Little Actions That Make a Big Impact
What you buy, how you clean, and what you eat all make a difference
Personal Participation in
Environmental Protection is Essential
In this day and age, personal participation in environmental protection is more important than ever. You already know about recycling and riding your bike instead of driving, when feasible. Here, we’re suggesting some other things you can do to live more sustainably.
Choose The Sweetest Baby Products
Diapers. A lot of disposable diapers are composed of plastic and other non-biodegradable materials that overwhelm our landfills, and some contain chemicals like chlorine. Cloth diapering is the most sustainable option and also saves money in long-run. If cloth diapering isn’t for you (totally get it!), purchase eco-friendly disposable diapers. Dyper is our top pick. They use plant-based materials, are free of harmful chemicals, and offer a composting program. Another thing you can do is make sure to use biodegradable bags for your diaper pail, like these.
Baby Food. While it requires more time and effort, making your own baby food is less wasteful and more economical. Another perk is that you’re able to mix in breast milk or formula to add a familiar taste and additional nutrients.
Subscription services can be costly and some use a lot of single-use plastics, but if you want to treat yourself and your baby (you both deserve it), we recommend Tiny Organics. You can feel great knowing that your baby is eating delicious, USDA-certified organic food that encourages adventurous eating down the road. They also use eco-friendly paper-based packaging. Win, win!
Store-bought pouches are extremely convenient, especially for a family that is always on-the-go, but they aren’t curbside recyclable. If you can’t give these up, join a recycling program for them. Click here to start.
Eat Less Meat
The meat industry has a big ecological footprint—it uses a lot of resources, pollutes our water and air, and is a significant contributor of greenhouse gases. If you eat meat every day, try giving it up for just one day a week (Meatless Mondays), and replace it with nuts, beans, or tofu.
Use Less Plastic
Plastic is unavoidable in many facets of our lives, but you can use your purchasing power to support brands that make an effort to eliminate or significantly reduce single-use plastics. Some tips:
- Ditch bottled water! Instead, get a reusable water bottle and refill it with filtered water. There are so many great and affordable filtration systems, like this one
- Buy biodegradable garbage bags and eco-friendly pet waste bags
- Refill your hand-soap dispensers with soap that comes in paper-based containers
- Buy reusable snack and sandwich bags
- Give bar shampoos and conditioners a try
- Use an electric toothbrush that has recyclable, plant-based replacement heads
- Either don’t use plastic straws or carry a reusable one
Grow Native Plants and Compost
Gardening isn’t just good for the soul, it’s also good for Mother Nature. More plants = less carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas. Opt for native plants, which grow naturally in your area. They’re lower maintenance and better for wildlife, including butterflies.
If you prefer a more manicured look, you can use more non-native plants in your front yard and dedicate your backyard, or at least a portion of it, to native plants. Make your native garden thrive by adding compost to the soil.
Use Naturally-Derived Cleaning Products
Many naturally-derived cleaning products don’t contain harmful chemicals and are biodegradable, so they're better for you and the planet. Look for products that have been certified by EPA Safer Choice, Green Seal, EcoLogo, or NATRUE. We love Blueland.
Rethink Your Clothing
Most clothing brands aren't sustainable. Their products are either made from virgin cotton treated with pesticides that wreak havoc on our soil, water, and wildlife; or they aren't high quality/durable enough to be passed on, so they end up in huge discarded clothing piles overseas. What can you do about it?
(1) Don’t buy a new piece unless you’ll wear it at least 30 times. Higher-quality items are more expensive upfront, but they’ll stand the test of time
(2) Buy secondhand clothing more often
(3) If your used clothing is in poor condition (we’re talking stains, tears, or really worn out), send them to a recycling program, like Trashie
(4) Support sustainable brands, like Rebloomed Kids
Do activities with your little ones to instill an appreciation of nature 🫶
If they see its value, they will want to help protect it 🌎
Author
Rebloomed Kids
Tags
Sustainable Living
Earth Day