earth day

Happy Earth Day!!

I was in DC over the weekend and noticed that in this fine city recycling containers are as ubiquitous as trash cans and there is information everywhere about the positive impact of recycling.  This is great, I’m a life-long recycler and big fan of the idea, however, recycling is the third R, the last eco-friendly resort, after REDUCE and REUSE.

Here are 5 simple ways we can reduce our impact on earth

1. Buy in bulk less packaging, less trips to the store. This can apply to dried goods like nuts and grains but also to yogurt and sauces and beverages.  
2. Use plastic grocery bags as trash bags they are the right size for bathrooms and good for kitchens too; maybe a smaller bag will help you generate less waste! Or, Bring re-usable bags to the store with you DC charges a $0.05 bag fee for paper or plastic.
3. Host a clothes exchange call it a Naked Lady, Grab n’ Gab, Clothes Toss or whatever you want, the premise is another woman’s awkward fitting, twice worn anthropologie top is now your treasure.  Most of my wardrobe is from clothes exchanges and it’s a simple, very fun and rewarding way to reduce your consumption. 
4. Make your own kombucha, yogurt, pickles, salad dressing, kimchi all these things require a lot of packaging if you buy them from the store.
5. Make beans from scratch rather than buying cans beans freeze really well and than there’s the added bonus that a full freezer is more energy efficient. Plus, no BPA concerns if you freeze in glass jars.

This list is by no list comprehensive, I was going to ones that I’ve included in my daily life and that are so simple that you won’t even have to go out of your way to make a big change. Please share your own ideas for REDUCING our consumption of goods and resources!