Borrowed Earth

I’m only a novice in this area but have been sincerely enjoying the changes I’ve been making to simplify my life and reduce waste. It feels good to know that although I don’t know or do everything I could do to be kinder to our planet, that I’m doing SOMETHING. The world is a better place with each small choice we make. Here are 5 easy sustainable swaps. You can check out this post with more swaps if you missed it!

1. Purchase and recycle clothing responsibly.

Before throwing something away because of a hole or stain consider options to mend your clothing. When purchasing a new piece of clothing consider purchasing second hand first. If you can’t find what you’re looking for purchase good quality natural fiber clothing from an ethically and sustainably responsible brand. Do your best to purchase clothing that you will wear for years to come. Also never forget the most sustainable clothing is the clothing you own right now! If you must give up a piece of clothing, only regift or donate usable items. If you believe a charity shop won’t be able to resell your item, consider mending it first or upcycling the item to give it a newfound use!

2. Filter your water with a recycled container and Binchotan Charcoal.

Ditch Brita and other plastic based water filtration systems for a recycled container and charcoal. Just boil and dry the charcoal pieces every week and a half or so. It’s sustainable, simple, low maintenance and zero waste. When you’ve exhausted your charcoal, you can compost it.

3. Skip bottled and canned drinks.

Carrying your own water bottle is a no-brainer – simple, cheap, and ecofriendly. Use a container you already have, purchase second hand, or pick up a non-plastic reusable bottle. Instead of purchasing bottled and canned beverages opt for drinks you make at home or coffee/tea/juice from a cafe in your reusable to-go cup. If you must buy a bottled drink, opt for glass bottles over aluminum or plastic and be sure to recycle appropriately.

4. Swap bottled soaps, shampoo, and conditioners for solid.

This is a surprisingly easy swap and is cost effective too. You’re not likely to feel like you’re giving up much when swapping from shower gel to conventional soap. The shampoo did take some getting used to but I’ve used this one for a few years now and love it! It may seem a bit pricey but they last a very long time since you only require a tiny bit. Pro tip
: make sure you store on a soap dish or shower caddy that drains away any excess water and store it in an area that keeps dry in the shower or you’ll end up with unusable melted soap. Learn from my mistakes! I have not yet found a solid conditioner that’s worked for me, but I’ll keep you updated if things change. Currently I use this one which is packaged in recycled and recyclable materials. I get the largest bottle and it lasts me about 5 months despite having thick, waist length hair. A quarter size amount is all you need, and it smells like berries and cream. (No, I am not sponsored.)

5. Make your own (food, cosmetics, and cleaning products).

This requires some time and effort, but if you opt for simple food, simple skincare, and multipurpose cleaning products it’s both rewarding and easy to do. I’ll be posting a bunch of recipes soon, but in the meantime Google is your best friend. The benefits are numerous as this often reduces overall waste associated with purchasing conventional products and you have full control of the ingredients used. Make things like a nontoxic, biodegradable, multipurpose cleaner, dishwashing liquid, deodorizing powder, linen sprays, laundry detergent, or stain remover, for your household. Mix your own scrubs, salves, cleanser, shaving cream, lotions, or serums. Make your own pickles, bread, nut milks, flour, or butters. As long as you can make the time to do these things you can do it! If I can do it, so can you. It’s healthy for the planet, for your body, and for your wallet too.

Hope these ideas inspire you to make small but impactful ecofriendly changes to your day to day. I’ll be posting more painless sustainable swaps soon. Stay tuned in the Borrowed Earth section of my blog.

It can be overwhelming attempting to make all the drastic changes necessary to live more sustainably. With the zero waste movement becoming widely recognized we’re reminded more than ever that our collective actions make a large environmental impact on our planet. We’ve all experienced putting too much on our plate only to find that at the end of the day our overwhelm prevented our productivity levels. The idea that we must do EVERYTHING to be sustainable has also made me feel similarly inadequate. Placing our focus on small improvements rather than attempting to completely reinvent our lives is a much kinder way to approach our new relationship with the planet. Rather than beating ourselves up for our sustainability shortcomings, let’s make small changes that quickly become our norm and from which we gain a sense of pride. You don’t have to do everything, but do SOMETHING!

1. Save and reuse jars.

It’s so simple. Wash and dry your jars for so many uses. Store brushes and pens, plants, small hardware bits or craft supplies, pantry items, DIY concoctions, homemade pickles, dressings, or sauces. You can literally use them for EVERYTHING. Opting for food in glass jars as opposed to plastic packaging means you can purchase the product guilt-free knowing you can either recycle or upcycle the jars later.

2. Hold on to your electronics.

We don’t often think about what natural resources and energy are used to create our electronic devices. Use the electronic devices you currently own for as long as you can. Despite modern marketing tactics encouraging us to “upgrade” to the newest gadget, it’s often unnecessary and wasteful both for the earth and your wallet. Thoroughly consider whether you need the item you intend to purchase. Then, purchase either a secondhand or new item best suited to your needs that will last the longest.

3. Eat vegan or vegetarian.

Food is so intertwined in our relationships with family and friends, memories, and our cultures. Being kind to ourselves and slowly starting to introduce changes to our diet is often more long-lasting and a much less daunting way to set out on this journey. The hardest things to give up will really depend on the person. For me, giving up cheese and ice cream are the hardest things! So rather than completely cutting these things out, I have almost completely given up the easiest animal products for myself, like red meat (for the most part) and use a cheese substitute (cashew cream, nutritional yeast, vegan cheese, etc.) whenever I can. The dogma that someone needs to be 100% vegan, unless of course this aligns with their personal values, should broken down. If everyone made a conscious effort to consume less meat, even if that meant just one meal a week, that would make all the difference. We all have to start somewhere.

4. Refuse plastic when possible. 

This one is plain and simple. Make a conscious effort to purchase plastic products or products packaged in plastic, especially single use plastic. Each purchase we make is like a vote for companies that make an effort to reduce waste and be environmentally friendly. Continue to vote for these companies, and the mainstream companies will take the cue that they need to improve their sustainability practices to win the trust and loyalty of their customers. 

9. Change up your laundry routine.

There are several things we can do here. First simple change would be to nix conventional liquid laundry detergents, softeners, enhancers, and pods which contain extremely harmful chemicals both for our bodies and for the planet. There are better options with natural ingredients, including liquid and powder formats. The liquid format almost always requires a plastic, albeit recyclable bottle, and is heavy/bulky and means more energy resources are used to transport them. If you can, use a natural powder detergent instead. Or make your own! There are plenty of recipes out there for DIY detergents. Do your research on the safety of each ingredient first. If you’re into a natural option that is almost 100% zero waste and doesn’t require being a mad scientist, you can also try soap berries or soap nuts. Mother Nature is awesome. Final tips! Wash only what you need to, and on the most energy efficient settings. Fill the water only as high as you need to, and only use heat for whites or heavily soiled clothing. 

You did it! 5 painless and relatively easy ways you can be kinder to the planet. Don’t forget to also be kind to yourself – doing something is better than getting overwhelmed and not doing anything! Find more sustainable swaps here.