As we celebrate Earth Day, it’s essential to reflect on our individual and collective impact on the planet. Fortunately, making a difference doesn’t always require grand gestures or drastic lifestyle changes. In this post, we’ll share a collection of sustainability practices from our very own team that perhaps you can incorporate into your life. From reducing waste to conserving energy, these small changes can add up to significant positive impacts for the environment. Let’s dive in and explore how you can contribute to a greener, more sustainable future and make Earth Day every day!
Cloth Diapers
Chandler (Operations & Customer Experience Specialist)
Cloth diapering can be a wonderful, more sustainable alternative to traditional disposable diapers. Although initially a larger investment, cloth diapering can save parents & caregivers up to $1600 per child (assuming potty training begins around 2 years of age). Cloth diapers provide numerous environmental benefits compared to disposables: they generate less waste, possess a lower carbon footprint despite requiring water and energy for washing, are reusable, and often lack the chemicals present in some disposable options. However, the environmental impact of washing and drying cloth diapers should be considered, with measures like using energy-efficient appliances and eco-friendly detergents to mitigate this. Bonus tip: line dry your diapers to conserve energy and prolong the life of your diapers.
Cloth diapering can be a big commitment, but with today’s resources, it can become easier than using disposables. If cloth diapering is not realistic for your situation, don’t fret, you are doing the best you can! There are other alternatives to traditional disposables such as practicing elimination communication, or compostable diapers from brands such as Dyper that even have a pickup program available in select locations.
DIY Laundry Detergent
Gabriella (Operations Experience Specialist)
Making your own laundry detergent not only reduces household waste but also allows you to prioritize the health of your family by selecting ingredients consciously. By crafting detergent from simple components like washing soda, borax, and shredded soap, you steer clear of harsh chemicals often found in commercial detergents. Additionally, this DIY approach helps save money while promoting sustainability. In a 1-gallon glass jar, combining equal parts of washing soda, borax, and shredded soap (Gabriella favors The Bend Soap Company) creates an effective detergent that can be customized for each load, with 1-3 tablespoons used per wash. This homemade alternative is budget friendly and also versatile, suitable for cold water washing and complemented by the use of 5% white vinegar as fabric softener. Adjusting the recipe to suit your needs ensures a continual supply, minimizing the frequency of production and fostering a sustainable laundry routine.
Reusable Products
Spencer (VP Engineering)
Spencer and his family bring their own utensils to restaurants or other places where plastic utensils will be used. Each day, more than 100 million single use plastic cutlery items are used & thrown away across the United States. Because many of these either can’t be recycled, or the restaurants don’t have accessible recycling options, they try to bring their own in order to reduce waste.
Tori (Customer Experience Specialist)
Stasher bags provide an excellent alternative to traditional plastic bags. They significantly reduce waste by replacing disposable bags with a durable, long-lasting alternative. While they are initially costly and require energy for manufacturing, their reusability minimizes the overall carbon footprint compared to single-use plastic bags, which contribute to pollution and take centuries to decompose. Stasher bags help mitigate the environmental impact of plastic pollution and offer a sustainable option for food storage and transportation.
Many department stores such as TJX company stores also carry reusable bag options at more affordable prices.
Domestic Chickens
Megan (Director of Operations & Customer Experience)
Chickens have multiple sustainable benefits for the average household. For one, they provide excellent organic waste management by consuming harmful insects, kitchen scraps, and garden waste that would otherwise emit harmful greenhouse gasses as they break down in a traditional landfill. Chicken manure is a valuable organic fertilizer rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which can be used to improve soil fertility and promote plant growth in gardens and farms (good news for gardeners!). Lastly, chickens produce eggs and meat, which can provide a sustainable source of protein. However, Megan’s sweet girls are her family, and the thought of using them for meat is just not in the cards–just eggs and the other benefits for them!
DIY Pesticide
Tammy (People Operations Generalist)
If chickens aren’t a realistic option for you, but you still want to keep those pesky bugs & weeds out of your gardens, Tammy has great DIY pesticide and herbicide options. For weeds, she uses a combination of white vinegar, dish soap, and water as a more sustainable and non-toxic alternative. Bonus tip: if that doesn’t work for you, pouring boiling water over weeds can also work wonders!
For garden and plant pest control, food grade diatomaceous earth spread on top of soil beds helps to kill soft-bodied pests that may otherwise want to snack on your hard-grown fruits and veggies.
Rain/Wastewater Collection
Reagon (Finance Specialist & Accounts Receivable)
Reagon is currently in the process of building a water collection system to provide water to her chickens. This system she devised consists of a 50-gallon barrel with a hole at the top attached to a gutter system. When it rains the rain will go down the gutter, through a filter (to keep the water clean) and then into the barrel. This system allows for great cost savings as she won’t have to pay for additional water and instead will be using the water that Mother Nature has provided her for free. Reagon also plans to use this to water her garden and other animals eventually but starting with her chickens is the first step.
Rainwater harvesting also reduces reliance on freshwater sources, conserving water for other uses. It also eases strain on infrastructure by lowering demand on municipal water supplies and mitigates stormwater runoff, preventing flooding and pollution of waterways.
Rewilding the Earth
Paul (Program Manager & Generalist)
Paul’s currently sustainability project is a “pollinator patch” he keeps in his yard. He seeds it every spring with a wildflower mix native to his region of living and lets the grass grow there all year long. This little patch can have a big impact by boosting local bee populations (save the bees!), “weed” out invasive species, and ultimately restore the native flora of the area.
DIY Toiletries & Beauty Products
Jackie (Program Manager)
What started as a solution to help ease her infant daughter’s sensitive skin, Jackie found an exciting world of DIY soapmaking. Crafting your own soap not only yields personal satisfaction but also offers significant environmental advantages. Firstly, it curtails packaging waste, as homemade soap typically requires minimal or no packaging, thereby diminishing the influx of plastic and other materials into landfills and ecosystems. Secondly, DIY soap-making grants you authority over ingredient selection, empowering you to opt for natural, environmentally friendly alternatives, consequently reducing the environmental toll of chemical production and disposal associated with commercial soaps. By utilizing simple, biodegradable components like plant-based oils and essential oils, homemade soap contributes to the conservation of natural resources, lessening the demand for synthetic chemicals and their detrimental impact on ecosystems. Lastly, the practice promotes local or sustainable ingredient sourcing, fostering community support for local farmers and businesses while mitigating the carbon emissions linked to transportation.
Composting
Debra (Director of People Operations)
Home composting offers significant environmental benefits. Firstly, it reduces the amount of organic waste sent to landfills, where it would otherwise produce greenhouse gasses. Secondly, composting enriches soil health by providing valuable nutrients and enhancing its ability to retain moisture, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers and water. Thirdly, it promotes biodiversity by creating a habitat for beneficial microorganisms, insects, and worms essential for soil ecosystems. Fourthly, composting reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, minimizing pollution of waterways and ecosystems. Finally, by closing the nutrient loop and returning organic matter to the soil, home composting supports sustainable food production and contributes to a circular economy.
As an added bonus, Deb saves all her paper, shreds it, and along with her cardboard, tosses that into her compost pile as well! It serves as a great hack to cut down on items to recycle.
Refillable Items
Jessica (People Operations Generalist)
Refillable cleaning products are Jessica’s jam! She currently favors refillable products by the Blueland company. Blueland offers a unique take on refillable cleaning products by using dehydrated pods and powders as their cleaning concentrates. By utilizing refillable containers, these products significantly reduce single-use plastic waste, minimizing their contribution to landfills and marine pollution. The concentrated formulas require less packaging and transportation, thus reducing carbon emissions associated with manufacturing and distribution. Opting for refillable cleaning products promotes a circular economy by encouraging reuse and resource conservation, making it a sustainable choice for environmentally conscious consumers. Most of the packaging for Blueland products as well come in compostable pouches!
Other companies produce refillable products and concentrates such as Grove, Public Goods, and even brands like Clorox and Dawn have started coming out with more refillable options. We, here at Recyclops, have even partnered with Grove to help further their sustainability efforts and make recycling more accessible.
For many of our employees, we found that there are numerous everyday things that we all do that contribute to sustainable living. Some honorable mentions:
1. Buying second hand
Thrifting clothes and items reduces waste and carbon emissions by extending the lifecycle of products, diverting them from landfills, and decreasing the demand for new production.
2. Breatsfeeding vs formula feeding
Breastfeeding has a lower environmental impact compared to formula feeding, as it requires no manufacturing, packaging, or transportation, conserving resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Not every family/caregiving situation has the opportunity to breastfeed for a variety of reasons, this mention is not intended to cause shame upon those that choose to formula feed. Fed is best, you are doing amazing!
3. Gardening
As many of us at Recyclops grow our own gardens, we had to talk a little bit about it. Gardening positively impacts the environment by promoting biodiversity, sequestering carbon dioxide, improving soil health, and reducing reliance on resource-intensive agricultural practices.
4. Houseplants
For our plant parents out there, houseplants contribute to a healthier indoor environment by purifying air, reducing indoor air pollution, and fostering biodiversity, thus promoting sustainability and enhancing overall well-being.
5. Cycling
Cycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions, congestion, and air pollution while promoting physical health and minimizing resource consumption, making it an environmentally friendly mode of transportation. Depending on where you live, oftentimes cycling to places can be just as fast, if not faster than driving.
In conclusion, embracing sustainable living hacks not only benefits the environment but also enhances our well-being and creates a healthier future for generations to come. By making simple changes to our daily routines, such as reducing waste, conserving energy, and supporting eco-friendly alternatives, we can collectively make a significant impact on the planet. Let’s continue to prioritize sustainability in our choices and actions, recognizing that every small change contributes to a more sustainable and resilient world.