What You Can Do From Home

11 Earth-Friendly Ways to Eco-Proof Your Home

With clear, blue skies above, empty streets and highways, and the EU’s daily greenhouse gas emissions down 58%, this is an Earth Day like none other. On this 50th Anniversary of the day that launched the modern environmental movement, we may be sequestered to our homes but we are more equipped than ever to make a lasting impact for the planet. With our current situation in mind, and a fierce desire to make an impact, I’ve collected my 11 Earth-Friendly Ways to Eco-Proof Your Home. These are accessible and effective for anyone willing to make a difference.

This year, it’s more apparent than ever how we are connected and dependent on our planet and Mother Nature. While, as a species, we have worked tirelessly to show we are superior and above the ways of the natural world, it took one microscopic virus to bring us to our knees and remind us otherwise. In fact, I can’t remember a time where the world felt more apart, yet so very connected. This year, I ask that we don’t just celebrate Earth Day, but rather fight for it. 

With the EU’s daily greenhouse gas emissions down 58%, this is an Earth Day like none other.

Fifty years ago, April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day was celebrated and rallied 20 million Americans to fight for causes including pollution and wildlife extinction. By the end of that year, the U.S. created the Environmental Protection Agency and passed the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts. In 2016, the UN chose Earth Day as the day to sign the Paris Climate Agreement. Recognized as the planet’s largest civic event, Earth Day is now celebrated in over 193 countries.

It’s my hope that this current crisis brings us back to what so many people felt in 1970, that we need to protect and support the environment, wildlife, clean air and our climates. While it seems like a silver lining that we have dramatically decreased air travel, traffic congestion, and given places like our National Parks a well needed rest, we have also increased medical waste by 5x, seen an increase in plastic packaging, and a dramatic rise in online shopping (about 165 billion packages are shipped each year with the cardboard used equating to more than 1 billion trees). Things like a decrease in air travel and an increase in medical waste may be temporary, but hopefully some of the lessons of this pandemic will remain; like working remotely, being less reliant on global food changes, and of course, the importance of taking care of our planet. 

It seems fitting that on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day we are experiencing one of the largest pattern interrupts of our lives. There are not many people that haven’t felt the effect of these times. It’s the perfect time to make small changes at home and make a difference. Here are a few of my top picks for 2020.

1. Reduce your waste.

With a little extra preparation you can plan out your meals for the week, reduce your food waste, and save yourself time, money and trips to the store. Freeze or repurpose leftovers and consider buying your items from places like Imperfect Foods or Thrive Market. They offer natural, organic products that are easier on the wallet than some other markets. Composting leftovers is much easier than it sounds. All you need is a little bit of dirt or an indoor compost bin and food scraps! You already have the scraps, so why not help them biodegrade and contribute to the Earth.

2. Recycle!

While this is an oldie but a goody, I’m still surprised by how many households don’t have a system for recycling. If you haven’t yet, label bins to make it easy. Be sure to wash all the food out of your recyclables so they are more likely to be recycled. Anything with the tiniest bit of food waste on it will get tossed into a landfill. If you want to go the extra mile, you can organize your collection by number. Inside the little recycling logo on your product you’ll see a number between 1 and 7. These represent different grades of plastic, and therefore, different ways of recycling them. Numbers 1 and 2 can easily be thrown into your curbside bin for recycling. But contact your local recycling or waste management authority for guidelines on how to recycle the other grades.

3. Start your own vegetable garden!

I’ve been so thrilled to see many people starting their own backyard gardens during this time. Research which fruits and vegetables are most suited to your climate and sun exposure for best results. If you want to start small, you can begin an herb garden. They take up very little space, but make a big impact in the kitchen and reduce your plastic use! Your wallet and tastebuds will thank you! 

4. Go plastic free.

While recycling is the minimum we can do, the number one change you can make is to commit to not using any plastic water bottles. With a little change in your habits, you will have your reusable water bottle with you everywhere you go and you’ll be more hydrated and reduce your plastic waste dramatically. I love stainless steel Swell bottles, but you can now find reusable bottles just about anywhere. Stasher bags are my favorite to replace ziplocks. More about them below, but they’re particularly great for traveling. I made a whole list of my favorite plastic-alternative products for a more sustainable earth here, if you need more eco-friendly ideas.

5. Eat a plant-based diet.

The U.N. says that raising animals for food is “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.” Ultimately, moving away from meat, eggs, and dairy will dramatically help the environment and your own health. And you don’t have to sacrifice taste! One of my favorite sources of protein are the Beyond Meat products. If you haven’t had the now-famous Beyond burger you have to try it. If you have, you should venture into their other offerings. They have breakfast sausage, bratwurst sausage, ground beef for tacos, meatballs or bolognese sauce… I promise this is not an ad; I just really love Beyond meat!

6. Shop your values.

Whether it’s shopping at a supermarket that doesn’t use plastic bags, getting takeout from a restaurant that uses eco-friendly packaging or choosing to buy products that are organic and taking the steps to not be harmful to the planet, each time you checkout, you are voting for what really matters to you. Don’t take that power lightly and shop with your values. Some of my favorite eco-friendly brands are Rothys, for the most comfortable, chic and sustainable shoes made from recycled plastic water bottles; Lush, for their beautiful, plastic-free shampoo bars, and Toms for their chic sunglasses and One-for-One® impact.

On the personal side, I have made my values an integral part of all three of my businesses. Render Loyalty saves wildlife with every purchase of one of our fine art photographic wildlife prints. My love for animals continues with the Simply Wild Series at the KT Merry Print Shop, which donates 20% of sales to the American Wild Horse Campaign to keep wild horses wild and free. Remember, every dollar you spend supports an industry; be aware of what industries and values you are funding.

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7. Reuse and repurpose.

As they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and that couldn’t be more true. Rather than discarding old clothing in the trash (globally we produce 13 million tons of textile waste each year, 95% of which could be reused or recycled), donate to your local thrift shop or sell goods on Offerup. Higher quality items can be sold (and bought!) on a fashion-centric site like Poshmark. You don’t have to sacrifice fashion when sites like The RealReal offer luxury and designer goods on consignment. You can make a few dollars and pick up a new handbag within just a few minutes and reduce landfill waste. That’s a win-win-win in my book!

8. Save your energy.

There are so many small actions you can take to reduce your water and energy use: wash your clothes with cold water, tighten leaky faucets, unplug machines when not in use and put your computer to ‘sleep’ after 10-15 minutes of inactivity. Only run a dishwasher when it’s full. When you leave the house for an extended period of time (which we’re all looking forward to!), lower your thermostat to 78 degrees, we use the Nest to help manage this. Just doing these things will make a big impact when it comes to an eco-proof home.

9. Eco-proof your kitchen.

Now is the perfect time to declutter and eco-proof your kitchen. Using plastic containers to store and cook your food is not only harmful to your health but to the environment as well. Swap plastic containers for glass, plastic cling wrap for these amazing Bee’s wraps, and ziplocks for reusable silicone (and dishwasher safe) Stasher bags. These bags are truly amazing! You can freeze them, microwave them, pop them in the oven, and they’re dishwasher-safe. I can’t say enough about them. They come in all kinds of convenient sizes, and through tomorrow, they’re 25% off. Again, not an ad; I’m just a huge fan!

10.  Remove the toxins from your home.

It was eye-opening when I learned about the Toxic Hall of Shame and how many cleaners I grew up with (Comet, Simple Green, Easy Off, 409, to name a few…) were toxic and linked to cancer, asthma and reproductive disorders. Not to mention, thinking about how gross it is to walk barefoot on your toxic floors, or how your pets or babies are ingesting it through their paws and hands. I have removed all these toxic cleaners from our home and found solutions like Puracy, Zum Laundry detergent and Bon Ami cleaner as alternatives. I also use reusable microfiber towels instead of paper towels. They are safer, sturdier and more effective!

11. Harness the power of your own backyard.

I am an avid reader and I recently discovered Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas W. Tallamy, which outlines a new approach to conservation that starts in your own backyard. Simply put, thoughtfully planting more native plants in your own backyard can turn your spaces into corridors that provide habitat for and support wildlife. A lawn, the staple of the American home, supports little to no wildlife, but adding a native plant like American Oaks for your local birds can have sizable impacts. I recently bought Milkweed plants for my small patio, and within a day I had a handful of caterpillars chowing down on them. A week later, I’ve seen at least 10 Monarch butterflies fly away after the caterpillars made their transformation. Natural miracles in my own ‘backyard’ and all it took were a couple of small plants.

This Earth Day, I hope you find yourself empowered and inspired to fight for our only home, Mother Earth, and to make some changes to eco-proof yours. Never doubt the power you have to create change in your world and all of its reaches. Share your positive ideas and influence those around you and let the ripple effect be the change we wish to see in the world. Said so wisely by Margaret Mead: 

“A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Happy Earth Day. 

Be well.