I was never the tree-hugging-crunchy-hippie-granola type. No offense to those types. I adore those types.
I didn’t grow up on cloth diapers and reusable baggies. We used plastic, and lots of it. We weren’t a “recycle or die” kind of family. But I live my life a lot differently than I used to. I no longer eat meat every day. I no longer drink diet soda. I’ve made several changes in life that make me feel better about my mind, my body, and my planet.
Helping to preserve the Earth doesn’t mean you have to eat an organic gluten-free vegan diet with zero carbon footprint. It doesn’t mean you have to change who you are. It doesn’t have to be this big, scary thing. I wear leather and use Ziploc baggies and drink from plastic water bottles. I’m far from perfect, and that’s very, very okay.
As I’ve made small but mighty changes to my diet over the years, small but mighty environmental changes went right along with it. I like to think that I do my part to create less waste, to use less energy, to think consciously about using my resources wisely. Without further adieu, here’s a little peek into how I personally strive to be “green.”
1. Go meatless, even if it’s just once a week. Welcome to the quick fix for reducing your carbon footprint and saving precious resources like water and fossil fuels. Meatless Monday may not sound super sexy, but doing so will save 15.5 gallons of gasoline, 84,000 gallons of water, and reduce meat consumption by 35 pounds of meat over one year.
2. Find a re-usable cup you love and bring it to the coffee shop. And to work. I love a cup of java here and there, but flying through hundreds of disposable coffee cups per year isn’t cool. You’ll save hundreds of paper/plastic cups, straws, lids, and coffee sleeves by bringing your own mug. You’ll likely get a quarter off that joe, too!
I love this thermos for coffee and this cute little thermos for packing leftovers lunches. It’s a must in the winter for soup or chili!
3. Use glass jars. For like, everything. Use them for drinking, put your toothbrushes and cotton balls in them, store your leftovers in them. The possibilities are endless. Glass is 100% recyclable and has also been shown to preserve quality, flavor and lengthen shelf-life of food far better than plastic. (New plastic materials are made from new plastic, unlike glass which is usually made of at least 25% recycled glass. Because plastic (unlike glass) loses integrity when recycles, it will never be as strong as the original plastic.)
We know from a vast body of research is that most plastics contain BPA (bisphenol-A), a carcinogenic (AKA cancer-causing) ingredient that releases estrogen-like chemicals in our body. Why does this matter? These endocrine disruptors mess with our hormones and lead to a laundry list of health issues, including cancer, infertility, and birth defects in children. BPA is banned in baby bottles in the US and Canada. Canada declared BPA a toxic substance in 2010. This is why you’ve been told to not microwave your food in plastic or eat and hot food from a plastic container. You don’t want those chemicals leach into your body from food.
I drink my smoothie out of a Mason jar every morning and I require that everyone on staff at Alchemy drinks from a jar or a coffee mug in order to reduce waste. Swap out your plastic Tupperware for glass Pyrex. Welcome to the world of microwaving your lunch!
4. Buy a few reusable grocery bags. They won’t cost you more than a dollar and you’ll never have to use paper or plastic bags again. You can purchase them pretty much anywhere and they come in a million fun patterns. I keep them in my trunk and now it’s second nature to open the trunk before I walk into the grocery store. This may not seem like a biggie but think how many bags you’re saving–especially all you avid grocery shoppers! I also use these bags for tons of other random storage purposes. They always come in handy!
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omg omg omg..every word you wrote here resonates with me 100%. i grew up in a similar environment like you did but over the years, i have been making these small changes which is my way to saving the earth. people may think you are really not making an impact but i think in the long run, every plastic bag, every plastic cups, and paper will count. i would love to know more on how you made your staff get on board? i would love some ideas to get my department get greener because we go through a lot of styrofoam containers..
Heck yea! I’ve been using glass containers for my leftovers. Also investing in a reusable water bottle that I take everywhere with me. I always take it when I travel. It’s amazing how many restaurants will fill it up for free (especially Starbucks at airports). Reusable bags are a must for me too! There are many grocery stores that will give a discount as well (Whole Foods, Bi Lo, etc). Also, I hardcore recycle, bought cloth napkins, clean with microfiber cloths, and have been migrating to green cleaning solutions. It’s amazing to me what a big impact little steps can have. They also save you money!
It certainly is the little things! I feel like in our generation these earth saving tips are becoming more like the normal thing do!
Love love this post! I used to live in Santa Cruz, Ca which is THE MOST green place on the planet, well, in California anyways. Seriously people would actually glare at you if you forgot your reusable bag or were walking around with a…*gasp* Starbucks coffee cup. While thats a little extreme if you ask me, it did help me to appreciate our planet more and learn small ways that I can improve it. I carry my reusable coffee cup around like a crazy person now!
Love this! I studied environmental science in school, so I am super passionate about all of this!
So glad to see you writing environmental tips! This is so so important, and I think it’s really important for food bloggers to get the word out since the topics are so intertwined! A couple of other of my favorite tips: eliminate food waste as much as possible! When food goes into landfills (unlike when it is composted) it releases methane as it breaks down, which is a greenhouse gas over 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. You’ll also save a lot of money by using everything you buy and not tossing any leftovers (this money saving is what has allowed me to buy organic on a student budge!t). Speaking of that, buying organic when you can is also a great way to cut down on your carbon footprint! Synthetic chemicals used in conventional agriculture are not only fossil fuel intensive to make, but they also run off into oceans and cause ocean acidification (not good!).
LOVED all of these! I’m working on replacing a lot of my beverage containers with glass, and really hope to change out all our storage containers for glass. Since I’m weird about microwaving plastic, I make sure to transfer all my food at work to the dishes here. Makes me feel so much better! We love our reusable bags, and find they are MUCH easier to carry than normal plastic/paper bags. Hidden bonus right there! Loved these little tips!
Thank you for sharing this post!! Nothing is better than giving back to the earth – it can be done so easily and is better for yourself, nature, and the rest of the world. Also i love your “recycle or die” statement – that is literally how i live my life haha. So hardcore.
I love these tips! My Pyrex containers are lifesavers and I find that they are easier to clean. Using reusable bags is a big one – you don’t end up collecting a massive pile of plastic bags and you can use the bags for things other than groceries. All great advice, Alexis!
question- what garbage bags do u use?