Hi friends! I hope your evening is off to a great start. Mine so far has been good, and now sitting down to write this post. I cooked supper, cleaned up the kitchen, picked some peppers from my little container garden outside, and tidied the house. Let’s just say I am ready to sit down with my coffee and settle in to writing, reading, and relaxing.

There are little practices that I have adopted over the years, before “sustainability” or “green living” was really a thing. My grandmother and my mother encouraged and instilled in me a frugal and un-wasteful lifestyle way of living. So here are a few sustainable practices that I do currently, and that will be simple for you to implement:

• Use cloths in your kitchen to dry your hands, instead of paper towels. Now to be purely transparent and to encourage you to keep good hygiene in mind, after I have handled meat (I’m kind of a meat fanatic about the ick factor of meat), I always use a paper towel to dry my hands instead of the cloth. I know this is probably too fanatic but I have a serious ick factor with meat, and eating meat. Kind of grosses me out. But I am careful when I am cooking not to wipe my hands on the cloth because the cloth used over and over again while you are cooking can harbor germs or bad bacteria. Like I said, I’m probably too over the top with this one, but it’s just how I am. I use only green microfiber cloths in the kitchen to dry or wipe my hands. By designating one color or one kind of cloth for the ones you use in the kitchen, keeps you from mixing them up with cleaning cloths. I keep them in a basket by the sink.
• Pack a lunch and snacks to work everyday. This I do almost every day. I usually take leftovers, maybe homemade hummus, fruit, veggies, oatmeal, or a smoothie. (Not all in one day! LOL). I also pack a few drinks and always take my own diet sodas, or my own coffee in my mug, and then my Stanley cup full of water.
• Hang your clothes to dry. I always hang my clothes out to dry either outside on the clothesline or inside on my drying rack(this is the exact one I use). Once they are dry, I then fluff them in the dryer for 5-10 minutes. (I cannot stand stiff clothes). This not only saves electricity but extends the life of your clothes as well.
• Use refillable Keurig pods. I have 6 refillable Keurig pods I have used ever since I got my Keurig like 6 or 7 years ago. I buy coffee in bulk by the can, and then fill my pods. (I also keep my can of coffee in the fridge because it keeps it fresh longer). There is no telling how much I have saved by using these reusable pods, on top of how many I have deferred from the landfills.
• Shop secondhand when possible. Now this is something I absolutely love and do as often as I can either alone or with my mom (because she taught me to love it and I still do!). I love garage sales and thrift stores; but there are also flea markets and estate sales as well. I usually have something in mind I am looking for and sometimes I find it and sometimes I don’t but either way, I always find cool stuff. This prevents people’s used items from going to the landfill and out of the waste stream.

Well, that is only five of the things I do, but they are easy practices anyone can adopt. My main goal is not for climate change, although it helps, but I love sustainability in and of itself. I also love frugal living. My family and I believe in being smart with your money, your things, and not to be wasteful.

What are some practices you do? I believe we can learn from one another and I want this space to be just that–a place we can share and learn from one another.

Have a great evening!

Libby