Update from 2022-09-07
I received the loveliest email from Lily S. yesterday. Her son, Connor, is a Boy Scout and his troop is working on their Sustainability Merit Badge: "the troop will learn how to reduce their family's waste, protect our planetary systems, spread sustainability to others, and explore other eco-friendly topics." They really enjoyed this post (which makes me so, so happy!) and reached out to share another composting resource with everyone else who might stumble upon the blog. Thanks Connor :D
I'll also add here that Dan and I are now trying to avoid Amazon shopping as much as possible, so I'll instead point you to EarthHero, ZeroWasteStore, and Made Trade, all amazing resources for ethical, sustainable shopping. I've also updated a few of the broken links below. Cheers! -A
I received the loveliest email from Lily S. yesterday. Her son, Connor, is a Boy Scout and his troop is working on their Sustainability Merit Badge: "the troop will learn how to reduce their family's waste, protect our planetary systems, spread sustainability to others, and explore other eco-friendly topics." They really enjoyed this post (which makes me so, so happy!) and reached out to share another composting resource with everyone else who might stumble upon the blog. Thanks Connor :D
I'll also add here that Dan and I are now trying to avoid Amazon shopping as much as possible, so I'll instead point you to EarthHero, ZeroWasteStore, and Made Trade, all amazing resources for ethical, sustainable shopping. I've also updated a few of the broken links below. Cheers! -A
My inspiration for today's blog post struck Tuesday night while I was baking some blueberry muffins (see right). I really got into baking when Dan and I moved out to State College for grad school. I finally had a kitchen that I could stock with my preferred baking ingredients and equipment (including lots of my favorite rubber spatulas - Dan's family makes fun of me for those but whatevs. They are the best cooking utensil. End of story.). |
On one particular occasion in May 2015 I had to run to the store to buy some more cupcake liners, and it suddenly dawned on me that I was spending something like $12 on specially shaped pieces of paper that I was just going to throw in the garbage almost immediately. The reusable silicone cupcake liners that you see above permitted me to buy 4-dozen liners that I could wash and reuse indefinitely for the same price as one pack of paper liners.
| These silly neon silicone liners got me thinking about just how much waste the average American produces on any given day. Think about it: whenever we go buy something from the store, chances are you will be taking it out of the store in a plastic bag that you will more than likely just throw away later. Almost all of the food we buy, including fresh produce, is prepackaged in some way, and that way tends to be a plastic wrap or bag. [Related side note: if you have access to safe tap water, please stop buying bottled water! WHY DO PEOPLE STILL USE THESE?!] Even the bags we use to collect our pets' poop are just tossed in the garbage with everything else (unless you use some compostable bags. Such a clever thing you are.) |
I don't want to spend this blog post badgering plastic, even though it is kind of awful for the environment and for ourselves. I also don't want to sound too preachy or uppity or whatever. Instead, I'd love to share with you the ways that Dan and I have cut down on our waste, whether it be consumable, chemical, etc. Some of them are kind of silly (example: we like drinking out of straws, so we found some that were made of stainless steel), but every one of them has been easy to incorporate into our lifestyle and, in some cases, has even saved us a bit of money :D
DISCLAIMER: Links and items posted here are just meant to serve as examples. We are not trying to promote any specific products, we've just enjoyed using these. End speech.
As people who love to cook and to eat, Dan and I sometimes go a bit overboard when grocery shopping. We have always reused shopping bags, but leaks happen and when they do, it's kind of awful. Now we are complimented on our washable produce/bulk and shopping bags literally every single time we go to the grocer's (see photo above). We've got enough light in our house to grow and maintain our own herbs by starting the seeds in an AeroGarden I received from an internet stranger as a Secret Santa gift (long story...). We've also switched to buying things like spices, nuts, dried fruits, meat, and tea in bulk in an effort to reduce the amount of packaging waste we recycle (when possible). |
Speaking of recycling, in our town we have to sort our stuff for easier pick up, so we got some color-coded washable recycling bins because (as I've mentioned previously) I love when things are organized :)
I've also started doing a lot more research into the companies that make the things we use every day. We each have a 100% recycled polyester backpack from United By Blue, a team of people that removes one pound of trash from oceans and waterways per item sold. I've become a huge fan due to their excellent customer service - when they say lifetime guarantee, they mean it. We've also become huge fans of all Seventh Generation cleaning products, and cotton cloths to use them with [we buy paper towels and napkins maybe once a year now - still trying to convert our parents on that front haha].
We've recently started shopping at secondhand clothing stores like Plato's Closet, donating everything we can no longer fit into, or repairing items that can still last a bit longer. It was only recently that I learned that, even though a small percentage of our donated clothing gets recycled and repurposed, most discarded clothing in America ends up in decomposing landfills. It's been a little tough to afford sustainably made clothing and other niceties on a grad student salary, but we're doing our best with what we've got right now, and we're happy with the changes we're making.
If you want to learn more about ways you can reduce waste in your life, visit the EPA's website. They have a pretty nifty search feature that helps you find things like cleaning products that meet their Safer Choice Standard. Our next adventure: composting! Comment if you've got any helpful advice or suggestions for living a greener life :D Cheers!