Once upon a time I was this sweet little fourth grader that would rinse out and hang dry her plastic ziplock baggies from her lunches everyday of the week to reuse the next day because I LOVED our planet. When I hit high school I started an Eco club that maybe four students joined and ultimately failed (womp womp). Point being…that passion in me basically disappeared for 10 years and I’m not sure why. I think I got swept up in the convenient grab and go lifestyle that was and is still constantly shoved down our throats. It’s a social norm to have single use plastics in every aspect of our lives. As millennials we’ve been taught that if we aren’t constantly busy our worth goes down, so by default we find ways to expedite our daily chores so we can put most of our time towards working and socializing. As a result our planet is polluted AF – SO what now? Well, that’s the insanely daunting question isn’t it. And honestly, if you overthink it and try to do too much all at once you’ll go down a deep dark hole that will overwhelm and possibly discourage you from trying at all.

I’m far from being an expert at this point in my eco-friendly journey but I think you’ll find these tips helpful in getting you started.

Analyze your current lifestyle

Before buying anything at all really think about what you need in your life and what you don’t. Even if you wanted to be perfect and eliminate all plastic and unnecessary waste from your life… it’s going to basically be impossible in the world we live in currently. Just start by seeing how many single use plastics you have in your daily routine that you could eliminate. All you have to do is compromise, no one is perfect.

Questions to ask yourself:

• Do you buy prepackaged produce or fresh?
• Do you use plastic bags at the grocery store or bring your own?
• Do you use paper towels daily?
• Do you have a recycling plan with your waste management company?
• Do you have a water filter or do you use plastic water bottles?
  • Not to be harsh but it’s 2020 – DITCH THE PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES ALREADY

You get the point, but before making any decisions…

Do your research

I really believe it’s best to start by educating yourself. Why is any of this important? How polluted is the world? Where does trash go? What plastics are actually recyclable? How are plastic bags made vs reusable bags?

All of these questions may seem silly and you might already know the answer BUT do you really? I didn’t actually know how bad it was until I started doing more research. Highly recommend watching Recycling Sham from the “Broken” series on Netflix to get you started.

One step at a time

Once you start doing your research you will realize that the sustainability movement isn’t just about going plastic free…it’s SO much more. It’s about everything; what we consume, where we buy from, how things are made, your carbon footprint, clean & plastic free beauty (that’s a big one for the ladies), etc. It can be SO overwhelming. I learned it’s easier to just do what you can and be content with making small changes one step at a time. Blog post coming soon on my first purchases.

Use what you already have

It’s easy to get excited and want to buy all new sustainable or plastic free items but the point of this movement isn’t to purchase more it’s actually to consume and use less. Instead of throwing out your plastic containers for glass ones…just keep using the ones you already have. Rather than tossing all of your plastic bags find a way to use them. Use all of your beauty products before buying more…it’ll benefit our planet and your bank account.

The list goes on and on but the point is to train yourself to use what you already have so you consume and spend less. Seems easy enough but it’s a hard habit to correct.

Don’t let good marketing get the best of you or your wallet…

This one was hard for me to catch onto at first – I’m a sucker for good marketing. Once you dive into eco-friendly options you will find that there are a TON of businesses that appear to be supporting the cause…but if you do your due diligence and you’ll be able to see past their perfectly curated website and Instagram feed. Not all sustainable goods have to be expensive, you just have to find them.

I hope this was helpful! If you have any questions or tips of your own leave them below!