One Impactful Change to Make this Earth Day

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How choosing reusable instead of disposable is one giant step towards less plastic waste filling our oceans and hurting our planet. Read this article and learn information about disposable plastics that you think you already know, but probably don’t. It might surprise you.

Monday April 22nd, was Earth Day. This post shares one impactful change you can make this Earth Day or any other day you decide to make a positive change in your habits (Any given day works, really). Making some of the changes we suggest below will help our planet with less plastic waste. Although this post deviates a bit from our usual posts, it still aligns with our mentality of sharing gift options for children that are long-lasting toys, primarily made of wood, recycled materials, and paper, and never one-time-use plastics. (Click the link to see our latest additions to the shop and get a sense of the nature-focused, creative, and educational gift ideas we share for kid ages 0-12 years young.

Living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle can mean many things. From consuming less meat in your diet to refusing plastic disposable silverware to switching to renewable energy. Making changes in the way you live, both large and small, makes a difference. No, I do not have the answer to how large corporations can more environmentally responsibly transport goods. Yes, I do have ideas for changes that you and I can make here and now, to use less plastic and make more mindful decisions on behalf of the beautiful planet we inhabit. So let’s start with one giant problem we might already be aware of, but maybe don’t understand all of the harm it does in the world, and what we can do to mitigate it’s negative effects: Plastic Bags.

We live in a time in the world where plastic is littering our oceans, landfills are getting bigger, most recyclables are not being recycled, and the economy is built on consumption. This is why it is up to you to make a difference and know that the decisions that you make, even the small ones, make an impact on the world we live in.

Quick Statistics About the Negative Effects of Plastic Bags

Plastic bags are a huge problem for the earth. Unfortunately, the average American family takes home nearly 1,500 plastic shopping bags a year. Plastic bags are a known issue. Not only are they created using non-renewable resources, but we also don’t have any proper disposal program for them thus creating major negative environmental effects. The lightweight design of plastic bags enables them to easily become airborne and make their way into creeks and rivers, where they are eventually are carried out into the ocean. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, over 100,000 animals per year are estimated to either accidentally swallow or be become entangled by plastic bags and perish.

Plastic Bag Bans Are Only One Step in the Right Direction.

As of April 2019, 62 countries have created bans on lightweight plastic bags. Unfortunately, studies on the plastic bag bans that have been enacted in California have shown that plastic bag sales increased to account for 30% of the plastic bans that were used prior to the ban, with an increase in the use of paper bags as well, which require more greenhouse gasses to produce. This proves that simply enabling a ban, is not the solution. People need to make the decision to switch to reusable bags in as many aspects of their lives as possible. So, let’s all begin, shall we?

Using Reusable Bags for All Aspects of Food Storage

Reusable food storage bags can and should be used in a variety of different areas of our food storage needs. Not only do we need bags in order to carry our groceries home, but we also use bags to carry our produce, and bags for our trail mixes and bags for the farmers market on Saturday mornings. Below you will find a selection of reusable food storage bags for a variety of different areas where we used to use plastic or paper bags. Switching to reusable bags in all of these areas is a great way to cut out the use of plastic and paper bags for the task of food shopping and storage, two of the biggest areas where one-time use bags are most common.

Making this small change in your life is you taking one big step in the right direction of being a more responsible human being. Small, environmentally friendly changes like this are the changes that can collectively create a big difference.

Below you will find a hand-curated selection of items that are reusable options that can take the place of disposable plastics.

Decreasing your ecological footprint on the world should be a constant work in progress for everyone. The more we educate ourselves on the items that we buy and use, and the more mindful we are of our purchases, actions, and the items we utilize, the more we can help ourselves live with more intention and less waste. These changes will be different for everyone as we all become more mindful of our habits, what we consume, and the changes we need to make in order to impact our planet in a less negative way. Although I focus more on reusable goods instead of disposable plastics, making positive changes can be all of the following changes and more. I challenge you to choose at least one of these changes this Earth day and stick with it, making at least one impactful change in the way you live your life. For those of you that already use reusable food storage options, I thank you and so does our planet. Listed below are a few more eco-friendly changes that you can thoroughout your home.

• Wool Dryer Balls (instead of dryer sheets) – Wool dryer balls are a fantastic alternative to dryer sheets. They last a long time, and also decrease drying time by 30%! You can also add a few essential oil drops to them to make your laundry smell nice.
• Stainless Steel Straws (instead of plastic straws) – Stainless steel straws are a great alternative to plastic straws because they can be reused for years while maintaining their shape. Many sets also come with a cleaning brush to make cleaning them easier as well.
• Reusable Swedish Dishcloths (instead of paper towels) – Swedish dishcloths are amazing! They last for months, come with cute designs (see the set I link to in the banner image above), and will save you from using paper towels when you don’t need to! I love Swedish dish clothes and use them daily in my kitchen to wipe down my counter tops and oven.
• Drying Mat for Fruits and Veggies (instead of paper towels) I use cloth wipes to use to dry my fruits and vegetables and pots and pans. By using my Swedish dishcloths for the counters and my cloth wipes for the food and clean dishes, there is no chance of using the same item I use to clean as the cloth wipes I use for my food. This drying mat is a great item to designate for this task, too!
• Reusable Cutlery Travel Sets (instead of disposable forks, knives, and spoons) – A travel-friendly set of cutlery can come in handy in a variety of situations – when eating in the car, or stopping by for lunch at a food truck, or when on a picnic or camping. Here is a lightweight bamboo set and alternatively, here is a stainless steel flatware set. Both sets also include chopsticks and a carry case, and the stainless steel set even includes a straw and brush!
• Microfiber Wipes (instead of paper towels) I use microfiber wipes to clean my wood furniture and stainless steel appliances. They work better than paper towels because they don’t leave any residue or little paper pieces in the cracks in the wood or streaks on the appliances.

• Buying Local – Buying more local foods and products means that less non-renewable resources were used in transporting them to you. When shopping at the grocery store, look at where the items you buy are made. Is there a local bread company you can choose instead of the loaf you usually buy that’s shipped from the other side of the country. Plus, nothing beats fresh bread from your local bakery (That’s where I get my bread – it’s made two blocks from my house)!
• Eating Less Meat – Meat production has the largest carbon footprint in America. According to the Livestock’s Long Shadow report by the UN, AFO, and IFC, meat, dairy, and egg farming are estimated to account for nearly half of all human-produced greenhouse emissions. As a meat-eater, you can make an effort to eat less meat. –Here’s how I make this change: In my household we eat red meat seldom, treating it as more of a celebration meal than a regular staple, and I am also making a conscious effort to reform our proportions, making meat more of a third of the meal, instead of the main attraction.
• Drinking Tap Water – I’m going to hop on my high horse here and say that nothing bothers me more than people who buy cases of water bottles. Please people, invest in a Brita or add a filter to your tap water. Do some research and stop buying disposable water bottles. – Personally, I fill my reusable water bottle and bring it with me every time I leave the house. This makes it so I always have it on hand and don’t need to buy disposable water bottles. It also makes it so I drink more water throughout the day, which is something I need to work on anyway. At home, we use a reusable Brita water pitcher.

The Change I am Making this Earth Day

As for the impactful change I am making today, I am switching to biodegradable poop bags for my dog. Since I live in the city, I have to pick up my dog’s poop. I’ve been using the bags supplied by my apartment building because they are convienient and free, but as of today, I will be switching to biodegradable pet bags from now on.

In closing, we have no Planet B. I hope that we can become more mindful of our actions, big and small, and how they affect our planet. Thank you so much for reading this post! Feel free to share to spread making positive changes for our planet.

Are you committing to making a positive change? We want to know! Comment below telling us what change you are making.