in honor of Earth Day I assessed other area of my life.

I probably spend a lot more time than the average person thinking about my consumption and waste. That’s not to say I’m perfect or am always my best in being environmentally conscious. But, it has caused me to make small changes. They are simply tweaks to my lifestyle that I’ve barely noticed, but are doing good for Mother Earth. Continue reading if you want to consider incorporating any of them into your day-by-day.

1. Grocery shop with reusable grocery bags. These have cut down on the amount of plastic bags I’m bringing home and they’re washable. Speaking of plastic…
2. Find plastic bag drop-offs at places like grocery stores. Recycle dry cleaning bags, produce bags, grocery bags and more.
3. Switch to reusable tote bags and carry one with you or leave them in the trunk of your car at all times. I use the totes for grocery shopping, clothes shopping and even hauling books from the library.
4. Give up straws or find reusable ones. This is sooo hard for me! I love a straw. What I oddly do is wash my plastic straws to reuse them over and over at home. But I can see most people not wanting to do that, so stainless steel drinking straws seem like another great option.
5. Don’t be lazy, turn off lights! I hate it when I sit down on the couch, then notice that there’s a light on in another room that’s not needed. One Lent I gave up being lazy about turning off lights, and I’ve stayed in that habit since. It’s not that hard to leave the TV for 10 seconds and go flip a switch.
6. Unplug electronics to avoid using phantom energy. Did you know that even when your electronics are off they use electricity? Plugged in electronic account for up to 15% of total energy used, according to this site. Either unplug the electronics or hook them up to a power strip so you can flip them all off at once.
7. Don’t run water if you don’t need it. That means turn it off while you’re doing activities like brushing your teeth and scrubbing dishes in a soapy water.
8. Learn more about what can and can’t be recycled. I truly don’t know how recycling facilities run with all of the weird stuff I see people try to put in recycling bins. So I hope I’m helping even the littlest bit when I remove the Styrofoam or plastic bags, for example. (Neither can be recycled in most facilities.) Your city probably has a website that tells you what you can and can’t recycle.
9. Say no to samples or other unnecessary products. I love to shop; I have a hard time not bringing new things into our home. I don’t think I’ll be able to cut that completely out. But I can shop a little more discerningly. I turn down samples or free products for the blog if I know deep down I don’t need it or won’t use it. Little by little my pile of randomness is diminishing.
10. Research your city’s electronics and household chemical recycling program. When Steve and I found out our neighborhood’s electronics recycling schedule, we were able to get rid of so much in a responsible way! We cleaned out our drunk drawer full of old chargers and computer equipment. Come to think of it, we’re probably due for another clean out.

Do you do any of these environmental conscious activities in your life? Am I missing any I could easily incorporate in mine? I’d love to hear more. Also, happy belated Earth Day, now and year-round!