Small Steps To Care For the Planet

With Earth Day coming up, I thought it the perfect time to share my small steps to care for our planet.  Our family of 6 produces a lot of garbage and with our busy schedule it's easy to want convenience in everything.

My friends, this will not be an extensive post on the effects of pollution, but rather a brief overview of the small steps I've taken to care for our home and ultimately the earth more. As you may know, I lean towards a natural approach. However, moving to Sarasota during their worst bout of Red Tide in maybe ten years, motivated me to pick back up "cleaner" habits I've neglected.

On the rare occasion I ventured to the beach to see the conditions for myself, I felt depressed. The dead fish lining the shores and floating in the surf made me feel as if I was living in the apocalypse or something. For images go HERE.



Cleaners
You can't delve to far into the world of healthy food choices without learning about what you're putting on your skin, inhaling around the house via cleaners, synthetic fragrances etc. It's overwhelming, but the amount of earth friendly products available nowadays are extensive! Not only are the choices vast, but they are fun, cute and attractive.

There are three specific companies helping me on this aspect of my natural journey...

Grove Collaborative: recognized for doing good for people, home, animals, planet, they offer products that are gentler on the earth and support Arbor Day Plantation, an organization that plants trees across the US

Grove Collaborative has GREAT customer service, decent prices, a growing selection, and it comes straight to your door. They offer a full set of Meyers Cleaning Products for FREE when you give them a try. I've been a member since the spring of 2018 and continue to enjoy their service.

Simply Earth Essential Oils: Creates recipe subscription boxes with essential oils for a more natural YOU and home
Wild Little Lemon: A new company start up providing earth friendly choices - A
I love to support small businesses, especially women that are creatively using their skills to enter the entrepreneur life.

Paw Sense, Meyers, Bon Ami, Grove Brush - Simply Earth March Box for the Home

Pictured Above:
Paw Sense pet deodorizer and spot cleaner
Meyer's Clean day - Multi Surface
Simply Earth DIY Surface Cleaner
Bon Ami cleanser scrub (works great on electric cooktops)
Simply Earth DIY Dishwashing Detergent

Beeswax Wraps, Mason Jar Baggies and Straws

The beeswax wraps from Wild Little Lemon are darling! I've shared them on the blog before, but the more I use them the more I love them. What started out as merely sandwich wrap is now a storage staple. As for those mason jar baggies, I was thrilled to have them. Thank you WLL for entrusting me with these goodies!

Leftover block of cheese wrapped cozy in the cutest wrap...

 Larger food wraps are holding lettuce and asparagus...

My food wrap drawer is the perfect display of a work in progress. I have one teen trained to take reusable baggies to school for lunches, but my other teen would throw those puppies away. I'm slowing switching out items piece by piece, but Wild Little Lemon sped up my process with the Mason Jar Baggies and wraps. My absolute favorite are the wraps, I only drag out the cling wrap when sending food off to another household!

Mason Jar Baggies,

If you love the idea of the cutest beeswax wraps, use my code: granola30 for 30% off!  Such a STEAL. I saw these wraps on a mainstream website for environmentally friendly products so I know these are becoming more popular!

Water Filters, Reusable Water Bottles
Do you have an extensive water bottle collection? We've had several come through our doors over the years and I have my favorites. Living in Hot-Florida means I need insulated water bottles for driving around, hanging at the beach, etc. However, I love the simplicity of my Tervis Water Bottle with the pop top.

These water bottles work great for me because of our water filters! I bought our 10 Stage Enviro Filter several years ago and only have to replace the filter once a year. It's installed at the sink making it fantastically convenient for me. I also have the Pitcher from Grove Co, which I purchased before we were able to install the 10 Stage. The boys insist that water from the pitcher taste better than our 10 Stage, but I think it's because the pitcher is refrigerated. They both taste great to me! (FYI: The filter in the pitcher has to be replaced every 2 to 3 months.)

 Mira 25 oz Insulated Water Bottle

Tervis Water Bottle, New Wave Enviro Filter

Reusable Straw

This stainless steel straw came with a travel pouch and cleaner brush. I carry it around in my purse and love to use it. It feels good in my mouth and it so easy to travel with. This one was a swag item from a blogger conference, but I plan on getting a back up!

Ahem, disregard the plastic cup I'm drinking out of! Progress.

Straw Options on Amazon, Copper Straws on Wild Little Lemon

See? Baby steps. Have you tried a stainless steel straw or beeswax wraps before? Those are both first for me!