Save the Planet as Best as You Can
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I was teaching middle school and my students starting coming in with SHOCKING information. I mean, it was middle school, so a lot of their information was shocking to me. But this information STOPPED ME.
They were all talking about how many planets they were burning through based on their current lifestyles.
One of the incredible science teachers I worked with (shout out Mrs. Renner!) had all of the students taking a Global Footprint Calculator and determining how many Earths it would take to sustain their lifestyles. Students were coming in and telling me numbers like 13 and 17. They were boasting…I wanted to curl up in a ball and sob.
We’ve only got one, and we’ve got to do a little better.
Around that time I also read an article about a super mom who managed to fit all the garbage for her entire family of four into a mason jar for the entire year. That’s incredible and MAJOR props to her. That’s also not reality for like…any mom I know personally.
So, I’ve compiled below a list of ways that you can make some small changes to help the planet. Things you can do that you can feel good about but that also aren’t going to require you to completely upend your life. Life was upended when we joined the workforce and had kids.
Now we’re just trying to make sure there’s a planet left for their kids.
Buy Used Stuff
Production of any new products, in very general terms, is not great for our planet. Buying used stuff is a way to avoid production waste. I love our local thrift stores, but if you’re looking for a virtual option check out Thred Up (an online thrift store), local Buy Nothing sites (my town doesn’t have one, but maybe yours does), and Facebook Marketplace.
2. Manage your Food situation
According to SaveTheFood.com, every American wastes 290 pounds of food per year. Not using our food overuses labor, time, resources, and money! Here are somethings we’ve done in our home to limit our food waste.
Meal Plan so that you’re only buying what you need.
Eat your leftovers! We have an intentional day every week that we know is going to be extra busy and make plans to eat our leftovers on that day so we don’t have to cook.
LOMI. We tried a pallet composter and an outdoor hexagon composter. Lomi is what works for us. It looks pretty, it turns food to dirt in 4-5 hours, and it’s EASY. So worth it.
Buy close-to-expiration food. Our grocery store uses an app called FlashFood that allows you to buy close-to-expiration date food at 50% off. We’ve loved it because it allows us to try things we wouldn’t ordinarily try, helps us save a few bucks on groceries, and we can feel good that the food isn’t going to waste.
3. Hybrid/ Electric Cars
I dream of driving a Tesla. But right now we need a minivan. I drive a Toyota Sienna, which was the space upgrade from our Prius when we expanded our family. During the summer months we can get up to 34 mpg (just under 32mpg in the winter). It’s better for the planet AND better for our bank account. And I freaking LOVE my van.
Environmental impact is always on the top of my list when purchasing a car. Yes, the hybrid and electric models may cost a little more, but over the course of its life it will last longer, require less fossil fuels, give off fewer emissions, and in general be better for everyone involved.
4. Vegetarian/Vegan Diet
Meat production requires an INCREDIBLE amount of natural resources. If you really want to limit your carbon emissions, the best thing you can do is switch to a fully vegan diet. Being completely transparent, that reality doesn’t work for me, and I know it doesn’t work for everyone.
I was a vegetarian for 15 years. I was mostly a “bread-and-cheese” vegetarian until I met my husband, who taught me how to cook things like vegetables, LOL.
After many years my husband was put on an Autoimmune Protocol Diet (check out my post about that here), and our days of vegetarianism ended. To the extent we can now, we’re follow Michael' Pollan’s advice: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”
Some of our favorite vegetarian cookbooks are the following:
The Blue Zones Kitchen (It’s worth noting that if you want to live to be 100, most centenarians follow a vegetarian diet)
Bad Manners: The Official Cookbook (Note: this one was originally called Thug Kitchen and was renamed - it’s worth checking out their story and apology here.)
5. Solar Panels
Even if you only have a couple of solar panels to offset your water heater or your lights, this can be a hugely impactful way to limit your dependence on fossil fuels.
These also don’t have to be your huge, house-sized solar panels! We bought little baby solar chargers from Amazon and use them for our phones in the summer time. This is no small feat, given that where I live we have more cloudy days than Seattle, so we use them when we can!
6. Limit your plastic
This one feels incredibly challenging, when it feels like EVERYTHING comes in plastic packaging. Here are some simple ways we have worked to minimize our plastic waste:
Take reusable bags to the grocery store. You have to find a way to do this so that it’s part of your routine - we keep ours in the mudroom in a bin and grab the bin every time we’re heading to the grocery store. If you are someone who doesn’t always plan your grocery runs (see #2 and work on that), keep the bin in your car. Make it a habit.
Stop using straws. When you go out to a restaurant, specifically ask for no straws. Straws are the absolute WORST: they take up to 200 years to decompose and they hurt the marine animals. If you really need a straw, get a reusable one!
Get reusable water bottles (and USE them). I know there are a TON of brands out there for this, but my personal favorites are called Reduce. They keep the water cold, they don’t sweat on the outside, and the 20 oz. version fits in the cup holder of my car.
Recycle the plastic you do collect. I know people are on the fence about whether or not our plastic is actually getting recycled, but it’s always better to try than give up. When we do end up with plastic grocery bags, our grocery store has a recycling space for them right inside the door. We have every-other-week recycling pick up and we FOLLOW THE RULES. Make sure you know what your curbside recycling rules are so you’re not messing up your whole neighborhood’s batch.
Give up your Saran Wrap and Ziploc bags! Store your food in glass (Ello containers are our favorite and they don’t leak if you’re taking soup in your lunch!) or use reusable bags. I tried the beeswax storages wraps and I’ll be honest - I wasn’t a fan. They kinda left everything tasting like honey, but maybe that’s your thing!
Try to avoid buying things that come in plastic. I know this feels impossible, but I buy my produce and put it in a reusable produce bag. I will choose a product that comes in glass over one that is in plastic. My kids have reusable water balloons in the summertime. Make tiny steps and do what you can.
7. Eco-responsible appliances
Get the fridge that alerts you if you leave the door open. Get the washer and dryer with sensing capabilities that use the amount of water or tailor the drying time for the amount of clothing you put in. Look for the Energy Star certification logo.
Obviously you’re going to need to do your research on what you’re buying. And you’re not going to just buy a new appliance in order to be eco-friendly. However, when your current washer takes a s*** and you need frantically need a new one, I hope you remember this.
With our family of four it feels like our laundry never ends, and the fridge gets accidentally left open all the time. Get an appliance that’s going to help you, and the planet, out.
8. Certified B Corporations
None of us are just rolling in time to do the research on what brands are doing their work to support the environment. Thankfully, a B Certification on a company does that work for us, “measuring a company’s entire social and environmental impact.” When you buy a B product, you know you’re making an eco-conscious choice. Please read more about my favorite Certified B products here!
BONUS TIP:
GET KNOWLEDGABLE
Seek out resources to learn more. Here are some I’ve done:
Listen to a podcast about eco-friendly decision making
Read Bonnie Wright’s (Ginny Weasley) book “Go Gently.”
Attend a speaking event by your local recycling coordinator (yes, my town has one of these!)
Find a blog to follow (I like Little Miss Expat, and this is a link to more resources!)
We are all doing the best we can, my friends.
Each little, conscious decision we make can have an overall positive impact. And when each of us makes a small choice, those small decisions become an overall movement.
