“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.”
~ Native American Proverb
DOING MY PART
Reduce, reuse, recycle, refuse, repeat.
I have been working towards conscious consumerism for many years now. I want to say it started with reducing my waste and plastic consumption, but my conscious consumerism also bled into many areas of my life. From my diet to the products I use, saving the planet is a passion of mine.
These are sustainable principles that I not only live by but promote with my brand and in my design projects. I have gone so far as to find a company to print my business paper made from recycled cotton t-shirts.
There is a whole lot more to sustainability and conscious consumer habits than just getting uniquely recycled business card paper. My habits started with the food and products I was buying. A whole lot of thought goes into buying groceries when you are seeking to have a healthier body, mind, and planet.
Grocery Basics
I know that not everyone is going to dive headfirst into a plant-based diet or cut out plastic cold turkey. Most people are not successful at changing habits this way. I would not have been myself.
A simple place that I started was by bringing my own bags to the grocery store (now, I will even bring my own bag for other shopping expeditions). Bringing my own bags reduced the plastic grocery bag collection that we all have as adults, but I was still putting produce in plastic bags. A few years ago, I invested in reusable produce bags. Now, these go with me on my grocery trips or I just let my produce “free-ride” in my cart (aka, no produce bag).
I also buy a lot of dry goods in bulk. Since I eat a mostly plant-based diet (also part of my sustainable habits), I like storing my nuts, grains, legumes, etc. in a visually appealing way. Jars are a great storage option. I have gotten a few jars from thrift stores, a thrifty and sustainable shopping option.
Food storage doesn’t end with dry goods. I typically store other perishable food items in storage containers. Glass is my preference but I also have some plastic containers. It is more important to me to utilize what I have, rather than waste the plastic containers and go out to buy all glass.
The silicon zip bags and beeswax films are items that I have for snacks that travel with me (i.e., when I am gone all day for work and need snacks, hiking, or camping). The beeswax film is an excellent replacement for plastic wrap. I have used them to cover snack bowls, open cans, onions, etc. You can DIY these beeswax wraps but I rarely have the time for DIY projects.
Water is another focus of mine in my healthy habits. This habit might have been the first, now that I reflect properly on my plastic elimination began. I grew up in a household that always bought plastic water bottles in bulk, it drove me crazy and still does. I switched to a reusable water bottle after leaving my parents’ home and would never go back to buying plastic water bottles.
Water filtration is so important because of all the chemicals and heavy metals in tap water (especially here in Colorado). I typically filter with chunks of charcoal but highly recommend looking into water filter systems for the home. It is good to test your drinking water using a local laboratory or an at-home test kit. This gives you a much better idea of the quality of tap water in your home.
Reusable straws are a new edition of my zero-waste collection. Typically, I just refuse plastic staws when I dine out. Straws seem like more of a luxury to me and I do not feel like I need them.
Bathroom Swaps
Once I started to implement zero-waste swaps in my kitchen, I started to notice how wasteful my bathroom routines were. Slowly, this was not an immediate swap, I started to switch out my products for eco-friendly alternatives.
Shown here are a few of my zero-waste substitutes in the bathroom. I am still getting used to the safety razor but I love the ear swab and cotton rounds. I also wash my face with reusable clothes.
Not pictured here are some of my feminine product swaps. Now I use a period cup, period panties, and organic tampons and pads. The amount of options for feminine products has exploded in the zero-waste industry and I have to say that my cycles have never felt healthier since I made these swaps.
Diet & Products
Zero-waste swaps are a lot of fun and if you are close to me, you have probably gotten one of these types of products from me as a holiday gift. Sustainable habits are a lot more than just swapping out your plastic water bottles for a reusable water bottle though. While I love finding new ways to reduce my plastic consumption, saving our planet also relates to the food we eat and the products that we use.
I have been a pescatarian now for 6 years. My diet switch initially started because I saw health benefits for my lupus in not eating meat. This was not an abrupt switch but I am now proud to consider myself a mostly plant-based vegetarian. I still eat fish on occasion but it has become less and less over the years. Now, I just eat fish at family gatherings because my family has yet to figure out how to cook entirely plant-based for me. This is not their fault since they have not implemented this into their lifestyle as I have. I would note that I am determined to cut out fish almost entirely after watching Seaspiracy on Netflix.
My beauty products and cleaning supplies are other things that have shifted. Now, I make my own cleaning products from non-toxic household items, or I buy cleaning products I trust. You would be amazed at the amount of toxicity in our products, but old-fashioned baking soda and vinegar can do wonders where chemicals cannot.
When I shop for beauty products (i.e., face creams, shampoo/conditioner, soap, makeup, etc.) I do a lot of research and reading to be sure the products are reputable. I would love if all healthy products produced less packaging but sometimes there are trade-offs in sustainability. The symbols below are reputable agencies that I look for on packaging when I am buying products.
Wish List
This is a very general overview of some things that I do on a personal level to be more “green”. A few other things that I personally do include using Swedish dishcloths and reusable mop pads, buying secondhand furniture and clothes, and teaching others about how to minimize their waste and chemical load burden.
There is always more to learn and change in our habits to save this planet. Here are a few items that are on my wish list as a renter:
- Better air filter systems
- A compost bin
- Easier access to better recycling
- More efficient appliances and plumbing fixtures
- A greenhouse to grow produce year-round
Happy Earth Day! Thank you for reading about my habits to help save the planet. My hope is that others will start to dramatically shift their daily habits of consumerism so we can all save the planet. It takes individual effort to see collective change and save our planet. After all, we only have one planet Earth to call home, let’s all make it healthier together.