7 Easy Ways to Make Your Life More Eco-Friendly

We’re all about making small changes that add up to a big difference. So, this week we are making an effort to make one mindful change every day to begin living an overall more environmentally conscious life.

Check out our 7-day plan:

Meatless Monday

According to the New York Times, “agriculture accounts for roughly a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, much of them produced by the raising of cattle and lamb.”  

That means, one of the best things we can do for the environment is work to reduce our meat consumption.

It may not be realistic for everyone to jump right into a plant-based diet, so an easy way to start is by trying it out one day a week  — even this can make a big difference.

Here’s the delicious plant-based recipes we’re making this Meatless Monday:

• Breakfast: Overnight Oats
• Lunch: Avocado Tacos
• Dinner: Roasted Veggie Pesto Pizza
• Dessert: Smoothie Bowls

Trashless Tuesday

From sandwich baggies to gum wrappers to paper towels, just think about how much trash we all create on a daily basis. Mind blowing, right?

We admit this one is going to be more of a challenge, but try going one whole day without throwing anything away. Follow these tips to make it a little easier on yourself:

• Pack your lunch in reusable containers
• Use cloth kitchen towels instead of paper towels to dry your dishes and hands
• Skip the pre-packaged snacks and make your own version like this Crunchy Pumpkin Seed Snack
• Turn your empty laundry detergent bottle into an Upcycled Laundry Detergent Watering Can
• Don’t forget that food waste also has a negative environmental impact. Try these Easy Composting Tricks

Water-Conscious Wednesday

According to the EPA, “With at least 40 states anticipating water shortages by 2024, the need to conserve water is critical.”

Taking one day a week to think harder about how much water you’re using can help make a difference and even shift your mindset to help you make water conservation part of your daily routine.

Check out our blog post for 10 Easy Water Conservation Tips including these:

• Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth, sudsing up your hands and scrubbing a dish
• Place a large bucket in the bathtub and collect the water that would otherwise run down the drain while you wait for your shower to run hot. Use this water for cleaning or watering plants.
• Only order water at a restaurant if you are actually going to drink it

When you’re being water-conscious, it’s also important to remember the world's biggest body of water, our ocean! According to the World Wildlife Fund, “eight million metric tons of plastic are leaking into our oceans every year.”

So, for Water-Conscious Wednesday in addition to watching our water usage, we’re joining Heal the Bay at the Santa Monica Beach to help clean up trash.

If you don’t live by a large body of water you can still help! Check out healthebay.org to learn how.

Take a Walk Thursday

Start reducing your personal carbon emissions by leaving your car in the garage for one whole day.

But, we get it, if you live far from work or your kids’ school, that might not be possible for. You can still help out by trying to cut out at least one trip in the car. Here’s a few ways to skip the drive:

• Walk to the store
• Bike to the gym (bonus points for extra exercise!)
• Carpool with your neighbors to school

Plastic-Free Friday

Not-so-fun fact: one plastic bag can take up to 1000 years to decompose on it’s own*. Now, just take a minute to think about how many plastic items you’ve thrown away just in the last week. Needless to say a crucial part of doing better for our earth is by reducing plastic waste ASAP.  

On plastic-free Friday, we're committing to throwing away zero plastic products. Here’s how we’re making it happen:

• Use glass tupperware
• Wash and reuse plastic bags, or ditch the plastic bags altogether and try these awesome baggies
• Ditch the straw or bring your own metal straws
• Use your own coffee cup or request your cup with no plastic lid
• Fill your own reusable water bottle
• Switch to biodegradable trash bags

Shop Smart Saturday

Making purposeful purchases is one the easiest ways that you can help the environment.

Honest and some of our favorite companies make it easy for you to choose environmentally conscious products, while not having to sacrifice efficacy or style.

Here are a few of our favorite “smart” purchases:

• Honest Laundry Detergent  — made from 25% post-consumer recycled plastic
• Honest Organic Tampons — made from 100% GOTS certified Organic Cotton and made with an applicator thats 90% plant-based plastic
• Honest Diapers — made with a bio-based wood pulp core that’s sourced from sustainably managed forests in Finland and Sweden. (Try our Overnight Diapers for eco-friendly, advanced leak protection.)
• Honest Wipes — made with a plant-based cloth
• The Little Market Totes — these reusable burlap bags are great for reducing your plastic waste when you hit the grocery store
• The Little Market Sustainable Glassware — made from recycled glass
• Patagonia Kids’ Jackets  — as your little one grows and wrecks havoc on their clothes, Patagonia helps you repair and hand them down, instead of just tossing them
• Foodstirs Snacks — uses Biodynamic® Cane Sugar in their products, which is unrefined, so it’s more nutritive, and renews the soil as it grows and is more sustainable
• Cloth Face Mask — Usable cotton mask made to protect you and others around you. After wearing your mask out on the town, simply pop it in the washing machine and air dry

Sustainable Sunday

Ready for another not-so-fun fact? Seemingly harmless energy uses like playing video games can contribute to overall electricity usage that’s more than 25 power plants can produce*.

So, on Sustainable Sunday we are focusing on reducing our household energy. Here’s how:

• Turn off the lights when you leave a room
• Turn down the AC or heat and open a window or grab a blanket
• Read a book instead of watching TV or playing a video game
• Unplug your appliances when you’re not using them
• Replace your appliances with energy-efficient updates
• Wash your clothes in cold water

Ready for Next Week?

Taking these small steps each day is a great way to start off a more eco-friendly lifestyle. It feels good to make a difference, so we have a feeling that by the end of the week you’ll be ready to start it all over again on Monday!

Read more on the sources we used to write this blog post:

New Diet Guidelines to Benefit People and the Planet

Water Conservation at EPA

*Plastic Bag Environmental Impact

World Wild Life Fund

Heal the Bay

* Video Games Consume More Electricity Than 25 Power Plants Can Produce