easy ways to be sustainable in 2019

I’ve absolutely fallen off of the face of the earth these past few months due to school and the holiday season. I (stupidly) decided to take my thesis and my capstone course in the same semester, and they all sort of came crashing down on me at the same time. I also fell ill, went on a cabin trip, has holiday celebrations, and am currently recovering from an incredibly painful wisdom tooth (all four) extraction. All of this aside, I am finally back in action and plan to be more active on here and starting that out with giving you all a chance to become more sustainable in this new year!

My mum actually gave me the idea for this blog post so all credit goes to her for helping me keep this blog active!!

I’ve done a post in the past about my favorite make up items, and they all happen to be cruelty-free. Now I wanted to talk to you all about sustainability and give you a few ways you can EASILY reduce your carbon footprint in 2019 and help save our beautiful, incredible planet. All of these are so easy to incorporate into your life, and I encourage you all to make it your resolution to try to use at least three of them (only if you have the resources of course because I do recognize that being able to live sustainably is a privilege). In the long run, switching to some of these items or changing certain parts of your life can save you a lot of money and time AND it helps our sweet Mother Earth.

$13.95 on Amazon Prime (click to travel to Amazon)!

Switch to a safety razor

This is SUCH an easy task that many people don’t even realize makes a difference. Over the years I’ve spent copious amounts of money on those plastic razors that consistently need replacement. Turns out, they’re also a huge pollutant of our Earth. The US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that in around 2 billion disposable razors are thrown away each year, and they all end up in the landfill. So what can you switch to? A safety razor. I know that sounds very Sweeny Todd, but I promise it isn’t. On Amazon, you can find some nice (and pretty) ones for $12 to $20, and a refill of 100 razors costs less than $10. Just make sure you either buy or create a blade bank (you can use an old soup can) and then find out where you can properly dispose of the blades when the time comes. You can read more on blade disposal on Recycle Nation.

Invest in a bamboo utensil travel kit

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of people talk about plastic utensils and straws. Of all things sustainable, these seem to be the most “popular” at the moment. If you are somebody that packs a lunch for work, or regularly visits a coffee shop, this is probably the easiest way for you to add some sustainability to your lifestyle. You just pop one of these packs into the bag you use daily, and its always there when you need it! You can Google one of these and a myriad of different options will pop up for you to choose from.

$9.95 on Etsy and thanks to SewThoughtfulBlanket!

Wax (or cloth) sandwich and lunch bags/covers

You can find these at Trader Joe’s, right at the checkout! Now the thing about these bad boys is that they are a little pricier, but you end up saving money in the long run. Instead of having to always purchase plastic wrap and plastic baggies for your snacks and lunches, these are a one time buy. They’re washable, environmentally friendly, and don’t leach plastic onto your food if it’s sitting in the car for a bit longer than anticipated. Some of them even have cute designs on them to make your days a little happier. Honestly, you could make your own cloth ones with leftover fabric at Joanne’s too!

Or you can support smaller artists and travel to Etsy to find some, like these adorable ones to the left that even have velcro to close them!

$29.99 for an 80 count of SF Bay OneCup Coffee

Biodegradable coffee pods (if you drink coffee)

This is something I actually got implemented at my work. I work in the clubhouse of one of the residence life buildings at my school, and one of the things we offer is free coffee. That coffee is in the form of pods for a Keurig machine, and these pods have a…rather depressing end to their life span. While Keurig's K-Cups should technically be recyclable, you would need to separate "the metal foil, rinse out the plastic cup, and remove the paper filter. All three must be recycled separately." So ultimately, while the pods can be recycled, nobody is doing it because it takes so much work to do it properly. Thankfully, there are other alternatives. At our work, we’ve been purchasing from San Francisco Bay OneCup (repping the home area). I had worked out that it was actually a tiny bit cheaper to buy in bulk from them, than the Keurig K-Cup brand off of Amazon. There are many more brands that make biodegradable coffee pods as well, so you have multiple ways to find the brand that you like the most WHILE helping the environment!

I used raw honey, 100% natural yellow beeswax, raw shea butter, mulled spices, and olive oil!

Make your own lotions and soap

Making your own lotion and soap helps eliminate toxic chemicals that are harmful to the environment, live packaging free, and know exactly where the ingredients are coming from (also whether they are cruelty-free). Thanks to my aunt I came across how I could make my own lotion, but you can also search Pinterest for so many different recipes and ways to make them. Most of the lotion recipes require the same three ingredients: coconut oil, beeswax, and pure shea butter. From there you can add essential oils, cinnamon sticks, dried flowers (lavender would be incredible), and even honey! My lotion bars are currently in the process of cooling, but I added mulled spices and honey to my mixture and it smelled d i v i n e. As far as soaps go, it is also super easy to make them and they can turn out gorgeous enough to use as gifts! It is honestly just a fun way to wind down or get crafty, and the results are always worth it.

One of the fruit booths at my local farmer’s market. The tasties they give out are divine and they probably get a little annoyed with how many times I go back!

Shop at your local farmer’s market (with reusable bags, of course)!

If you have a local farmer’s market, ATTEND IT. Even if you can’t afford more than a bag of apples, the experience is so worthwhile. Most booths also give out free samples galore for you to stuff your face with. If you’re lucky, your town might even have specific markets that are dedicated to types of foods, cultures, or holidays. For Christmas, my mum gifted me the most adorable market bag from the French Christmas Market. It was made in France, and is one of those one-of-a-kind things you couldn’t get unless you went to a market! It has made me want to shop locally even more now, and I cannot wait to bring it to my farmer’s market the first Saturday I’m back in town. If you have some money to spare and love the idea of supporting smaller businesses that are completely natural, the farmer’s market is the way to go. I hope to use it mainly for fruits this semester, but I also hear that the hummus guy at my local market makes hummus that is to die for. It’s also good if you are a honey lover and want to make sure you’re getting raw honey from actual beekeepers that are looking out for the well being of the colonies.

Thrift and donate your textiles

My favorite part of being sustainable—thrifting! Like most people that are savvy thrifters, my love for thrifting came from my mum taking me as a young girl. The two of us have always been fascinated by fashion. We’ve traded clothes, given each other ideas, and obsessed over the same pair of shoes on countless occasions. Thrifting brings our love to the next level because we can race to see who finds the coolest and cheapest pieces, and then gush over them for hours. What else is cool about thrifting? It’s recycled fashion. The fashion industry and “fast fashion” has become one of the largest pollutants in the landfill and the cause of many awful deaths due to immoral practices. It is estimated that less than 1% of clothing is recycled into new garments, and the rest ends up in landfill. Thankfully, there are certain brands that are making an active effort to change their ways and reduce what is happening to our Earth. However, thrifting is one of the easiest and coolest ways to help this effort. You can find so many unique pieces, but you can also find high-end brands like Coach and Chanel if you look hard enough. Even brands from Target and Forever21 end up in thrift stores months after their bought, so it’s not like you’re even missing the latest trends.

Brands like H&M also offer shoppers a way to give back by offering discounts if you donate your textiles to them. They hope that by 2030 they will be an entirely sustainable brand—only using recycled textiles to make their clothing. So if you’ve got some ripped pants or torn up t-shirts that you can’t really donate to a thrift store, take them to H&M and at least get the textiles donated (or better yet, use them to make the sandwich bags I talked about above)!

Cut down on your meat intake

I’ve actually been doing this since the beginning of 2018 as a step to eventually becoming vegetarian. I haven’t eaten pork in 2 years, and this past year I have spent my weekdays eating as a vegetarian and given myself the opportunity to eat meat on the weekends. I don’t always indulge, but it helps for when I want to go out to eat or am craving some greasy fast food. A lot of people talk about the meat industry and how awful it is for the environment, and that’s a big part of why I have chosen to drastically reduce my meat intake. On another count, it is also the heartbreaking animal cruelty the industry profits off of (and the cruelty of humans as well, if you have seen Food Inc). It is just such a greedy and evil industry in America, and I plan to rid myself of it completely in the future. However, I’m aware that not everybody has the opportunity or the privilege to do so. There are ways you can help though, for those that can’t make that huge step (like me at the moment). Cutting down on your meat intake can drastically decrease your footprint and make a huge difference. You can do this by just eating meat on weekends, or only when you’re going out to eat. These are two simple ways to avoid it, especially if you’ve been able to find some delicious vegetarian-based recipes to try out! If you need some meat-free meals to kickstart January, check out my Pinterest board for some ideas. I’m always updating it with new delicious ones that I try out. Trader Joe’s also has very cheap and VERY delicious meatless meats that you can’t even tell the difference with. Highly recommend if you’re somebody that wants to give up meat but loves the taste too much.

Unplug!

This is such a simple one that many people forget about. Leaving your devices plugged into the wall—and not using them—actually takes up energy. If you’re finished charging your phone, simply unplug your charger and you are saving energy. When it is daytime and your side table lamps don’t need to be on, just unplug them entirely. I’m the first to admit that I often forget to follow this, but I want to make a conscious effort to do it this year. It doesn’t take much time and barely any effort at all to make a difference in both your electricity bill and for the environment.

Lead by example

This is my final point and probably one of the most important if you’re going to try and work on being sustainable. Nobody wants to listen to somebody lecture on and on about something, and most people won’t even want to do anything that another person is telling them to do. However, we only have one Earth and people need that reminder every so often. A good way to remind people is to lead by example. If you’re getting coffee with a friend and you pull out your metal straw, they’ll be less likely to use a plastic one because they feel bad. It is a small reminder, ya know? If you’re going to the farmer’s market on Saturday, invite your friends that might be needing to grocery shop. They may get hooked to it. Rave about your new favorite razor and show them how pretty it is (and how much money it saves) and they might be more likely to follow in your footsteps. But also remember that not everybody has the money or resources to change their lifestyle. If you have the money, maybe buy your friend that utensil pack because you see them using the plastic forks every day, or convince them to go thrifting with you to save a few bucks. It is all up to you now, and I hope you take some of my advice to heart and work with me to be more sustainable!

xx Liv