Happy Earth Day everyone!
I hope you’re doing something sustainable to celebrate! We celebrated today by setting up our urban container garden and buying a few more indoor plants (current count is over 27). We’re super excited to have herbs, lettuce, tomatoes, and peppers all summer long. Here’s to hoping I finally inherited a green thumb from my mom’s side of the family…
Sustainability and the earth are things I never used to think about. However, as I’ve gotten older and more involved in food and nutrition, I’ve realized how much everything we do impacts the environment. I’m definitely not perfect and acknowledge I could improve in so many ways, but here are a few easy things I’ve found I can decrease my environmental impact and be more sustainable every day:
Reusable Bags for Grocery Shopping
If you’re anything like me, you’ve got about a million reusable bags lying around your house… keep a couple in your car or a small one in your purse so you’re always prepared! I also use these reusable produce bags that I found at Whole Foods. This prevents me from grabbing plastic ones for all of my fruits and veggies – such a simple way to cut down on one time use plastic.
Stainless Steel Straws
Did you know that over 500 MILLION plastic straws are used in the United States every single day?1 It blew my mind that plastic straws are one of the biggest polluters of our oceans and waterways. A more sustainable option is to say “no” to single use straws and instead opt for a stainless steel straw – they even come with a handy straw brush!
More Plant-Based Meals
Reducing your meat intake is good for your health and the planet. Choosing to eat a few meatless meals per week or dedicating an entire day like Meatless Monday can help reduce your carbon footprint.2
Seasonal and Local Foods Whenever Possible
Eating seasonally and locally helps support your local economy and reduce the amount of time food spends traveling across the country (and thus use of non-renewable resources such as fuel for the truck it used for transportation).
Support Declining Bee Populations
Last year I met one of the founders of Plantables, LLC – an organization that believes sowing a few seeds can make a big difference! They produce “bee bombs” and seed packets to help enhance the environment for pollinating insects. Even better, they provide jobs for adults with disabilities in Hudson, WI. I highly recommend checking out their mission and products!
How are you celebrating Earth Day this year and how do you practice sustainability year round? Leave me a note in the comments or shoot me a message here.
Resources:
1. https://www.strawlessocean.org/faq/
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652616303584
