Tips & Tricks for Sustainable Living

The Grocery Basket

It is nearly impossible to make it through a shopping trip without using plastic. While we can do our best to reduce the amount of plastic we use, almost everything we buy comes in plastic. Even the reusable bags we buy are often made with plastic and they rarely last forever, ending up in the landfill with all the plastic.

A simple solution? The grocery basket. Just sharpie your name on a sturdy laundry basket and throw it in under your grocery cart. When checking out, place your groceries in the laundry basket, pop the basket in your trunk and get all your groceries in your house in one trip! No more poor quality plastic bags and a sure way to  start a conversation at the grocery.

Vampire Energy

It is very possible you are wasting energy without even realizing it, most of us are! Many things that we use everyday have small lights to indicate they are working, even when you don't need them to be. Your alarm clock, microwave, cable box, chargers, and so many other electronics have small lights that are on whenever they are plugged in. We call this vampire energy.

You can reduce your energy usage which in tern reduces your carbon emissions and your month bill by unplugging these items when not in use. Your single light may not solve the climate crisis, but imagine if we all unplugged our vampire electronic?!

Shower Bucket

As someone who enjoys a long, hot shower, I feel endless guilt while I stand there taking in the amazingness that is a hot shower as gallons of water spill down the drain. I manage to feel a little less guilty by using my shower bucket.

I keep a wide-mouth bucket in the shower while I allow it to warm up (if I can't benefit from this water dumping from the shower head, something better) and then when it's time for me to benefit from the shower water, I move it to the side. Then I can use that water in my garden, to clean, or whatever else I may need water for during the day!

The Tub Shave

Ah yes, the glamorous task of dragging a razor across our skin for us humans who choose to shave our legs. Not only is the time it takes to shave a pain in the rear-end, it is an incredibly wasteful task. Razors themselves are generally made of plastic and only last a handful of shaves and countless gallons of water are wasted when we shave in the shower.

Now, I know it's not glamorous; helping our mother Earth doesn't always mean being being glamorous, OK? However, the bathtub shave is where it's at. To be clear, I mean sitting in/around the dry tub turning the faucet on and off when you need water (actual baths can use a lot of water, depending).  Sit, stand, prop your leg on the wall, however you want to do it, shaving your legs in the tub will reduce your water consumption and, therefore, reduce your water bill.

Native Species Landscaping

As a desert dwelling individual, one of the best ways to conserve water and energy is to have a yard that was made for people who live in the desert. I did grow up in the midwest, so I know how fantastic and lush grass is, but I also know the amount of work required to grow grass in a desert environment is unreasonable.

By choosing plants that are native to the ecosystem in which we live, we can rely more on the environment to take care of them and less on the hose. Designing your landscape with your ecosystem in mind can encourage native birds and other fun animals to hang out in your yard, too!

Water Pressure

Brushing your teeth, washing your hands, doing the dishes... there are dozens of times throughout the day that we crank on the sink. It has become a mindless habit to turn the faucet as far as it will go. Even when we are trying to make the water hotter, we turn the hot water up instead of turning the cold water down.

One of the easiest ways to conserve water is to simply not turn the water on full blast. When wetting your toothbrush, scrubbing your hands, or rinsing your dishes, turn the water on half way and adjust when you need! When the shower water is too cold, turn the cold water down instead of turning the hot water up.

Sustainable Houseplant Solutions

If you're like me, houseplants are a mildly-consuming part of my daily life, but it does have a tendency to create waste. Nursery pots are generally made of flimsy plastic that is not usually always allowed in residential recycling programs and we use water to keep them alive... or accidently kill them sometimes.

In terms of pots, saving nursery pots is a great way to reduce the need for more. The different sizes will usually stack nicely and will come in handy when you need to perform an immediate plant rescue. I will also save nicely-sized plastic tubs from grocery items, like butter or salsa tubs, for smaller plants. They can be painted or just popped inside a decorative pot! My favorite way to conserve water is by collecting the shower water while it heats up. Bottom watering and reusing the water is also a great way to save some!

Buy Used

The demand for new and shiny objects just continues to grow as newer and shinier products are created. The more demand we have for new products, the more we need to harvest resources from the environment, the more energy we spend on production and shipping, and the more waste we end up producing.

Second-hand shopping is one of the best ways to be sustainable. Buying products that would otherwise be in the landfill also reduces the demand for new products. You can go explore your local thrift shop or shop online! There are great resale apparel resources like thredUP and The RealReal or if you're looking for furniture or other home goods, my favorite one-stop-shop is OfferUp. Second-shopping often has a negative stigma, but it's the easiest way to get the products you need while still being sustainable.