With the recent devastation in Australia, climate change and being environmentally concerned have been at the forefront of everybody’s minds.
These topics can seem pretty complex and intimidating–which I think discourages some of us from making any change to our everyday life. We often feel a sense of hopelessness or even helplessness.
But the truth is, making small changes in our lives can have a huge ripple effect on our local environments, and can certainly inspire those around us to follow suit.
Today we’re walking you through those small changes–the little things we can do to lessen our environmental footprint and take care of this planet. We shared some of these ideas in this post from 2019…but added some new ones along with some great products you can use to turn 2020 into the year you go green!
Use Reusable Bags To Be Environmentally Friendly
These are a no-brainer, and honestly easier to use than paper/plastic shopping bags. Here are a few great products we recommend:
Forgot your reusable bag at home? According to BBC, “paper bags require marginally fewer reuses than bags for life to make them more environmentally friendly than single-use plastic bags”. So if the choices are paper and plastic–pick paper.
Ditch Plastic Straws
In many states, plastic straws are illegal at restaurants and bars. But even if you live in a state where these are legal–think about bringing your own metal straw. Again, you can find these at Target and Amazon, and they’re super inexpensive and easy to travel with. Another plus about bringing your own? You can clean them yourself, to make sure nobody’s hands have been on them before you use them!
As we know, plastics are not only bad for the environment but also dangerous for our marine life. Protect our sea turtles and other ocean critters with this switch!
Recycle, Recycle, Recycle
Another pretty obvious one. But I will say sometimes this one can be the hardest for me. Remembering what to do with certain materials and making sure they get to the right facility can be quite the challenge.
We relied on this awesome article from Recycling Simplified to help us organize the basics of at-home recycling. Separate the following materials for the most effective recycling:
- Paper
- Cardboard (make sure this is flattened!)
- Plastics (grocery bags, bubble wrap, and styrofoam require special handling and can’t be recycled curbside)
- Metal cans (clear these out, and remove any plastic labeling)
- Batteries (read more about this one below!)
Throw Out the Paper
I know I overuse paper towels, which is the opposite of “reducing” to protect our environment. One way to reduce the number of paper towels is to use dishcloths and cloth napkins. I use dishcloths fairly often, but cloth napkins are something I rarely use in my home–and need to start!
Thrifting
According to the EPA, “the generation of textiles in 2017 was 16.9 million tons. Landfills received 11.2 million tons of MSW textiles [which] was 8 percent of all MSW (municipal solid waste) landfilled.” The main source of textiles in MSW is discarded clothing–which is where we can help.
Instead of throwing out old clothes–always try and take these items elsewhere first. Taking clothes to family, friends, or thrift shops like Crossroads , Buffalo Exchange or Changes Resale located in Clear Lake can make a huge difference. Interested in donating clothing? Check out these great options:
- Career Gear: Focused on menswear, for interviews or other career opportunities.
- Salvation Army
- Goodwill
- Big Brother Big Sister Foundation
- American Red Cross
- Dress For Success Houston: Dressing women in need for the workplace
Toss the Technology To Be Environmentally Friendly
“According to EPA, Americans throw out two million tons of e-waste each year.” (Environmental Protection) One great place to take your old electronics is Best Buy, who will take your phones, televisions, computers and check their value before recycling the raw materials. So really, you might get paid for doing the right thing!
How are you going to be more environmentally-friendly in 2020?
SHESHE’S TIDBITS
- Our time here on Sanibel has come to a close, but just for a week then I will be back. My sisters are heading down again this year to enjoy the island but mainly to do some shelling. I always love having them visit. The older I get the more I cherish our times together.
- Gala’s, weddings, graduations, holidays or just everyday wear…..we have fashion suggestions for you, so stay tuned. Be sure to check out the ShopSheShe tab at the top in the menu bar. Hover over and choose the category in the dropdown. We try to keep it up to date with the latest and greatest for all budgets. Subscribe here and then you won’t miss a post. Simply enter your email in the pop-up box or below.
- WELCOME new readers. We are a fashion/travel/lifestyle blog. We talk about anything and everything, from fashion, travel, health issues to even an occasional recipe. Let us know if there is a topic that interests you. We will do our best to bring that story to you. Have a great week sweet friends and thank you for following along. Without you, we could not continue on this crazy fun journey.
