14 tips to show more love to your planet

With Earth Week upon us, and Earth Day approaching (April 22nd!!), I want to share some helpful tips for making your lifestyle a little bit more sustainable. Over the past year and a half, I have been working on reducing my own carbon footprint from the pretty big one it used to be, to the smallest I can possibly manage. Over this time period, I have learned and come up with some easy (and some hard) lifestyle changes that really do come together to help reduce the negative impact we all have on the Earth. Your efforts to help the planet don't have to have a negative impact on your life - in fact, they can be fun, beneficial, and very rewarding! Whether you see it or not, the Earth really needs some help right now, and we're the only ones that can provide it.

     All that being said, here are some things (in no particular order) that I have to share:

1. Use less plastic

• Plastic pollution in the oceans is a huge contributor to the loss of biodiversity and change in the ecosystem that we are seeing today. Not only is it bad for all the zillions of creatures in the oceans, but it's bad for our health when we decide to eat the animals in the ocean that have all been affected and contain nanoparticles of plastic

• So what can you do?

• ​Use reusable water bottles - most towns' tap water actually has stricter regulations than bottled water in the stores!!

• Opt for reusable or paper bags when you go to the grocery store

• Recycle!!!! Plastic bags can also be recycled at most grocery stores

• Buy in bulk with your own containers

1. Wash/rinse dishes with cooler water

• Heating water uses tonsss of energy, and unless you have food caked on a dish, hot water really isn't necessary

1. Eat less meat/animal products

• Relax - I am not saying you have to be a vegetarian or vegan

• Think about how much water and resources you need per day, and think about how much a 2,000 pound cow needs per day (Hint: A TON)

• ​By eating less meat (maybe cut out meat 2 days per week) and other products made by these animals, you are reducing your footprint more than you could imagine! The agriculture industry contributes exponentially to the pollution and climate change we see today

1. Lessen your fuel use

• There are tons of ways to do this! Remember, this saves you some serious $$

• Carpool more

• Ride the bus or walk/bike if you live in a city

• Maybe you're thinking about buying a new vehicle

• Consider one with great gas mileage or an 'eco' mode

• Keep your tires properly filled up - it really does help

1. Buy local

• Your town, or somewhere very close to your town definitely has a farmer's market

• Supporting your local farmers also benefits the earth by drastically reducing the fuel used in transportation. Rather than getting strawberries from California (unless you live there of course) get fresher and more delicious ones from a farm nearby

1. Use eco-friendly products

• This is a super fun and beneficial tip because choosing eco-friendly alternatives for personal products and cleaning products also ensures that you know exactly what you’re being exposed to day in and day out

• In addition to the health benefits, choosing or making these products is definitely fun

• Get the app "think dirty"

• Despite the odd name, this app is amazing for telling you the parabens and carcinogens present in your products. You just scan the items with your phone and read all about the effects it could have. Chances are, if it's good for your health, it's also good for the environment because there are no harmful chemicals being produced and released into the atmosphere

• Get the app "cruelty cutter" (please)

• You can't be kind to the earth without being kind to its creatures, and this app tells you if animals were harmed in the making of the product (even if it says 'cruelty free' on the bottle, that doesn't always mean it is!) And again, chances are if it is cruelty free, there aren't harmful chemicals that need to be tested in the product.

• Make your own products!

• Essential oils, witch hazel, vinegar, and baking soda are just some of the things that come to mind when thinking of natural cleaners

• Shampoo, lotion, and hand soap are some of the easiest things to make

• Dr. Bronners natural castile soap is a very good place to start

• I've been making make-up when I run out of certain things, and so far my blush recipe is awesome - just arrowroot powder and beet powder!

• Look for recyclable or bio-based packaging

• All the waste from these products and their packaging adds up

1. Take quicker showers

• This one is pretty self explanatory

• I know there is nothing like a nice hot shower, but there is also nothing like a nice hot fast shower

1. Compost

• A lot of my kitchen waste is little food remnants and peels/inedible parts - you can buy a compost machine on amazon or just have a little box that you throw stuff in

• You may use it to help your garden flourish, but there is also probably a nearby place to bring it

1. Join groups in your community

• There is probably some kind of local environmental group you could visit, and this is a huge help for making policies, hosting sustainable events, and having a bigger voice against environmental issues

• Substantial change begins at the local level - I truly can't stress this enough!

1. Use rags instead of paper towels

• It's truly frightening to see how fast a roll of paper towels goes during a long day in the kitchen

• You save money and reduce waste by switching to reusable towels

1. Use sustainable packaging 

• There are plenty of brands such as Bee's Wrap that can take the place of sandwich bags, plastic wrap, and tin foil, and are reusable time and time again!!

• Check it out - https://www.beeswrap.com/ 

1. Turn off the lights

• ​Again, this saves you serious money!!

• If you're coming back in the room in the next 15 minutes, leave the light on, but if you're gone longer than that, switch that baby off!

• Unplug things you don't use much (like a pencil sharpener)

• Even when they aren't in use, they pull energy constantly from the outlet

• Natural light is wayyyy better anyway

1. Don't litter :(

• ​​If you are still a litter bug after all this time, please start with this step and then go from there

• ​Thanks.  Sincerely, a very concerned citizen

1. Pick up trash

• ​Believe it or not, you do not have to be an inmate to clean up the environment 

• If you see something not gross that should be in a trash can - or better yet, a recycling bin - do a good deed and move it there

This has been environmental time with Jamie - thanks for coming. I hope you got something out of it, and I hope at least a couple of these tips resonate with you and facilitate a little bit of change in your life. Please contact me if you want me to add any more tips to this list - I would be more than happy to.

Happy Earth Week :)

#sustainability #earthday #green