Protect Our Mother

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I am becoming more Eco-Conscious because I recognize that we need to take respectful and proper care of our Mother. I am determined to make small changes over time so that we can help make a difference.

What we are doing...

• "Use it up, wear it out, make it do (repair it), or do without."

• Using up our plastic products and then replacing them with more sustainable products.

• In the Spring and Fall, we are taking the time to pick up the garbage around our town as we walk.

• For Yule/Christmas, we make our own wrapping paper out of paper grocery bags, use reusable cloth wrap, or use Santa bags and stockings.

• Meal Plan and eat leftovers for lunch the next day so that food is not wasted. Or make the leftovers into a new meal.

• Prioritize whole foods and cooking from scratch to minimize packaging waste.

• We compost and give veggie scraps to the chickens or save them to make broth. Stale bread or ends become chicken food.

• We preserve food through freezing, dehydrating, fermenting, and canning.

• We connect with people to avoid food waste - if we have extra that we cannot preserve we give it away.

• Store food properly so it does not go bad.

• We are learning to forage food.

• We are growing more of our own food and herbs.

• Using up our tea bags and switching to loose-leaf tea as most tea bags have plastic in them. Using a refillable capsule for the Keurig.

• We buy from local farmers through Delivered Fresh #NotAffiliated or Misfits Market. #AD #Referral Get $10 off on your first order. Azure Standard to shop in Organic Bulk. #AD #Credit Or we go to Green Star Co+Op to shop low waste.

• Shop at Farmer's Markets - Local Harvest

• Repurpose/Reuse containers and jars

• No longer buy Teflon pans. They scratch too easily and the particles end up in food.

• Reuse clothes to clean with. Use paper towels only for extremely gross pet messes.

• Put leftovers into reusable containers and bags, not single-use baggies.

• Skip the dryer sheets. We use Truly Free Home Drier Angels. #NotAffiliated

• I make my own cleaners OR use Melaleuca Cleaning Supplies. I'm not enthused about plastic waste, but I know that the cleaners are made by a company that actually cares about our safety.

• Plan our errands so that they are all in one trip to save gas.

• Carry cloth grocery bags or mesh bags, cloth veggie/fruit bags, cloth bulk bags, and a cooler for when we grocery shop.

• Carry reusable steel water bottles and make our own coffee in reusable cups.

• Use a reusable lunch container, reusable straws, and stainless steel "to go" cutlery. Ditch disposables.

• Replace baggies with Stasher silicone bags. #AD #Referral

• Keep clean glass jars to send guests home with leftovers.

• Use bamboo toothbrushes with plant-based bristles.

• No pesticides in our gardens.

• Turn off lights, unplug phone chargers, and unplug electronics/appliances when not in use

• Take shorter showers

• Use one drinking glass per day instead of getting a new one out each time.

• Everyone has their own shower towel and they wash it with their weekly clothing wash.

• When hand washing dishes, only run more water when rinsing.

• Wait until we have a full load for the dishwasher and laundry, and use shorter cycles.

• Saving money to avoid overconsumption. We only buy what we need.

• Buy products with less packaging whenever it is possible.

• Support Sustainable/Eco-friendly and Fair Trade business

• Eat more naturally, avoiding processed food and take out

• Use cloth napkins
  

• Avoid toxic ingredients like SLS, parabens, phthalates, and formaldehyde

• Use a double-flush toilet to save water

• Reuse printer paper backs for scrap paper

• Recycle junk mail right at the post office.

• Use Bamboo Toilet Paper from Who Gives a Crap. #AD #Referral Get $10 off on your first purchase!

• We have upgraded most of our appliances to energy efficient.

• We use energy-efficient bulbs.

• As we remodel we are adding more insulation.

• Give away good clothing that we no longer wear.

• Buy E-books and Audiobooks when purchasing fiction. Books that we use for knowledge and learning purposes we still buy in paper.

• Use leftover bacon grease for frying

• Carefully Recycle

What we would soon like to do...

• Replace our cling wrap with beeswax wrap as soon as the cling wrap is used up

• Get a safety razor as soon as my Billie razor heads are used up

• Collect rainwater to water plants.

• Use solar panels for electricity.

• Get new double-paned windows installed

• Use rechargeable batteries

• Hang laundry out to dry in the Summer

• Make our own cleaners

Remember, these are things that we have chosen to do. You can use the ideas for your own green practices. Add one or two at a time so that you do not get overwhelmed.

Even small changes add up!

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