Easy Ways to Live Greener

Since we just celebrated Earth Day, it made me rethink how I’ve made adjustments in my life to live greener. I’ve always been interested in green living, but back in 2011 when I stumbled across a blog about zero waste living, I really started to analyze everything in my life and how it could be greener or better for the Earth. I am by no means living what I would consider a zero waste lifestyle, but I find myself making quite a few of my decisions based on how earth-friendly or feel good something is.

Today I’m sharing some of my favorite easy ways to live greener, whether you’re just beginning your journey, or perhaps they can provide a different aspect for someone who is a seasoned pro.

1. Aim for zero waste living. Don’t beat yourself up if you fall short, the try is what counts. Follow the 5 R’s: Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle.
2. Use natural products throughout your life. From cleaners, to beauty and beyond. You can use this handy guide at EWG to help guide your towards healthier products.
3. We used cloth diapers for our little one up until we began potty training. Not only did it save us the trips to the store and money, it saved thousands of diapers from going to the landfill! BumGenius was our favorite brand.
4. Create a capsule wardrobe and maintain your clothing well. Not only will it save you time getting ready, it will hopefully curb a lot of the impulse buys that fast fashion promotes.
5. When thinking of your home landscaping, aim to plant native plants that live easily in your zone. Here in California, we’re also promoting a lot of drought tolerant or low-water landscaping.
6. Eat less meat. By consuming less meat you’ll be contributing less to the greenhouse gases produced by the livestock industry.
7. Use less water. Install a low-flow shower head and dual flushing toilets. We’ve gotten in the habit of not letting any water go aside. We try to use as much greywater as possible to water our plants. We also try to avoid washing our car at home, taking it to a car wash that recycles water instead.
8. We use kitchen towels and washclothes for most of our cleaning and napkin needs. I use cloth napkins for dinner parties or fancier times, but try to absolutely avoid using paper napkins for everyday use. I keep them in the hall closet so I’m not tempted to grab them easily.
9. Pack your own lunch in a reusable container, carry a refillable water bottle too. Goodbyn and Bkr are my favorites.
10. Carry your own shopping bags! I’ve been doing this for years (before it was a law here), and my favorite bags are by Baggu.

I feel like there are so many that I can’t possibly list them all in one post. If you feel overwhelmed, or don’t know where to start just remember that even if you take a small step, it’s still a step in the right direction.

Do you have any tips for living greener? I’d love to hear them!