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You’re a city dweller. That comes with a carousel of stores for impulse purchases, plastic bags on the sidewalk and a lot of plastic containers courtesy of your on-the-go lifestyle. Sadly, none of that is doing the planet any favors. Fast fashion = fossil fuels = CO2 emissions. Single use plastics = fossil fuels = CO2 emissions. Not to mention that the on-the-go fast pace of city dwelling can result in a lot of plastic waste that can take decades or sometimes hundreds of years to decompose. It’s no wonder that cities like New York are implementing single-use plastic bans and are encouraging residents to adopt an eco friendly lifestyle. Ensuring a sustainable future means reducing our CO2 emissions and pollution. And, that means changing our lifestyles.
So, what does an eco friendly lifestyle look like? For city dwellers that could mean a few small tweaks to switch from single-use plastic to its reusable counterpart. Or, brushing up on ways to recycle your plastic items better. And, trust us, once you realize how easy it is to make one small change you’ll probably be excited to find other ways to eco up your lifestyle too. You’re welcome.
Learn To Recycle Better
Most of us have a basic understanding about how to recycle. We’re told that plastics, metals, glass and paper go into the recycle bin. But, the reality is that if we want to ensure that items will be recycled by our city, it’s more nuanced than that. For instance, plastic containers that have had products in them like shampoos or a food items must be thoroughly rinsed before tossing into the recycle bin. Plastic bags aren’t recyclable and clog most recycling equipment. And, broken glass cannot be recycled. These are a few things to know about recycling to ensure that the items that you put out onto the curb will be recycled instead of contaminating other items that are sent to a landfill or incinerator.
We’re Learning To Recycle Better With A Zero-Waste Expert
While there are certain ground rules when it comes to recycling, they do differ slightly from community to community. The best way to learn what you city will and will not take is to check with your local recycling provider. You can use this guide HERE to find yours.
And… Try Composting
An estimated 133 billion pounds of food is wasted yearly in the U.S. In fact food waste is the largest contributor to landfills. While a lot of food could count as organic and biodegradable, being trapped under other materials like non-biodegradable plastics in landfills contributes to the slow decomposition of food that gives off methane gas during the process. Composting is a zero waste alternative to dispose of food that can also enrich and nourish soils and plants.
Common Questions Answered For Learning To Compost Like A Pro
At home you can compost by separating your food scraps from vegetables, fruits and fresh herbs. Store these items like orange peels or the tops of carrots in a compost bin or any tightly closed container that you can keep on your counter top. If you don’t have outdoor space to compost these food items yourself check to see where you can drop it off at your nearest compost center. Some companies even offer services where they come to your home and pick up compost for you. All of these little efforts might seem like a nuisance at first, but they become habits over time that make a big difference. In 2018, composting saved 25 million tons of food from landfills.
Carry Reusable Items
The plastic revolution has seen the rise of single-use items infiltrate our everyday lives. Water bottles, grocery bags, flatware, napkins, take out containers and other items are used once and then become trash. Yet, it wasn’t that long ago that reusable items were the norm. If we’re going to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and minimize plastic pollution we’ll have to get back into the game of carrying reusable items as part of an eco friendly lifestyle.
Zero Waste Stores You Can Shop At For All Your Needs
If you’re wondering where to begin the first step is simple. If you find yourself buying plastic water bottles in the city, carry a reusable water bottle. Still grabbing plastic bags at the grocery store, why not invest in a few cotton totes and cotton produce bags that you can wash and reuse? Find a nice set of flatware that’s made from materials like bamboo to carry with you for lunch. And, don’t be afraid of purchasing a beautiful set of cloth napkins or paper towels that you can help to minimize your paper waste.
Ask Who Made Your Products
Who made your clothes? Do the brands disclose information about the garment factories that they work with? Do they share information about how they visit, vet and collaborate fairly with their suppliers? Are living wages mentioned? An eco friendly lifestyle is also about being ethical and ensuring that the products we create and consume are making a positive impact on the people who make them too. Unfortunately, in the age of cheap labor and cheap products, human rights violations plague industries. As consumers we can advocate for workers’ rights by asking brands to hold themselves accountable and spend our money on ethical brands.
The Humanity Behind Our Clothes: Why Ethical Fashion Matters
Ethical brands are more willing to share information about the factories that they partner with. Some might even only work with factories that are certified by third parties to uphold fair wages and labor rights. Other brands are certified B Corps and have their supply chain assessed to ensure that fair labor standards are met. Either way, a quick browse of a brand’s website will allow you to learn more about how they treat the people who make their products.
Embrace Buying Less
Yes, you can enjoy shopping and still buy less. That could look like asking yourself what you really need first before your shopping trip. Need a new pair of sneakers? Great. Focus on buying those instead of impulse buying new t-shirts when you already have several in your closet. When an item lands into your cart ask yourself if you really need it. And, if you don’t it’s okay to put it back. As for the items that you do buy be sure to take care of them to hold onto them for the long run.
The Most Sustainable Wardrobes = Buying Less
A sustainable future doesn’t come from excessively buying more items that we don’t need. True sustainability is about making conscious choices to shop better and reduce our consumption. Buying items that we need, use and will hold onto longer can also help to ensure that we’ll waste less too.