5 more simple eco-friendly adjustments
Super simple tips to live an eco-friendly lifestyle
A huge part of EB Knits has been my introduction into living a more eco-friendly lifestyle. This has not only become a staple of my business, but also overfilled into my personal life. I compiled a list previously that noted five eco-friendly routines and products that are simple to implement into your daily life. And now I’m back with another five. These are also incredibly simple and hopefully are already aspects you’re aware of!
Honestly I never realized how much plastic I use in everyday life. However, over the last year or so, I’ve consciously tried to reuse bags and choose natural items to implement in my lifestyle. In fact, a friend on Facebook recommend an app called My Little Plastic Footprint that includes tons of recommendations on how to switch up your plastic usage in every room of your house.
I included direct links to some of these products that I’m either familiar with or that have been recommended to me from ethical and eco-friendly minded businesses! Many of these items you can find on amazon or at target with a quick search, but I’ve linked directly to some small shops as well!
I also created an eco-friendly board on Pinterest for ideas on how to continue to implement new eco-friendly strategies into your lifestyle, which you can find here: Pin board eco-friendly lifestyle
For the first five tips that I recommended, visit this post.
Reusable water bottle
You’ve probably heard it over and over again that investing in a reusable water bottle helps the environment, but it’s absolutely true and I find it way more fun to drink from a decorative water bottle than a plastic one! Plus, just think of all the money you’re saving instead of purchasing plastic water bottles. My personal favorite is from The Pink Pineapple Creations.
Look at the tag to find out what your clothes are made of + look for natural materials
I never reviewed the materials label on my clothes before my eco-friendly journey began. And even if I did, I honestly didn’t understand what each fiber was or how it was created. Dive a little deeper into purchasing garments (or at least checking the label) to look for items made from natural materials like cotton, linen, tencel/lyocell, wool, alpaca, etc. These natural fibers are a great place to start instead of investing in synthetic fibers like polyester, rayon, acrylic, etc. I have an upcoming blog post dedicated solely to this subject!
Decrease support of fast fashion
Purchasing with a purpose is so important and investing in long-lasting pieces will help support an eco-friendly lifestyle because the less you buy (especially the less virgin materials or clothing purchased), the more your are helping the planet. The longer lifecycle clothing has helps to reduce the impact of fast fashion on the environment.
Reusable grocery bags
This one is another suggestion you’ve probably heard over and over again, but it’s definitely true. In fact, in Chicago (and other cities, but Chicago is the one I have firsthand experience with) there’s a plastic bag charge if you don’t bring your own reusable bag. Simply leave a few bags in the trunk of your car so you always have them with you! More than likely, you probably already have bags that you can use so you can save here as well by using what you already have. I have heard some argue that the environmental impact of these bags is just as harmful as plastic bags, unless you reuse them time and time again. This also aligns with the previous point about reducing fast fashion so don’t simply buy countless reusable bags- instead wash and reuse what you have to really help the planet.
Use less
This sounds silly, but I’ve consciously tried to simply see where I can reduce my plastic consumption in my everyday life. It’s not only plastic either - where and what are the items I don’t need to use and can eliminate from my everyday life?
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. ”