Continue your eco-conscious lifestyle after the Pandemic.
Has this pandemic made you greener? You should be happy to know that you are not the only one who turned towards sustainability during the pandemic. 64% of Americans have been inspired to live a more eco-conscious lifestyle (Green Matters). If you are one of those people, thank you! You are doing a great service to the planet. If you’re looking for ways to start or ideas to expand your practices, I got a few ideas for you!
Food
Thanks to quarantine, many people have been cooking at home rather than going out to you. Have you tried doing Meatless Mondays? It’s a great start! Are you ready for a new challenge? Try to reduce the amount of food you throw out. The average American person wastes about 219 pounds of food each year. Not only is that super wasteful (the amount of food we throw away is about 40% of the total food made in America), but it’s expensive! The average American family wastes $1,600 throwing away food (RTS).
What can you do to eliminate your food waste now and after the pandemic? Start meal prepping. This will save you time during the week because you don’t have to think about what you are going to have for dinner every night. You will save money because you have curated your grocery list to include what you are going to have for that week and nothing else.
You don’t have to have the same meal every day for a week. You can mix it up; what I like to do is make a bigger dinner so that I have lunch for the next day. I find that meal prepping has helped me greatly in reducing my food waste. I only buy what I have planned for that week and I make sure I eat all of the perishable foods first so they don’t go bad. This has helped me save money and eat more healthily. Win-win!
When we can do indoor dining at restaurants, bring your own to-go containers. Don’t let your leftovers go to waste. Many restaurants have styrofoam or plastic containers, which is not good for the environment. My favorite is the collapsible containers because it is an easy storage container that can fit in a purse or carry.
Try composting. Check with your city or county to see if they have a residential composting program where you can order a container and compost your compostable foods (note that meat and meat by-products are not compostable). If no program exists, start your own composting. You have many ways to compost at home or in an apartment complex. If you are in an apartment, read this blog to learn of the different methods and pick one that will work for you. If you have a home that has a backyard, composting can be done right there. Check out this blog to learn about the different at-home composting methods and incorporate one that works for you.
Clothes
Have you found yourself cleaning out your closet and donating your clothes you don’t wear anymore? First, thank you for donating your clothes. The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothes each year. That is 81 pounds of clothes in the landfill that could have been recycled or donated. Now that you have cleaned out your closet, let’s look at how to keep that eco-conscious fashion going after the pandemic.
Stay away from fast-fashion. Which is inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends. Fast-fashion is terrible for the environment because a lot of the clothes end up in the landfill. Many are made out of polyester, which is plastic. Producing polyester emits two to three more carbon emissions than cotton. Learn more about how fast-fashion is bad for the environment here.
Try a capsule wardrobe. A capsule wardrobe is investing in high-quality items that you can wear over and over again. You can think of this as your “basics” in your wardrobe that you can layer and pair with other clothes. Investing in durable garments helps to reduce your waste because you are not buying clothes as often. You have reliable pieces of clothes that you can accessorize or mix and match with other garments.
Shop second-hand or upcycle. If you want/need to buy new clothes, buy second-hand or upcycle clothes that are in your closet. Have a dress you don’t wear anymore? Think of a creative way to spice it up some more by making it a shirt or adding some details to it. Buying used saves 700 gallons of water. If you want to learn more about how buying second-hand is better for the environment, please read the ThredUp Resale Report.
Transportation
Not all, but many people are now working from home. Some of them are working from home permanently, which is the most sustainable mode of transportation. Some will have to go back to work once it is safe. Good thing there are systems in place that can help you make your trip to work more sustainable.
The best mode of transportation is usually biking, walking, public transit, or rideshare/carpooling. If you live in a city, many of these options are readily available to you. Look up your city’s public transportation and find the best route for you to get to work. If you live in the suburbs, sometimes there might be a bus that brings people to the inner city (if that is where you work). Another way is to carpool. Websites or apps exist where you can join a carpool if you do not have any co-workers that live close to you. Not only do you save money by not having to pay for gas all the time or more maintenance on your car, but depending on your transportation choice, you can get some exercise!
You have lots of options to expand and continue your eco-conscious lifestyle. Focus on one category at a time and really make it part of your routine before adding in another task. too many changes that it becomes unsustainable for you. Have fun with this! It’s a great way to grow into your best self and help the environment as well. Thank you to all who have made eco-living a priority.
