#savetmr
#savetmr
1. Download AND USE Ecosia on your devices. Ecosia plants trees for every search made. It’s free all you have to do is move it to the spot you’d normally click for your browser. 2. Calculate your carbon footprint. There’s tons of free calculators out …
Paper towels can be composted if it is unbleached and not used with chemicals, which could be a great way to clean spills. Unfortunately if composting isn’t an option many of these single use items will add to the daily trash heap. Using cloths made …
Every plastic grocery bag you’ve used is still on earth today. Every single one hasn’t even begun to degrade and may have even killed marine life. Start using reusable bags today and start doing better for the environment.
One plastic bag will take 400 to 1000 years to break down and while it is breaking down it releases harmful chemicals into the environment. Sea turtles and other marine life see these single use items as food which is why the Ocean Conservancy has marked them most deadly to the environment. A perfect fix for this catastrophe is using a bag already in your home every time a plastic bag could be given out. If buying new is necessary always remember the more times a new bag is used the more environmentally friendly it becomes. If possible try finding a bag from a secondhand store or buy a bag made from recycled materials.
Plastic bags are made from crude oil, when extracted is bad for the surrounding ecosystems. Any plastic made with oil do not react chemically with other substances so it does not decay, it only breaks down into smaller plastic pieces. 6% of oil extracted from the earth is for plastic production and 35-40% of that is for plastic bags. After stretching and rolling plastic pellets a new plastic bag is formed. The brand or appreciation is printed on the outside of the new bag with dyes that are toxic to the environment. On the positive side the process in which plastic bags are made can be done to make bioplastic bags as well but a better solution is just to use your own every time.
While plastic bags can be recycled and reused to create any type of plastic materials it is hard finding a place that will take them. Normal curbside recycling will sort out and toss plastic bags, making it better to just throw away on your own. If this type of film plastic is missed during the sorting process it could get caught in the belts that would cause damage to the machinery. This leaves many people option-less and causing only 1% of these bags to be recycled every year. Some retail stores will take back your used bags which could be a good option but in the long run just using the same reusable bag would be more energy efficient.
Like anything you buy new, reusable grocery bags have to be used in order for them to environmentally be better than plastic or paper bags. This can be done easily if you already have a bag you can use, if you find a bag at a secondhand store or if you make a reusable bag out of leftover fabrics in your home. Buying a sturdy, well made bag will increase its use. I’ve never bought a reusable bag as my friends and family have gifted them to me. I’ve been using these bags for over five years so it can be done. Make sure to treat the things you own like you want own them forever and they will last forever.
Even if you forget your bags just put all your items back into the cart and wheel it out to your car where you have extra bags waiting. This minor lapse of memory doesn’t have to be 400 years of a piece of plastic on earth. Sure it’s less convenient but next time you’ll definitely remember those reusable bags.
We made an app, Boycott That! Available for iOS and Android devices!
Boycott That is the app to start becoming a healthier consumer. For the wannabe zero waster, Boycott That has achievable sustainable switches for everyday items. The app is also perfect for helping to avoid companies that partake in animal cruelty and violate basic human rights.
What is the dumbest thing someone said to you about being or thinking about becoming vegan? I have decided to write down the silliest things my friends and relatives have said to me about what I eat and consume and what I said or wished …
In the United States of America the leader in electrical energy source is natural gas with 38%. Most homes are then not powered as efficiently as many of us would hope. To combat the amount of natural gas or other nonrenewable resources used to power …
Line drying clothes, not just something you see in old films or way out on farmland. Ditching your dryer may require a little more work on your part but in the long run you’ll have longer lasting clothes that smell better, a lower carbon footprint and some more money in your pocket.
Clothes tumbling around in the dryer on high heat quickly destroys our fabrics. Research states after only twenty dries in high heat cotton fabric degraded by 50%, and without heat 24%. These figures combined with how some clothing is made does not give our fabrics a shot in a long life. Trying to be zero waste makes you mindful of how long things last so you don’t have to throw it away, using a dryer is counter intuitive to that. Buying clothes to wear for life is a great practice so putting in a little extra work to maintain them ensures the longevity.
The carbon footprint of line drying is three times less than drying in a dryer. Over a year this could be as much as a short flight. Switching to drying clothes on the line also reduces the footprint of your clothing. Using a piece of clothing for nine months longer decreases it’s environmental footprint by 20-30%. This wouldn’t be possible if the dryer was destroying your clothes each wash.
Switching to a clothes line does not make you a millionaire but you can save around $100 a year just on energy costs depending on how much laundry you do and the price of energy in your area. Your clothes will last longer, you’ll no longer need the replacement dryer, dryer sheets, or maintenance all of these factors could save a good bit of change. The only initial cost is a rope, which you may already have or a movable rack. In the long run quite a sum of money could be saved by line drying.
You don’t need to live in a sunny city to line dry clothes. Clothes will dry fine inside on hangers, a line or a rack, it might just take longer. Even though I live in a small space I dry my clothes on lines around the van. Sure, it’s hard to get around for a little bit but most of the clothes dry quickly even on freezing days. Having an outdoor and indoor line or a movable rack is a perfect idea if you live in a place with four seasons.
Dryer sheets, another piece of trash no one really needs to use. Dryer sheets leave a film on the outside of clothes making them softer but also more flammable. This film doesn’t only stick to clothes but also in the inside of the dryer. Ditch the dryer, ditch the dryer sheets and dry clothes outside or on a rack. Clothes will smell better dried outside and as they stay in direct sunlight they are sanitized protecting you from the potential germs you may have collected wandering around.
Like many home appliances a dryer eventually will need to be replaced. Living without one completely will keep hundreds to thousands of dollars in your pocket on replacement costs. I’m not a property owner but it seems like houses are a never ending replacement cycle and less of those appliances is much easier on your wallet, carbon footprint and the landfills.
Now that you’re ready to get rid of that dryer remember some people are just too busy to line dry clothes all the time. For some a dryer is a sort of necessity. Instead of calling a company to haul your dryer out consider putting it on an online marketplace for a family that might need one. Maybe you need some extra cash, selling it is a good option too. Throwing things away without checking if your community has a need for it is wasteful and a practice that doesn’t benefit anyone.
We made an app, Boycott That! Available for iOS and Android devices!
Boycott That is the app to start becoming a healthier consumer. For the wannabe zero waster, Boycott That has achievable sustainable switches for everyday items. The app is also perfect for helping to avoid companies that partake in animal cruelty and violate basic human rights.
Instead of celebrating July 4th this year I’ve chosen to continue on my journey of educating myself about the struggle imposed every day on the average Black American. I have to add I’m not currently living in the United States of America where I am …
I love shampoo bars! They’re perfect for traveling without worrying about spilling soap everywhere, they’re zero waste and they’re usually made by an ethical company without the threat of animal cruelty. My hair has reacted differently to different bars so trying a few and finding …
When heading out it’s simple to bring a couple little items for a zero waste day.
Coffee Cup – If your outings usually start with a trip to a coffee shop try to bring a cup to make sure you wont have to throw one away later. Alternatively you could drink the coffee at the shop. 99% of the disposable cups end up in landfills whether they’re fancy biodegradable or Styrofoam. More and more cafes are offering a discount to patrons that bring their own cups. Best to not rely one the cafe to make the decision for you. BYOC!
Leftovers Container – So the coffee cup I bring is actually a wide mouth camping mug, that came with a lid. If plans are up in the air, instead of bringing a separate container having a coffee cup that doubles as a leftovers container is super helpful and saves space. If I’m only going out to eat or I know there will be a lot of leftovers I’ll bring an old glass peanut butter jars. Plastic leftover containers are horrible for the environment. They are hard to sort making them harder to recycle. Scientists estimate 65% of all plastic waste in the US is clam shell containers, which includes leftover containers. An easy fix is bringing your own container or if you drive, keep a few containers in your car, just in case. BYOC!
Cutlery Kit – I made my own little cutlery kit to keep my fingers from being stabbed by a loose fork and to steer clear of plastic cutlery. Plastic cutlery is described as most deadly by the Ocean Conservancy as marine and bird life mistake it for food. An easy cutlery kit is a cloth napkin wrapped around utensils you already own with a rubber band around it. Super simple and it helps the planet. Plastic cutlery break creating micro-plastic and because of it’s size and variety it’s next to impossible to recycle. BYOC!
Cloth Napkin – Many paper products are made from virgin trees which some may argue initiates planting and growing more trees. The truth is older, bigger trees inhale more carbon dioxide and exhale more oxygen. Constantly cutting down more trees for a small convenience that humans only recently started is irresponsible. Paper napkins made from recycled materials are better but they still contribute to our ever growing trash heap. Bringing a cloth napkin is an easy solution that hardly takes any room. If none are at your disposal making cloth napkins from leftover fabric is easy and better for the environment than buying new. BYON!
Grocery Bag – Carrying a small bag everywhere is a great way to avoid unwanted, plastic hand outs. If there is an opportunity of something new coming home with you make sure to bring a bag. Plastic bags take 400-1000 years to degrade and are incredibly deadly to marine life who mistake it as food. Because of the film it’s are made into it’s impossible to recycle, meaning every plastic bag you’ve accepted until today is still floating around one the planet and will be for another 400 years. Better not to add more plastic pollution to that. BYOB!
Bag – The bag you carry all these items in is important too! Consumer society tries to convince it’s citizens new is better which is not true for the environment or for some of the humans making these items. The production of new clothing or accessory items is sometimes horrible for human rights and the earth. Being diligent with the items you buy is important for being apart of a well rounded society. The bag I carry I bought over ten years ago and have mended it twice. We should be buying things for life not per season. When I bought this bag I just liked it, it’s not from a fancy cruelty free or human rights shop because those weren’t my values yet but keeping it for so long and fixing it aligned with my values and made this bag worth purchasing in the first place. Use what you have and don’t buy new.
All of these suggestions only get more healthy for the planet with use. If getting a new zero waste item is something you’d like, sure get your shopping on but just remember to bring it with you and use it. Buying new doesn’t make sense unless it’s needed and functional.
We made an app, Boycott That! Available for iOS and Android devices!
Boycott That is the app to start becoming a healthier consumer. For the wannabe zero waster, Boycott That has achievable sustainable switches for everyday items. The app is also perfect for helping to avoid companies that partake in animal cruelty and violate basic human rights.
Plastic pollution is a crisis, it never biodegrades and is made from harmful chemicals. When this type of plastic ends up in a landfill or is incinerated it releases a toxic chemical, called dioxin. If it ends up in our oceans it is dangerous to …