Let’s get real for a moment: the planet is in trouble. We’re in crisis mode and if we don’t make serious changes to the way we live, this planet is going to be a scary place for our children and grandchildren. It’s troubling that the current administration is filled with climate change deniers when the proof couldn’t be more blatant. It’s scary to think about the irreparable damage that will be done if they’re given another four years in power.
Sooo… happy Wednesday? 🙂
In all honesty, thinking about our planet and the systematic change that needs to happen to try and turn things around is something that’s always on my mind. I’ve been taking some small steps over the past year to try to lower my environmental impact because I’m pretty fond of Earth and would like it to be around for a long time after I’m gone. Here are some of the steps I’ve taken:
1) I stopped using paper towels. Earlier this year, I used up my last set of paper towels and decided not to buy any more. Paper towels are one of the easiest ways to cut down on your environmental impact because they are truly unnecessary, especially for everyday use. Now, I keep reusable wipes on hand whenever I need to clean up a spill. I’ll throw them in the washer with my towels and they’ve lasted four months. (Here’s what I use!)
2) I am no longer buying plastic baggies. I haven’t actually replaced my plastic baggies with a reusable option – mostly because I got overwhelmed by all the choices on Amazon and all the differing reviews. But I’m actually not sure if I even need a reusable option because it’s been six months at least and I’ve been doing fine by using plastic containers. I might end up investing in a small pack of reusable baggies just to have them on hand, but it’s not something I’m too worried about right now. (Although, please, if you have a tried-and-true reusable baggie option, let me know!)
3) I recycle. My apartment community doesn’t have any sort of recycling program, which is annoying, but I still do my best to recycle all my paper products, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, and glass containers. I have a reusable bag hanging in my kitchen to store all my recyclables and when I have a few bags filled up, I’ll take them to a nearby recycling center.
4) I use my own dishes at work. It’s amazing to recognize how much is wasted in one office on a daily basis. I have my own plate, bowl, and utensils, which I use instead of grabbing a paper plate or plastic fork when I’m eating. I’m not perfect – there are times when I use paper/plastic products and I need to bring in a dish towel to dry my dishes after I wash them, but I’m trying! We have a recycling container in our office, too, so I try to recycle whatever I can throughout the day.
5) I got rid of single-use wipes. Ah, those blessed single-use Clorox wipes. I used them religiously. Especially when I had Dutch and he was having daily accidents. So easy to clean up messes! But they’re also terrible for the environment. I can’t remember when I stopped using these – probably sometime last year. I used up my last container and decided I wasn’t going to replace them. My life doesn’t feel that much different without them!
Okay, now it’s time for some brutal honesty because I am not perfect and there are many other things I need to do. Here are some of the items that are on the top of my list:
1) Replacing tampons with a Diva Cup. I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, but I keep putting it off. “Next month, I’ll buy the Diva Cup.” “Okay, I’ll buy one more pack of tampons and then I’ll buy the Diva Cup.” I know it has partly to do with sticker shock at the expense of a Diva Cup ($40 compared to $10 for organic tampons that last me three months since I have a very light flow.) I’m also intimidated by the learning curve of using it. But I need to make this change!
2) Bringing a reusable cup with me to Starbucks. I visit Starbucks at least once a week and I’m still using their disposable cups. Argh! This would be the easiest change to make but I’m resisting it for a very silly reason. Basically, I’m confused about how it works. I’m not the type to get a regular coffee; I’m more of a latte girl. So, do I just give them my PSL order, hand them my cup, and they just… make the drink? In the cup? What if I only want a grande size and my cup is a venti size? Why does this feel so insurmountably difficult? It’s dumb. I KNOW it’s dumb, and yet, I keep putting off purchasing a reusable Starbucks cup because I’m scared of looking stupid and not knowing what to do.
3) Replacing single-use makeup remover wipes with machine-washable cloths. I have a pack of makeup wipes that I’m using now and once I finish it, I’m committed to using machine washable cloths instead of single-use wipes. An easy change that will be better for my face as well as the environment! (Here’s the link to the cloths I’m thinking about buying!)
4) Always using my reusable bags when shopping. I’m pretty good at this, but I could be way better. I’m probably at a 75% average of bringing my bags with me when I’m grocery shopping, but I wish I was at 100%. I also need to get better at bringing my own bag to Target and other stores. I even keep a reusable bag folded up in my purse but always forget it’s in there. I *do* recycle my plastic bags, though! My grocery store has a bin to recycle plastic bags and it seems like they are actually recycled, so there’s that!
What are some of the ways you’re lowering your environmental impact?
As you know, I did a whole post on this earlier this summer. It’s so important for all of us to find ways to reduce, reuse and recycle! I don’t buy plastic baggies anymore. I do miss having them on hand when I want to bring food to a person or something like that. Like this past weekend I brought fruit to a friend who had a baby and that is a time when I would have used a plastic baggie. But instead I used one of my 2 plastic containers (I got rid of any non-BPA-free containers this summer which left me with a measly 2!). I told myself it’s fine if she doesn’t get it back to me. But I didn’t want to give her one of my nice glass pyrex ones. So that’s something I will need to figure out. But it’s not like I’m bringing food to people every week so it’s not something I’ll encounter all that often.
That sucks that your apt doesn’t provide recycling. Good for you for doing it yourself. I am sure there are many people who do not which is sad. Luckily we have recycling and our city also has ‘organic recycling’ which is for food waste and things like napkins, paper towels, cotton balls, egg cartons, etc etc. It’s such a cool program. They then take that waste and make it into compost, I think. So we barely generate any trash – just one medium kitchen bag/week. I have a little bin by the sink for organic recycling stuff. It has a charcoal filter so it doesn’t stink. It’s such a great program.
I’m planning to read the book ‘zero waste household’ sometime this fall to get more ideas on how to reduce our waste. I also really should switch to the diva cup. They also intimidate me and (TMI) my flow is not light so I worry I would be changing it all the time. But I won’t know until I try! I did switch to organic tampons this summer after reading about all the chemicals and toxins in the non-organic brands. :/ They are more pricey but I feel better using them knowing I’m not putting more nasty chemicals in my body!
Earlier this year, I tried reusable paper towels and then… stopped using them. I feel guilty about every paper towel I use and I need to find out how to make reusable cloths workable. I am also TERRIBLE with the plastic bags. Like you, I feel overwhelmed by the options for reusable baggies. But I do use them often, mainly for freezing meat that I buy in bulk. One small (very small, but it’s still something) thing I have been doing lately is walking to do errands that are pithing walking distance, rather than driving.
You may have already seen it, but Swistle has a great post about using a menstrual cup (https://www.swistle.com/2013/10/23/softcup-review/) and her detailed review and the comments are really interesting and may be potentially useful as you’re getting up the nerve to try it. She also has a couple of posts about reusable pads (https://www.swistle.com/2009/03/08/reusable-pads-yes-i-am-actually-writing-about-this/ and https://www.swistle.com/2010/02/12/reusable-pads-the-long-delayed-update/) if that seems less intimidating.
Re-usable clothes are something I’d really like to switch to. My former roommate used paper towels for everything. (And also multiple butter knives each morning rather than just washing the one between uses — but that’s a different issue.) I still buy them, but mainly because they’re good for kitty puke.
I did add those clothes (and the makeup ones too!) to my amazon list. Currently, I don’t have easy access to a washer and dryer… so they might not be top of my list, but something to look into.
I kind of wish I would have kept some of my grandfather’s handkerchiefs — tissues are used A LOT in this house. I have 0 problems using a “hankie” instead and washing those. (I did keep a couple sets of cloth napkins though!)
I hate that I went all k-cup for coffee, but I don’t drink much and it was so convenient for my campus office. Thankfully, Madrinas is doing ones that are recyclable (minus the foil) and they’re going to be offering decaf soon.
Also, my biggest tip with the diva cup: relax! Which is SUPER hard to do sometimes. Also, don’t be afraid to alter the cup’s tail/tab. I cut mine off completely for a couple of my cups. I had a diva, lunette, and a pink cup. Each are a little different. Though I know you’re off the one-time-use wipes, they *do* help with cleaning the cup in public bathrooms. Although, I also didn’t like re-inserting without having softened my cup with hot water… I was definitely happy that my college had alternative menstrual workshops and presentations annually. It was scary at first, especially as someone who was never encouraged to actually get to know my own body — but those cups were the best investment.
A little slow on this but I have answers re: the reusable cup! The answer is…yup, you pretty much nailed it. You order it, you give them your personal cup and they make your drink in your cup to the size you ask. Although honestly, I have found more often than not (at least at my Starbucks) if I ask for a grande and give them my personal cup, they will often give me a venti (for the cost of a grande) if it can accommodate a venti (usually happens with iced drinks). Added bonus: you get $0.10 off you drink, too. The only thing I don’t love is that you can’t ever use drive thru or mobile order but…you win some, you lose some.
On the DivaCup thing: there is definitely a learning curve, but once you get it, it is amazing. I started with mine about five months ago (after eight years of not having a period – thank you, IUD) and the first month was SO weird and awkward but now it’s super easy. The key really is to just relax and sort of…be OK with the awkward for the first little while. One other thing I did when I decided to go the DivaCup route was I bought a few cloth pads as sort of a backup. If I was feeling a little insecure about my insertion, I would throw one on just in case. I also like to have them as a backup in the evening. Again, once you get past the initial weirdness, it all comes pretty natural. Good luck!
I have the diva cup but my cycle is so irregular I haven’t really gotten the hang of using it and continue to use tampons. We stopped using paper towel a long time ago but my mother in law always brings some to our house when she comes because apparently she needs it that bad *eye roll*. I plan to not buy any more plastic bags after we run out of the ones we currently have and I’m looking for a good replacement as well!
I am good about remembering my reusable grocery bags but terrible at bringing a reusable coffee cup. Really need to get better at that one.
Something that has really stuck with me is that the reduce, reuse, recycle is meant to be done in just that order! Recycle is supposed to be our last resort, because recycling isn’t perfect. I feel that I have really reduced my purchases over the last couple years and I’m trying to get in the habit of always looking on facebook marketplace or even going to thrift stores when I need something (like a snow suit for Olivia this year!)
Great changes, Stephany! Sometimes we just have to jump on it and DO IT. I definitely want to stop buying paper towels (really, so unnecessary, but J keeps wanting to have some on hand… I am working on it!).
I am super-good at remembering my reusable grocery bags (I always have a couple in my purse) and I grab my basket with all my bags before I head out for grocery shopping.
I am hoping to not buy any more make-up pads and did you know there also is a reusable cotton swipe now? I am so intrigued to try!