10 Easy Ways To Go Green

Happy Earth Week, Everyone!

…Is that a thing? Earth Day was technically yesterday, but I’m rolling with it because this is one of those holidays that’s like Valentine’s Day: It’s nice to celebrate, of course, but do we really need a day to remind us of love? Shouldn’t we show it all the time? That’s how I feel about Earth Day, too, so I’m resurfacing a post I did last year that’s all about easy ways to go green.

While I wish I could say that in our house we practice green living 100% of the time, the truth is that we don’t. Everyday life gets in the way and it’s easy to fall into mindless habits that aren’t the most environmentally friendly. Typing this makes me sad, but as with most things, the first step in changing something is recognizing there’s an issue in the first place. So, there, I said it. We’re not green enough and need to be better. I have a feeling there are a few of you out there who can relate!

And while I’d love to start a compost pile or harvest our own organic vegetables, we just don’t have the time, nor do I see that within our reality anytime soon. (Maybe one day!)

But, there’s hope. Change is hard, and changing habits can be even harder, which is why I’ve compiled 10 easy, everyday life hacks to be more green in our lives. We’re definitely a work in progress but try to practice these easy ways to go green every day in our house!

10 Easy Ways To Go Green

Drink Tap Water

If you’re like us and are fortunate to live in a place where tap water is safe to drink, take advantage! We basically only drink tap water, provided we’re in a place where it’s safe.

Here’s a fact: tap water and bottled water are generally comparable  in terms of safety. While grabbing a bottled water is convenient when you’re on the go, try as often as you can to ditch the bottle and go with a reusable one that you’ll refill day after day.

If you’re looking for great water bottle options, we have multiple Yeti ones and they’re amazing for both hot and cold liquids! Feeling odd about drinking unfiltered water from the tap? There are reusable bottles that filter as you go!

Halt The Running Water

I remember learning this in grade school and it stuck with me: Turn off the water whenever you’re not actively using it. (I think there was a song or two that really drilled this in, ha!) Little efforts like turning off running water while brushing your teeth can make the biggest difference. (I keep saying to Grace, “Water is our best friend and we have to protect it” to teach her responsible usage of it.)

The same rule applies to generally taking shorter showers. While I’m the first to admit that letting warm water run over me is therapeutic and feels so good sometimes, I try to keep in mind that I’m being wasteful while doing so, and keep showers as short as possible.

Conserve Lights & Heat

When we leave a room in our home, we try to remember to also turn off the lights. On weekdays, our house temperature automatically is adjusted to 10 degrees lower to conserve energy while we’re not home. And, when we leave town, we turn our heat all the way down to 50.

It’s the same premise as turning off running water when you’re not using it. It may not seem like it’s not doing much harm to leave it on, but every little bit counts.

Change A Lightbulb

Switching from incandescent – your basic lightbulb – to compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) allows your home to use less electricity and produce less greenhouse gas. Want to be further convinced? Making the switch to a CFL in just one lamp that’s on for four hours a day will reduce your annual carbon emissions by around 150 pounds. If every household in the U.S. did it, that would save as much energy as it takes to light 2.5 million homes per year.

Not sure where to buy CFL bulbs? Here’s a great Energy Smart 8 Pack, and here’s an Ecosmart 4-Pack (equivalent to standard 60 watt bulbs). 

Unplug Your Charger

When we’re not using our computer charger, we unplug it. Why? When plugged into the wall, the charger draws energy, even if the phone isn’t plugged in, and this can be a huge energy suck. We try to remember this with things like phone chargers and lamps too, but it’s hard to be consistent with this one! It’s definitely an area that we want to keep getting better at.

Reuse Shopping Bags

Whether we’re going to Trader Joes or Whole Foods, we try to bring our own reusable shopping bags. And, when I purchase small things like nail polish that can easily fit into my purse, I just straight up say “no thanks” to the bag and put it the item in my purse after purchasing. The reason this is important is because the paper or plastic bags handed out are both bad for the environment and typically can be very wasteful. 

Shop Vintage

Who doesn’t love a great vintage find!? I’ll tell you who loves it the most: Mother Earth. The fashion industry is one of the most wasteful out there; about 90% of clothing is thrown away long before the end of its useful life. Not only does shopping vintage guarantee a unique wardrobe that’s filled with style, it’s a great way to go green and recycle.

In line with the above, whenever we’re done with a clothing item, we never throw it away. Instead, we either save it for future use (that’s pretty specific to Grace, ha, but basically all of Jo’s clothes are hand me downs!), give it to family/friends, or donate the items to places like Salvation Army.

Recycle 

We really try to prioritize this in our house! In our pantry is a recycling bag that collects everything from plastics and aluminum to cardboard. It’s amazing how much can be recycled in every day life; our recycling bag is often more full than our actual garbage. 

Do Laundry In Cold Water

Want to hear something crazy? 90% of the energy used by washers is from heating the water. Which is nuts, considering cold water does just as good of a job at cleaning as warm water does. It even helps to preserve the color in your clothing! So, we choose “cold” on the regular when doing laundry. (In case you missed it, check out this post on an eco-friendly trick for laundry days!)

Get Crafty & Buy Less

Need shelves for a room? Try hanging the old crates you have lying around in the basement for a boho twist. On the hunt for new cups for the kitchen? Mason jars work perfectly.

In our home, we have lots of decor that’s vintage/hand me downs, and we’re proud that we’ve handmade things like our kitchen table or picture frames. As we continue to refine our space in the future, being crafty is definitely something we have at the top of mind!

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Conservation is all about embracing less over more. We try to be resourceful with what we have, find different and creative ways to use things, and recycle where possible. Plus, we’ve found it’s a great way to exercise creativity and think of solutions beyond the obvious!

It’s the little things that add up. Just think, if we all kept these simple reminders at the top of mind, we’d be making a huge change. Earth Day is an amazing excuse to press “Reset” and start over, isn’t it? Today, I’m pressing that button and making a vow to be better. I know that, while this list is certainly a good start, we have so much more that we can do to better practice being green.

What are some of your tips on how to do so? Leave your suggestions in the comment section below!

PS – If you’re looking for more information on going green, I highly recommend Green Chic: Saving The Earth In Style.