Do your part people!

So, for those of you who don’t know, I try my best to be eco-responsible. I recycle, buy and support organic, local and free range produce, etc. I’ve switched all my bulbs over to compact fluorescents. I stopped using all those AirWick plug in things that constantly drain electricity and put chemicals in the air. I do my best to only buy cleaning products that I feel are concentrated and/or more natural. (I’m also a strict vegetarian, but I don’t know if that really applies to this topic so I’m not dwelling on it) I don’t buy bottled water and instead re-fill/re-use a thermos. I gave away all my tupperware and switched to corningware - it’s more durable and lasts longer. I purchased cloths to clean with instead of papertowels. I use dishes and not paper plates. I converted all my bills over to paperless statements. While it seems like I’m doing a whole lot here, it’s really not that much and I wish more people would see that spending $1 more or taking 5 extra minutes to make a better decision really does help make a difference.

Actually, I think most people do this so that the planet is a good place for their kids - I don’t have kids - so I don’t know why I’ve picked this cause... but I have.

For me, it seems most things boil down to waste and laziness. EVERYTHING is disposable now and it makes me SO sad. Seriously, you can’t own and wash a cutting board?? You would just use a cutting board (piece of plastic) and then throw it away? I just seem to come across A LOT of waste and excess and it’s disheartening the lack of energy people will dedicate to a worthwhile cause.

My biggest pet peeve is using plastic and paper bags at the store. And not just the grocery store, but ANY STORE! I have not been to a store that doesn’t sell their own version of a reusable bag. Target, TJ Maxx, Vons, and even Hollywood video offer canvas bags - yet there clearly needs to be some sort of orientation done down at the cashier/checker/bagger union. I’ve never had more blank stares in my life. Most times I have to physically INTERVENE and sometimes I even have to bag my own stuff ☹

Here are some simple rules:

1) It’s canvas - it’s washable - do not wrap all of my items individually in plastic to protect my canvas bag
2) Do your job and PACK it properly. Do not just haphazardly shove a bunch of shit in there so it’s half filled up and then put the rest into plastic bags. Use your tetris skills - work it out.
3) Have some sort of self awareness that I’m doing this to AVOID using paper or plastic. How do you always find a way to put something in a plastic bag?

Yeah, that’s it, just 3. It’s a GIANT pet peeve of mine.

What I most recently started using are these:


I gather a great sense of accomplishment from leaving the store and being 100% eco-friendly.

My favorite bags are these:

Cheap, affordable, stylish, compact... You can’t get better than that.

I know most of you either care or don’t care already so this won’t change your mind, but I secretly hope it does. There is no reason our household should need to take the trash out every day. With a little bit of effort we take it out about once a week and we only put our bins out every other week. Even if you don’t change, just pay attention every time you throw something away. It may surprise you.