It’s Earth Day and what better way to celebrate green living than to give you 7 green living habits that not only make the Earth a better place, but make you feel morally, ethically and environmentally superior to everyone around you?
Before you get your panties or boxer briefs in a twist, let me be clear. I am a highly pretentious green habit adopting chica so I know what I’m talking about. Every time I bring my own bags to the grocery store, I feel like Gaea reincarnate. Don’t lie…you do, too.
Let’s make everyone green with envy for your green living ways with my top 7 tips for living a more Earth friendly life.
7 Green Living Habits that Boost Your Ego
1. BYOB: Bring Your Own Bags
Remembering to bring your bags with you when you shop is probably the hardest part of this one. All it takes is hard work and a house-elf like punishment when you forget them at home. To train myself to remember to bring my bags I once refused to have my groceries bagged as a personal punishment. I promise you that once you unload groceries piecemeal from your car a few times, remembering BYOB is a snap.
Ego boost? You get to carry your groceries out in style and anything looks better than plastic bags!
2. Shop Local
Shopping local is a huge movement and one that is fairly easy to incorporate, especially when shopping for fruits and vegetables. Farmers markets and local suppliers are all the rage, but what happens if you’re hanging at the grocery store?
No problem!
Each fruit or veg typically has a label that states its country and, sometimes state, of origin. The closer the origin, the more local. Makes sense, right?
Ego boost? You get to tell all of your friends how you got the most AH-MAZING tomAHtoes (because that’s how you roll now) at the farm stand.
3. Shop Seasonal
Shopping seasonally used to just be “the way,” but thanks to our global marketplace, we can get all sorts of fruits and veggies regardless of the growing season. Case in point? Oranges from South Africa. The further produce travels, the more expensive it gets due to freight costs.
Ego boost? Listening to your kids tell someone that it’s not strawberry season yet and that they can’t wait until it is.
4. Plan Your Errands-Day Route Carefully
I used to be so guilty of what my parents call “gallivanting the streets.” When gas prices went up a few years back, I had to put my gallivanting to the side and become much more aware of how much gas I was wasting traveling aimlessly around town.
To save on gas and wear and tear on my car, I run all of my errands on one day and plot out my travel in one big loop to avoid backtracking (read: wasting gas running all over the place).
Ego boost? Having an “errands day”…it sounds so official.
5. Buy New-to-You
New-new is so not in. Thrifting, consigning and virtual yard sales are where it’s at! I can’t tell you how many awesome gently-used items are out there, from kids’ clothing to furniture to sports equipment (like Homeskillet’s thrice used Ab-rocker. I. Can’t. Even.).
Ego boost? Shabby chic is all the rage. You’re hippy and jiggy again (note-to-self…look up cooler words to use next time).
6. Pack Your Own Water Bottle
Ditch the plastic water bottle habit and start carrying your own. Besides, all you’re doing is buying packaged tap water. And if you’re buying Fiji, let’s get real. You’re buying a rectangular bottle that screams “Look at me, I’m so FANCY!”
Extra money-saving bonus? If you pack your drink, you’re less likely to spend money on a latte when you’re out and about.
Ego boost? No more courtesy cups of water when you grab lunch out! You’ll look so sporty and Earth-friendly by carrying your own.
7. Use Cloth Diapers
I can’t tell you how much I wish I would’ve used cloth diapers for both of my girls. I used cloth diapers on my youngest and it had to be one of the most awesome and memorable experiences for me as a parent. Not only did we save a bunch of cash, I felt like I was doing something revolutionary.
Ego-boost? Everybody is going to want to know how it all works! You’ll be the resident expert!
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