Small Ways to Go Green

I’ll be the first to admit I have a long way to go in sustainable practices but I think what really matters is that I am trying to improve my habits. Every little step I can take to reduce the amount of waste I contribute makes progress. I’m excited to try to make even bigger changes in the future. This is the only planet we’ve got and if we all try to reduce, recycle, and reuse more it would certainly benefit our planet. I’m no expert, but here are small ways I am trying to be a little greener.

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Hygiene

Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapering three kids has not only saved us a lot of money but think about the sheer number of disposable diapers we DIDN’T add to the landfills. I absolutely love our cloth diapers but we aren’t perfect. We do turn to disposable diapers for overnight protection and for when we go on vacations.

Read More: All-in-One Cloth Diapers

Cloth Wipes

It would be silly to use disposable wipes if we cloth diaper our babies. We have been using these cloth wipes for over four years now and they are fantastic. It is one of the best decisions I have made as a parent!

Period Panties

I know a number of women who have switched to using a cup instead of disposable menstrual products but I knew that wasn’t the route I wanted to go. Instead, I tried out period underwear and I love them! I can wear one pair all day and switch to a new pair for overnight protection without any leakage even on heavy days. The only downfall is you might feel some slight dampness at times but it doesn’t bother me at all.

My friend sent me this article and the information was interesting. I may try one of these brands out another time but for now the ones I have I am happy with.

Reusable Face Masks

Who knew we would be wearing face masks for well over a year? That’s not something I predicted but I’m glad I purchased my family reusable face masks right away instead of relying on disposable face masks.

Our masks have multiple layers including a filter pocket. Yes, the filters are disposable but I still feel better about not throwing out an entire face mask each time.

The best parts are the masks come in adult and kid sizes and easily adjust behind the ears.

Laundry

Wool Balls

A number of years ago I finally stopped using dryer sheets. I switched to using wool balls. The same wool balls can be used for a number of months to decrease drying time and to help reduce static. The best wool balls I’ve gotten have been from the farmers’ market but wool balls can be purchased many places now.

Line Drying

I used to dry all my clothes in the dryer. Now I line dry all my clothes and my kids’ clothes (and cloth diapers) expect for underwear, socks, and jeans. I use two of these collapsible drying racks. Unfortunately, I do dry all of my husband’s clothes in the dryer but this is what is realistic for me.

By line drying, I am saving a lot of electricity because I only run the dryer when I have a full load to dry. If there are wet socks and underwear I throw them in the dryer and wait until I wash a load of towels or sheets until I run it.

Kitchen

The kitchen is where I hope to make a lot of improvement in my green practices this year. With little kids, I feel like we throw out way too much uneaten food. I am determined to start composting but I haven’t taken the leap yet.

Also, I very much want to get rid of paper towels altogether. I rarely use them but my family seems to reach for paper towels more often than I would like. I’ll admit there are a few times a year I am glad we still have the disposable towels (dog vomit – gross!) but I could always stash an emergency roll somewhere.

Food

I don’t see myself planting a garden anytime soon but we did sign up for a CSA last year and I love it. The really great thing about our CSA is that we get to pick the exact foods we want. Food isn’t wasted because we like all the fresh produce we select. My family eats a little healthier and we’re giving our business to a local farm (win-win).

Kitchen Towels

Whenever I need to dry something or wipe up a spill I almost always use a cloth towel instead of a paper towel.

Silicone Baking Mats

I’m a huge baker and I used to go through a lot of parchment paper and aluminum foil. Once I switched to silicone baking mats I never looked back. They work so well!

Shopping Bags

Whenever I go shopping for our CSA produce or when we used to go inside grocery stores (over a year ago now!) I bring reusable shopping bags. Not only do I use reusable bags to put all my groceries in after checking out but I also use reusable produce bags instead of the plastic bags in the fresh produce section. It’s an easy swap!

Reusable Storage Bags

This year we finally started using reusable storage bags instead of plastic Ziploc bags. For ours, you do have to handwash them but I don’t find that to be a big deal.

For the kids we use these snack cups and zippered food pouches all the time. They can be put in the dishwasher for easy clean up.

Lunch Boxes

Along those same lines, we use these lunch boxes with compartments often (especially in summer). I think it is much better than using brown paper bags.

Clothing

This is the category I personally struggle the most with. Fast fashion is a huge problem for our environment. My problem is I want to be somewhat trendy with my clothing choices. Plus, with pictures on social media I don’t always want to be wearing the same outfits over and over again. I have a lot of room for improvement with it comes to my clothes and trying to be more green.

Consignment Sales

For my kids, I do wonderfully trying to be more sustainable in terms of their clothing. I attend an amazing semi-annual consignment sale (in typical years) and score tons of great deals on used clothing, shoes, accessories, etc.

For a number of the sales I have also sold many children’s items to be reused by other people.

Thrifting

Anytime my children are in need of a particular item and the consignment sale is not for a few months I head to our local resale shop that has a wonderful kids’ section. It’s rare that I can’t find exactly what I am looking for.

Hand-Me-Downs

We are very fortunate to have amazing friends and family who have passed on many of their used clothing items to us. Then as my children outgrow their clothes I am able to pass them on to another person in our family. Some of our clothes have already gone through five kids!

Other

Gift Wrap

I have not bought gift bags, ribbon, or tissue paper for many years. Anytime someone gives me a gift I try to save the wrapping to use again. Yes, it’s me being cheap but I’m also trying to reuse a product that still has life in it!

Shipping

I can’t stand shopping in person. Unfortunately, I feel very guilty over how much fuel and packaging is used when I get items delivered to our house. To try to offset some of the harm, I always try to click on the shipping option “make as few trips as possible” if available. I may get my products a few days later but if you are good at planning this shouldn’t be an issue.

There is a lot more that I can be doing to reduce waste and try to live a little more greener. I will continue to make swaps when I can. What has been your favorite green swap?