How to Be Sustainable While Staying Home
How to be sustainable and save the environment from the comfort of your home.
April 22 is Earth Day and this one might be the best one yet. Since everyone is home, due to recent events, the Earth is recovering from the years of damage we’ve done to it. Cars are off the street, production factories have halted, and fewer planes are flying. This means fewer gases and chemicals are being released into the air and the Earth is thriving! The skies are clear, the rivers are cleaning up, and Earth is happy. It’s unfortunate that we have to stay inside for safety, but I hope everyone takes note of how the Earth is changing while we’re inside.
To further our efforts of helping the environment, here are 10 ways you can be sustainable while staying at home!
1. Use Metal or Silicone Straws
Around two or three years ago I decided to switch from single-use plastic straws to silicone and metal straws. I use these metal straws for my coffee and these big silicone straws (perfect for kids!) for my smoothies! Plastic straws can stay on the Earth for at least several hundred years. Metal and silicone straws can be used for years and then be recycled! The best sustainable option would be to ditch straws altogether.
2. Switch to Reusable Zip Bags
I know everyone has a drawer for their plastic sandwich bags and freezer bags, but there are reusable zip bags now! They are used for the same purpose, storing leftovers or keeping things fresh. I know they can be pricey but you only need to buy them once and you’re good for a few years.
3. Take Reusable Bags to the Grocery Store
California banned plastic bags a few years ago and it was a game-changer. Stores (expect some) no longer give out plastic bags but instead offer reusable plastic bags. The best option is to get a few reusable bags, to use for a few years! Unfortunately, grocery stores still offer plastic bags for produce. So instead of using those, I use these reusable ones!
4. Glass Jars Instead of Plastic Containers
Glass jars or cups are best to use because they are free of chemicals, unlike plastic cups. I would personally not want my water, pantry goods, or produce sitting in plastic for a long time. Reusable plastic tumblers seem like a good idea instead of a water bottle but the best option is glass because of how easy it can be recycled!
5. Looseleaf Tea
Did you know certain tea bags with wrappers and stringed tags are drastically polluting the ocean and water systems? This is because some companies (like Starbucks!) use plastic bags for their teas that are not recyclable or biodegradable. These means you could be drinking tiny plastic particles! I currently use a mix of tea bags with no strings or tags and loose leaf tea. If you want to fully avoid plastic in your drinks, I recommend this tea! Plus you can put them in mason jars. Cute and sustainable!
6. Cloth Towels Instead of Paper Towels
I had such a bad habit of grabbing a paper towel to dry my hands instead of a towel when I’m in the kitchen. It’s probably because I made the paper towels more convenient to grab than the towel! Eliminating paper products like paper towels and napkins (as much as possible) is ideal when it comes to being sustainable because it will create zero-waste!
7. Diffuser Instead of Wall Air Fresheners
Air fresheners (like the wall plugins from B&BW) can be polluting your air with a toxic chemical called volatile organic compounds. It’s known to cause respiratory issues, headaches and even cancer. It’s best to switch to a diffuser because it creates less waste and is better for you to breathe in! All you need is essential oils and filtered water.
8. Reusable K-Cups
I feel like every company has made their own version of a K-Cup. Those plastic cups of coffee that you use once and throw in the trash after. Even the inventor of the cups regrets making them because it’s such a waste of plastic, that’s just used for convenience. Luckily, Keurig has reusable k-cups perfect for coffee grounds! In my opinion, coffee grounds not only taste better and have a stronger taste, but they’re not oily like the K-Cups are. It’s a better cup of coffee using coffee grounds and better for the environment. It’s a win, win!
9. Eat Less Meat
Eating an excess amount of meat is not only affecting your health but also the environment. The production of meat is damaging our land, water, and the air you breathe. Furthermore, tons of water is needed on animal production farms. It also creates a dangerous amount of greenhouse gases causing climate change. Try eating vegan or vegetarian at least twice a week! You’ll save tons of water, food, and land usage.
10. Shampoo & Conditioner (EWG approved!)
If you take a look at your beauty and personal product ingredients you’ll notice a lot of words you can’t even pronounce. A lot of these products contain harmful ingredients to the environment including parabens, chemicals, and drug preservatives. Most commonly found in shampoo and conditioner, that eventually ends up in our oceans harming marine life. Simply switch to this amazing EWG approved shampoo and this conditioner to help further save our oceans!
Learn more ways on how you can help save the planet here!
These are all the simple and easy ways to be sustainable while staying at home. I hope you’re all safe and well.
Until next time,
FTC: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through my links at no extra cost to you.
I love your post! I have been looking for ways to be more environmental friendly and you just gave me plenty. Thanks girl!
I had no idea that tea bags were an issue for pollution! I will definitely switch over to loose leaf tea – thanks!
Such a great post! I’ve been looking for ways to be most sustainable and live as clean as possible.
Stephanie | http://www.spvliving.com
Great post! over the last few years, I’ve made a huge effort to start incorporating more sustainable products into my kitchen. I love metal straws, glass Tupperware/ containers, and I’ve been on the hunt for reusable sandwich bags.
Love these tips. We’ve found just conserving TP and paper towels has been a huge help. Unfortunately, our grocery stores in LA have stopped allowing us to even bring re-usable bags into the store, so for now we have to settle with paper.
Great post! I’ve been changing some things already, but you have given me inspiration to change other items to more eco-friendly materials! Thank you for sharing!
We’re trying to do so many of these things, but COVID-19 put a temporary end to using the reusable bags for the time being. Can’t wait to be able to do some of those things again soon!
Love this, I am a huge “go green” advocate. I love when others promote that lifestyle 🙂
This is a very good post, ever since start stay home more during this situation, I have been changing up how I do things. This post is very good and has inspired me to change and use more eco-friendly things.
It’s amazing how the earth is changing during this crazy time! We can only hope that this will make people and companies realize that it IS possible to make changes for the good of the planet. Great post!
I completely forgot about reusable zip bags, Im going to try them out. Also, I like to use oil burner with the tealight candle.
These are great ideas for being sustainable!
Such great tips! It’s so crazy how it takes a pandemic and us not using as many resources for the earth to reset itself!
Some of these I had no idea were causing problems for our world! Thanks for bringing them to my attention 🙂
Love, love, love this! The results of the entire world doing less has been astounding! Thanks so much for you tips!
This is a great post, and I’ve been making a lot of changes in my daily life to be more sustainable but there’s always room for improvement. Thanks for sharing these!
Stephanie | SPV Living
All these tips are so doable right now and I feel like so many things can be done right now that can help in zero waste as we all are staying home and have time to clean and reuse most of our stuff.
Love all of my reusable kitchen ware! And EWG’s app is ESSENTIAL for choosing clean products.
Shouldn’t we also be doing this when we’re not staying at home?
I’ve recently made the switch to cloth towels, love them!
I didn’t know that about tea bags. I will check out loose leaf tea.
Being so into fitness, it’s challenging eating vegan food. It can be delicious if it’s cooked right, but trying to reach my protein goal would be hard because there’s barely any protein in the meals. Beans and lentils don’t have much protein at all, since I tried tracking them once in my tracking app, but all these other tips are great!
I’ve found that just staying at home has made it easier to be more sustainable (no meals on the go, less consumption of stuff in general) but I didn’t realize that tea bags were a problem! Thanks for sharing. xoNipa
Love your blog! I have definitely been trying out more sustainable options since quarantine has started. These tips were so helpful!
Excellent post! We do so many of these including no meals on the go. I need to use my diffuser more often though.
Great suggestions! Our reusable kcups and my diffuser cups (ceramic mugs with built in diffusers for loose leaf tea) have been great changes here in our house – they allow us to enjoy all our favourite tea and coffee without contributing to the waste that many products do.
Unfortunately, around here, many local grocery stores have actually asked us to stop bringing reusable grocery bags for the time being, until the COVID-19 situation has passed. So, we have more plastic bags here than I have seen in a LONG time. That being said, I was reading about a local woman that uses them to crochet mats for the homeless. I am going to try to find her contact info and see if I can just collect all these plastic bags and donate them to her.
You have a lovely layout of your blog, really impressed
You have a lovely layout of your blog, really impressed
Amazing post and layout! I already do most of these things, but you’ve inspired me to do more!
Loose leaf tea is an awesome idea! I recently purchased some and they’re literally like a sunny day in a cup – I love mint tea x
Insightful, glad that it’s considerate of nature and environment.
This is such a great post. We need to be reminded not to be wasteful, especially in our homes <3
I’m definitely a user of reusable bags! If I do come home with the plastic bags, they end up being used as small trash can liner.
Hi! I’m still very new in trying to be more mindful of leading a life of sustainability so just wanted to let you know I appreciate all the helpful tips in your post thank you.
These are all fabulous ideas! I just recently purchased some stainless steel straws, and I don’t even miss the plastic ones.
There is so much we can control … I have gradually made some changes myself: cloth towels, metal straws, glass jars, … even bamboo tooth brushes, lol