Living green can be an intimidating task, especially in a world where it seems like everything causes unnecessary pollution and harm to the environment. While it is true that far too many household products and everyday items cause environmental harm, there are some amazing eco-friendly alternatives and simple life changes that can help you live more green.
If you haven’t already, you should check out our recent article on creating an eco-friendly spa day at home - it has tons of great recipes and ideas for pampering yourself without hurting the environment or your health. In this article, we want to talk about some practical ways to live green every day.
In the Bathroom
One of the reasons the concept of ‘living green’ is so intimidating is perceived-inconvenience. Most people think that living green requires more work, more preparation, more time, and more money, and if that were true, we would completely understand why people are intimidated by eco-friendly living. In truth, eco-friendly and green living can be just as convenient as environmentally-harmful traditional methods.
Since you already have a solid routine brushing and flossing twice a day, simply replacing your dental tools with eco-friendly ones is an easy place to start. As one of the most wasteful and environmentally impactful rooms in the house, the bathroom is the perfect place to start living more green. When we talk about ‘easy ways’ to live more green, we mean it. Ease means not having to think about making the green choice, and not having to put in extra work each day to do so. Check out these super easy ways to make your bathroom a greener, cleaner place:
Replace Plastic Toothbrushes with Bamboo Alternatives
Though many plastics are recyclable, mixed plastics and plastic items with non-plastic parts cannot be recycled. Filled with toxic chemicals and difficult to dispose of environmentally, plastic bathroom items are omnipresent in landfills all over the world.
Plastic toothbrushes are a major source of pollution on their own, thrown away at a staggering rate of 1 billion per year in the US alone. Rather than add to this incredible source of plastic pollution, try buying an Eco-Friendly Natural Bamboo Toothbrush from Wowe Lifestyle. These toothbrushes are made from 100% natural bamboo, which is reusable, and biodegradable so you can save the planet effortlessly every time you brush.
Avoid Nylon Dental Floss - Use Silk Instead
Most dental floss is made from low friction nylon, a plastic that is so strong it can withstand hundreds of years in landfills without suffering decay. Nylon dental floss is too light to be recycled by most recycling facilities and is therefore rarely accepted for processing. Light enough to be blown into oceans and waterways by light gusts of wind, dental floss is a common pollutant found in the bodies of ocean animals or wound around the mouths or feet of marine life.
What about floss picks? Don’t even get us started!
Flossing is an important part of a balanced and healthy dental routine. To keep your pearly whites looking and feeling great, use Wowe’s Natural Biodegradable Silk Dental Floss. Made from natural silk that will biodegrade safely, silk dental floss is a far more eco-friendly option than nylon. Additionally, our natural silk floss is coated with natural candelilla wax, not Teflon, so our floss is as healthy for you as it is for the environment.
In the Kitchen
The kitchen is another major waste culprit, and in more ways than you might think. Food waste is a serious problem throughout the US, with shocking amounts of perfectly good food being thrown away each and every day. Addressing the problem of food waste altogether is difficult, but there are a few simple things (like buying in bulk) that you can do to help minimize your household waste.
Another major source of kitchen waste comes from single-use plastic items. Single-use plastic is often not recyclable, not reusable, and usually ends up clogging landfills and oceans. With the ban on single-use plastic bags now several decades in the making now is a great time to jump on the bandwagon!
Use Reusable Cotton Bags
You have probably already seen the reusable grocery bag trend catch on, but you may have noticed that produce bags and the majority of product packaging is still made from plastic. Instead of buying pre-packaged products and using single-use plastic produce bags, use a reusable cotton bag.
Wowe has a variety of reusable Certified Organic Cotton Muslin Produce Bags that are the perfect way to effortlessly cut back on your plastic consumption. Choose between mesh and solid cotton produce bags in a variety of sizes. The solid cotton produce bags are perfect for buying in bulk. Buying grain, nuts, seeds, baking products, and even candy in bulk can help you save money, and avoid plastic packaging. Buying in bulk can also help you buy exactly the amount you need, helping you to avoid wasting food.
The mesh cotton produce bags are perfect for avoiding single-use plastic produce bags. Protect your delicate fruits and veggies in these soft, eco-friendly produce bags, or organize hard to wrangle produce like apples, potatoes, or citrus.
In the Living Room
You may not realize that you create waste in the living room, but there are plenty of ways you can live more green even while lounging on the sofa. First and foremost: many individuals and families spend the majority of their leisure time in the living room. Because of this, a huge amount of electrical energy is used in the living room.
The living room is also where you likely consume the majority of your drinks, since who doesn’t love a refreshing soda while watching their favorite tv show? Here are a couple of simple tricks to make your living room more eco-friendly:
Change Your Bulbs to LED
Incandescent bulbs are notoriously wasteful, so if you haven’t already, be sure to switch your bulbs to LEDs. LEDs use 5x less energy than traditional bulbs, last longer, cost less over time, create less waste, and are pretty much the best option currently available to you! As a room that uses a lot of electricity, switching your living room to LEDs is a great first step to improving the environmental friendliness of your home.
Make Your Favorite Drink Eco-Friendly
If you love lounging with an ice-cold drink and a straw, opt for an eco-friendly straw option. Plastic straws are notoriously bad for the environment. Don’t believe us? Check out this article caring for Wowe’s metal straws where we go into some of the details of plastic pollution and how straws contribute.
Wowe Lifestyle makes both curved and straight stainless steel metal straws that are perfect for enjoying your favorite drinks. Metal straws can be reused for a lifetime, and since they are made from FDA approved food-grade stainless steel, they will never release toxic chemicals or harm your health.
In the Garden
You may not realize that your garden could be greener, but it can be, and it can help to make the rest of your household green! A few simple gardening tricks can give you more control over your diet, more control over the amount of plastic waste you produce, and may even step your cooking game up.
Plant a Herb Garden
Planting a simple herb garden is one of the best ways to save money, and save on plastic in the kitchen. Fresh herbs are usually packaged in hard plastic shells, styrofoam, and cling wrap. Hard or impossible to recycle, these plastic-heavy products cost a pretty penny at the grocery store, and cost the environment even more.
When you plant your garden, try repurposing your old bamboo toothbrush handles by using them as plant labels. Most plant labels are made from plastic, which can easily leach toxic chemicals into the ground, harming both the environment and surrounding wildlife.
Start Composting
Rather than throwing away your food waste, try composting it instead. Starting a simple compost pile is a great way to repurpose your uneaten food, and avoid fertilizing your garden with chemicals. Composting your food can help you to develop better habits for not wasting food, and can help you create a healthier, more vibrant garden.
Most food waste like vegetable peels, fruit cores, eggshells, melon rinds, coffee grounds, etc. can be composted, and with a little time, sun, and agitation, you can create the most incredible fertilizer all on your own. If you’ve ever wanted to become an urban farmer, a small compost pile is a great place to start.
Are you interested in learning more about living green? Visit Wowe Lifestyle to read more about eco-friendly living, and discover eco-friendly products that fit your lifestyle.
