Steps to Green-Living (Part 2)

In the beginning of 2020 I put spending time in nature, and cutting back on single use products at the forefront of my focus. How did I do?

Check, Check, CHECK! I did it!

Less plastic, less paper towel, bye bye sponges, hello cloth diapers, hello electric vehicle, and falling in love with plastic free grocery stores.

If you go back and read my first post “Small Green Steps” you can read about all of my little and practical tips and tricks on leaving less of a footprint.

NEW Steps Towards a Greener Life!

• Switched to Cloth Diapers!

  (A whole post on that, coming soon.) This felt like the biggest step because I never imagined I would do this, but I am so glad I made the switch!

• Started Using Microfiber Cleaning Cloths!

  (I use these from Amazon), to replace MOST paper towel usage. And whoa, it cleans SO much better than paper towel. Paper towel feels like a waist of time when it comes to cleaning now. You just collect the used towels, and run a wash on them, and they are good as new. (Thank you to my big sister for this idea.)

• Replaced Sponges, with Something Way Better!

  I started to make my own linen dish washing cloths, to replace sponges. This idea came from a friend, and whoa… sponges just …. no use for them now! (Sponges are made from plastics, and also hold onto a lot of bacteria.)

• Electric Car

  I went from a gasoline powered SUV, to a fully electric car! It’s a Tesla and I am never going back. With gas savings, never having to do an oil change, not paying sales tax, and a $5k rebate from NJ due to causing far less emissions, owning a Tesla Model 3 is WAY more affordable than you would think.

• Meat and Eggs from Local Farm

  I now get a lot (but not yet all) of my eggs and meat from a local NJ, veteran owned, farm Dutch Hill Farm. But I can’t even take the credit, through the pandemic they made it so easy, and delivered right to your door! They just opened up their own store in Spring Lake, NJ!

• Started Shopping at Plastic Free Refill Stores!

  This is SUCH a game changer! And my dream is that the whole world returns to this style of shopping. It is simple, you bring your own reusable or recycled jars and containers, and you fill them up with as little or as much of any product you want, and you pay by weight. So if you just want to try a little of something, or you just need 1 cup for a recipe, you can!

  Do You Buy: pasta, oats, olive oil, nuts, sugar, vinegars, beans, seeds, granola, chocolate chips, dish soap? Then head to Dry Good’s Refillery in Montclair, NJ! The last time I was there the owner (seen in the photo above) saw that I was struggling to keep my 2 year old from touching things, while I was shopping, so she so kindly brought him over to her chalk board wall, and let him draw. Now come on!— This is the world I want to live in! Where a mom can feel supported and seen by another mom. Where a business owner is not only so passionate about changing the plastic imprint on the world, but going the extra mile to help her customers. They also have fresh bread from a local French baker, and other goods like eggs, milk, cheeses, and produce.

  Do You Buy: dish soap, laundry detergent, all purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, hand soap, shampoo/conditioner, shower gel, even things like peroxide, aloe vera, and kid’s soap? Then head over to Good Bottle Refill , also located in Montclair, NJ! They have so much here, you just have to go check it out yourself! I believe you can even order online, and have everything delivered!

  I got a hair conditioner there recently that smells like I am at a high end spa, with Cedar & Sage! These stores are also stocked with so many eco-friendly products, it is a great place to shop for meaningful gifts that are better for our planet! If you don’t have bottles of your own, no problem, they have some you can buy!

• Started to Recycle Soft Film Plastics, PROPERLY!

  Are you asking, what are “soft film plastics”? Basically, all plastic bags, and plastics that cannot be put into your regular recycling. Amazon bubble envelopes, plastic shopping bags, chip bags, the plastic bags that every sing thing you buy seems to come in.

  The problem is most people toss these things in the trash, or try to put them into their regular plastic recycling (I’m guilty of that!). But these items only clog the recycling plants, as their machines are not made for this type of products.

  It is easy! Just collect all of these bags inside another one of these bags and bring them to select locations around you, and they will be processed properly and turned into amazing things like decks by NexTrex. I drop my bags off at the Kohl’s near me, but you can look up locations near you, here.

• Shampoo Bar (No Plastic Packaging!)

  Trader Joe’s sells one that is very affordable! (Shampoo bars that I have found online were too much money, in my opinion, and I didn’t want to take the risk of hating it.) I am really happy with this product. It lathers up better than you would expect, and I have really long hair. It seems to clean my hair, without drying it out. If you have oily hair, you probably wouldn’t need conditioner, just this bar. I imagine I’ll be buying this from now on. (My favorite organic hair tip is here!)

• Cloth Menstruation Pads

  The thing is, when you are used to washing your child’s poop out of cloth diapers, suddenly disposable menstruation pads seem like such a waste! I personally don’t mind blood at all, and I don’t see period blood as gross or “un-pure” in anyway!

  If you don’t know already, there is no such thing as TMI in my book… so get over it :)!

  I have fairly light periods to begin with, so a small cloth liner is all I need many days. It is also nice to use these when you are not sure if your cycle is done for good, or going to surprise you with a little more. For heavier days I still use tampons or pads that do a better job at absorbing quickly. I need to look into something a bit more substantial than these liners. But real change happens one small step at a time.

What’s My Next Step for Low Waste Goals?

• Take Out Container Waste

  This drives me CRAZY! I still struggle with remembering to tell takeout places to NOT give us all this plastic. Few people actually need the crappy fork and knife. And 37 packs of ketchup or soy sauce. Why?… Like please, save yourselves some money, and don’t add all this trash to each order!!!

Question! Does anyone bring their own reusable container for takeout? Like a metal bento box? Do places frown upon that?

• I Want to Get More of My Foods Through Local Farms

  I’d love to join a CSA next summer, but I haven’t found any in this area. I also want to buy raw milk from a dairy farm. I know of one in NJ but it is an hour away. Any recommendations?

• I Want to Start Composting

  We have been trying to buy a home for almost two years, but still live in an apartment. I have turned my fire escape into our garden, but composting seems out of the question for now. But one day!

I’m just a photographer loving all the green around us! Thanks for reading!

You Might Also Like! “Minimalist Mama Must Haves”

Eco-Friendly Dish Sponge Alternative

Replacing Dirty Sponges with an Eco-Friendly Alternative

Here are some of the things that this linen cloth can do that your sponge cannot!

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

• Fit inside tiny spaces like the corners of Stasher Bags, the handle of your blender, between the threads of screw on bottles, inside any narrow jar/small space.

• Last a very long time, without ever getting stinky. Linen is naturally anti-microbial. (Sponges seem to be a natural breading ground for bacteria.) If you rinse, squeeze, and hang your dish cloth between uses, it simply doesn’t get gross. I started using my first one in February (5 months ago), and it has holes in it, and is getting tread bare from so much use, but it still works great and doesn’t smell. I used to replace sponges every month.

• It is washable! If you wanted to, just toss it in the wash along with your towels.

• Better scrubbing power than your average sponge with the scrubby pad.

• Safe on all surfaces.

• Wrap around the end of a wooden spoon to instantly become a bottle brush.

• Great suds power. I thought that it would probably not lather up the soap as well as a sponge, but it is the opposite!

• Better for the environment (obviously)!

I hope to start making more of these and selling them on my Etsy shop, as well as have plenty on hand to give as housewarming gifts.

Let me know if you are interested! Comment bellow!

And I MUST give credit to the lovely and talented Susan Baker! She is my photographer, and has taught me so much about healthy living, and this was her idea.

---

Be sure to read my other posts about the first steps I took towards a greener life in 2020, and (coming soon!) how the progress has been going in 2022!

You Might Also Like! “Minimalist Mama Must Haves”

Small Green Steps

A few years back I took the first steps in actually doing something about the amount of trash I create. This year I made it a personal goal to go farther.

You might notice that trees, leaves, and natural light are common themes, as you scroll though my website.

So it only makes sense that I do my part to take care of this beautiful green planet.

Below are some of the things I am doing to cut back on plastic and live a little more sustainably. I have a long long way to go, and welcome you to share your tips and tricks with me!

Be Prepared While on the Go

• I always keep a set of bamboo cutlery in my bag, now I never need to use plastic when I am out on the go. I am a HUGE fan of Wahi Hawaii, because their products are affordable, and make it really easy to go without single use convenient plastics. (Muse Coffee Co. proudly sells their beautiful bamboo straws.)

• When ordering takeout, (and I am still getting the hang of this one) remember to say no extra sauce packets or cutlery. Sometimes they toss in handfuls of ketchup or soy sauce, 10x more then anyone would use, and most of the time it goes right in the trash!

• I love my Fellow Carter Everywhere Mug! It seals shut so you can toss it in your gym bag, diaper bag, fancy bag… and not worry about spills. PLUS, it will keep your drink hot or cold for a really long time! So if you forgot about your cold brew until 10 hours later, not to worry, your ice will still be ice!

My Tips for Bringing Your Own Bags

• This one is pretty obvious, but can take practice to remember to bring them. In the beginning I would always forget my bags at home/in my trunk. So keep them in your car, in your passenger seat, where you will see them.

• I prefer canvas bags that you can carry over your shoulder. They are great for lugging heavy things! You can load them up, and fit larger items like a watermelon. Because they are over the shoulder, you have two free hands to deal with your child, car keys, and coffee. :)

• If you are only picking up a few things… Just carry the stuff!!! I always say “No thanks”, when they place one bottle of kombucha in a plastic bag. Come on people!

Tiny Steps (They might not seem like much, but it’s a mindset!)

• Loose leaf tea, instead of tea bags.

• Bar soap, instead of soap in plastic bottles.

• Never buy trash bags, use all the paper and plastic bags that you find lying around.

• Buy Used/ Donate. Also, just try to buy less! Less is always more in my book! :)

• Buy in bulk and share with friends and family. (Also still working on this!)

• Buy milk in reusable glass bottles, that you can return for $2 each! The milk tastes better too!

• Wooden toys, instead of plastic.

• Shop for whole ingredients/produce, to avoid having to buy so much packaging.

• Make your own cleaners and room sprays. For amazing tips and recipes check out Brown Thumb Mama.

• Bees wax wrap and reusable bags/glass containers, instead of plastic wrap and ziplock baggies.

• Use water from your rice, instead of expensive hair products! (Check out the Blog!)

What I am Working Towards

• There are some great new products out there, like bar shampoos and toothpaste tablets that are zero waste! But, so far I have not tried them, because the brands out there are cost prohibitive. But I am keeping an eye out!

• Buy ALL of my meat and eggs directly from a local farmer!

• Grow more of my own food… We live in an apartment, and there is only so much I can grow on my fire escape! :) (Don’t worry, its totally up to code.)

Let me know what ideas you would like to try, and PLEASE share your tips with me!!