Three Ways to Honor Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!  There’s so many things we can all do to help take care of our Mother Earth and sometimes when there’s a lot of options, it’s hard to decide where to start.  I recently discovered a few new ways that I can make an impact and hope from reading this you will find it resourceful.

1. SWITCH your most used items to a more environmentally friendly version. 

This is something you can easily do!  Take a moment and think about items you use all the time - is there another version that will either last longer or made from better materials, that can be recycled or bio-degrades or offer more than a single/few uses?  Here’s a few items I’ve done the switch on:

- Floss: Definitely an item everyone uses everyday.  Did you know most floss consists of nylon? You’ve flossed, tossed it in the trash and guess what … that floss is going to be there for decades!  I have happily switched to a silk floss which is biodegradable from Radius and I know there’s a number of options you can find online.

- Shopping/Reusable Bags: My go-to is Envirosax bags - great size, they fold-up very compactly so I always have one even in my small cross-body purses, machine washable, comes in an array of designs and can carry A LOT (tested to hold more than 44 lbs!). 

- Water Bottles: On the regular, I am using my Corkcicle when I’m hiking because it’s durable, keeps beverages cold or hot and I like the design of the screw-cap because it’s easier to clean than others on the market.  I also enjoy my glass water bottle from Sand Cloud (because its light weight so I’ve tucked this into my tote bags, especially great for when you’re out for a short time so you don’t need to bring that much water with you, plus Sand Cloud donates 10% of their profits towards marine conservation. 

2. DONATE better. 

Donate regularly? That’s great!  But before you head to your default donation center, ask yourself if some of the items might have a better impact elsewhere. 

- Art Supplies = Remainders Creative Reuse: I went through a major decluttering and I had a large amount of arts/crafts items I wanted to somehow donate (pretty fabric you don’t have a project for? all the materials for a new craft but it just sat in a bag? Hi, that’s me).  I put together an arts/crafts kit for my friends’ kids but that didn’t really make a dent.  I searched for art supplies donation and came across Creative Reuse centers with the Pasadena center being the closest to me. A “maker space and materials depot”, I was able to donate all my items to them!  You can shop in person or online and also take a workshop. 

- Bras = The Bra Recyclers - They accept all categories of bras, sports ones included (and even post surgery breast cancer supplies/accessories and new panties). They work with numerous non-profits and I learned they’ve been able to donate to “women and girls around the world in need/or who are escaping domestic violence and human trafficking.”  

- Towels and more = Your nearby animal shelter/rehabilitation center/humane society - At some point I accumulated more bath towels and beach towels than I needed; a friend of mine mentioned she had been decluttering and was going to donate some towels to her local animal shelter, which I never thought of!  I called my local humane society to confirm they were accepting donations of towels and happily donated them where they will have immediate impact.  On their website they also list items they are in need of so I will check regularly in case I’m able to donate. 

3. RECYCLE and not just your bottles & cans.

Ever wondered if there was a better way to dispose of unwanted undergarments or that worn-out item that even a thrift shop wouldn’t want?  I did and discovered there’s a few solutions including companies offering textile recycling! 

- Retold Recycling - Convenient biodegradable bags with pre-paid postage that you can purchase and send them “all clean and dry household textiles and clothes” which includes blankets, dish cloths, old underpants, cotton face masks, etc. They will take your good and bad stuff, anything you would be inclined to throw away.  

- Suay Sew Shop - Located in Los Angeles, you can drop-off textiles that will be recycled or upcycled, they offer repair services and also create products from a combination of “post-consumer waste, deadstock and domestically, organically grown fibers.” 

We only have one Earth. 💚

- Steph.