Inspired by the forgotten post I unearthed earlier this week about sustainability, I decided to continue on an environmental train of thought for a bit since, honestly, I don’t think one blog on this topic is enough! Thus, I bring you this short & sweet list of simple ways to be more sustainable. Let’s see how many of these we can incorporate in the next week!

1// Pee in the shower. I’m not even kidding. Toilet flushing makes up nearly 27 percent of indoor water use in a home, on average peeing in the shower once a day saves around 1157 gallons of water a year!

2// Purchase and use re-usable shopping bags (or just save the disposable ones and bring them back with you) whenever you go purchase something.

3// If you buy something small, forgo the bag and toss it in your pocket or purse. If you get a period, consider using a menstrual cup in lieu of tampons and pads. Not only are they more environmentally friendly (think of all of the plastic/paper/etc. that you throw out each month), they’re also more friendly to your body. There’s no risk of toxic shock syndrome when you use a menstrual cup, because they don’t contain the chemicals that tampons do (they’re dyed white etc.) Also, think of the money you will save when you’re not buying pads/tampons every month!

4// Start a scrap paper bin and throw all of those annoying class handouts, fliers, or whatever pieces of paper you’re given but never use  into it – then, when you need to jot something down really quickly, you’ll know what to use! (And recycle when you’re done, of course.

5// Make it a point to start unplugging your electronics when you’re done with them, especially at night when you’re headed to bed! Needlessly wasting electricity is not cool. Not to mention – don’t forget to turn off lights, heaters, and so on when you leave a room. Personally, this is one I need to work on! Continue reading →