Today is the last installment of Going Green on a Budget. At this point I hope that you have been encouraged that 1) being sustainable doesn’t need to be expensive and 2) changing your lifestyle slowly is the key to real change.
This is a topic that I just recently started thinking about when it came to sustainability.
In today’s blog, we are going to talk about how to sustainably decorate your home. I don’t know about you but sometimes I get tired with my current set up and I get a desire to change some decorations in my house. I used to just go shopping at Target or a mall for new decor but now I think about the environment before I change up a decoration. I ask myself a couple questions before I go shopping:
A lot of times, I realize I don’t really need a change. I take time to appreciate what I have and I get over my desire for new decor. If once I ask these questions I still feel as though it is time for a change, I consider a few options first before I make a trip to Target.
All of the above are options that are reusing products instead of adding more waste. Going this route first is a good idea so that items are used well and fully before being either recycled or thrown away.
I hope that this gave you some fun ideas for how to decorate your home ethically. If you have any other ideas, leave them in the comments. Thanks for reading this week! Next week, we will talk about sustainable skincare.
This is the first topic I became interested in when I started to learn about sustainability myself. I think that a lot of people are starting to realize the negative effect fast fashion brands such as H&M and Forever21, among so many others, are having …
This is one area that I feel isn’t really talked about too much (at least from what I have seen) in the sustainability community. Once I did some research into eating sustainably for myself, I discovered some surprising information so I wanted to share it today.
It may not surprise you that most likely the home cleaning products that are in each of our houses are not eco-friendly. All the plastic, chemicals, and artificial components of the cleaners. The thing that I always get worried about is that using cleaners that are eco-friendly is that they are not going to get my house clean enough without the super strong chemicals. But… THEY DO. Don’t get me wrong, the cleaners that are generally better for the environment still have a few ingredients that aren’t always natural but they are made up of a lot more plant-based compounds.
Although still using (recycled) plastic, Method is one of my favorite cleaning products (https://methodhome.com/). You can find Method at most stores, including Target and Festival, and they are relatively affordable. I appreciate their transparency as to what goes in the cleaner, how their bottles are made, and how to cut down on waste. They also have refills of their products in bags instead of bottles for a environmentally friendly choice instead of buying another bottle. This is one brand I enjoy and find to be accessible. (My favorite of their scents is grapefruit.)
Another brand that I enjoy a lot is Mrs. Meyers (https://www.mrsmeyers.com/). This company also works to provide eco-friendly cleaning alternatives at reasonable prices. This brand can also be found at stores like Target and Festival as well. Mrs. Meyers works towards having as many plant-based ingredients as possible in their products and uses recycled plastic for their packaging as well. (My favorite of their scents are honeysuckle, rain water, and Iowa pine (when it’s Christmas time/winter)).
These are a couple brands that I personally use at least once a week and have enjoyed a lot! I hope that you like these products too if you either use them already or try them out. Next week we will talk about how to have a sustainable diet. Thanks for reading this week’s post!
Following other people who are in their journey to sustainability can be very inspiring. In today’s blog, we’re going to talk about a few brands that I have enjoyed following and learning from. Some people can be kind of intense about how sustainable they are …
This blog will hopefully be a good resource for those not sure how to start their journey to going green. Sustainability is one area though where slow and steady wins the race. Like I mentioned in the previous blog entry, be mindful to use all …
This week, we’re going to discuss the dos and don’ts when starting to think and buy more sustainably. I hope this creates an easy first step resource for people that desire to take the next step in going green.
DON’T THROW EVERYTHING AWAY RIGHT AWAY: DO NOT throw everything unsustainable in your home away. It can be tempting to want to find all new alternative switches as soon as you become interested in sustainability but throwing away not fully used products or random things like that is doing more harm than good. For example, if you find out that your shampoo is unsustainable in how they package and/or produce it, your instinct may be to throw it out. But don’t. Use up the rest of the product and then go and find a sustainable, cruelty free shampoo.
DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH: Research, research, research. You can find affordable eco-friendly brands, ideas about smart alternatives to unsustainable options, and so much more. While listening to other peoples advice is great, knowing what will work best for you through your own research will help you take control over this area of your life and help you feel empowered over your choices.
DON’T EVER SHAME YOURSELF FOR HAVING TO PURCHASE AN UNSUSTAINABLE ITEM: It is important to be careful what you buy but a random product here and there that you have to buy that isn’t the most earth-friendly is not the worst thing. If you are able to buy sustainably made items, please consider it. But if you have only one brand of a product that works for you, don’t feel ashamed if you keep using it. Making small changes still are very important and not giving up one item shouldn’t make you go off course for everything else.
DO BUY SMART: Buy things that you KNOW that you will use. If you just want to test something out, see if anyone you know already owns that item and see if you can use some of it or borrow it. If no one you know has it, read reviews and read about the ingredients or materials used to create the item and see the environmental impact. The advice above goes for items and products but it is also absolutely important for grocery shopping too. While you can’t usually “borrow” food from people, be careful in how you shop. If you see perishables that you want but you don’t know if you’ll be able to eat it all, consider not buying it or looking to see if they have a smaller size of the food. Like the above “don’t,” just use best judgement. A splurge here and there won’t really do that much damage but just be careful to not do that too often because it’s harder on the environment if you don’t end up using all of it but it’s also just a more expensive way to live. You can save a lot of money being careful in what you buy!
I hope that this advice is helpful and easy to start practicing. Like I have said before, there is so much empowerment you can feel knowing that you are helping the environment through your decisions.
The topic of sustainability is becoming an important conversation. For a long time people have been making incredible strides towards advancing technology and our society in general but there has definitely been an environmental impact, and unfortunately it hasn’t always been a good one.
