GTKY Special 2019 Earth Day Edition!

kagesstarshroom

What is one environmentally friendly or eco-conscious behavior that you make an effort to practice? 

What is one you are working on or towards or hope to implement soon? 

brookert615

I always always carry my own water bottle and use reusable grocery bags. I would like to get to a point where I use less plastic in general!

bows22

We were using so many ziploc bags - we recently started using the reusable ones instead. I love them! I would like to be better with reusable grocery bags but a lot of times I forget to take them into the store with me. 

kbrown2385

We carry reusable water bottles, we don’t use straws, try to recycle as much as possible and we use reusable grocery bags. I’m making an effort to find eco friendly replacements for everything. Has anyone seen the toothpaste tablets? I thought they were interesting. 


Side question related to this. I’m trying to find a good replacement for sandwich/snack bags. Does anyone use beeswax wrap? 

chichiphin

We try to recycle as much as possible, use reusable bottles, and when we do get plastic grocery bags, they become poop bags for our dogs ha 

inthewoods23

Same for us with recycling as much as possible and using reusable water bottles. I used to use grocery bags for cat litter scooping but now I only use them to line our bathroom trash bins. I found these brown paper bag sized medical grade bags that keep odors from escaping and they're really awesome.

I also have a small and large Spatty which has helped me actually use up all the foundation, face wash, lotion, etc. in containers and I definitely recommend if you don't want to waste product!

peppyj9

Since I was a kid, I've always cut up any 6 pack rings I get just in case they end up somewhere they shouldn't so animals don't get stuck in them. We recycle, use reusable water bottles and use plastic grocery bags for kitty litter scooping, but, oh,  @inthewoods23 please let me know about the bags you're talking about! Currently I have a spare trash can outside for the kitty litter bag disposal before trash day, because yea, smells bad. 

I'd like to be better about paper towel use. We use too many! Spills, general cleaning, while eating, etc. I'm sure it's as easy as getting washable napkins and cloths but then I feel like I'd constantly be doing laundry which uses water and stuff, so is it any better? 🤷‍♀️

flowntheloop

Oh my goodness! I love this post, @kagesstarshroom ! Y'all give me some hope for the human race!

I've been taking one step at a time and trying to get better and better. Just some things we practice in our household (or will be very soon)
1) We are going off-grid as much as possible. We bought a large plot of forested, raw land at the end of 2017, and we have been working to move out since then. We currently have solar panels and rain catchment (with proper treatment/filtration of course) in place and they are almost ready for use (meaning we can finally move soon). Our plan is to turn our land into a permaculture food forest.
2) We always carry reusable grocery bags, avoid buying plastic or plastic-packaged products, use nontoxic/natural products in our home, and use biodegradable soaps and detergents.
3) We buy sustainably sourced, humanely raised food (preferably local). I also garden and practice forest foraging.

I'm currently working on finding facial products that are biodegradable/nontoxic but won't break me out! I have extremely sensitive skin, so it has been tough to find anything that works!

@kbrown2385 Be careful with the charcoal toothpaste tablets. Charcoal should really not be used for long periods of time (more than a week or two at a time) as it can wear down your enamel. It is great at getting rid of tartar, but it can also do damage to your teeth if you aren't careful. I'm also considering trying out the beeswax wraps. My friend up in Connecticut uses them and loves them!

@chichiphin @inthewoods23 Sounds like y'all are taking some awesome strides! Such badassery!
As for the recycling, just be aware that the reduction and reuse of waste products are much "greener" methods. Recycling requires a lot of energy and can even produce more pollutants. On top of that, we are learning that much of our waste cannot even be recycled! I really wish that schools had driven this home many generations ago! This is a cool site with more information on the subject:
[spoiler]
https://jaclynmccosker.com/eco/reducing[/spoiler]

chellisam

I have a coworker who is inspiring to be so much more environmentally-conscious. @kbrown2385 My coworker uses beeswax wrap for her lunch. I had never seen it before, but I plan on finding some to start replacing Ziploc bags.

Right now, I feel like MH and I are curmudgeons when it comes to using plastic -- Ziploc bags, grocery bags, poop bags for the dog. Grocery bags, at least, become trash can liners in the bathrooms. I do use a reusable water bottle.

emeraldduchess

We always reuse plastic bags either to clean up after our dog or line the trash can.  I try to reuse plastic food containers to hold school supplies in my classroom (crayons, etc.) and we don't buy plastic water bottles or straws.

inthewoods23

I forgot to mention that we also purchased an electric car last year and I will be getting one myself in the near future.

But as @flowntheloop said, I know the process to create a lot of "green" things isn't actually very green. Dumb but hopefully we can get better about that and use renewable energy resources.

@peppyj9 here's a link to the bags I bought on Amazon. Probably not really more eco friendly to use them instead of regular plastic bags, but I just wanted the order to be gone when I trash it! There are multiple sizes. For my 1 cat I use the medium. The smalls it says yoy might not be able to get the scoop in to.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y3NS28K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_MwXUCbCDJRQ4E

kbrown2385

@flowntheloop the toothpaste tabs I’ve seen aren’t charcoal based. When wanting to switch our normal paste I did some research to charcoal and decided against it. 

@chellisam I’ve been curious for a while. I’m going to have to check them out some more. 

@inthewoods23 great idea about the cat litter bags! I’ll have to check them out! 

peppyj9

@inthewoods23 thank you!

whitealbum29

Reusable grocery bags, carry our own water bottles and have a travel coffee mug that I try to use when I get coffee to-go somewhere. And (getting on a tiny soapbox ) voting for people who want to help us all transition to renewable energy sources! All the things we do in our daily lives are absolutely important but the big guys need to be on board too! Okay off soapbox.

And...I should really be better about not using so many paper towels and reusing plastic sandwich bags.

celticknotfire

Great question!  We do most of the same things as everyone else, like reusable water bottles and grocery bags, recycle whenever possible, etc.  We try to compost grass clippings and yard waste.  When the weather gets better I hope to hit up some of the farmer's markets to get some local produce.

littleredm

I try to use cloth bags for grocery shopping but sometimes I can be bad about remembering them. When I forget, I do re-use the grocery bags in my tiny trash cans in the bathroom and the ones I don't use I drop off at the store to be recycled. I just bought re-usable cotton rounds for applying toner for my skin care routine so I'm excited about that.  It's my goal in the future to buy a compost bin for gardening and I'd love to be able to grow some of my own food.

littleredm

Also I've been looking at these for re-usable sandwich or snack bags but I haven't gotten them yet so I can't speak to whether they'r good or not.

https://www.onyalife.com/product/sandwich-wrap/

kerco925

I carry a reusable water bottle with reusable straws.  We reuse plastic bags.  We just ordered reusable shopping bags. 

ruby696

@kbrown I use beeswax wrap! Not for everything, but it works pretty well and it smells good. Plus, easy to clean.

kagesstarshroom

So glad this thread got so much love! I am so inspired by y'all. It really, for me, just took getting into a habit to remember to always replace the cloth bags in my car every time I used them, and now they are nearly always there. When they aren't, I will put smaller purchases in my purse or ask for a paper bag or a cardboard box, and most stores will comply! But that is a behavior I am so glad to have gotten into.

A behavior I want to improve on is when I get the rest of a meal to go, bringing my own reusable containers to put it in. Louisiana is wretchedly full of styrofoam, and I hate to waste food but I equally hate to take doggie bags home in styrofoam! Additionally, the town we are in recently stopped recycling glass, so it has been a real struggle-- I am trying to find a way we can still recycle it, so working towards that has been important to me, but also trying to make our own foods that we can make (yogurt, kim chi, kombucha) rather than buying them in any type container is one of our goals. 

There is a GREAT book that was truly inspirational to me called THE NATURAL KITCHEN by Deborah Eden Tull that I wholly and truly recommend for anyone looking to be more eco-conscious, as it's practical but thorough.  Here is a link, but I am sure it's also on Amazon or something... https://deborahedentull.com/books/the-natural-kitchen-2/

Speaking of Amazon, does anyone know if there is a way to request that the books you buy from the, only arrive in cardboard? I use them a lot for books... and I always feel bad when something arrives in that white bubble wrap rather than a cardboard shipping box.

whitealbum29

@kagesstarshroom - great thread to start! It made me want to start using beeswax wrap! Lots of good ideas in here...

keikilove

This is a great thread❤️ Where I live they’ve already outlawed plastic bags years ago so everyone has to bring their own reuseable, which is awesome. They’ve also just outlawed styrofoam, which makes my heart so happy! That stuff is full of toxins AND can never break down. Terrible! 

We recycle everything. I’ve tried to get my hubby into remembering we have reusable metal straws and tons of reusable cups & water bottles, but he’s a work in progress. I just told him “Enough!” with the millions of paper towels so we are now using a fresh set of big wash cloths as rags in the kitchen & washroom areas. His work was throwing these out even though they are brand new so it was perfect timing.  

My next challenge is switching out to beeswax instead of plastic wrap or aluminum foil. I’d also love to grow our own food and compost like how I grew up, but we have a tiny yard space so it will have to be what I can do in pots. And YESSS! @whitealbum29 for voting for candidates who support going Green! 

jandawg

For anyone whose wondering I really enjoy using the beeswax wraps!

We create way less garbage by also composting and recycling. 

I would like to be better about bringing my own reusable bags and bringing a travel mug with me!

c1kc1kpol1cn1k

Love all of these ! Even some good tips that I can start implementing!

We recycle and use a composting heavily they are strict with that in our region but the amount of recycling to me also looks like garbage since I know most of it they sometimes can’t even recycle fully. Garbage day comes very second week and I have maybe 1 large bag whereas for recycling we have at least 2 bags each week. 

I use reusable bags for groceries, when I get my fruits and veggies I don’t bother to take the plastic bag for it (this is new for me, but I’ll have to buy those mesh produce bags on amazon soon). We don’t use zip locks really ever we just have these cloth wet bags. Same with plastic wrap I use jars or containers etc to store food. 

I just need to figure out how to reduce my recycling since everything we buy has so much plastic packaging it’s wild. 

m6agua

A little late... I was offline all weekend. I love this thread too!

I use stainless steel/glass/ceramic water bottles, coffee mugs and straws. A majority of my dishes are glass, stainless steel, ceramic, or silicone. I use my 31 bags for grocery shopping. When I forget, I either put it in my purse, get paper bags or I reuse the plastic ones in the small garbages/for the litter box. I carpool to work half the time. I try to buy sustainable meat and local produce when I can. I am also trying to clean up my personal care products.

Currently I use ziplock bags, but I do wash and reuse them. I want to buy a bunch of Stasher bags to replace them. We also want to start a garden and compost.

shamrocandroll

I'm a bad bumpie on the weekends... especially since we were travelling for Easter.

I make my own coffee every morning (or rather, MH makes it and I drink it, hahaha) and use a reusable travel mug.  I also use a reusable water bottle.  I try my best to remember reusable bags any time I go to the grocery store, but sometimes I fail (especially since we usually keep most of them in the car I don't drive every day).  I also have almost all LED light bulbs in my house.  We also have a wood stove and we use it to supplement our heat in the winter so we use a little less oil.  I also try my best to buy sustainable/local products.  I'm also a crazy person about recycling and will police MH when he doesn't recycle things like toilet paper rolls because he doesn't feel like carrying them out to the kitchen.    I would also really like to look into getting solar panels when we get our roof done, but I'm not sure how feasible actually doing it will be.