HOW TO MAKE EVERY DAY EARTH DAY

10 SIMPLE & FRUGAL THINGS YOU CAN DO TO MAKE EARTH DAY EVERY DAY

So Earth Day was a couple of days ago (as I’m writing this) and while I think it is great that this year marked the 20th anniversary of Earth Day I don’t really think that just one day focused on our Earth and being green is really enough. I have a YouTube video titled Make Every Day Earth Day, and I thought it only fitting to elaborate more on that video with a follow-up/companion post this week.

TOP 10 EASY WAYS TO MAKE EVERY DAY EARTH DAY

#1: CONSUME LESS & WASTE LESS

This may seem really simple/stupid, but it’s really not; how many times do you buy more groceries than you need or can eat before they go bad? I myself have been guilty of this in the past. You may have the best of intentions to eat healthy and all-natural, but at the end of the week, you have fresh produce rotting in the kitchen because you didn’t follow through.

Don’t by more food than you can eat. Don’t buy more clothing than you can wear. It’s a pretty simple concept, but it is a big first world issue that we don’t pay much attention to. Hopefully, we do now; going to the grocery store feels like both a luxury and a hazard to our health at the moment.

Let us take a moment and really think about what we throw in our shopping carts when we do get out. And if you’re like me and have given up hope on fellow shoppers following social distancing rules and just do grocery pickup or delivery, look at your virtual cart before checking out, please.

We buy WAY more food than we can eat in a week or two. We buy WAY more clothing than we can ever wear on a regular basis. Why? Since embracing minimalism I put a lot more thought in clothing purchases and therefore buy, own, and wear far fewer pieces than in the past (if you’ve seen more than two of my YouTube videos you will have noticed this).

But I have been guilty of food waste even since embracing minimalism. It is so easy to overestimate how many fresh vegetables you will consume in a week. And on the same note it is so easy to overestimate how many times you’ll actually wear a particular piece of clothing when you contemplate buying it.

If we just slow down and put more thought into what we consume/buy we would save so much stress, money, and pollution in the long run.

#2: RECYCLE OR REUSE

How many times have you thrown something away that could’ve been easily reused or recycled? We are currently in the “wait and see” mode with several of our plants in our garden. If we’d reused several milk jugs to cover plants with instead of a heavy plastict tarp… I can’t help but wonder if some of the plants would be in better shape.

By all means, recycle what you can, but remember that recycling also uses energy. This is something I’ve learned from other eco-conscious bloggers. Even recycling causes some energy use and in return pollution.

If we can reduce or reuse what we purchase we can save a lot of taxation on our natural resources. It all adds up. We just need to keep this in perspective.

#3: REDUCE OR RETHINK YOUR USE OF ONE TIME USE PRODUCTS

There are a lot more one-time-use plastics out there than we realize. When Angela at  Tread Lightly Retire Early suggested a ban on one time use plastics called Plastic Free December late last year I was so excited!

We’d spent half the year eliminating one-time use plastics and glass from our house after a debacle with the toddler cutting his hand. I thought a month of purchasing no one time use plastics would be a piece of cake.

I was so, so wrong. One time use plastics are EVERYWHERE. I hadn’t really, really noticed that until I tried to actively avoid them. Spoiler alert, I failed that challenge. If you haven’t already read the recap.

I found that there are a lot of one-time-use plastics that are recyclable or reusable that have alternatives that simply… aren’t. I found that in my rather rural area it is better to buy larger amounts of almond milk for my lactose intolerant kiddos in a plastic jug that I can recycle than to continue buying almond milk in waxed cartons that aren’t recyclable in our area ( I live in a rather rural area).

So you really have to think about and evaluate each item individually. I’ve mentioned Earth 911 as a valuable resource in previous posts. If you’re not sure what is recyclable or how it is recyclable in your area please check this valuable resource.

#3 UPCYCLE WARDROBE AND FURNITURE RATHER THAN DISCARD

Have you ever stopped to consider what happens to clothing, furniture, or other odds and ends when you throw them in the trash? Nothing. They literally set in the landfill for ages. There are a lot of unnatural materials that just don’t decompose quickly… or at all.

What if you were to upcycle some of those items that would otherwise head for the landfill? I myself have upcycled a gallery wall and there are several other decorative purposes for other upcycled items. Like the vintage look? Why not use something that actually is old or vintage? Chippy is a popular look nowadays after all.

#4 CLEAN UP TRASH & DON’T LITTER

I’ve heard numerous horror stories (which I mentioned in the corresponding Earth Day YouTube video) about people wearing face masks and gloves out in public and then just tossing them in parking lots. Don’t. Be. That. Person. Please!

Throw away disposable items in the proper receptacles and then recycle recyclable items in the proper receptacles. End of story. But so many people still don’t do that. You can’t pass a grocery store or outlet mall (that I know of at least) without seeing trash and recycling receptacles either in the parking lot itself or at the entrance. Use them. Please.

This is a concept that should really be so self-explanatory, which obviously isn’t if you drive any stretch of highway and pay attention to the litter on the roadside. We can do better people.

I could end the rant here, but I have a husband in surveying, and this next point is worth noting. Do NOT throw cigarette butts out the window of your car for the love of God!

My surveyor husband was on a highway crew not too many years back and I have heard horror stories of people throwing cigarette butts out the window in the middle of summer (with straw on the side of the road mind you) and starting fires with people working on said side of the road. Do. Not. Be. That. Person. Please. End of that rant.

#5 COMPOST KITCHEN SCRAPS

Full disclosure: I think I must be the worst composter in the history of composting. I have been composting now I don’t know how many months and have bought no worms. My dog seems to think the compost pile is his personal buffet (as does my dad’s dog when he visits from next door).

We have moved from tilled spot in the yard covered with a tarp that’s weighted down to a circle of web wire around the said tilled spot. Dogs are still constantly trying to pull out snacks when the get the chance.

I add coffee grounds, eggshells, and produce scraps (because I never seem to remember to make homemade stock with them and buy the organic reduced-sodium variety instead). When the lawn is mowed the kids and I even add grass clippings. That’s the extent of my composting skills.

But I still know this simple act will eventually (hopefully?) end up in soil that is good for our garden and keep all these items out of landfills. So I continue on even though I am by no means an expert at what I am doing with my compost pile. Sometimes I feel I’m glorifying my little circle of web wire by calling it compost, but I digress…

#6 CONSUME LESS ENERGY

This can be as simple as turning the lights off when you leave a room. If you want to get fancy, buy a “smart” thermostat and set the temperature to a constant temperature and then leave it alone.

You will save money by following this one simple step. The trick is to set it at a temperature that can be easily maintained and then not adjusting it. I repeat. Do not adjust the thermostat after setting the temperature. You can even put it on a schedule if you’re not home most of the day. Easy peasy lemon squeezy as my six-year-old would way.

Turn the lights out when you leave the room. Better yet, train your kids to turn the lights and fans off when they leave a room. Did you know fans don’t actually change the room temperature? They don’t cool or warm rooms – they cool or warm people!

That’s right, if you’re not in the room to enjoy its benefits, the fan being left on is just a waste of energy. And money.

#7 LEARN BASIC SEWING SKILLS

This one is so simple, and yet if you’re like me, so annoying. Full confession here, I don’t really enjoy sewing; especially since my mom passed away. My mom taught me to sew, kind of. See, my mom taught me to sew WITH her.

She didn’t really teach me how to read a pattern, pin it, and sew something entirely on my own without her. This is something I’ve failed to do in the almost five years since she’s passed. I can fix a garment. But I have not sewed a garment to completion since she’s been gone.

To be honest, it feels like a heavyweight to pull out the sewing machine and complete a task. I just don’t enjoy sewing. The handy hubby used to travel a lot for work before our first child was born and I would go to my parents’ house for dinner and to work on new sewing projects in the evenings after work when he was out of work.

The joy has been sucked out of me where sewing is concerned, but I still have my machine. I also still have a stack of pants my kids have torn through the knees that I fully intend to cut off into shorts here in the next month or so. Waste not want not.

If you have even the most basic sewing skills of hemming and mending you can save yourself a lot of money on clothes. You can get a lot more life and mileage out of your current wardrobe if you know how to properly maintain it.

This requires a basic sewing kit, skills, and preferably a sewing machine. Trust me, it’s worth the investment when you account for the money you will save by mending rather than replacing your existing wardrobe.

#8 BUY SECOND HAND

Thrift store shopping is quite the rush is it not? I can’t tell you how many times I have walked out of a second-hand shop with clothing items that still have the retail tags attached! I’m buying new clothing without paying the retail price!

It’s quite a rush, my frugal friends! Now, you have to go into thrift or second stores with a list in your mind or on paper and know what you’re looking for, but it can yield quite the savings! Right now second hand or thrift store shopping isn’t quite the possibility, but most of the time  I walk out with brand new items with the original store tags on them when I go shopping with a list for my kids.

This isn’t only good for your budget; it’s good for the environment. Fast fashion is a major source of pollution in this world. While it may be shut down for the moment in most places, the majority of the items you buy retail for a so-called bargain were in fact made by workers paid far below liveable wages in far from safe working conditions in third world countries.

Is it really worth the price? Do you really want to buy more and pay less if you truly understand the human and environmental cost of the garment you’re currently wearing? Probably not.

Buying clothing and furniture second hand is far more advantageous for both your budget and the environment.

#9 AVOID TOXINS WHERE POSSIBLE

This is a theme that is pretty common at a Life on a Dime. I love avoiding toxins in my home and for my family where I can. We are the gatekeepers of our homes after all.

Before buying something turn it over, look at the ingredients, and if you don’t understand them Google them. If what the search results yield scare you DON’T BUY IT. People seem to have lost the concept that the power is with the consumer.

If you don’t like it, don’t understand it, don’t buy it. The manufacturers and retailers will either take notice, change their ways, or fail. Pretty blunt, but that’s the “free” market is supposed to work right?

Make purchases based on informed decisions. The more people who fall in line with this, the faster manufacturers and retailers will take notice. Don’t buy products to use in your homes that you know to be harmful to your long term or the environment.

One informed decision often leads to another. Make better, more informed decisions where you can. And please don’t beat yourself where your budget doesn’t allow you to make the “better” decision. The more people who conform to this, the faster the market will change.

#10 CAN’T PLANT A TREE? JUST DO WHAT YOU CAN.

Whether what you can do means having a few indoor plants to clean the air inside your house or apartment, or planting a full-on kitchen or vegetable garden, do what you can. It’s pretty unrealistic to preach planting trees and entire groves to urban dwellers on a limited income.

Just do what you can. And don’t beat yourself up if you can’t do more. If there’s one thing I can drive home in this post it’s that. Don’t feel bad if you can’t afford what you can’t afford. Make the changes you can. Ditch and switch what you can.

If everybody did what they could every day for our Earth and our environment things would be so, so much better. So just do what you can. And please don’t stress about what you can’t.

WRAPPING UP HOW TO MAKE EVERY DAY EARTH DAY

I hope you’re doing what you can. I can’t make anyone do what they can. But I hope I’ve made at least one person realize that it’s not that hard to change even just one habit. Pick just one thing on this list and do it to the best of your ability.

Imagine if everyone on God’s green Earth did just one thing on this list; how much better would it be? Until next time, stay frugal, stay healthy,  and please,  make just one more informed decision this week. Imagine how much that would add up if we all just made one more informed decision…

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