Hey earth muffins! It is crazy to think that Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Not sure about you, but January flew by for me! I wonder if the same will happen for February… Valentine’s Day is such a fun day to celebrate with your loved ones. It is totally possible to have a zero waste Valentine’s Day, but what about actual valentines? From kids to adults, it is common to hand out valentines to the people you love. While not the most eco-friendly tradition, it begs the question – are there sustainable valentine alternatives? And there are! Here are my top suggestions of things to give instead of valentines this year.
❤️ An experience or dinner
Don’t be afraid to give your loved ones something that isn’t tangible. While valentines are fun to keep for a few months, they often end up in the trash after that. To avoid excess waste, treat your partner to an experience that they would love. This can be a fancy dinner out, a home cooked meal in, or some sort of event in your community. Pick something that you know they would absolutely love! I personally would love to hit up the local roller skating arena, the ice rink, or get some boba tea with my boyfriend. (hint hint if you’re reading this 😊)
Hey earth muffins! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday full of family and fun – I know I sure did! Now that the gift giving is over, you might find yourself with things that aren’t exactly what you were hoping for… 🎁 Maybe your grandma thinks you are three sizes smaller than you are or your mom bought you a set of mugs that you actually already bought a few weeks ago. There is ALWAYS an increase in returns after Christmas; and there is a huge environmental impact of returns because of this. To be a bit more eco-friendly this year, I suggest avoiding returns as much as possible. Instead, here’s what to do with those unwanted Christmas gifts!
What is the Environmental Impact of Returns?
About 30% of the items bought online are returned… And that doesn’t take into account products purchased at the store. Did you know that most companies just throw away returned items? Five BILLION pounds of returned goods end up in landfills around the US each year. 😳 This is highly confusing to me, as there are plenty of secondhand places that could easily find new homes for these items. It’s also really upsetting that huge corporations don’t care to even TRY to re-distribute what they have already produced. It proves that they only care about producing more and more goods to make a profit. Instead of supporting the destruction of the planet by making returns this year, I suggest the following options instead:
Hey earth muffins! There is no doubt about it, December is the season of wrapping paper. 🎁 While pretty wrapped gifts are exciting and festive, they aren’t necessarily the most eco-friendly option. A lot of wrapping papers aren’t pure paper, which makes them non-recyclable. On top of that, many of them also have glitter and other 3-D effects that are definitely fit for the landfill only. To make your Christmas more sustainable this year, I want to share my top suggestions for sustainable wrapping paper alternatives – let’s jump right into it!
1. Old gift bags, wrapping paper, and tissue paper
Once you decide you want to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle, it is important to use up what is already in your house. That includes all that leftover wrapping paper! People tend to buy new rolls every holiday which results in a stack of half used rolls in the back of some dusty closet. Reuse all the old gift bags, tissue paper, and wrapping paper that is already in your home!
Hey earth muffins! The holiday season is upon us, which means there is a rise in consumerism with all of the holiday shopping. 🎅 It is extremely important, especially now, to make sure you are being a conscious consumer. What does it mean to be a “conscious consumer”? It means supporting businesses that support your values – companies that care about the planet and making the world a better place! I love to buy gifts for my loved ones this time of year, so I thought I would share my top tips for how you can be a more conscious consumer as well. Let’s jump right into it!
1. Make a list and check it twice
You can’t be a conscious consumer if you overconsume this holiday! It is important to remember to only buy what you actually need. Just like Santa Claus, I suggest making a long list. Think about each person you will be shopping for and write down what gifts you will be buying them. As you are shopping, keep looking at the list to avoid impulse buys.
2. Buy locally and support small businesses
As you are doing your holiday shopping, make sure to support small businesses in your town before hitting up the mall and other chain stores. The pandemic has been hard on local business, so do your best to support them first. Many local products are more sustainable as well; if you have local eco-friendly stores, even better!
Hey earth muffins! Whether you are prepared for it or not, the holiday season is upon us. Thanksgiving and Christmas are some of my favorite times of year. It is important to stay eco-friendly even when we are busy celebrating with family and friends! If you prep in advance to stay sustainable, you will be more likely to stick to these values even during the busiest times. In today’s post, I will be sharing my top tips on how you can go green for the holidays. Let’s jump right in and get ready to celebrate! 🎉
Go green by reducing your food waste!
Especially with Thanksgiving just around the corner, take actions to reduce your food waste over the holidays. This can be as simple as planning your meals or shopping your pantry before the grocery store. But, you can even push yourself to cook more vegetarian dishes or start composting in your backyard! Check out this full guide on how you can reduce your food waste. You’d be surprised on how much food you can divert from the landfill by following these simple tips!
Hey earth muffins! Plastic Free July is over – how did you do?? 😊 This month long challenge is a great way to push yourself to reduce your plastic consumption. I have participated in this event for a few Julys now; I feel like each time I do it I learn new things! Now that the challenge is over, it is important to reflect on what went well (and what didn’t). If you were collecting all of your plastic waste during July, now would also be a great time to do a deep waste audit. These are awesome ways to identify where plastic sneaks into your daily life. Here are my thoughts on the Plastic Free July Challenge this summer!
Did I Achieve My Goals During Plastic Free July?
If you are subscribed to my newsletter, you will know I was focusing on two goals this year. First, I wanted to reduce plastic during my move. Moving across a state can create a ton of plastic waste if you aren’t careful. While I didn’t want to go into the Plastic Free July Challenge with unrealistic expectations of avoiding all of this waste, I still wanted to challenge myself! Overall, I think I did a fine job making my move as eco-friendly as possible. I reused boxes from the mail and opted for wrapping my fragiles in clothing instead of bubble wrap. But, I did use plastic tape too… Check out this guide for more tips on being sustainable during a move!
Along with the goal of reducing plastic during the move, I also wanted to stop eating out so much in July. During the move preparations, my boyfriend and I got in the habit of ordering food. This was partly because we didn’t have many groceries in the house but also because we were too tired (and lazy) from packing to want to cook meals ourselves. The week of the move, we ate out three times… Not too bad for 6 days, as we made sure to eat up all the leftovers to reduce our food waste. Now that I am living at my parents’ house, I haven’t eaten out since the move! 🎉
Why I Love this Challenge!
There are so many great things about this challenge that I listed in my “Why You Should Participate in Plastic Free July” post. For me, I love to push myself to see what I am capable of! Whether I am tracking a new habit in my planner or refusing to go on social media during Lent, I find it fun to see the positive impacts on my life during challenges like this. Plastic is an obvious problem to our environment, so I love that one month of the year the Plastic Free July Challenge inspires people to make a difference.
What Could Be Better About Plastic Free July
While a month long challenge is a great place to start reducing your plastic, it is important to remember that you should be reducing your plastic all year. I’ve seen many people join this challenge for the month and then just go right back to their typical usage of plastic when it is over. While they technically are doing the “Plastic Free July Challenge”, its main goal is to teach people about how much plastic they use – and make those lessons stick! I remember I was very new to eco-friendly living when I participated in my first challenge… And it definitely added fuel to the fire to continue my eco journey! Make sure you also strive to reduce your plastic after the challenge is over.
I think it is worth mentioning that with every popular movement, there is the opportunity for brands to take advantage of the good intentions behind it. This is true for the Plastic Free July Challenge. With so many people participating in this challenge worldwide, many companies use it as a marketing ploy to greenwash their not-so-sustainable products. It is important to look out for greenwashing during challenges like this, as you want to support the actually eco-friendly brands over ones that just flood their Instagram with green messages during the month of July. It is annoying to me that companies take advantage of newbie earth muffins during this challenge, but the best thing you can do is learn how to identify greenwashing so you can avoid it!
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Final Thoughts!
I absolutely love the Plastic Free July Challenge; it is my favorite month of the summer! This year, I wasn’t able to participate as much as I would have liked. But, that just means next year I will be ready to go all in! There are many great reasons to push yourself in July, from the alarming plastic statistics to the joys of challenging yourself to accomplish something pretty cool. Fingers crossed the lessons of the month stick with you, as you don’t want to just jump right back into living with a bunch of pesky plastic. We are looking for long-term changes here, earth muffins! Did you participate in the Plastic Free July Challenge? What are your thoughts?
Hey earth muffins! I can’t believe the 4th of July is already here. It seems like just yesterday I moved into my apartment around this time last year… And (surprise!) I am actually getting ready to move again! With my job being virtual, my boyfriend and I are moving home to save up some money to get a house. Pretty exciting stuff! 😊 While the 4th of July won’t be “typical” this year due to Mister Corona, I wanted to share my tips for how you can have a zero waste Fourth of July. Get ready to party! 🎆
If you have a party or BBQ, make sure to use reusables!
I love to celebrate long weekends with some sort of BBQ meal; it reminds me of family celebrations growing up. Regardless of the number of people you have at your house, make sure you stay away from single-use utensils, plates, and cups. I am sure you have plenty of these items in your kitchen already; if not, have your family/friends bring their own cups for the night! Especially since it is Plastic Free July, you definitely do not want to use plastics when there is an easy alternative.
Have plant-based options as well.
There are many tasty options when it comes to plant-based BBQ. From jackfruit pulled pork sandwiches to veggie burgers and hot dogs, make sure you have these as an option! Even for people who haven’t reduced their meat consumption yet, you might be surprised that they want to try out a veggie option. 🥕 If you are feeling like a chef, you can even make your own veggie patties from things like beans, quinoa, and breadcrumbs. I’ve been able to create some pretty tasty burgers in the past, so get creative in the kitchen to have a zero waste Fourth of July!
Make sure you have a recycle station at your party or BBQ!
Many people like to relax with some sort of cold beverage over the long weekend. If you are providing said drinks, make sure to opt for glass or metal cans that can be recycled in your local area. When setting up for your celebration, have recycle bins readily accessible near every trash can. This will ensure more people will remember to toss the cans or glass bottles into the right bin!
Thrift your red, white, and blue!
I personally think it is fun to wear red, white, and/or blue to celebrate the 4th. But, this can be difficult if you don’t have any of these colors in your closet. Instead of going out and buying something to wear for just one day, borrow from a friend or family member. If none of your friends have anything, then you can check to see if there are any cute items at the thrift store. Make sure you will wear it on a “normal” day too! As I mentioned in my St. Patrick’s Day post, you don’t want to buy a super “themed” shirt that can only be worn on 1 day during the year.
If you want to celebrate with fireworks, go to a city-wide event.
Fireworks aren’t great for the environment; but, many people can’t go without them on the 4th of July. Do NOT buy your own fireworks – go to a local city’s firework show instead. The show is going to take place with or without you in attendance, so why shoot off your own and create more of a negative environmental impact? Plus, a city-wide event is often much more extravagant than something in your backyard. And of course, you won’t accidentally shoot off a finger. 😬 Also avoid things like sparklers or poppers – they create a ton of excess waste!
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Final Thoughts on How to Have a Zero Waste Fourth of July
It is totally possible to have a great day of celebration without creating more issues for Mother Earth. When having parties and BBQs, take care to use reusables and have plenty of meatless options available. If you are celebrating with beverages, make sure to recycle all cans and glass containers. In terms of fireworks, just go to the city’s show. Much easier and a better alternative than putting on your own backyard event. How will you be celebrating a zero waste Fourth of July this year?
Hey earth muffins! It’s crazy to think that I’ve been participating in the Plastic Free July Challenge for a few years now! I’ve written different posts around the month-long challenge, from easy plastic-free swaps to waste audits at the end of the month. But, I haven’t actually written anything specific about why you should want to participate in Plastic Free July. I highly encourage you all to give it a try this year – what do you have to lose! 😊 Here are the top reasons you should participate in Plastic Free July!
We need to start doing something about plastic.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that plastic is a huge issue. Anywhere you look (in a city or in the middle of nowhere) there is plastic littering the planet. And that is just horrible! Regardless on your stance on climate change or sustainability, it is obvious that plastic is a problem. There are tons of statistics to back up this fact as well. While many of them cause me eco-anxiety, I’ll share some of the most eye-opening ones:
Not good stats, right? Trust me, if you do some Googling it is truly terrifying and sad. It is clearly obvious that we need to reduce our usage of plastic… So, why not challenge yourself to avoid plastics during July! 🌎
It’s easy to make changes!
Another reason why you should participate in Plastic Free July is because it is easy to start making changes. I’ve stressed this again and again on Life of an Earth Muffin. Every small swap makes a difference! It doesn’t take a lot of time, money, or energy to start reducing the plastic in your daily routine. This blog has shared a ton of great tips over the years, so I hope you can use it as a resource! If you want some other tips for making easy changes, I suggest looking at the list of ideas on the Plastic Free July website as well.
You don’t need to give up all plastics to participate!
When you sign the pledge to join in on the challenge, there is NOT the expectation that you will forever avoid plastic. There are options for every type of person! If you don’t think you are at the point in your eco journey to avoid all plastics for a month, great. Just choose a few areas of your life to focus on. Don’t think you can avoid plastics due to your job or lifestyle? I challenge you to avoid just one plastic this month! You also don’t have to do the challenge for the full month either – tailor it to your needs and comfort level! But, there is no excuse to not try… I know all you Earth Muffins can do it!
We are stronger together.
Last July, 326 MILLION people took part in this challenge! Spread out across 177 countries, that is an awesome feat and a lot of people! While small changes can make an impact, just imagine the results of 326 million people making those small changes. The number of participants is great, but there is still room for more people to join in. Only 29% of people polled online actually knew about Plastic Free July… Just imagine how much more the impact would be if 600 million people decided to join in! 🎉
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Final Thoughts – I Challenge You All to Participate!!
Plastic Free July is an awesome challenge. It really opens your eyes to how much plastic subconsciously gets incorporated into your daily routine. Once you have to actively think about every choice, you realize that you can impact the world for the better with easy swaps. 😊 The stats around plastic pollution are pretty brutal, so I urge you all to push yourself this July. We are stronger together and can make a powerful difference – take the plastic-free challenge today!
