Hey earth muffins! Like I mentioned in my recent graduation post, I will be moving into an apartment with my boyfriend at the end of July! I am SO excited to finally have my own space with him, as we have been an LDR couple for many years. With the search for an apartment underway, I have been doing a lot of thinking on my sustainable apartment goals. Living in my own place with an actual salary will allow me to move forward after grad school set me back on my green journey. If you are planning on moving in the near future, I challenge you to also lay out some goals for yourself. How can you make your own apartment more sustainable?
I have found that writing out my goals (and publishing them on the internet lol!) helps me stay more accountable. From moving during Plastic Free July to moving in with a significant other for the first time, I will be writing many posts about this huge step in my life in the months to come. Laying out some goals for a sustainable apartment is the first step, and I will definitely update you all on them in the future!
My Sustainable Apartment Goals:
1. I will declutter before moving into the apartment so that it is full of the items that I really need. While I have been sorting through my possessions often after starting my sustainable journey in 2018, I still feel like there are certain things that I need to just donate and get out of my life.
2. I will get a compost bin and continue recycling! After getting rid of many single use plastics in my life, I find that my trash can is mostly full of food waste… And that could be composted! While I highly doubt I will be able to get a composting service to pick up the waste, I hope to find someone who will allow me to drop off compost for their bin. Fingers crossed!
3. I will shop at the local organic grocery store with bulk bins and reusable bags/jars. This was my favorite place to shop during my two internships! They have a ton of bulk food options, and I heard they recently expanded it even more.
4. I will find local family owned stores/farmers for milk and eggs. While I discovered during Plastic Free July last year that glass milk bottles were hard to find, I hope there are more options now. I no longer eat meat, but my boyfriend does. So, I also hope to find a local deli or butcher too!
5. I will continue to buy everything I can secondhand. This includes clothes (to avoid fast fashion) and furniture/home décor. My boyfriend and I have all of the furniture for our apartment except a table and chairs. We will probably utilize Facebook Marketplace to score a good deal!
6. I will keep my overall plastic use at a minimum. My boyfriend loves soda/plastic water bottles, so that is one of the first things we will be weaning off. While I know our apartment will never be fully plastic free, we can definitely use a small amount.
There you have it – my goals for my new apartment! 🥳 This list will most likely change during the moving process; I may update this post from time to time. Again, I challenge you to think about your current living space… Is there anything you can change to make it more sustainable?
Love,
Jenna ♥