Positive Sustainability Actions

Hello! Building on the theme from my last post, today I will be talking about what you can do to have a positive impact on our planet. A lot of these tips are common things that you may already be doing. My intention is to encourage you to continue doing these things. I tried to find tips that were as cost efficient as possible, so I hope you enjoy.

1) Reusable Grocery Bags (or paper)

You are probably aware of the idea of bringing your own bags to the store. Especially by carrying your own produce bag, you can have such a positive impact on plastic usage. In my household, we ask for paper bags which we use for trash bags. We also try to avoid any kind of produce bag because at home, we thoroughly wash our produce anyway.

2) Rideshare Services Or Public Transportation

By ordering an Uber, taking a subway, biking, or simply walking, you are making a difference. It’s that simple.

3) Shop at Thrift Stores

Just because you are trying to be eco-friendly doesn’t mean you can’t sustainably buy clothes. Some people (like my mother) may cringe at the thought of a second hand or thrift store but lately I have enjoyed thrift shopping, seeing it as a hunt that has a greater reward. Also, there are many websites such as Depop or Poshmark that are online thrift stores. This can relieve the burden of searching through aisles of random thrift apparel because you can search by brand, color, style, and size. Second hand clothing has no footprint!

3.5) Donating To Thrift Stores

I guess there are three options when it comes to getting rid of clothes: keeping it, throwing it away, or donating it/handing it down. If everyone could donate clothes rather than throwing them away that would be great.

4) Ship Things Together

This is a really easy thing you can do. I’m not sure how many people are aware of this option on Amazon but when you checkout, you can select this shipping option that will send all of your items together in one box at the same time.

5) ECOSIA

ECOSIA is a completely free web browser just like Google. The only difference is that ECOSIA plants trees when you search for things. How do they do this? Just like google, ECOSIA has ads on their website, which generate revenue. ECOSIA then uses this revenue to plant trees all over the world. Just to show the difference they are making and to build your trust, ECOSIA also publishes their financial reports on their website for everyone to see. Also, the browser keeps track of how many trees you have planted in the corner. It takes around 45 searches to plant 1 tree. I highly recommend this easy switch that is completely free. You can go to ecosia.org or download the app for your phone right now. Apple also has ECOSIA built right into safari if that is the app you prefer. Go to settings > safari > search engine > Ecosia

6) Toothbrush Transition

Plastic toothbrushes are one of the many everyday items accumulating in our waters just like straws, bottles, and now masks. A plastic toothbrush takes more than 500 years to decompose. By switching to a bamboo/wooden toothbrush or by using an electric toothbrush that lasts years, you are being an awesome global citizen.

7) Bye to Buying Books

I cannot remember the last time that I purchased a hardcopy book. That’s not to say I don’t like reading! Instead, I love going to the library or reading books on a kindle. Try passing books on to friends, family members, and coworkers.

8) Clean Cleaning Products

Now I talked about this in my last video, that not only are the chemicals in cleaners bad but so are the plastic bottles that 99.9% of all cleaners come in. I really can’t think of a cleaner that comes in glass. Anyway, vinegar and water can clean glass, baking soda and water can become a tough tile grout cleaner, and sea salt mixed with lemon juice is a great mixture you can use to scrub dirty dishes. In my upcoming videos I’ll be making and testing some of these DIY cleaning solutions.

These are just a few of the ways you can contribute to sustainability. I hope you found this to be helpful and encouraging!