This past Sunday was Earth Day, and while this holiday is an important one to me, it irks me a bit. Earth Day should be every day, and everyone should treat this planet with respect and love 24/7. Here are some simple and affordable ways you can celebrate Mother Earth every day! But if these tips aren’t enough to motivate you, here’s a video of a kid crying because grown-ups wrecked the earth.
1. Buy a bamboo toothbrush
Do you realize that every single toothbrush ever is still on the earth? They are just sitting in landfills or polluting the ocean. A decomposable, bamboo toothbrush is the future of dental care. You can buy them on Amazon for around $12 for a pack of 4.
2. Carry a water bottle
Whoever thought of selling bottled water was responsible for the biggest scam in world history. When you really think about it, why should you have to pay for something so necessary and natural? Next to that issue, plastic bottles are a serious problem for the earth. According to BanTheBottle.net, only 1 in 5 plastic bottles are recycled and Americans consume over 8.6 billion gallons of bottled water. Stop buying into the scam and buy a reusable water bottle.
3. Bring your own shopping bags to the store
You don’t have to buy the fancy reusable bags that cost a fortune to reduce the waste of plastic bags. Just bring any tote bag or even old plastic bags with you to the store next time you go. It’s an easy way to reduce the amount of plastic in landfills.
4. Reusable coffee mug
Next time you go to Starbucks, buy a reusable cup. They are eco-friendly, light weight and only cost a $1 and you get $0.10 off every time you use it at any Starbucks. If Starbucks isn’t your thing, you can use any kind of reusable cup at almost any coffee shop.
5. Buy a reusable K-cup
Since it’s mass-market about a decade ago, the Keurig has made life a lot easier for coffee lovers everywhere – but the cost of convenience has a huge price. The amount of K-Cups that have been trashed in landfills could wrap around the planet 10 times, according to Action.StoryOfStuff.org. If you really do love the Keurig, invest in a cheap reusable k-cup. They are just as easy to use and cut the waste.
6. Ladies… consider the menstrual cup
When you first hear the words “menstrual cup,” some people cringe a little. But once you actually woman up and try it, it is just as simple as using a tampon. Because feminine products are contaminated by bodily fluids, they are not recyclable and therefore are not eco-friendly. They create a mass amount of waste, and cause serious problems in sewer systems. Consider helping Mother Earth out a little bit buy buying a menstrual cup.
*All images courtesy of Giphy.com