Tiny Ways To Go Green

I love our planet, and I'm all for saving it and showing it some love.

BUT, I'm definitely not an all-green zero-waste tree-planter myself.

So...I'm reaching out to all those who, like me, want to do a bit more to save the earth, but feel like composting everything and making your own makeup is a bit too much work.

If you want to do bare minimum effort to feel better about your carbon footprint, I got you.

Here are some tiny ways to go green!

1) Reuse plastic grocery bags

If you're like me and can never remember to bring reusable bags, you can still do a little something to cut back on your grocery waste! Don't throw away all those plastic bags as soon as you unload the car! Use them for liners for your little bathroom or bedroom trash can, bring one with you to a sleepover pool party so you have somewhere for your wet suit, put your shoes in one before you put them in your suitcase so your clothes don't get dirty - get creative!

2) Pack it up

I can't say I never use plastic water bottles, but in a typical day of school or work, if I am drinking water, it's out of this bad boy. And I recently got this super cute Wonder Woman lunch box from my mom because, come on, why not?? I bring my lunch to campus every day (I'm going to do a blog post soon about non-boring things to pack!) and this little lunchbox helps me not throw away paper bags or something else I'd bring my lunch in. Bonus tip: pack one tupperware with fruits and veggies and crackers etc. together instead of using up multiple one-use ziploc bags!

3) You don't need that many paper towels

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This one kind of came to be by accident. I had just washed my hands and waved my hand in front of the automatic paper towel dispenser, and I ripped one off. Instead of automatically reaching my hand up to swipe again, I paused and tried to see how dry I could get my hands with just one paper towel. Guess what? That's all you need!! I've always gotten two or three, and yeah, maybe it's not going to have a huge impact if I use one paper towel instead of two from here on out, but what if 100 people did that? That's 100-200 paper towels saved every time, which adds up!!

4) Buy used

There are all kinds of treasures waiting at DI, Goodwill, Plato's Closet, or any of those other secondhand stores. Next time you're looking for something fresh for your wardrobe, scope out these places before you head to the mall. You might find something that becomes your new favorite AND you'll save money too! ALSO reach out to friends!! If you're looking for some holiday decor, ask around, and I'm sure there are plenty of people who have boxes full that they are happy to see it get put to good use.

5) Recycle

If you do use disposable plastic water bottles sometimes, congrats, you're human - but put them in recycling! If you don't have a recycling program where you live, bring stuff to school to recycle! I've done this when I clear out my folders etc. from a previous semester - I end up with a huge pile of paper and I just dump it in a recycling bin at school.

6) Take shorter showers

Yes, that water can feel good and relaxing, and winter especially makes it hard to get out into the chilly air. But even just cutting a couple minutes down on your shower time can add up! Another thing you could try is turning off the water while you shave your legs, instead of letting it run off to the side or behind you.

7) Walk it out

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You don't need your car to go everywhere. This is especially true if you live close to your college campus! Wake up a bit earlier, and you can skip the struggle of finding parking and walk to class OR catch a bus or shuttle to get there along with lots of other people who aren't using their own cars. Need to run something to a neighbor a few blocks down? As long as that something isn't an anvil, you can probably walk it there.

8) Let it shine

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You don't have to go buy new light bulbs for every room in your house right now, but next time one burns out, get an energy-efficient model to replace it (like an LED or CFL). Bonus! This will save you money too!

This earth is the only one we've got, so let's show it a little love!

Stay Beautiful,
xoxo Madi