S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y at home
Switching to sustainable, eco friendly products in your home can often feel overwhelming at first. When you begin your sustainability journey it’s important that you don’t get caught up in what you haven’t changed. Thinking about all the switches you feel like you should make can often lead to a downward spiral of anxiety because you’re looking at essentially flipping your entire life as you know it, upside-down. Just remember, this is a journey and it takes most everyone years to transform their conventional lives to an earth friendly one. So, commit to making this a LIFESTYLE which means continuously taking small steps towards the big picture. Try implementing one new practice a month, just 30 DAYS of sticking to a practice. This will lead to a habit and once you form a habit, choosing the sustainable option will feel as natural as brushing your teeth.
To make it even easier on you I’ve compiled a list of my must have home switches. EVEN BETTER - most of these come from one online shop that ships directly to your home completely free of plastic - PACKAGE FREE SHOP - it’s truly a one stop shop. Oh and guys, the owner is basically the most bad ass business woman out there. She’s been plastic free for EIGHT YEARS, only accumulating enough trash to fit in a single mason jar. I know, my jaw was on the floor too. SHE IS ACTUAL GOALS.
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BATH -
Toothpaste - Uncle Harry’s fluoride free remineralizing toothpaste is literally the best thing to happen to me last year. It’s a paste that comes in a glass jar, not a powder or pill like some of the other nontoxic, plastic free packaged brands. It takes some getting used to because its SO STRONG but damn it’s amazing and my teeth have literally never felt so clean my whole life. I will never go back.
FACT - Over 1 billion plastic toothbrushes are thrown out every year just in North America creating 50 million pounds of waste annually.
Stainless steel razor or THIS less expensive option
Cotton facial rounds for make-up removal
Non-toxic deodorant (in a glass jar!)
Natural bath sponge to replace your loofa
Plastic free packaged lip balm
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BATH CONTINUED -
Bamboo toilet paper - which is currently sold out but there’s other brands like Who Gives A Crap and more. I suggest searching “eco friendly toilet paper” or “sustainable toilet paper” on google to see what’s out there. Just remember its probably green washing if it’s still packaged in plastic. Fun fact - bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants? Some species can grow as tall as 36” in 24 hrs. LIKE WHAT?!!!
Dry shampoo - make your own! Here’s a quick + simple recipe
1/4 cup arrowroot powder or corn starch
2 TBSP cocoa powder more or less if you want it darker/lighter
OPTIONAL - 5 drops essential oil for smell & scalp benefits - I use tea tree
BATH PRODUCTS I USE THAT ARE NON-TOXIC BUT STILL PACKAGED IN PLASTIC -
I don’t use bar soap, shampoo or conditioner. I haven’t found a bar that doesn’t leave residue in my hair and honestly, the brand I use now I am so obsessed and in love with it’s just one of those things for me that I’m not willing to sacrifice. It’s completely non-toxic, has sustainably sources ingredients and they are working towards more eco-friendly packaging.
Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile liquid soap - although packaged in post consumer plastic (still plastic btw) *most* grocery co-ops offer refills in their bulk section. For all you Oregon friends, they offer bulk refills at Market of Choice too! Almond is my favorite sent!
KITCHEN -
Stasher bags - Package free does offer these on their site but sometime I like to go straight to the source, especially when it’s a small business because I know ordering directly through them puts the most money back in their pocket.
Planet Box - ok parents here’s your new best friend. Forget the 5 trillion ziplocks you waste each year or the 10 different containers you try and shove in your child’s lunch-pale. This is it. This is all you need! Your welcome.
FACT - Every year the average person uses approximately 540 plastic sandwich bags. That’s the statistic for one person. Image a 4 person household with 2 children - you’re looking at approximately 2,160 single use plastic baggies used annually by a single family of 4. YIKES.
I use either Young Living dish soap or Dr. Bronners
FACT - It’s estimated that an average American family goes through 24 rolls of plastic wrap each year. Not only is this plastic non-recyclable it’s also made from harmful chemicals that seep into your food and it’s another huge contributor to the plastic problem.
KITCHEN CONTINUED -
Glass jars for bulk shopping WITH tare weight
Weck jars for nut milk - I used these back when we had an average size fridge and love them!
Reusable coffee mug - I have like 4 reusable coffee mugs which is a lot for a small home on wheels but this one is my FAV. It’s a hydro flask so it stays warm or cold and it has a lid which makes for easy transport if you’re on the go!
FACT - It’s estimated that 50 billion “paper” coffee cups are thrown away in the US every year. Starbucks says it’s responsible for nearly 6 billion cups annually. And here’s the kicker, most people think they’re “recycling” their paper cups but the truth is those cups are lined with plastic and often can’t actually be recycled, they end up in landfill or our oceans just like all the others.
Insulated water bottle - I swear to you, my water bottle is never more than 5 ft. away from me at any given moment. This is literally my lifeblood. And obviously United by Blue makes the cutest ones so there ya go. Use code kalenrivers20 for 20% off your order.
Berkey water filter - an investment for sure, but definitely the best one I’ve made! We have the travel size in our bus.
FACT - A million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute. EVERY M.I.N.U.T.E. That’s 1,000,000 plastic bottles being purchased every 60 seconds. Let that sink in.
Additionally, Americans throw away approximately 35 billion plastic water bottles every year. And you know what percentage of those are actually recycled? Almost none. It’s said that 7 out of 10 plastic water bottles are either incinerated, dumped into landfills or left as litter.
Glass spray bottle - and with that I use the Young Living Theives all purpose cleaner concentrate and it’s literally the only cleaner I’ve used for 3 years. No more buying 10 different toxic cleaners (10 different plastic bottles) when 1 non-toxic cleaner does the job of all 10. 1 bottle of the concentrate typically lasts me a year. Yes, even before the bus we had a small home but this stuff freaking lasts, a little really does go a long way. The other option I would suggest if you aren't a Young living member or know one would be Branch Basics , of course I still recommend buying the concentrate so you’re buying less bottles.
Garbage bags - I’ll be honest, these arent my favorite but they’re good enough. However I’m just at that point in my sustainability journey where I’d rather deal with taking out the trash a little more often then using plastic trash bags. The key word to look for when buying is COMPOSTABLE not biodegradable because everything compostable biodegrades but even something that is biodegradeable can still take many years to decompose. I actually found a brand at Whole Foods when we were in California and as soon as we get back to the west coast I’m going to look for it again because they were the same deal but SUPER sturdy and of course I just forgot to write the brand down before we recycled the box.
Pot + Pan brush - I use this for caked on food before I use my dish brush so that it doesn’t get beat up.
I’ve bought all of my glass tupperware at TJMaxx.
ADDITIONAL LIVING SWITCHES -
Laundry Soap - I use Young Living but Branch Basics has a non-toxic formula. Yes, both come in plastic containers and yes there are glass packaged products out there as well as diy formulas but I’m just being honest and telling you what I use and so far that hasn’t been a switch I’ve made. I do believe that switching to a non-toxic lifestyle is also an important sustainability factor. I’ve found that when you start ridding your life of toxins you often start buying less stuff and when you stop buying stuff your plastic consumption decreases. See where I’m going here? All of these switches and pivots are really leading you to a different lifestyle - a healthy more sustainable one.
Pela PHONE CASE - Is an awesome mission driven business making 100% compostable phone cases, based in Canada! Favorite phone case I’ve ever had, hands down. Super durable, awesome selection of colors and it’s grippy, which I prefer in a phone case.
FACT - It’s estimated that approximately 1.5 BILLION phone cases are thrown away each year.
All around I just buy less because the most sustainable product you can use is the one you already have in your home.
as you can tell in the images I’ve shared, these brands aren’t just selling their products, they’re sharing their perspective on sustainability which is why I choose to follow them. Yes, I buy their products but I also intentionally consume their content because it’s informative and inspiring.
Here’s a few other instagram accounts I love to follow for sustainable living :
Lauren Singer, the founder of Package Free Shop has an awesome, inspiring IG feed as well as a website with tons of blog posts on sustainability. Her podcast episode on School of Greatness with Lewis Howes was a huge eye opener and motivator for me in the beginning of my sustainability journey.
Forage and Sustain is a fairly new follow and I’m obsessed. Most of their captions include a super informative fact which I’m always learning from.
Love love love easy eco tips! I literally learn so much from this page. Everything is always super clear and straight to the point. Plus, they have an unlimited amount of awesome diy + upcycle ideas.
