SUSTAINABILITY HACKS THAT ANYONE CAN DO EASILY

SUSTAINABILITY HACKS THAT ANYONE CAN DO EASILY

- stop using paper towels. buy a swedish dishcloth instead and/or un-paper towels or just cut up old clothing to make rags if you can’t afford to buy those

- stop purchasing most cleaning products! i rarely buy cleaning products anymore. what i do is i dilute 3 parts water and 1 part white vinegar and use that to clean most of my surfaces and floors and even the sink, toilet, and shower! i usually put that in a spray bottle and it makes life easier

- stop buying most things new, unless its absolutely essential: things like toothbrush, socks, and underwear usually have to be bought new and my advice for you is choose a more sustainable option meaning maybe invest in higher quality socks and undergarments that last longer, buy from a company that uses sustainable materials and pays their workers a living wage, etc. Bamboo toothbrushes are also an option, they are much better for the earth. but the most important thing is to use what you already have first!

- buy things in bulk when/if possible. for example, i buy bar shampoo and conditioner as well as bar dish soap from a specific company i adore online. what i do is i usually stock up on these items and buy multiple at once to last me 6 months - 1 year instead of ordering multiple times continuously. buying things in bulk is often also cheaper – especially items that are non perishable! it is less packaging waste a lot of the time and can be used to refill your containers for certain items. 

- if you need something specific, check facebook marketplace, thrift shops, depop, ebay, and see if you can find it secondhand first. even buying something brand new from a sustainable company isn’t always the most sustainable option. using something already made that someone else doesn’t need anymore is more sustainable than buying a brand new one

- do things digitally! send online invites, submit hw online (if its an option), buy digital copies of books instead of hardcopies, find required textbook PDFs online instead of buying the physical copy

- buy secondhand gifts! again, through thrift-shops or online, avoid one time gifts like balloons, maybe get a secondhand book from an online website or the thrift shop, if you know they collect (x) items, find them online if you can! or maybe they would appreciate a belt? perhaps a watch, or an antique clock? or even a nice pair of wool socks!

-invest in a bidet attachment. these can be attached to your current toilet and are around $40 online, and then you may even be able to install them yourself if you look at youtube videos (its not hard at all) or hire someone to install them! saves so much toilet paper

- FIX THINGS. REPAIR ITEMS AND CLOTHING. don’t throw things out when they’re broken or ripped. try fixing them first

- recycle your (worthless) electronics, you can do this at bestbuy, microcenter, and other places. things like smart watches that are dead, old/broken phones and computers, cords, reusable batteries etc. make sure to call ahead and ask if they will take that certain item – my microcenter store takes everything except for very old monitors and tvs and lithium batteries

- SELL YOUR CLOTHES/OTHER ITEMS! did you know most of the things donated at thrift shops end up in a landfill anyway? if you have stuff worth selling, you should sell them! if they aren’t worth selling, try seeing if a friend or family member would like them for free. posting on fb marketplace for free can also work – sometimes people will come pick it up on the same day! if all else fails, repurpose it into a rag for cleaning or something else!

- buy less overall. this is one sure way to be more sustainable. i care about each and every single item that i own and before buying something else, i ask myself if i truly would want it or if its just an impulse buy. i’ve gotten to the point now after many years where upwards of 50% of my closet is thrifted/secondhand, but this did not happen overnight!