5 Easy Tips for Living More Sustainably This Earth Day, and Every Day
Making eco-friendly choices is not as complicated as you think. Follow these tips for incorporating sustainable practices into your day-to-day life.
Sustainability: you've heard the word a thousand times, but what does it mean within the context of your life? There are millions of ways to preserve the welfare of the environment, but they often feel too daunting to include in our daily lives. However, the idea that sustainable practices must be reserved for grandiose deeds is completely false. Like many things in life, it's the small acts that matter the most. This means educating yourself on the environmental impact of your typical regimes, supporting the right brands, and cutting out excess waste. Everything from brushing your teeth to hitting the grocery store has the potential to be eco-conscious.
When looking at how items as trivial as plastic bags and moisturizer bottles negatively affect the world around us, the reality might astonish you. An estimated five trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year, and only 9 percent of those bags are recycled. That means roughly 91% of plastic bags end up in landfills, oceans, and other problematic destinations. If everyone stopped relying on plastic products, the state of the environment might look quite different. It is not an impossible mission, but it will take some time. Essentially, we must actively tailor our daily routines so that they consider sustainability. This Earth Day, think about implementing these five uncomplicated tips for a more eco-friendly way of life.
Use a Bamboo Toothbrush
Every year we throw away over 4.5 billion plastic toothbrushes, and 1 percent of them end up in the sea. You might be thinking that 1 percent is hardly something to be concerned about, but in a world where our oceans are in constant jeopardy, even that is too much. Switching over to a bamboo toothbrush is an easy way to prevent this travesty from occurring. Bamboo toothbrushes, when disposed of properly, are compostable and biodegradable, meaning that they won't leave waste on the planet. Other eco-friendly alternatives include picking a toothbrush that uses minimal plastic like the Colgate Keep, which has a reusable handle, or a luxury electric toothbrush that's meant to last a lifetime. Not to mention, all of these options are a chic upgrade from the standard plastic toothbrushes that we know too well.
Pay Attention to Labels
As easy as it sounds, we rarely investigate the labels of our favorite beauty products, foods, pieces of clothing, and more. When you look closely you might discover that the items you swear by have been doing more harm than good. For coffee drinkers, keep an eye out for "shade-grown" coffee, which is grown while keeping forest habitats intact for migratory species. Moreover, always try to reach for Fair Trade certified goods. These items are produced by companies that are committed to paying laborers a fair wage. Lastly, try to shop organic whenever possible. This, of course, comes at a higher price, but these goods keep harmful pesticides out of our land and water and consequently maintain the health of our environment.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
There are countless ways to recycle. It goes without saying that we should all be sorting out trash accordingly, but recycling goes beyond our daily waste. As sustainable initiatives become more and more pervasive, numerous companies have consciously implemented recycling and refilling programs into their environmental repertoires. In the beauty realm, it's now possible to buy refills for your favorite products without producing excess waste. You can simply reuse the initial vessel. Brands such as Tata Harper and Ilia Beauty are pioneering this eco-friendly endeavor. Moreover, fashion brands such as Madewell and Levi's have teamed up with recycling companies to ensure that used denim products will end up in the right hands without negatively affecting the environment.
Shop Consciously
If you plan on making large purchases, make sure you are supporting brands that care about making sustainable choices. For example, major brands like Stella McCartney, Chloé, and Gucci are just a couple of luxury labels that consider ethics and sustainability throughout their production chains. This includes a focus on human rights, animal rights, and environmental welfare. Additionally, stay away from fashion brands that support fur farming and outsource production to problematic overseas factories. Basically, do your research and make sure you aren't putting your money in the hands of companies that have little regard for sustainability.
Ditch Single Use Plastics
Simple yet effective. Dig out your trusty canvas tote and bring it with you everywhere you go. Carrying your groceries, new clothes, and everything else in a reusable way is an extremely easy way of cutting down on plastic and reducing your daily waste. These days, you can find reusable forms of almost anything. Produce bags, sandwich bags, cotton rounds, paper towels, and so much more. Getting your hands on some of these items will do wonders for minimizing your environmental footprint.
