Earth Day Thoughts, Part I
When I was getting ready to move to Seattle, I decided that I was going to buy and use more eco-friendly products. I have always hated wasting things, whether that’s wasting time, wasting energy, or wasting stuff. Now that I was making 100% of my own buying decisions, I wanted to be informed, mindful, and critical of where the things I was buying were coming from and how they were made. This is a non-inclusive list of the lifestyle changes I have made.
Notes: Saves money is self explanatory. Initial cost notates something that costs more to start but saves money in the long term. Requires access indicates changes that require something that is not available everywhere, like a local bulk food store, or a city government that supports composting.
0. Use up everything you buy. (saves money)
Squeeze out the end of toothpaste. Buy only as much perishable food as you or whoever you cook with can eat. Wear the clothes you buy. Also, you do not need a new phone after 2 years.
Corollaries:
0.1) Refuse things like plastic cutlery + paper plates when you’re ordering in. Ketchup packets for fries. Swag items you’re never going to use ;)
0.2) Food waste is a huge one. Food waste means not only wasted organic matter but also wasted water and transportation costs. Cutting down your food waste probably makes more impact than driving a hybrid. This is something I’m working on.
1. Buy fewer clothes. (saves money, requires some access)
Most of us don’t need a new wardrobe every season.
The average American throws away 70 pounds of clothes, shoes, and accessories PER YEAR.
When I want something new, I either thrift shop (online or retail), or buy from brands that commit to sustainable and ethical practices. I buy fewer, higher quality items. As a rule of thumb, if I can’t see myself wearing an item year after year in multiple different ways, I’m not buying it. In the past year, I have purchased 14 items of clothing (not including underwear, including streetwear + athletic wear). 7 of 14 are secondhand. I haven’t counted before, but I’m pretty sure this is fewer than previous years.
2. Get a utensil kit. (initial cost)
This is the one I had.
The reason I don’t have a picture of mine is because in our office move IT WAS STOLEN but it’s okay I’m glad that whoever has it is now able to produce less waste. This is so fricking useful. In the month that I had mine, I probably used it 40–50 times. I used it for lunch every day. It was also super handy when doing food tours around farmers’ markets or food truck festivals. Even if the offered single use utensils are compostable, producing these utensils still takes additional energy and environmental cost. And they always break.
For me, this was part of my essentials. It was part of the ten things I always have with me, no matter what. I really miss mine and will be getting another one soon. You can also make your own with whatever utensils you have at home. I liked this one because it’s bamboo, so it’s super light and will never get flagged by TSA, and because it has CHOPSTICKS!!!!
(You have not had the optimal Cheetos experience until you have eaten them with chopsticks. Talk to me after you try it.)
3. Solid toiletries (saves money, requires access)
Liquids are really difficult to find in plastic free packaging (bamboo, glass, metal). Solid toiletries are super easy to find packaging free. Lush made soap + shampoo bars basic again, but they’ve been around forever. (am I winning at puns yet)
Soap is on the left and shampoo is on the right. Most of what you’re paying for with body washes and liquid soaps is water, FYI. I’ve been using two shampoo bars for over a year (Lush says these are 80 washes each) and am less than half way through either. Even at Lush’s overpriced prices, that’s $8/a year of shampoo (200 Grace hair washes). A $10 family size bottle of Head & Shoulders is about 6 months of shampoo. (These numbers are all calibrated to my amount of hair). Point is you’re still saving ~50% and you can likely save more if you buy less bougie soap/shampoo. Solid soap can be more drying, though, so stay away from sulfates and try to find soaps with few ingredients that are mostly saponified oils.
Packing solids for travelling is way lighter and way easier. All you have to do is put them in metal soap boxes and you’re good to go. TSA be gone.
4. Who needs plastic bags at the grocery store >.<
It is really not difficult to keep reusable or recyclable bags in your car/with you regularly. If it works for you, keep one folded up in your bag/pocket. I have also stopped taking the plastic produce bags. The worst that happens is your vegetables have to get to know each other.
This was the top generator of plastic for me before because these are 5–7 plastic bags you take each week. Very few other kinds of plastic packaging are obtained on a weekly occurrence.
5. Bring a reusable water bottle.
Coffee cups suck. EOM
These are my two favorites. I drink a lot of hot water, so I like having an insulated bottle. I also almost always carry around a water bottle, and carry relatively small bags. This one just about fits into everything. Also fits a Tall size Starbucks drinks. If I do get coffee or tea, I usually get it filled up in my Zojirushi. I is a cold human. Need warm drinks.
6. French presses! (saves money, initial cost)
If you’re a coffee drinker like my boyfriend, a French press is one of the cheapest/easiest-to-operate ways to make your own coffee. They’re super easy to use and super easy to clean.
Making your own coffee/tea is way cheaper than a daily cup of joe at your local café. Even better, coffee grounds are cheaper than K-cups or Nespresso pods and come with less packaging.
If you want to be #creative and #againstthecurrent, I use my roommate’s French press to make tea. I use loose leaf, which is way cheaper and more packaging minimal than tea bags. A French press is easier to buy, easier to clean, and larger than most teapots.
7. Reusable ziplocs (initial cost)
The jury is still out on this one, but so far so good. They wash well in the dishwasher with no odors, freeze well, and are thicker + have better seals than your average gallon bag. Time will tell if they are a) worth the money, b) actually save you from buying more bags. I prefer Rezip to Stasher.
8. No new books (initial cost, requires access)
I am an avid reader. My Asian parent rebellion moment was when I decided to minor in English. “A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone.” — whatever year, Tyrion Lannister (is he still a Lannister? idk). As much as I love books, especially paper books, I’ve decided to give them up. Paper printing has huge environmental costs (water, toxins in ink, trees). I bought a Kindle secondhand, which IMO is the best non-paper reader. Now, I mostly use e-books or audiobooks. When I really want to read on paper, I borrow from the library or buy secondhand. Secondhand books are great. When I read them I feel a kinship with everyone who’s been touched by this book before, and everyone who will flip through those pages after. I love feeling like I am a part of a book’s journey. Maybe that’s just me.
9. Compost (saves money, access required)
Seattle makes it super easy to compost. We keep a 5-gallon trashcan for compost, lined with biodegradable bags. All we have to do is take it out the same way we take our trash out. In Seattle, we can compost vegetable clippings, table scraps, cardboard, and even meat. Also, in Seattle, trash cans are hella expensive, and you can save money by using a smaller garbage bin. Compost is almost free, and recycling is totally free. Way to use incentives to change habits. #proudSeattlite
Compost starts rotting pretty quickly. We take ours out ~once every 3 days or so, but if you can’t do that, the next level strat is to freeze your scraps directly before they even start to rot. Keep them in your freezer in a sealed contained until you are ready to get rid of it. God level strat is to compost in your backyard.
10. Go vegetarian n days a week. (saves money)
0 < n <= 7. I am not currently vegetarian, but I would be if I could be. I was vegetarian for 6 months, after which I started developing vegetable allergies by the week. Made being vegetarian a little difficult. But I digress.
Being vegetarian is the single most significant impact you can have on climate change.
It also saved me cook time (I had way fewer dishes to wash when I was vegetarian) and so much money. Wink wink being vegetarian is easier if you’re not losing blood once a month.
11. Buy stuff in less packaging. (requires access)
Package free shop. When possible, I buy at local/physical stores, where items arrived packaged in bulk. Compare that to online shopping, which you probably should do less of anyways, where items are often repackaged in additional single-use, individually sized plastic. Might save you money if it saves you from online retail therapy.
12. When you are buying, compare options. (might cost money)
i.e. if you can buy a yoga mat that is biodegradable versus one that isn’t, consider it. Sometimes it costs a little or a lot more. Just by looking for options though, you might make one less harmful purchase. This is how I found my yoga mat, Rezip bags, and lotions and potions that are packaged in glass, not plastic. This is also how I found the Package Free Shop. Everlane is another brand that regularly ships plastic free. I especially appreciate the safety pin. The plastic attaching the tags to most clothes is not recyclable, and they’re small, so they often leave landfills and end up in waterways. Everlane uses a reusable metal safety pin instead.
13. Buy in bulk. (saves money, requires access)
If I am buying things that are packaged in plastic, I buy in bulk. Volume vs. surface area. Portion the family-sized bag of chips yourself. I also buy 4x concentrate laundry detergent from Seventh Generation, which saves some packaging.
14. Give experiences, not things.
Most of your friends don’t need more crap, EOM.
15. Reusable cotton pads + muslin cloths. (initial costs)
For folks who take off makeup or use skincare with cotton pads, I’ve recently switched to reusable cotton rounds. They’re super soft and never leave lint on my face. I wash mine in a lingerie bag (keep it in my bathroom cupboard, wash ~once every two weeks). Sometimes they get a little fuzzy but even then they don’t leave lint on my face. I recommend washing and then air drying flat. They’re still fine through the dryer, but sometimes they get creases. These started saving me money about 100 uses in.
16. Carpooling/taking public transit. (requires access)
Admittedly, I wouldn’t do this as much if I owned a car, but taking public transit + carpooling dramatically decreases your carbon footprint.
I write all of this not to toot my own horn. I’m no saint either. Below, there are some changes I’m currently working on. I write this to tell you to give a shit and that incremental change is easier than you think. Most of these changes cost little money, or save money, and cost a little effort and inconvenience. Sometimes the better alternative costs a little more money, or is only available in certain communities, which makes that change less accessible. If you do have access, use your privilege to make these market-moving changes.
I love this turnaround of phrase: “Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.” Bringing a reusable water bottle sometimes is better than never. Eating no meat once a week is better than eating meat every day. If you make the effort, you will make progress.
I leave you with the sentiment of the video linked in the title. As Hank says, most of what we do in our lives is passive. If you can turn your passive defaults from “nothings” into meaningful “somethings,” over time, you can do so much more. For me, changing my habits to be more eco friendly has been unexpectedly simple. I changed my habits a couple at a time instead of all at once. Now, they’re second nature.
Happy earth saving!
Things I want to try:
- Bulk buying in mason jars/reusable bags. Too inconvenient so far.
- I’m not a big straw user, but if I was I would get a stainless steel straw. Probably a boba-sized one.
- Menstrual cups.
- Kitchen towel instead of paper towels.
Things I have tried and have failed me:
- Beeswax wraps.
My roommate had some. 0% recommend. They got stinky, were hard to refold, really difficult to wash/sanitize.
2. Toiletries packaged in glass.
Fine for home but heavy and difficult to travel with.
3. Buying zero waste things on Amazon.
There have been a couple times I wanted to try a plastic-free product that isn’t very easily available. Turns out ordering it online usually defeats the purpose because the product comes wrapped in plastic anyways.
Things I’m looking for solutions on:
- Meat
I can buy meat plastic free at Whole Foods, but it’s expensive and Whole Foods is not in a lot of places. Even the meat at farmers’ markets is usually vacuum sealed in plastic, for sanitary reasons.
2. Shaving
Admittedly I don’t shave much, but not sure if I’m on the safety razor train.
3. Electronics
I was happily surprised when all my equipment at Microsoft was packaged in recyclable material, but it seems that this isn’t always the norm, especially when styrofoam is necessary to protect some things.
4. Potato chips
I LOVE potato chips. Most bags are plastic lined with foil, so they’re not even recyclable. In fact, most junk food is packaged in non-environmentally friendly stuff, so cutting it out is probably good for you? But potato chips. o.O
5. Packaging on vegetables/fruits
Some fruits and vegetables are hard to buy loose, like mushrooms and strawberries. When in season, I can get them plastic free at the farmers’ market, but the rest of the year I haven’t figured something out yet.
6. Furniture.
All of the furniture I bought and assembled after I moved in came packaged in a lot of plastic and styrofoam.
7. An on-the-go way to brew loose leaf tea.
Let me know if you have any ideas for any of these!
