Want to Be More Earth-Conscious? Try Incorporating These Simple Tips Into Your Daily Life

Living an eco-friendly lifestyle is on trend, and this is a trend that we want to last . . .

We all know it’s (past) time to take bold action to address the climate crisis, but it can be overwhelming to know where to even start and live an eco-friendly life. One no-brainer action item? Breaking up with plastic!

The shocking fact is that by 2050, the ocean will contain more plastic than fish. To say the least, this underlines the urgency of cutting way back on single-use plastic, which is a small but powerful step we can all take.

Make no mistake: sweeping, systemic change at a macro level IS required to create the change our planet needs, but we can all still do our part to make eco-friendly choices. And there’s nowhere better to start than right in our own homes!
 

Kick Your Eco-Friendliness Into A Higher Gear With These 7 Lifestyle Tips:

Read on for seven simple, cost effective and totally doable steps towards a zero-plastic and eco-friendly lifestyle that will have you wondering, why haven’t we always done things this way!?
 

1. Reduce Your Use of Household Plastics and To-Go Packaging

There’s a lot of plastic hiding in most of our kitchens, from mixing bowls to measuring cups to that overflowing Tupperware collection. While it’s also not eco-friendly to throw everything out that you already own, a more realistic and do-able approach is to reduce the amount of plastic we bring into our homes going forward.

We love Doordash for busy nights as much as anyone, but a regular takeout habit is usually heavy on the plastic. When possible, support businesses that use compostable, sustainable packaging. Or see if you can bring your own.

At the least, say no thanks to plastic cutlery, straws, lids – anything you can do without. And when possible, save the money and plastic and cook at home!

Try These 6 Healthy Crockpot Recipes for Delicious Dinners In No Time
 

2. Grocery Shop Sustainably

On that note, cooking at home isn’t all sunshine and sustainable rainbows if your grocery cart is full to the brim with needless packaging and plastics.

When possible, opt for produce not wrapped in plastic, use reusable produce bags, choose condiments in recyclable glass vs. plastic (or better yet, make your own at home) to give your grocery cart and kitchen an eco-friendly makeover.
 

3. Say Goodbye to Single-Use Cleaning Products

If you’re like most of us, you probably have a whole army of cleaning products under your sink. From bathroom cleaners to window spray to all purpose cleaners and hand soap bottles, that’s a lot of plastic bottles, most likely destined for the landfill.

Thankfully, many companies are popping up to fix this, such as the APPI- and woman-owned Blueland, who felt appalled by the global plastic problem and decided to do something about it.

With their simple-but-brilliant system of small pellets that dissolve in a bottle of water to create a range of cleaning products, the company has helped to eliminate over one billion single-use plastic bottles from entering landfills and oceans! When you run out, simply order more pellets, not bottles. Genius.

Another great way to support an eco-friendly lifestyle!

Keep Your Home Non-Toxic With These 6 DIY Natural Cleaning Product Recipes
 

4. DIY Laundry Detergent Recipe

Traditional laundry soap is pricy, often packaged in massive plastic bottles, and full of who-knows-what ingredients that are potentially harsh on skin and the environment. Make your own instead! It’s shockingly easy and pennies on the dollar. Store in an old laundry detergent bottle or a mason jar. You’ll never look back!

Check out this DIY laundry detergent recipe which only requires a bar of soap, washing powder, and borax. Add in essential oils to spruce it up!
 

5. Get Sustainable Bathroom Staples

Upgrade your bathroom counter and invest in sustainable staples that won’t be in the landfill forever. Most of us are using and tossing staples like razors, Q-tips, and floss our entire lives, but all are available in more eco-friendly options.

Instead of tossing the entire plastic razor, opt for those with refillable blades. You can find reusable Q-tips, deodorant that comes in a compostable package, and eco-friendly dental floss that comes in a tube.
 

6. Use Plastic-Free Water Filtration Systems

Fridges in far too many homes are stocked full of single-use plastic water bottles, despite them being a known environmental disaster (not to mention, potentially leaking plastic into the water we drink!) If you haven’t already ditched single-use bottles, please do!

4 Reasons You Should Never Drink Plastic Bottled Water Again

There are many healthier and eco-friendly water systems ranging from subscription services that deliver large jugs (and then recycle the containers again and again), filtration systems installed into your home, the popular Berkey filters, or charcoal filter sticks.

Do your research and find an eco-friendly and healthy option right for you!
 

7. When You Can, Opt for Second-Hand

There can be so much pressure to constantly consume; to buy the latest it-items at Target, or redecorate your house every season. Remember, you can say no to the endless consumption hamster wheel, and embrace a more sustainable philosophy.

Whether you’re looking for new decor, kitchenware, or furniture, you can likely find it at a thrift store, either brick or mortar or online. Have fun finding yard sales, or join Facebook marketplace!
 

We can take small steps in the right direction to be more mindful about our consumption habits.

 
Buying secondhand is an obvious way to not only save money but contribute far less to the wasteful global production and consumption cycles, while still getting new-to-you items. Such a win win way to enjoy an eco-friendly lifestyle!
 
 

An Eco-Friendly Home Makeover Only Takes a Few Simple Steps

Don’t let the daunting stats about single-use plastic hold you back from taking tangible action steps. And while some of these changes do cost more upfront, they all contribute to saving money – and our planet – in the long run, and we can all take small steps to do our part.
 

Sweeping, systemic change at a macro level will be required to create the change our planet needs, but we can all do our part to make eco-friendly choices.

 
The end goal here isn’t total perfection – most of us will never be able to eliminate all plastic from our lives and homes altogether. But we can absolutely take small steps in the right direction to be more mindful about our consumption habits. And those steps add up to big results!

So consider your zero-plastic sustainable quest a marathon, not a sprint, and see every purchase as an opportunity to take steps toward your eco-friendly lifestyle.