9 Easy Steps to Give Your Life an Eco-Friendly Makeover

Environmental awareness is becoming a hot topic and with good reason. We are creating massive amounts of waste and consuming energy at an alarming rate. Most people want to do their part to help the environment, but with busy schedules, it seems like a monumental task. The good news is it’s not that difficult to live more sustainably. A few small, easy changes can make a big impact. These tips will help you make manageable, eco-friendly choices that help your planet.

Fabric is Your Friend in the Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the main areas of our home where we consume single-use paper products. If your kid has a messy spill, you grab the roll of paper towels without a second thought. Dinner time means blowing through a stack of paper napkins. You can immediately eliminate this paper waste from your life by purchasing fabric napkins and switching to only rags to clean up spills. Sure, you may have to do an extra load of laundry, but the amount of garbage you produce will go way down.

Skip Meat Twice a Week

Raising cattle for meat production sucks up a huge amount of resources and is one of the biggest contributors to environmental pollutants. You can help reduce the demand for meat by simply making a couple of vegetarian meals twice a week. This may not sound like much, but it can have a significant impact on how much meat your local grocery orders. 

Clean Up Your House and Environment

Many cleaning products you can pick up at your local grocery store are filled with toxic chemicals that do a lot of harm as soon as they are washed down the drain. You can help fight air and water pollution by reaching for safe, sustainable products with biodegradable ingredients. Look for labels that identify the products as clean, eco-friendly, and safe.

Keep Reusable Bags Handy

Make a habit of stocking your car and purse with reusable bags. Everyone knows that avoiding the use of plastic bags is an easy eco-friendly action. The problem is those pesky last-minute grocery runs where you just need to stop by and pick up a few things. When you didn’t plan on shopping, having those reusable bags in the trunk of your car or the bottom of your purse saves you from wasting a little bit more plastic.

Get To-Go Cutlery

One of the best ways to become more sustainable in your personal life is to eliminate single-use plastics where you can. Plastic forks, knives, and spoons from fast food restaurants are a big culprit of single-use plastic waste. You can do your part by carrying your own reusable cutlery. It’s easy to do, and kids love to pick out personalized flatware kits in fun colors and patterns.

Choose Earth-Friendly Skincare

When it comes to taking care of your skin, choosing ethically made products can significantly impact the environment. Companies that produce clean face products source their ingredients in ways that don’t harm the environment. Look for vegan-friendly (they don’t test on animals) companies that use non-toxic ingredients and recycled packaging materials.

Dress For Environmental Success

Fast fashion is quickly becoming one of the biggest culprits in environmental pollution. From the harmful chemicals used in the production process to the enormous waste created by this industry, making new clothes is playing a huge role in polluting the environment. One of the best ways you can instantly make an impact on the world is to pick up your wardrobe at a thrift shop or consignment store. Not only is it budget-friendly, but you are also often helping charities in the process.

Choose Your Accessories Wisely

Just as eating meat creates a demand in the environmentally devastating cattle industry, so does purchasing leather accessories. Shoes, belts, jewelry and gloves made out of leather are not environmentally sustainable. There are a number of vegan leather materials that look great and are guilt-free.

Spend More Money

You didn’t read that wrong. You can help the environment by shelling out cash. At some point, we all decided it was ok to pay a low price for an item of inferior quality that will end up in the garbage sooner rather than later. All this garbage adds up to a big environmental problem. You can do your part by paying more for higher quality items that will last for years or perhaps even generations.

Hopefully, you now see that making small adjustments in your life adds up to big environmental benefits. Don’t feel like you have to do everything at once. Doing one or two things slowly is far better than doing nothing at all.