Zero Waste Favorites
Happy Earth Day, friends!A couple years ago I decided to make a concerted effort to reduce the amount of waste in our home and in light of Earth Day, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite resources and steps we’ve taken in making our home more sustainable, as well as some products that are on my list to incorporate into our routine. We are definitely not perfect and have a long way to go, but I’m super proud of our progress and have very much enjoyed the thoughtfulness and discipline that I’ve learned in the process.
First steps I started with were swapping out things like dryer sheets for dryer balls, replacing soaps and detergents with eco-friendly or refillable options. My general rule of thumb is to try to find package-free or refillable products first if possible, like these cleaners and this hand soap. I also love this moisturizer that has a refillable pod (and the moisturizer is amazing, too!). A few of my other go-to places to shop zero waste are Public Goods for most of our home essentials (they have such an amazing selection of sustainable products as well as food and pantry items) and By Humankind for toiletry items.
The biggest change for us was overhauling our kitchen in order to reduce the amount of single use plastic we went through. Food practices remain by far the hardest for me to stick to since it’s a total mindset shift from what we’re used to, but I’m really happy with how far we’ve come. I recently started an Imperfect Foods subscription, and we are loving having sustainable, organic produce shipped right to our door and I’ve been really pleased with the selection and quality. I also subscribed to a weekly compost pickup when we lived in Indiana, and I loved that — I’m currently researching something similar here in Colorado. And obviously, we try to recycle as much as we can.
My approach to my wardrobe and home decor is to try and only purchase items made from organic, sustainable materials that are better for the planet, as well as shopping second-hand and vintage more. I know it isn’t for everyone, but I personally love browsing through Facebook Marketplace, Offer Up, or Craigslist on the hunt for unique vintage furniture or decor. So many good finds! And there are lots of great places to shop secondhand for gently used or designer clothing, like The Real Real or Poshmark.
Lastly, trying to adopt a “less is more” mindset and purchasing quality items that I will continue to use again and again and limit impulse buying is another great way to be more sustainble-minded. Really loving your surroundings, enjoying the spaces you’ve put together in your home, and taking care of your things is the foundation to putting all of this into practice.
We only have one mother earth, so let’s do our part to take care of her!
Favorite zero waste products
