Force of Nature
Happy Earth Day!
This post is not to discuss global warming or conspiracy theories but to discuss ways that we can just better take care of mother earth. The fact that is that there over 8 billion people present day in the world - that is a lot of crap (pardon my French) - but seriously think about your own life and house and all the stuff that just accumulates, now times that by 100 because thats a fathomable number and that’s only the amount that is present on your neighborhood block let’s say. Companies mass produce so many products especially when there is a trend (ahem Stanley bottles) and how much excess is left and what happens to it?; most make-up companies don’t offer any program for recycling their containers, how many electronic products do we each have (figure 3+ TV’s, 2+ cell phones, 2+ tablets, 2+ tablets, 1+ desktop, 1+ e-reader, 2+ smart watches, 1 gaming system, e-cigarettes, wireless headphones, etc.) per household and they require frequent replacement with damage, battery drainage, lost items, etc.
OK so all of those things in quantities we can’t even fathom add up, literally. What can we do to limit our consumption and contribute to reduce, reuse, recycle?
These are things that I currently practice and continue to practice:
Reusable water bottles - the Stanley trend that I mentioned earlier..? the biggest benefit is that most of the population is reusing their water bottle and not buying plastic bottles. However, I do not use a Stanley bottle, I use a glass water bottle which is free of chemicals (BPA and phthalate free), dishwasher safe, and is able to hold cold or hot beverages for over 6 hours and never changes the taste of your beverage with metallic flavoring. You’re thinking oh boy, a glass water bottle: how risky! and you are correct, I have broken two (out of 3 and over 6 years so not easily) and now you are thinking, how is that possible? The bkr bottles come in a silicone sleeve to protect it so there is minimal exposure of the glass so it really needs to be dropped in the perfect way to break (which I have done twice, if you know me, no surprise there). The silicone covers come in so many fun colors, sometimes they have cute phrases, some have spikes on them, and the covers are semi-easy to remove (they are a tight fit which you need and not impossible to remove but slide off with some elbow grease). The silicone covers and caps and bottles are all dishwasher safe so you know all items are beyond clean (which I am a huge fan of) and the taste quality is always the same, no metal taste to your water. The bottles come in four sizes: 250mL, 500mL, 650mL and 1L; there are insulated cups (these can handle hot to cold temperature change) and come in two sizes: 355mL and 500mL. The 250mL bottle and the insulated cups fit all cup holders, the larger ones do not fit most car cup holders, but you can fill up your water bottles all throughout the day. I love my bkr and you can buy covers in many colors or styles so you can switch it up anytime; and if they don’t have any colors you like today, check back in a few weeks, I feel like they are always releasing a few new colors. I don’t even use a cup to drink water out of at home, I use my bkr cup as my cup, it’s always with me. I have used stainless steel water bottles and still take them on hikes as they keep water colder better (preferable on a 4+ mile hike in 80+ degree heat), brands I do use and like are s’well and Yeti.I have many no name brand stainless steel bottles that were gifted to me that I use for hot drinks usually. Bonus: reusable water bottles don’t expose you/have you ingesting microplastics. Remember if you have to use plastic water bottles (which let’s face it, it happens every now and then) to not leave them in hot cars, don’t reuse them and recycle them.
Silicone straws - I prefer to drink out of a straw and I use a silicone straw because they can easily be dishwasher and I do this frequently so bacteria doesn’t build up inside it, It is important to find BPA free and non-toxic silicone straws to use. The other best option is a glass straw but you need to handle them delicately so it is not the best choice for me. You can buy these in a 5+ pack on Amazon and most come in a handy little carrying bag, so if you are not carrying your reusable water bottle with you you can still throw this pack in your purse to use your straw while out. I began to use these when NJ banned plastic straws because drinking out of a paper straw (while extremely great for the environment) is a terrible experience for humans. So I no longer keep a box of plastic straws in the house and can offer straws to guests or use my silicone straw while dining out of the house.
Menstrual cup - this one is for the ladies (obviously), so men feel free to skip this paragraph. So I was ALWAYS hesitant to use it because I thought I could never and also ew, that seems messy but I have to tell you - it is easy to use (verrry similar to a tampon) and so much cleaner overall. I will say the first cycle you use it will be the “messiest” but it is a learning experience, you need to learn how to hold and bend and insert it properly but if you have used a tampon it is soo similar (just holding/folding it is different). I will never go back to using a tampon, this is a true statement - one time my period came early and I was away from home (for a wedding I was in naturally) and I did not have my cup with me since it was due in 3 days so I had nothing, I actually may have had a tampon or two left in my purse since I had only been using the cup for a few mos. I put a tampon in because it was after 9P and immediately looked up the closest drug store and what time it opened and set an alarm the next day and went and purchased another cup. I will not use a tampon, trust! My periods are shorter, more comfortable with less cramping, I am not changing a tampon every 2 hours (huge!) and don’t even notice half the time I am on period. Pro tip: I prefer to change mine out in the shower still, just so much easier in case of a spill and I just feel cleaner. This is life changing in the best way and we all know the harmful things tampons are made up of and we shouldn’t be having that in our bodies, especially in our core. I only wish I had done this sooner!
Cloth napkins - I purchased cloth napkins for us to use at home so we are not using paper napkins and throwing them out each night to reduce our waste. This was an extremely easy change to make, you can find a pattern that makes you happy or makes you feel relaxed or whatever and buy about 8+ so you can wash a few times a week as needed.
Recycle printer ink - I use HP ink, and the instant ink program, they provide you a box with a return label so you can send them your used cartridge and they will dispose of it properly. Whatever you use that offers a recycling program like this, take advantage and use it! I know Nespresso does the same thing. Some electronic stores and/or companies and sometimes towns offer disposal of electronic devices properly as well, if you need to dispose of these items, take time to do a quick search and find out how to do it properly.
Medications - every now and then I go through our medications and throw out any that are expired. I DO NOT throw them into the toilet or just throw them into my garbage can. I will collect them all and put them in a bag and bring them to a medication drop-off, most likely your local police department, sometimes a library, has a medication drop-off box - you can throw any medication out including narcotics and they will have a medication disposal company come and pick-up and dispose of it properly so our water lines do not have trace amount of various medications in them for public consumption.
Reusable shopping bags - the state of NJ forced us into this one but I tried to do this prior to this statewide change. Although, I will admit I was not consistent and it was done when I remembered or if I didn’t feel inconvenienced by it. I even have reusable mesh produce bags so that we don’t use the grocery store plastic produce bags.
No impulse buying - I especially in the last few weeks cannot stay away from the reels that are “Amazon home finds” “Amazon kitchen finds” “Amazon organization haul”, etc. you know the reels, these are so satisfying to watch and some of the items is like where has this been all my life?! However, what I do is I will find the item(s) and add it to my Amazon list and sit and wait on it and think about it, I will think about if I personally can actually use that item and will it make sense by either saving space or time. Some items I delete from my list because even though I like it I really haven’t had a need for it in my everyday life. This has been a money saver and ultimately space saver and I am not having an item shipped to me and then possibly returned on top of it.
Plants - plants provide fresh air and if you know me you know I love my plants. They add to the decor, have been shown in studies to improve moods and provide you with high quality oxygen. You can get plants that grow tall, ones that grow out, ones that climb down, some produce flowers, and some produce food (fruits and vegetables). Look at what the plant you want requires regarding sunlight and watering and make sure it fits in your house and your lifestyle. Also note: *Majority of plants are not pet-friendly! Be sure to look for pet-friendly if you need to, I know Rogue will not eat the plants so we are good but every animal is different.
Turn water off while brushing your teeth. Wet your toothbrush if you’d like, I think it’s unnecessary, you have saliva in your mouth that will wet it upon contact but to each his own; then turn the water off and brush your teeth; use water when you are done to rinse v. leaving the water on the whole time you are brushing.
Donate clothing - we donate clothes that we either don’t wear or like anymore or don’t fit us, in addition to bedding - we only donate items that are in good condition. If anything is not in good condition then it gets cut up and now we have new rags for cleaning.
Ground coffee - we don’t use the pods. If you do use pods because I have had Nespresso and trust me I get it! Then be sure you recycle the pods back to them.
Other things I plan to begin adding to our lifestyle:
Reusable paper towels - I notice that we use a large amount of paper towels and it makes cringe each time we do. I have been hesitant to add this because I think we will need paper towels for some situations and reusable ones will not cut it, but we won’t know until we try, right? So I have to just bite the bullet and go for it.
Period panties - again, for the ladies! I am hesitant here because I am worried about comfort and which ones are a good brand/what I should be looking for, so if you have any recommendations please comment below!
Compost - I would like to use eggshells, banana peels, and coffee grinds to compost. I have never composted before and I am worried I can't take the smell but this is something I would like to attempt.
Buying second hand - I would love to be that person that only has a few staple pieces that I can make work several different ways. My downfall is that I hate shopping where I have to search through items (think Century 21, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, etc.), do not get me wrong, I love those stores and I find great stuff but I don’t have the I don’t know what it’s called - willpower, attention span, focus, whatever, to spend the time going through each item to look at them. I much prefer walking through a store with all of the same shirt/pants/dresses on a rack and I just have to find the size. This is why I think I need a personal shopper! Haa I also have a hard time with this because sometimes I am looking for a specific item in certain styles and/or colors and to search through one rack and not find it is disappointing and then another and then I give up. This is a goal of mine though and I think one day I will get there. One person's trash is another person's treasure.
Bottom line: the earth provides us so much beauty in the form of landscapes, nature, animals, providing materials, etc. I love walks in nature with my family and even though a lot of the time we go to the same spots I am always in awe of something beautiful, there is always something new to see. When we had that earthquake a few weeks ago (maybe I’ll do my earthquake story for the next blog..), my first thought was our poor earth, it is not normal for us to have earthquakes and why is this happening? I think earth is just stunned with us and we need to be mindful and take better care.
I almost forgot, how can we tie electrolysis into reduce, reuse, recycle? Well, once you achieve permanent hair removal you will not be perpetually purchasing razors, bottles of hair bleach, wax strips (either you or your waxing specialist). I totally realize that it may not be possible for you to have electrolysis in all areas you desire such as legs, underarms, facial hair, back, brazilian due to either monetary, time, or pain limitations so you very well still may require a razor to tend to these areas but its worth a shot (no pun intended).
What are some easy ways you try to live a sustainable lifestyle? Which of these tips will you begin to incorporate into your routine? Which have you already been doing?
*I am not affiliated with any companies mentioned. I do not receive any commission from any of the companies mentioned above. This is not an ad. Any products and/or companies that are mentioned are ones that I have used personally and love.