We teamed up with productivity and organisation app, Evernote, to bring you five tips to help you go green on Earth Day.
Many important environmental events have happened on Earth Day since 1970, including the recent signing of the Paris Agreement.
This year, the organisers are encouraging people everywhere to take action and share tips to make a difference, every day of the year.
Dorothy Spira from Evernote, offers five ways to help you go green in 2021 — making changes is easier than you may think.
Cut down on single-use plastic
Reducing your single-use plastic is the easiest way to get started. These are some common things you can replace.
- Cups and bottles — pick up a stainless-steel water bottle, and start using a portable tumbler for your morning coffee.
- Drinking straws — You can find these in stainless steel too. Or even bamboo. Sip, sip, hooray!
- Shopping bags — Cloth bags are reusable, can usually hold more and won’t rip when you’re half way home.
Go paperless
Documents, receipts, junk mail, bills; we’re surrounded by paper, but it doesn’t have to be a burden. Here are a few ways you can help save our rainforests.
- Opt-out of junk mail lists once and for all. Check out this how-to from Eco-Cycle.
- Say no to paper receipts when shopping and ask for them to be emailed to you instead.
- Sign-up for e-statements and pay your bills online.
- Use an app like Evernote to take notes and to manage your paper.
Rethink how and what you eat
With careful planning, we can reduce food waste and eat more consciously.
- Plan your meals ahead of time to minimize throwing away food that has gone off.
- Shop at a local farmers market or stick to the local produce section of grocery stores.
- Add more plant-based meals to your diet.
- Eat ugly produce. Tons of perfectly good produce goes to waste just because it doesn’t look “perfect.”
Think before you shop
When it comes to making a change, here’s a fun mantra to keep in mind: refuse, reuse, repair. In other words…
- Buy fewer fashion items — do you really need that new blouse?
- Participate in the circular economy and use second-hand items when possible.
- Take damaged clothes to the tailor for repair instead of throwing them away.
Simplify your skincare
Here are some steps you can take to simplify your body care routine and avoid plastic waste.
- Skip the body wash and go with a moisturizing fragrance-free bar soap.
- Go vintage with a reusable safety razor and recycle the steel blades.
- Try using shampoo and conditioner in solid bars instead of from a plastic pump bottle.
