I know that "going green" is a way of life for many people, but for others it is a huge task that seems impossible. There are lots of ways to begin your green journey or just small things you can do to save money and use less. I've been reading a lot of other blogs lately about zero or low waste, recycling, downsizing, etc. It has been an inspiration to give you a small list of where to start. Maybe you can adopt some of these ideas into your life and your family.
1. Use REUSABLE CLOTH BAGS at the grocery store. This is an easy step, it just takes a few times to remember to bring those bags into the store with you. I used to forget mine all the time. I would remember around the time I got in line at the register and think, "oh crap, I left my bags in the trunk again!" I started carrying a small bag inside my purse or diaper bag and as I got used to having less plastic bags around, and less garbage, I loved it. I soon noticed many stores posting signs on their doors to remind you to bring your bags inside. Now, I always grab my bags before going into the stores. I even keep a small one rolled up in my purse still so I have one at a mall or other store. It's very handy! Plus, many stores will offer a minimal discount for each bag you bring with you. It's usually only about $0.05, but it's something that could add up.
2. SHOP BULK BINS. You can save a lot of packaging and a lot of money by shopping in the bulk section at your local store. I love saving money, who doesn't? I even bought glass jars to put my bulk oatmeal, raisins, cereal, etc in. I've also found a few lightweight cotton bags to use for the bulk bins to avoid their paper and plastic bags. I still use a twist tie to mark what is in each bag, but I'm looking into washable markers to write the bulk bin code on the side of my bag. More trash avoided!
3. Use a REUSABLE COFFEE CUPS AND WATER BOTTLES. I to admit something. I have a slight addiction to water bottles- reusable ones that is! I have a little collection of them. I always look for new ones. Is it green to keep buying more when I really only need 1 or 2? Well, no. But that pink one is really cool! I know it's ridiculous, but I use them all, really I do. It saves money and waste by having your own water bottle. We refill ours from a filtered pitcher that I'm currently looking into better, greener options to replace once it meets it end. I don't want the next one to be plastic. We used to buy flats of bottled water every week. We recycled those bottles, but it was an awful lot of plastic! It was around the time everyone started worrying about BPA and how bottles that were near heat were worse. At the time, we lived in hot Florida. I'm sure those bottles sat in trucks and warehouses with temperature fluctuations constantly. We made the switch ASAP and never looked back. Now I find I drink more water if I have it with me and it's in a cute bottle. Coffee cups are harder. I love the ritual of getting a hot cup of coffee at the coffee shop and feeling the heat through the cup. So, I almost never take my reusable metal coffee cup to a coffee shop, but I often make coffee or tea to go and use the reusable cups. If I get an iced tea or iced coffee, I always use that disposable cup several times before I recycle it. I have invested in a reusable plastic cup for iced drinks and I'm contemplating trying the reusable ceramic travel coffee cups I see on occasion, maybe I will like them better than the metal ones.
4. CLOTH TOWELS AND RAGS. I stopped using paper towel almost completely and haven't purchased any in a year. (!) I use reusable cloths and washcloths for cleaning.
5. HANDKERCHIEFS. I started using hankies instead of tissues and I prefer them, so now I'm on a quest to find some more that I really like so I have a whole stack.
6. CLOTH NAPKINS. Again, we used to use disposable napkins or paper towel, but washing your napkins and rags together is easy and it majorly reduces your waste! Plus, I LOVE cotton cloth napkins! They are so beautiful and you can have all different colors and patterns, even different ones for each holiday. Might be another thing I am addicted to slightly.
Want to do more? There are a ton of options for things you can do to reduce your waste and go a little "greener" but here are just a few more ideas:
> Homemade Cleaning Products. If you currently use conventional cleaning products, you can try some more eco-friendly options from your local store or you can make some of your own! It's very easy and pretty inexpensive. A future post will include the recipes I use.
> Cloth Diapers and Wipes. This was a change we made kind of late in the game, but I absolutely LOVED using cloth diapers. Now that my son is potty trained, I look forward to using cloth from birth on the next child.
> Clothes Line. In the summer, it's easy to put the laundry out on the clothesline and let it dry in the sun. It freshens your clothes and they smell great, it saves money by not using the dryer, it is a natural way to bleach stains out of clothes and diapers, and it's easy and inexpensive. The winter here means using the hanging bar in the laundry room or using the dryer, but summertime makes me look forward to the clothesline.
> Homemade Kitchen. This is a very broad term I'm using to cover making more stuff at home! I've always loved cooking and baking, but more recently I've been making many items from scratch and I love them. I've made ketchup, mustard, ranch dressing, pickles, dilly "pickled" carrots, chocolate sauce, jams, granola, the list goes on. Next up is to try homemade fruit roll ups. It's important for us to know where our food comes from and I have liked the homemade versions of these items far better than the store bought versions! Again, I will work on future posts with recipes or links to recipes.
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