Sustainable living is easier than you may think.
We southerners like to take it easy. There are plenty of easy things that we can do on a daily basis that are small steps towards more sustainable living. Check out these nearly effortless suggestions:
Say No to Styrofoam to Go I hate the styrofoam to-go containers with a passion but I rarely finish my meals at restaurants. What to do? I recommend A.) Bring your own container. There are super cute glass storage containers that are a viable replacement for plastic Tubberware. The glass is thick, durable, and recyclable.B.) Dine at places that don’t use Styrofoam like Ted’s Montana Grill and Chipotle.
Drink Up While we’re on restaurants, fast food joints offer small, medium, large, and obnoxiously large. These same establishments often offer free refills. Since the large and obnoxiously large cups are usually made of plastic (and cost more) order a small or medium drink in the cardboard cups (that cost less) and simply refill it when you want more. Save cash. Avoid plastic.
Receive an eReceipt Quite a few banks are offering paper-free services, including emailing receipts at ATMs. Skip the printed version and get the eReceipt. I’ve always received accurate, timely receipts without the clutter and waste of paper. Your tax people accept bank statements in place of actual recipes anyway.
Junk Junk Mail Newsflash–we all hate junk mail. Get rid of it with 41Pounds. 41 Pounds contacts companies on your behalf so that they stop sending junk mail. In the process, you can stop wasting about 41 pounds of paper a year and donate cash to causes that you support.
Can You Recycle That? Odds are, you can. I Googled “uncommon recyclables” and found articles on everything from recycling old keys, wire clothes hangers, CDs, and plastic plant containers. Seriously, look into it. Consider donating appliances to Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore.
We can defeat the Southern Cliche in the south and throughout the US one smart move at a time!
Image Source: Mommy Greenest