40 Simple Ways To Be More Sustainable
From recycling to reusables to gardening, implementing environmentally friendly practices into your daily life will have an impact on your health and the health of the planet. Start with these 40 simple and sustainable eco hacks and tips to reduce your impact on the environment and help protect our planet.
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Reducing pollution, wasting less, reusing, producing less trash and using less of the natural resources that can’t be replenished – all of these constitute going green. It may seem intimidating to get started on green living, but by taking one step at a time, it’s easier than you think.
Start by making simple swaps in your everyday products and habits and you’ll be that much closer to making the planet a better place to live. With these 40 simple swaps and tips, you’ll be on your way to a greener future!
Eco Hacks In The Kitchen
- Incorporate more plant-based food into your diet to reduce your carbon footprint.
- Use a concentrated natural cleaner that you can dilute in a glass spray bottle or make your own cleaning supplies with ingredients like baking soda, essential oils, and white vinegar.
- Use beeswax wrap in place of plastic wrap
- Swap out your paper towels for reusable towels
- Replace your plastic sponge with a bamboo scrubber
- Use glass food storage in place of plastic food storage.
- Compost food scraps (except meat, bones and cooking oil)
- Use non-toxic cookware in place of Teflon pans, such as a cast iron skillet or ceramic sauté pan
- Use a reusable coffee filter in place of disposable coffee filters.
- Ditch your plastic water bottles for a reusable water bottle
- Skip disposable cutlery at picnics and use bamboo cutlery instead.
- Opt for no straw or use a stainless steel straw.
- Replace canned soda and sparkling water in plastic bottles with a soda stream sparkling water maker
Food & Grocery Eco Hacks
- Create a weekly meal plan; you’ll avoid making extra trips to the store, reducing impulse buying and gas usage.
- Purchase fruits and vegetables in season – they have a smaller carbon footprint.
- Bring a reusable bag to the grocery store.
- Visit your local Farmers market – buying local produce reduces fossil fuel use and air pollution, among other benefits.
Eco Hacks In The Bathroom
- Take shorter showers. Did you know that reducing your shower time by just one minute will save you between 550 to 2000 gallons of water per year?
- Turn off the water while brushing your teeth and washing your hair.
- Use dry shampoo to stretch out the time in between showers
- Choose personal care products that don’t come packaged in plastic. Look for products wrapped in paper, cardboard tubing or packaged in bamboo. Read my post on how to reduce plastic waste in the bathroom for more tips.
- Replace disposable plastic razors with either a safety razor or electric razor.
- Swap out your plastic toothbrush for a bamboo toothbrush.
- Purchase toothpaste in a bio-plastic tube or toothpaste bites in a glass jar.
- Forgo bodywash and use bar soap instead.
- Swap your disposable makeup remover pads for reusable makeup rounds.
- Use the same bath towel for a whole week – no need to change it out daily and waste extra water and electricity.
- Reduce toilet paper usage and get a bidet style toilet seat that rinses using water.
Eco Hacks For The Home
- Wash your clothes on the cold water cycle.
- Run a full load of laundry on the wash cycle to save on water usage and electricity.
- Keep a recycling bin handy and recycle used bottles, paper, and glass jars.
- Replace all of your lightbulbs with LED bulbs – they use 70% less energy and last longer than non-LED lightbulbs.
- Purchase appliances with Energy Star certified appliances.
- Turn off the lights each time you leave a room.
- Conduct a home energy audit.
- Opt into electronic mail instead of paper bills.
Eco Hacks In The Garden
- Plant native plants that require less watering.
- Designate an area in your yard for a compost bin.
- Grow your own vegetable garden, and don’t forget fruit too! Even if you don’t have the room for raised beds, try container gardening!
- Use organic farming methods to reduce pesticide runoff in our soil and water.