With Earth Day coming up tomorrow, my office has asked all employees to send in 3 suggestions for our “Acts of Green”. Typing up my suggestions for submission prompted me to think about what else is it that I do to be more eco-friendly. What do you do to minimize your carbon footprint?
Don’t scrap the scrap: At work, one of the ways we “go green” is to use scrap paper before using any new notebooks or tablets. The way we do this is by taking the paper that is left behind on printers (that doesn’t need to be shredded) and reusing them as scrap paper. While there is print on one side, the other side is perfectly fine to take notes.
I’ll Tumble 4 Ya: I recently purchased a few tumblers, mostly for coffee. But I recently bought one of those BPA safe clear tumblers (with a straw) for my juices and soft drinks. Before, these types of reusable tumblers used to run upwards of $15.99 or more. Now, you can get them as low as $5 each. Our office did away with paper cups a few Earth Days ago, so these tumbers have come in very handy.
Be a Bag Lady: Back in the early 90’s when I went to Toronto, I remember my cousins bringing their own plastic grocery bags to the supermarket. They stated that the grocery stores in Canada charge if you continue to use their bags. I have heard that may be the case here in the US as well, so why not just stock up on those reusable bags that are usually $2 and under? I actually started collecting these types of bags, and have some from several different cities (including London). I keep them in my car and use them when I grocery shop. I can just recycle them when they become soiled, and because of the availability and the price, they are easily replaced.
When I go clothing/accessory shopping, I carry a couple of fabric and foldable ones in my purse (I have a Topshop one and one from H&M). They are very compact, and when it comes time to bring home my purchases, I just pull them out and hand them to the cashier. I’ve actually been complimented by cashiers in many stores, saying it’s great that I carry them and actually use them.
Take advantage of vintage: Speaking of shopping, another great way to “give back” to Mother Earth is to shop vintage and second-hand. Bella of The Citizen Rosebud, is always sharing her vintage/second-hand finds and treasures, but two recent posts that stood out that I’d like to call out for Earth Day are SHOP SECOND HAND FIRST and Lemon Drop Swap. These are great ways to ensure that you are being a responsible shopper by limiting consumption and perpetuating sustainability.
(Image 1 courtesy of Q-100 Atlanta; Image 2 courtesey of amazon.com)