Lex's Eco-Friendly Switches

 EEK!  Y’all I have been waiting for this post since Mad and I met up to discuss content for this month.  Living sustainably is something I strive for on a daily basis and the importance of it was taught to me from a young age.  There are always more ways to be more sustainable, but here are just a few changes that I’ve made in my daily life so far to help reduce my carbon footprint and plastic usage.

Change #1: Using reusable bags.  I could be wrong, but I think my family hopped on this trend once stores started to sell reusable bags in the checkout lines.  We have an entire collection and there’s always at least five in the back of every one of our cars.  But, for some reason we don’t have one, we buy another one.  Prior to using reusable bags, we would reuse plastic bags from stores as poop bags for the pups… no shame.

Change #2: Using metal straws.  Your girl has an iced coffee addiction, but somehow I forget about my bamboo/metal straws in my purse before it’s too late.  I have them and either use them, forget to pack them, or fail to look for them.  That or I’m just handed a straw with my drink and feel bad about saying I don’t need one and just take it politely anyways.  This is a change I have to be more persistent in.

Change #3: Using public transportation.  As soon as I found out I was moving to the East Coast, I made the choice to not take my car.  I have access to busses and trains and I can ride my bike.  I survived all four years of college without a car because I was fortunate to be in walking distance of work (or live where I worked) and have friends who would either lend me a ride or let me borrow their car.  Plus, Stevens Point was a wicked awesome city to bike around.

Change #4: Ditching the plastic toothbrush.  I bought my first bamboo toothbrush my freshman year of college and used that puppy until the bristles were falling out.  (If there’s a timeline on changing out toothbrushes, I don’t follow it).  Since this loss was unexpected, I had a backup plastic toothbrush and went on with using that… until recently.  I currently use Brush, by Bite - it’s a 100% plant based toothbrush with bristles made from castor beans and a bamboo handle.  Check it out here.

Change #5: Kicking the tube.  Speaking of dental hygiene, I also recently switched from toothpaste in a tube to toothpaste bits.  I currently buy the 4-month supply of Fresh Mint from Bite.  Prior to making the switch, my mom was concerned about the lack of fluoride; however, these toothpaste bits are made with nHAp (Nano-hydroxyapatite) which is a non-toxic fluoride alternative!  Another thing I love about this subscription is that refills are sent automatically and shipping is free.  In general, I’m obsessed with this company, what they stand for, and their compostable, plastic-free packaging.  Check it out here.

Change #6: Switching from liquid soaps/shampoos to bar soaps/shampoos.  Choosing bar soap over body wash was a quick and easy switch because what I use is available in both forms (I’ve got really sensitive skin so I try not to change brands/formulas as little as possible after finding one that works).  Switching over to shampoo and conditioner bars was not as easy.  My hair is fine and thin and gets greasy after 24 hours.  I spent a little bit doing some research to see which brands I should be on the look-out for based off of reviews.  I waited until I used up what I already had before finding Ethique.  I don’t remember how I found them (as they are a New Zealand based company), but I didn’t hesitate to buy their special edition Wombar shampoo bar and Kookabara conditioner bar that was not only created in partnership with Bindi Irwin but also gave a portion of the proceeds to The Wildlife Warriors foundation.  From the first use, I was hooked.  I’ve already used up the Wombar, but the Kookabara is still going strong and probably will for a while (like most conditioners, I suppose).  Ethique also does plastic-free packaging and has several partnerships that they donate 20% of their profits to annually.  Check it out here.  I didn’t want to wait for another shampoo bar to ship and I knew that SONO Collection (a local mall) had a Lush store, so I made a quick run there to pick up a bar of Jumping Juniper (I wanted to keep the lavender consistency with my remaining conditioner bar).  I have to say that I probably prefer the Lush shampoo bar over the Ethique shampoo bar just because of the activation time - it takes fewer swipes through my hair with the Lush product than the Ethique product to get some good suds going.  Like Ethique, Lush also partners with several charities of choice and participates in ethical campaigns.  Check it out here.

Change #7: Switching from tampons to a menstrual cup.  This one is pretty self-explanatory.  Also a change that I went back and forth on for a while, but one I don’t regret making!  It saves money and is environmentally friendly.  Did I mention that you are set for 12 hours?  I use an Organicup and you can check out their website here.  I think last spring they were distributing free ones on campus..?  I was jealous when I heard the news and encouraged peers that I knew to take advantage of the offer!

Change #8: Making Ecosia my search engine.  That’s right.  I don’t use Google or Yahoo or Bing.  When I search the web with Ecosia, the income they make from search ads is used to plant trees.  I think that’s pretty dope.

I think those are the major eco-friendly switches I’ve made so far!  Another quick thing I wanted to mention with grad parties just around the corner is that there are compostable cutlery and trays available to purchase.  We did this for my grad party and it was great!  I think we had enough to use for my brother’s party a couple years after mine, too!  I know that there’s a lot of other options out there for me to explore - any that you recommend that you didn’t see on my list already?  Any on my list that you’re interested in trying?

Lex out...