The world is a crazy place right now — I think we can all agree on that! If you’re looking for ways to help keep Mother Earth going and reduce your plastic usage and carbon footprint, here are a few things I’ve done over the past few months to that end.
I’ll admit — I don’t care for paper straws, though I respect that a lot of places who want to be more environmentally friendly are moving towards exclusively offering those. Instead of using paper straws (which, in my opinion, are evil – I don’t drink particularly quickly, so I wind up with a mushy destroyed straw in whatever lovely drink I’ve ordered), I am now the proud owner of a reusable silicone straw. BUT! many silicone straws are tricky to clean and you wind up throwing them away after a few uses as well, because mold tends to sprout up inside when they’re not properly cleaned. GROSS.
Enter: Wonder Sip! They open up completely so you can make sure there’s nothing icky lingering after you wash them – hand wash OR dishwasher safe, which is key for someone lazy like me – and then snap back shut when you’re done. Awesome! They come in a variety of sizes for your drink needs, and — BONUS! they’ve generously offered my readers a 25% discount with the use of the code ‘feistyfoodie’ – making the leap to being a little bit more eco-conscious that more affordable. Try them out and let me know what you think!
Next up: cleaners! Sounds like a pretty straightforward thing, but these Good Green Cleaners (affiliate link) are really cool. They ship empty and come with little ‘cartridges’ that you slot onto the neck of the bottle, then fill with water from the tap. Shipping empty reduces its shipping weight, which reduces your carbon footprint. Isn’t that neat? Also, these cleaners in particular are food-safe so you can clean your tables with it, and when your insane infant leans down to lick the table – wait, is that just mine who does that? – you don’t have to worry that he’s ingesting anything icky. I mean, it probably doesn’t taste great, but at least you don’t have to call poison control.
I gotta say, I’ve been using the kitchen cleaner (obviously) and have been happy with it, but the glass cleaner gets my giant mirror super duper beautiful. You might almost believe I didn’t live with two monster toddlers who insist on looking at themselves in the mirror and pressing their grubby little hands on the glass constantly… Wait, just mine again?! That can’t be right…
Last but certainly not least, one more way to reduce plastic usage. Beeswax wraps by Super Bee (affiliate link)! I admit I was skeptical as I don’t fully understand how one could reuse something you’d used to cover the top of a bowl. But these rinse really easily and conform to the top of your bowl, and stick pretty nicely too! I’ve been using this to keep homemade whipped cream covered in the fridge, meat that I’m marinating (I wash the wraps after that, not just rinse), and more. Super convenient and a really great way to kick that enviro-friendly household into gear.
The more I do, the more I want to do — I also purchased a set of Stasher reusable silicone bags (affiliate link) to reduce my use of sandwich bags (which is a lot, I admit — I have 2 small children and am constantly scooping Cheerios, veggie straws, bread and other snacks into a bag to take on the go), and I’m trying to think of more ways to limit our use of disposable/one-time use items. Any suggestions or tips? Share them in comments!
How are you eco-friendly? Let me know below!
Please note: I received some of the above products as gifts, but was under no obligation to post about them. Opinions represent my own thoughts and I received no compensation for such.
Stephanie says
Digging the silicone straw that opens!