Lately, I’ve been hyper conscious about how I can live more sustainable everyday. The news of climate change and other environmental affects of human life have influenced me into being savvier in terms of my general affect on the environment. You all know that when it comes to fashion, I’m all about thrifting – a smart practice to reduce waste when it comes to reusing clothing – but there are additional, simple ways I’ve been practicing sustainability that you can start to use for Earth Day.
Carry a Tote Bag
After moving into my new apartment, plastic bags have become my nemesis. I hate the clutter of plastic bags but also how unnecessary they can sometimes be. Anytime I go out, I’ll usually fold a tote into my purse which will be used for my purchases. it works fabulously for both grocery shopping and more leisurely shopping.
Shop sustainable brands
When it comes to fashion, you can consciously choose brands that focus on sustainability and enlist sustainability practices. I often think of Reformation as a recent, stand out brand that makes beautiful clothing in a sustainable manner. Mall stores like Urban Outfitters’ Urban Renewal line and H&M’s Conscious collection are capsule collections that also work to have at least a fraction of the overall store inventory devoted to the conscious production of clothing. For activewear, consider Girlfriend Collective, which makes amazing leggings and sports bras out of recycle plastic (and yes, it is very comfortable!)
Reducing Food Waste
When I learned that my neighborhood had a composting pick up on Sundays at its farmer’s market, I immediately began saving up my food scraps. In NYC, the Big Reuse collects your food scraps to be used in its composting project. I found this was not hard to implement at all (and even made garbage disposal after cooking easy. Each time I have fruit and vegetable scraps, I store it away in a freezer bag. At the end of the week, I dump it all the scraps into the composting bin. It’s honestly the easiest, cheapest thing you can do! If you’re interested in using the compost that the Big Reuse develops, you can do that too.
You can argue that eating your leftovers would be another way to reduce food waste, but let’s take that a step further. Have you ever noticed that only the most perfectly appearing fruits and veggies are at your grocery store? The visual aspect of food shopping is so important – at least to Americans – that we will often forgo a “flawed” item and only choose the shiny, unbruised apples that are still perfectly fine, or that way too small or large butternut squash. I’ve been using Misfits Market lately, a subscription that delivers ugly and imperfect produce right to your door. For as low as $19 a box, you can get a TON of stuff. In one box alone I’ve gotten 6 avocados, 2 butternut squash, onions, yellow squash, cucumbers, beets, parsley, and more. Get 25% off your first box!
It’s the simple things that we can all take part in that will eventually have a huge effect on the path the earth is taking. How will you take into account sustainability into your daily lifestyle?
Photography by Olivia (@olivenyhumans)