#145 | Sustainable practices that save you and the environment

April 18, 2022

Episode Summary:

In this episode, we share sustainable practices that save the environment and your wallet.  In honor of Earth Day, we discuss why sustainability matters and dig into 22 tips to help the environment while also saving you money.  We start with little day-to-day things you can do and then talk through bigger lifestyle changes to consider. Finally, we encourage everyone to look at their lifestyle and see what they can do to pull some of these more sustainable practices into their lives.  

Episode Notes:

We start off by sharing some stats on why sustainability matters.  This is for us; this is for our kids and the next generation.  We need to leave this earth better than we found it, but we’re not always doing that.  We’re skipping past some basics like bringing bags to the grocery store or installing a digital thermostat, hoping to challenge your way of thinking and encourage you with new tips and ideas.  

Little daily things you can do to improve sustainability:

    1. Use less of things.  People think they need way more toiletry-type products than they do.  You don’t need a full pump of hand soap; you don’t need as much toothpaste as you’re likely using, you don’t need as large of a pile of face soap on your hand, etc.  
    2. Get every last bit of things before throwing them away or recycling them.  Cut open your containers if you have to; get creative about getting that last bit of something!
    3. Use cloth napkins instead of disposable paper towels and napkins. 
    4. Reuse glass and other containers.  It takes about 4,000 years for glass to decompose. So reusing those glass containers vs. buying fancy storage containers is a great practice.
    5. Compost.  It saves water, conserves landfill space, and reuses food scraps for a meaningful purpose. 
    6. Wash your clothes in cold water.  Up to 90% of the energy used during a washing machine’s cleaning cycle goes into heating the water, so use the cold setting.
    7. Make your cleaning supplies.  Make a simple cleaning solution from water, vinegar, and peppermint essential oils (use any scent you like). 
    8. Buy and use metal straws.  
    9. Use reusable k-kups.  It saves tons of money and is better for the environment. 
    10. Don’t buy pre-packaged snacks. Instead, buy them in bulk and then put them into reusable Tupperware for individual servings for your kids or selves. 
    11. Don’t buy bottled or sparkling water in cans.  Instead, consider investing in a soda-sense or Berkey water filter. Also, use refillable water bottles and always pack them when you’re out and about. 
    12. Buy less canned foods and buy things like dry beans.  You can cook them in your instant pot so quickly.  

Bigger lifestyle things you can do to improve sustainability:

    1. Eat less meat.  We’re not going to try and convert you, but the reality is eating less meat can save you money and reduces your carbon footprint.  
    2. Control the temperature in your house.  Keep it a bit less warm in the winter and a bit less cold in the summer.  Put on a sweatshirt if you’re cold. Put on a tank top if you’re warm.  
    3. Install low-flow shower heads.  You can find many on Amazon or at your local home improvement store.  
    4. Consider becoming a one-car family.  Could you get by on this? Of course, there could be times you need to call an Uber, but that’s still a lot less than the cost of ownership of a car.  
    5. Consume and buy less physical stuff.  Keep the things you have for longer.  It puts less in our landfills and is better on your wallet.  
    6. Buy used items.  Consignment shops, sites like eBay and Poshmark, 
    7. Minimize the disposable products you will buy.
    8. Join a buy-nothing group in your neighborhood!
    9. Eat out less.  We just did a show on this! 
    10. Live in a smaller home! Smaller homes come with less furniture, less cleaning materials, less heating and air, less water, and a smaller mortgage.

 

Top 3 takeaways:

  1. We need to do more to help and support our environment.  Sustainability practices help the environment and your wallet too.   
  2. It starts with you.  Your small changes do have a meaningful impact!
  3. We challenge you to pick a few new practices you will try out and commit to for the next 30 days.  And then hopefully 30 years!

 

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