Hopefully the extreme heat wave in BC has convinced most people that global warming is real and that we need to take care of our planet.

The number one way for us to ease off the global warming gas pedal is to be mindful of our consumption. Understanding the life cycle of the products we use and consume is so important – especially within our homes.

Here are my 3 easy eco friendly household conversions:

Replace your paper towel and sponges with swedish cloths or kitchen towels.

The amount of paper towels used by the average North American family is mind blowing and then multiply that by the number of families and individuals in North America to really understand how many trees need to be cut down and how much production and transportation energy goes into this industry. 

A lot. 

Using reusable kitchen towels and swedish cloths eliminate the need to constantly throw paper into the garbage. It reduces the need to produce this paper and chop down trees for our paper towel consumption.

Although sponges are usually made from natural sources the scrubber part is typically made of synthetic fibers and are not recyclable or biodegradable. 

Swedish cloths are a really great alternative as they dry quicker (less bacteria) and withstand up to 6+ months of use! Read here for more on swedish dishcloths.

One meatless day a week

There are tons of documentaries out there now on how much environmental waste occurs when producing meat so I won’t go into the details here. Meatless Mondays has become a world wide campaign and you can find some great resources including yummy recipes here. 

Opt for plastic package free household goods

I’m teaching my little one to understand that throwing things into the garbage doesn’t mean it’s gone forever – it means it’s out of sight but sitting in a landfill for decades. And while recycling sounds great, these plastic packages usually produce a carbon footprint to create and break down (often emitting harmful toxic gasses into the atmosphere).

So why purchase them to begin with? 

We’ve converted purchasing liquid laundry detergent to buying Tru Earth’s plastic free laundry detergent strips. They are so easy to use and hypoallergenic – really great for my toddler’s skin!

The best part is that each of their packages eliminated 1 plastic jug from the landfills. Our clothes still come out clean!

Tru Earth has also come out with wool dryer balls made of 100% organic New Zealand sheep wool- no sythentics and good for 1000+ uses.

As more and more families make the switch businesses are recognizing the need to produce more sustainably conscious products – YAY!

Converting your household to be more eco-friendly can be easy and fun! 

Keep posted for my next blog on eco friendly celebrations with @ecopartyboutique!