Tag: sustainable products

Practicing Ecofriendlty Consumerism

Posted on by Jordank

#Holiday shopping is in full swing, and that may have many readers spending not-insignificant amounts of money in an attempt to check everyone off their #gift lists. While getting with the spirit of the #season is a worthy goal, buying all of that #stuff has an impact.

U.S. #holiday spending is expected to grow to nearly $1 trillion in 2024 — a truly staggering amount. And while some of that spending will result in great #gifts and cherished memories, Americans generate 23% more waste in December, according to the Center for Biodiversity.

Many of those gewgaws you select take considerable resources to manufacture and ship, and most will eventually wind up in landfills. Many will contribute to household #clutter. That’s why it’s important to practice #ecoconscious consumerism.

Consider buying (and requesting) secondhand gifts, Business Insider suggests. Buy Nothing groups can help locate quality used toys and clothing, and the #thrift stores stocked by generous #donations to ClothingDonations.org are overflowing with one-of-a-kind finds.

Another way to spend sustainably is to give experiences rather than hard goods. Tickets to sporting events, concerts and the theater make thoughtful gifts, and add to the excitement by creating a whole new outing. A gift certificate for a personal care service such as a massage or manicure pampers without creating a lot of trash. Many of these services are local, meaning that you’ll support your community with real dollars and limit the carbon footprint required to manufacture and ship merchandise.

Even a gift card is an ecofriendly gift idea when you don’t know exactly what to get and don’t want to give something that will just get tossed. Americans wasted an estimated $9.1 billion on holiday gifts that were exchanged, sold or thrown away in 2023, according to Finder. Another way to limit your environmental impact is to limit the use of disposable gift wraps. Although festive, they contributes to waste; consider reusable bags or get creative with fabric wraps instead.

You can have a fantastic holiday while creating less #trash. It take a little forethought, but your efforts will pay off with less indoor clutter, a healthier #earth, and good cheer among family and friends.

Do Your Seasonal Shopping Sustainably

Posted on by Jordank

Part of living a #clutter-free lifestyle is to keep only the things you use, wear and otherwise enjoy. But you can eliminate #clutter on the front end, too, by shopping more sustainably — and this is especially important  to remember when giving #gifts during the #holiday season.

The supply chain demands huge amounts of resources to get those special somethings delivered to your door. Make an effort to shop smaller local businesses for gifts, a practice that reduces the carbon footprint of whatever you buy. Or exercise your creativity to make some of your gifts rather than buying mass-marketed products.

Gifts don’t have to take a physical form at all, says Sustainability Victoria. You can give an experience such as a massage or facial, a cooking class, a yoga session or a dinner out rather than a product. Or you can make a charitable #donation in a person’s name; whatever you choose, chances are good that someone on your gift list doesn’t need more #stuff.

You can also shop the local #thrift stores — many of which supplied by generous #donations to ClothingDonations.org. “Upcycling” gifts can save money and keep more quality goods out of landfills.

“Buying secondhand clothing helps preserve the earth’s natural resources and prevents the additional pollution created by producing new garments,” Maryville University says. “Thrift stores provide shoppers with excellent bargains [and] often sell nearly new clothing alongside unique vintage pieces.”

Gift wrapping is one of the most wasteful aspects of holiday giving. Substitute newspaper and reusable packaging such as bags, baskets and tins for single-use wrapping paper, California Environmental Voters suggests. And try to buy gifts that are packaged in sustainable materials such as bamboo, recycled plastic and biodegradable paperboard rather than plastic clamshells.

Finally, be intentional about gifting and perform your due diligence, Bloom & Spark says. Figure out which businesses follow sustainable practices and how far your purchases need to travel to get a spot under the tree. Consider your giftees’ priorities, too; nobody wants another gewgaw that they don’t know what to do with. With a little forethought, you can reduce the environmental impact of giving — and make your home environment more clutter-free, too!

Keep Your Cookout Sustainable

Posted on by Jordank

Make a casual #cookout more #sustainable by using accessories such as compostable paper plates and bamboo cutlery and reusable linen or cotton napkins, Martha Stewart suggests. Another idea to make the event more #ecofriendly is to serve low-impact foodstuffs such as chicken, fish and vegetables rather than beef, says Move for Hunger, and use a gas grill to reduce carbon emissions. Save leftovers to avoid food waste, make recycling easy for guests by labeling waste bins and compost food scraps to enrich your soil at a later date. #CasualCookout

This Earth Day, Make Your Style More Sustainable

Posted on by Jordank

Earth Day 2023 is Saturday, April 22 — the 53rd edition of the annual celebration of Earth and its ecology. Why do we have such an observance? Because the human race has had the biggest impact on the planet, and we are the only species able to adjust our behavior as its stewards.

As we observe Earth Day, we must remember that the climate is in crisis. There’s no use denying it: While shifts in #climate have occurred naturally in the past, the success of a species that’s now over 8 billion strong is accelerating climate change.

We are nearing or beyond a tipping point where we can no longer expect to avert all serious problems. But individual and collective action can still mitigate disaster and lead to a more sustainable future.

One step everyone can take is to dress in a more sustainable way. Due to “fast fashion” — the cheap, trendy and basically disposable #clothing most of us buy and wear — people now have more garments than ever before and use them for shorter periods of time.

The apparel industry is responsible for greenhouse gas emissions equal to Germany, France and the U.K. combined, according to EarthDay.org, and it could account for more 26% of emissions worldwide by 2050. Just washing all of those clothes is poisoning waterways with microplastics.

Recycling is minimal. “And while there are innovative technologies that can break down the fabric of used garments to make new clothing, many await business investment to scale their systems to the colossal size necessary,” the site says.

You can spearhead #reuse, however, by scheduling a free #pickup and #donating your lightly used clothing to ClothingDonations.org. Once you’ve #decluttered, apply one simple principle of #sustainability to your wardrobe: Buy fewer items and make sure that the ones you buy are made to last.

As consolation, remember that you can spend a little more on #garments you’ll use for several years. These steps — reduction and reuse — are two tiny, personal steps toward #sustainability, but if enough people perform them, it can have a positive impact on the Earth.

For more ideas on creating positive change to benefit the environment and a listing of Earth Day observances nationwide, visit EarthDay.org.

Celebrate National Give Something Away Day

Posted on by Jordank

July 15 is a day that makes an official acknowledgement that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure — National Give Something Away Day. Established in 2015 by Linda Eaton Hall-Fulcher to encourage generosity, the day promotes #giving selflessly, mindful consumerism and #sustainability.

It’s a great incentive to #declutter and redistribute anything that you no longer need or want. “The reward goes both ways,” National Today says. “We benefit from feeling good about giving and making someone’s day, and at the same time, we also let go of items that we no longer need and are just lying around.”

The sheer amount of stuff in the average American home is staggering — about 300,000 different things. One in 10 Americans rents offsite storage for their extra #junk, and 25% of people with two-car garages don’t have room to park a car inside. The average 10-year-old owns 238 toys, but plays with only about a dozen of them.

Check your closets: There are probably outfits in there that you not only don’t wear, but didn’t even know you had. Pack up any items that no longer fit or don’t get worn, and schedule a free #donation #pickup at ClothingDonations.org to do your part on National Give Something Away Day.

You can also #donate lightly used household items, appliances, books and other items. Whatever you decide to give, having less #clutter in your life to worry about makes everything simpler. And giving actually activates the brain’s pleasure centers, a 2007 study revealed.

Whether you give someone flowers, pay for the next person’s order at the coffee shop, or sort through your old things and donate them to ClothingDonations.org, observing National Give Something Away Day is good for the giver and the recipient. Give something — one thing or a whole truckload — away. You’ll be better off for it!

#NationalGiveSomethingAwayDay