April 22nd is Earth Day. In honor of this day, I want to discuss ways we can help preserve the Earth. There a a bunch of small changes we can make in our lives to benefit the planet. Here are 6 things I came up with that we can all do starting today.
1. Reusable Napkins
Eliminating napkins helps reduce waste. The last longer and will save you money. If you have napkins at home, by all means finish using them and any extras stocked up. Instead of repurchasing napkins when you run out, opt for reusable cloths. Target has some in the $5 and under section. I find so many fun seasonal prints there and the best part is they’re usually $3! All you have to do is pop these napkins in the wash every week.
2. Reusable Water Bottles and containers
Switching to reusable food and drinkware will reduce plastic waste. Plus, food looks more styled, put together and chic displayed in the fridge, pantry and on the countertop like this.
Bonus Tip: Bring these containers with to the grocery store or farmers market to make picking up nuts, snacks, grains, etc. easier to transfer home. This will also help you avoid using the plastic packaging that comes with these items.
3. Take Shorter Showers
Now, this is something I struggle with. Showers are my place to think, be an international pop star and craft the perfect non arguable yet polite comebacks. Water makes up 70% of the Earth yet “less than 1% of it is drinkable. And we use a lot of that precious 1% in our showers” (Shower Power). Shorter showers also equal less water used, decreasing your water bill.
Bonus Tip: For shorter showers set a timer as a reminder to stay on track and reduce the amount of water being used.
4. Unplug Everything You Can When You’re Not Using It
Not only will you be saving energy, but your wallet will thank you for the reduced electric bill! Turning off a lamp or power strip is not actually turning off the electricity to the thing plugged in. Items left plugged in but turned off are still using energy and costing you money.
5. Switch Light Bulbs
By using energy efficient lightbulbs you can save $75 per year, have bulbs last 3-25 times longer and reduce the amount of energy you use by 25-80%. Energy.gov has a great breakdown of the benefits of using LED lightbulbs versus traditional ones.
6. Wash Full Loads Of Clothes
By waiting until the laundry bin is full or combining loads with someone else in the house you are not only reducing energy but saving water. Plus, who wants to do multiple loads of laundry per week when one load at the end of the week can take care of it all?!
7. Change Up Your Transportation
Ride a bike, walk, carpool and utilize public transportation to work or school or as often as you can. This is good for reducing carbon and other gasses released from cars/ motor vehicles into the Earth, making the air and water less polluted.
Photos: Pinterest
There you have it, 7 easy tips for saving the Earth. If you have other tips, drop them in the comment section below. I would love to hear them!
I always ‘sort of’ tried to do number 4 until we had a smart meter installed. It shows you in real time how much $$ you are using. Walk around the house turning things off, then go back and look at the difference! Now everything remains off until needed. Great review.
Hi Tom, thank you for the compliment and for the info. I’ve never heard of a "smart meter" prior to your comment. I will for sure be researching and looking more into this. Thank you for the tip!
Oh my gosh these are such great ideas! Love them!
Cheers,
Christie
Hi Christie, thank you for the love. I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these tips. I would love to hear how they fit into your life!
I love using reusable bottles. They are so useful and environmental friendly. Thanks for sharing.
I do too! They’re so fun and I also love how they are environmentally friendly. Do you have a "go to" brand/ favorite reusable material?