Simple Steps to Go Green {Week #1}

One of my passions is health and wellness. I love reading and learning tips and tricks about becoming healthier. Another passion is helping others. Putting the two together, I came up with a “simple step” series to address several areas of life near and dear to my heart (and hopefully yours, too).

Unfortunately, habits can be hard to change, so let’s take it slow and steady. Each week we will focus on a new step. Even if you have already discovered the step for the week, maybe focusing on it will help bring a newfound awareness. My hope is that you enjoy and learn something from this exercise and that we can all grow and evolve together.

Go green

Step #1: Reduce, reuse, and recycle.

This phrase is mentioned a lot, but have you really stopped to think about all of the ways you can make an impact utilizing these three simple words? Recycling each week is one obvious way, but what about becoming more conscious of reusing items. For example, instead of just recycling your sheets of paper, first try to use the back of the paper for notes, children’s drawings or grocery lists. Then, recycle it.

When possible utilize reusable containers. Some easy examples are for packing lunches, snacks and leftovers. If you do use plastic sandwich bags, try washing them out for another use. Try to think of various ways to re-purpose items. Some examples are: to save glass jars for rice or bean holders; to save plastic containers to corral toys; to donate games/toys/clothes and other unnecessary items to friends or charities. Another idea is to reduce paper towel and napkin usage.  Fabric napkins aren’t just for fancy restaurants and microfiber cloths, rags or sponges are great paper towel substitutes. There are so many ways we can make less garbage if we just take a moment to stop and really think about it.

We can also try to reduce our usage of water and electricity. Shutting off lights and the TV when not in the room are easy things to do immediately (and they can save you money, too). Unplug appliances you don’t use often. Use excess water for plants and shut off water when brushing teeth.

These ideas can also be a fun job for your little ones. After my son’s school talked about recycling, he thought it was hysterical to point out when I left a light or appliance on and he was so excited to help me put items in the recycling bin.

Lastly, focus on reducing the amount of unnecessary things brought into you home. For me (and with whining children), it helps to think about where an item is going to go at home. If there isn’t an easily defined “home” for the new item, then it probably isn’t needed. Additionally, children grow so fast (and their preferences change so fast). Keeping that in mind, how many shirts/toys/etc. do they really need?

Those are some ideas to hopefully get you thinking about how you can be “greener”. They may seem like very simple steps with insignificant impact, but as Dr. Suess so wonderfully said in The Lorax, ““Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

In what ways do you help to make Mother Nature happy? I would love for you to share your ideas, too!

If you enjoyed this post, please read Week 2, Week3 and Week 4.

Thank you and best wishes,
Stephanie

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