In today's guest post, YBCer Petra is sharing ten easy tips we can all apply to our lives to do our part to help the earth. Hope you enjoy! xoCandace
We can’t fully heal ourselves in a toxic environment and sick planet. It is time to take responsibility for our actions. U.S. stepped out of global climate accord, so it is now, more than ever before, important to do anything we can as an individual. From plastic-free kitchen and shopping to zero-waste beauty routine, every little step counts. Embracing sustainable living can have different levels and you can adjust your bar as you go. Try ditching single use plastics, you don’t have to give up on your life and go live in the woods.
Grow your own food
Here are my tips for reducing waste.
1. Refuse. The first rule of sustainable living. Did you know that over 500,000,000 plastic straws are used in America every day?! If you are hooked to drinking you summer beverages with a straw, invest in glass or metal ones.
2. Bring your own reusable coffee cup. 25 billion styrofoam coffee cups are thrown every year in America and they will be present in our environment for next 500 years!
3. Take your reusable cotton bags when you go grocery shopping. Plastic bags are made from polyethylene which takes 500-1000 years to break down. As time goes by, it breaks into little particles, fish ingest it and it becomes a part of food chain.
4. Replace disposable with reusable or recyclable. Ditch your plastic razors and look into metal alternatives. Replace plastic with biodegradable toothbrush. Check out menstrual cups, they are a life changer.
5. Avoid plastic water bottles and buy glass ones instead. Glass is non-reactive material, meaning it doesn't mess with our health and hormones the way plastic does so you can reuse bottle over and over again. If you find yourself in an area that has undrinkable water, use charcoal to purify.
6. Recycle your glass containers and use them for shopping zero waste, stashing food, freezing food, transporting food etc.
7. Try borrowing things you don’t use very often. If you realize you need something, buy second hand.
8. Use your essential oils to make super powerful cleaners. All you need is white vinegar and few drops of tea tree, clove and lemon essential oils. And while you are at it, consider cutting your old clothes in small pieces that you can use for cleaning, wash afterwards and reuse until it disintegrates.
9. Grow your own food. If you don’t have space, try growing herbs on your window or in an indoor garden. Or, learn how to spot local wild edibles and have fun while foraging. Eating locally reduces carbon footprint.
10. Pick up other people’s trash while in nature. It sounds gross, but it is important. There is no benefit in complaining how rude and careless people are.
Petra Krolo is an author of ‘Autoimuni nutrivor’ book (coming out Nov 2017), food stylist and photographer. You can find her on Instagram.