Five Different Ways I Try to Become More Environmentally Friendly

Sometimes taking the first step is the hardest part. Having guidance is often beneficial, so that's why I want to tell you five different steps I have taken to become more environmentally friendly.

First and foremost - change is constant. There is always room for improvement. And, while that can be daunting, understand that everyone is in the same boat. Change can be good. Remember to start small, because starting small is often the most helpful thing you can do for your future self. The last thing you want to do is go all-in with everything in your life and then end up so lost and overwhelmed that you end up giving up. You can do this!

1. Stopped Using Single-Use Water Bottles

I have almost 100% stopped using plastic water bottles. Instead, I use reusable plastic water bottles (that are BPA-free, trust me, it's important) or stainless steel water bottles. Not-so-fun-fact: the more plastic water bottles we use, the more microplastics end up in ourselves. Plastic doesn't just disappear, which is why we, as a society, should stop using single-use plastics and instead try to reuse the plastic we have. The only time I buy plastic water bottles is to keep a few in the trunk of my car in case of emergencies. I try not to buy reusable plastic water bottles nowadays, but I'm not going to throw away or recycle my old water bottles when they still work perfectly fine. Like I said earlier, baby steps are important, especially when just starting. My baby step was buying a reusable plastic water bottle. And, if one day I decide I don't have the use or the space for some of my reusable bottles, I will instead donate them to a donated goods store like Goodwill or The Salvation Army. Or, if you don't want to use those options, you can list them on a local classifieds site for your town and offer them up for someone to have (or perhaps buy). A good place to look is on Facebook - there are lots of local groups that buy, sell, and trade items!

2. Stopped (mostly) Using Single-Use Plastic Bags

The only use I have for plastic bags is to pick up after my pets. Other than that, plastic bags are single-use plastic that will likely end up not being recycled. Instead, I opt for paper bags that I can use to hold my paper recycling before drop off, or I use a reusable bag. Reusable bags are everywhere nowadays, and some brands such as Target can sell their brand of reusable bags. There's a company called Rareform based in California that is currently reusing old advertisement billboard material and turning them into long-lasting, durable reusable bags and more (check them out here: https://www.rareform.com/)! Some stores also offer a discount when you bring in a reusable bag. However, as you are likely aware if you live in some of these states, some places have a penalty of 10 cents if you do not bring your own bag. This policy was implemented to try to have people bring their bags instead of getting plastic bags. However, I am a firm believer in gentle encouragement, and I rather prefer a 10-cent reward or discount off your purchase for bringing your own bag.

3. Buying Less Clothing

I have tried to drastically reduce my consumption of goods. For example, I typically don't buy myself clothing anymore. Instead, if something rips, I try to mend it myself. If I can't mend it, then I like to shop at thrift stores to reduce my environmental impact. The only thing I typically buy new is jeans because I'm not great at fixing denim quite yet. "Fast Fashion" is a term I highly recommend looking into. By "slowing down" your fashion trends by repeating outfits, purchasing less, and repairing more, the demand for more cotton for clothes and then the labor of making those clothes and the shipping of those clothes and the … well, you get my point … the demand for that whole system goes down, which positively impacts the environment.

4. Going Digital!

Going digital is an excellent way to reduce your waste. By no longer receiving bills in the mail, you lessen the need for envelopes to be made, paper to be printed, and the energy used to send that mail to you. Deforestation is a serious issue in multiple ways, but an easy way to get involved and help reduce deforestation is to simply reduce the demand for paper. By reducing this demand, you are directly influencing companies to buy less paper, and therefore, cut down fewer trees.

5. Shopping Locally

As I mentioned in topic one, thrift stores are a great source to drop off goods you no longer want. They are also a great source to find items that you do want. If you have a thrift store local to your town, stop by sometime and see what they have to sell. I often find myself drawn to my local thrift store. However, sometimes it just doesn't have what I'm looking for. That's when I go to a larger chain, such as Goodwill. Thrifting your goods locally will draw your money flow from large corporations to smaller ones, helping redistribute wealth back into your community.

These are just a few methods I have implemented in my life to help ease my impact on the environment. Do you have to do these yourself? No. Is it good to know anyway? Possibly. Again, take baby steps. Start small. Sick of having so much mail? Great! Go digital. Tired of having a huge wardrobe full of clothes you don't want to wear? Great! Donate them! Fun fact - you can claim many donations on your taxes (but make sure you check with your local government or tax accountant!). The Salvation Army has a donation estimator on their website to help you figure out how much you can claim on your taxes (linked below). Anyway, back to the main topic. You do not have to do all of this at once, no matter what anyone says. Change can be small and still be beneficial. And hopefully, you found this beneficial!

Thank you for joining me on this journey!

Inspiring Green

Salvation Army Donation Value Guide:

https://satruck.org/Home/DonationValueGuide