In the aftermath of our new baby right in the middle of our family “birthday season” (seriously – we have no less than twelve birthdays to celebrate during the months of June and July!); I’m giddy with excitement to have on of my favorite lifestyle and design bloggers sharing some tips with you today. I’ve been reading Pepper Design Blog since long before I ever started one of my own. Morgan is incredibly down-to-earth and friendly. Which, is why I asked her to provide some tips on something our family is horrible at doing: taking extra steps to live an eco-friendly lifestyle. So read on for her fantastic tips on easily incorporating green living into your lifestyle!
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Hi everyone! It’s such a pleasure to be here to fill in while Leslie is with her new little one! My name is Morgan and I’m a guest from over at Pepper Design Blog, a blog that chronicles the renovation of our 1930s bungalow and the general happenings of our family. Leslie asked me to share a few of my favorite eco-friendly tips, and while I am far from an expert (and am still learning so much every day) I was happy to compile a few regular habits that our family has attempted to adopt so that we can leave a slightly smaller, cleaner footprint in this world.
1. First up! Fresh, wholesome food. When we can, we seek out locally grown, sustainable and chemical free fruits, veggies and meats. We don’t budget a crazy amount when it comes to groceries, instead we’ve found that by participating in a CSA group, visiting our local farmer’s market during the last hour that it’s open (when the farmers offer bargain bin prices so that they don’t have to cart anything home), eating seasonally (often the price you pay is associated with how far your food has had to travel, eating locally and eating seasonally can save big $) and growing some of our own goodies (tomatoes, herbs, cage free eggs from our city chickens) we actually spend pretty close to what our average super market bill might be if we weren’t looking for these options. The only organic food that we actually do buy at the grocery store is milk, and we get that in a three pack from Costco (our daughter loves her milk!).
2. Saving our scraps from all of that food makes a difference, too. When we started composting with our worm bin (what I like to call ‘urban composting’) I was shocked at how many scrapes we saved from the trash bin and how much less we were emptying out our kitchen trash can (we use these bags in that can and this under-the-sink 1.5 gallon compost bucket for everyday use). It might seem nominal, but all of that extra food scraped from each plate, all of the cores and stems left over from cutting up fruit or leftover that have past their expiration are all compostable and are happily chomped up by our worm friends, who in turn deliver us worm juice for our small garden. The chickens love scraps too! It makes sense to us that perishable food shouldn’t be sealed up forever in plastic trash bags in quickly filling dumps where they won’t ever have the chance to break down.
3. This is probably my favorite tip because I truly love both decorating + a deal. You cannot get more eco-friendly than reusing and repurposing second hand furniture. Furniture is expensive and our family is not often in the position to buy a new piece for our home – our solution is Craigslist, thrift stores and flea markets! Rather than a particle board fill-in, beautiful, solid and unique pieces of furniture are available used for a fraction of the price. When building new or upgrading for our home, we do try to keep in mind the sustainability of furniture and the energy efficient upgrades we’re making (check out local tax credits to see what updates can be made in your area, we cashed in on $1500 last year for installing new doors).
4. The easiest way to become just a little more environmentally conscious is to begin by taking advantage of reusable materials in every day life. We attempt to remember our favorite grocery sacks, pack snacks in fabric baggies and even cloth diaper because we like to (and we like the idea of saving at least 5,000 plastic diapers from the trash).
One easy change is to avoid using one time use plates and utensils whenever possible (and sytrofoam always). When we registered for our wedding five year ago we picked out basic white Crate & Barrel place settings, now my collection can feed over 30 people with the additions I’ve found at garage sales and flea markets – and white always looks great! Even bbqs at the house feel extra special when eaten on the good stuff, and at the end of the night we simply collect plates in a sink full of warm soapy water for easy clean up.
5. Finally, recycle whatever you can. Done with those clothes, that old table, those batteries? Find the appropriate thrift store or drop-off point and give back or dispose of safely. You can even recycle printer cartridges for free! I just recently mailed off a handful back to HP, they even have a free shipping label you can print right off of their website. For clothes and household items, I keep a thrift store bin in our closet in the hallway, if I’m ready to part with something into the bin it goes. Amvet comes by once a month so donating for me is as easy as leaving my bags of extra shoes and clothes on the porch.
We are not perfect by any means and we don’t lose sleep over the little things, but we are trying to get better and better every day! These are just a few little tips that help us to be more aware of this big, beautiful world that we live in. Thanks again, Leslie!
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Thanks again to Morgan for taking the time to share these fantastic tips. Don’t forget to head on over to Pepper Design Blog to find an abundance of design inspiration and tips for the Home, Fashion and (of course!) Parties!