Eco-Friendly & Sustainable Swaps in 2020
Happy New Year everyone!! I hope you all had a great holiday season with family and friends and that taking down holiday decor wasn’t too painful…we only just got the last of it put away this past weekend, it’s just so hard to see the twinkle lights go!
Typically, I tend to not set firm New Years resolutions, but I do use the new year as a bit of a refresh - to tackle the clutter, have a little extra motivation towards my goals or to put some extra resources towards something that has already been on my mind.
I’ve been gradually adopting some greener habits over the last year, and the new year - along with the devastating fires raging in Australia lately - has pushed me to try and really make being more eco-friendly a focus in 2020. Below are some of the ways I’m doing that around our house.
Reusable mugs & water bottles
I’ve had a few in the past, but have made an effort to overhaul what we have so it’s better quality and more durable. I just recently picked up a few Byta mugs for water/smoothies/coffee on the go and LOVE them. They are so lightweight and shaped in a way that they fit every one of my cup holders - even their 20oz size! Plus they have a zillion colors, which is always nice.
Reusable straws
I have not been as good at this one yet, in terms of remembering to tell to-go restaurants (mainly) that I don’t need a straw because I have one with me, but I have a stainless steel set, and a set of silicone ones that fold up into little storage containers, and both options are pretty nice.
Silicone dish sponge
This was a purchase from just after the holidays as I’ve started refreshing the house a bit from the clutter and crazy. Resistant to bacteria and easy to sterilize (just pop it in the dishwasher with your next load,) it’s a lot cleaner than a traditional sponge and will last way longer, too. So far I haven’t had any issues getting anything off of our pots and pans, and this is safe for nonstick ware to boot.
Reducing single use plastics around the house
I’m accomplishing this so by switching a lot of our products to Blueland - they provide a “forever bottle” and then all of their products are sent as tablets! You just add your own warm water to the bottle and pop in the tablet and let it dissolve. Aside from being eco-friendly, the refills are $2 or less, depending on how many you order at a time. They even have a foaming hand soap! If they were Mickey shaped like the soap in Tokyo Disneyland is, I’d be even more over the moon than I already am with these products ;) I’ve also been adding to our collection of Stasher silicone bags as a replacement for single-use plastic bags for storage in the pantry & fridge, as well as snacks on-the-go!
Cloth grocery bags
We have enough of a collection of reusable shopping bags that I’m finally in the habit of leaving a few in the car, a few inside our house and one in my purse so that I’m not caught without one as we rotate through using them. Honestly, it sounds silly, but having a baby has helped here, because I’m also having to grab the stroller, and make sure I have the diaper bag so I’m not just bolting out of the car in a rush anymore. More recently I’ve also gotten some reusable small bags that have the tare weight on them so I can use those instead of single use plastics for the bulk bins or to hold fruits & veggies. Having the tare weight printed on the bag means that you won’t get charged for the weight of the bag itself in addition to the weight of your food!
Wool dryer balls
Wool dryer balls are a laundry miracle. I haven’t bought dryer sheets in almost 2 years, and they seriously cut down on dry time and static. Plus, I can add a few drops of essential oils to them to make everything smell nice and super clean! The exact set I got on Amazon don’t seem to be available anymore, but there are a TON of options and as long as you’re getting 100% wool you should be set.
My biggest overall goal is to reduce the amount of single use plastics we have wherever possible - it can take some trial and error but I’ve found once I get the ball rolling on one or two things it’s a lot easier to incorporate other changes as well! I’d love to hear what types of things you’re doing in your own homes to live more sustainably, too.
