With today being Earth Day, I wanted to focus April’s faves on eco-friendly products and ideas!

Stasher bags

I came across Stasher when I was looking for a better way to package my snacks for my three hour lectures. It can add up quickly trying to totally eliminate plastic sandwich baggies, but building up your collection over time is great! Stasher bags are so versatile, I use them for food, to carry my reusable straws, toiletries or charger cables for travel, etc.! Plus the new pocket bags are perfect for people like me who snack on the go! I think one of the best things about Stasher is that their bags are actually plastic free (made of platinum silicone), so you can feel even better about using it.

Bye bye, single use plastic

I keep one reusable cup for hot drinks, and one for cold drinks in my car, so I’m always ready for a Starbucks run (PS you can totally order from the drive thru and tell them you have a personal cup). Similarly, I stopped using plastic straws whenever possible. I bought a pack of 4 Klean Kanteen straws for about $10 from REI. They come with a cleaning brush, and they’re incredibly easy to clean (something I found difficult with my collapsible reusable straw), but aren’t the most convenient to carry. Just find a way to keep them around, and you’re set! You can order your own cute + customized reusable cup like the one pictured above here.

Hydroflask (or just a reusable water bottle)

In addition to the reusable Starbucks cups that I keep in my car, I do my best to stay hydrated and decrease my use of single use plastic. I carry my Hydroflask with me everywhere, taking advantage of water fill stations when necessary. My family typically doesn’t buy plastic water bottles anyway, as we invested in a Zero water filter years ago, but for portability, by far the best bottle I’ve used is a Hydroflask! And if you’re an obsessive water drinker like me, try out Hydrojug (half gallon bottles)! I recently ordered one to bring to the gym, and can’t wait to try it out.

Reusable or Bust

In an effort to be more environmentally-conscious and less wasteful, one thing I’ve really tried to employ this year was being sure to bring my reusable cup/bag/everything with me wherever I go. I keep both a hot and iced reusable coffee cup in my car, and reusable grocery bags in my trunk. If I left my coffee cup at home, I don’t get to make that Starbucks run. Somehow left one of my canvas tote bags at home? Guess we’re carrying our groceries out, or pray that it fits in the purse I have. I get my receipts emailed, try to avoid products with unnecessary amounts of non-recyclable plastic packaging, and other small steps that add up to bigger changes! I haven’t been perfect with doing this, but I’m definitely doing it more frequently than I ever have.

Going Paperless

Like I said above, when given the chance, I get my receipts emailed. Luckily, I’m able to do the same for bills. Paperless billing is super easy once you set it up, so check to see if your providers have an option! Additionally, opt out of snail mail and opt in to email correspondences. I get coupons, letters, basically everything I can sent to my email.

Support conservation efforts + causes that mean something to you

It’s honestly insane for me to think I may have kids that grow up in a world where tigers and sea turtles are nearly a thing of the past, if not already. Support organizations like WWF or the National Park Foundation - just find a cause that means something to you, and donate your time, money, or whatever you can to support them! On that note - don’t be afraid to speak up about these causes on social media or in public. We have great platforms to quickly spread knowledge and inform people - so let’s use it for something positive!

RECYCLE

Recycling is like…the easiest thing to do. Check to see what your county recycling rules are and how paper, plastics, glass, etc are disposed of in your community. In addition to recycling, try composting! That’s something I’m hoping to start doing in the near future!!

Finally, try meatless meals

For ethical reasons, I was a vegetarian for 6 years. To make a long story short, I became very sick my junior year of college, and needed to quickly some protein back into my system, so I started eating fish and white meat again. It’s something I’ve struggled with mentally ever since, and am gradually working my way back to a vegetarian diet. At least once a week, I go meatless, but lately I’ve been working my way back up to 3 days per week. There are so many alternate (and affordable) protein sources available nowadays, that you won’t even miss meat on your meatless days! So many restaurants have meat alternatives, so if you’re reallllly in the mood for a burger - try a veggie burger, or something like the Impossible burger shown above!

Let me know if you try anything listed here, or have tried it in the past!

Magically,

Maya