• Recycling,  Trash,  Zero Waste

    Top 5 Eco-Friendly Kitchen Swaps

    ICYMI — 2 weeks ago I wrote about my top 5 eco-friendly bathroom swaps. So now it’s time to move on to the kitchen! First up — let’s talk about those kitchen cleaning and organization items (food items are a whole other story!). The item: Paper towelsThe swaps: Cloth napkins (or IKEA dish towels) for dining and old tea towels for spills, cleaning, etc.I found our cloth napkins at Homegoods years ago (but you can also cut up an old sheet and hem the edges if you want to be extra conscious). I also find cloth napkins to just feel a bit more special so it’s a win-win. And old…

  • Recycling,  Thrifting,  Zero Waste

    Eco-Friendly or Zero Waste School Supplies

    This Wednesday… July turns into August. And many of us start looking forward to the crispness of fall (my favorite season) and new beginnings. As a kid though, August meant one thing. Back-to-school school supply shopping. Walking around OfficeMax… buying the perfect matching notebooks and folders. Ah. Bliss. Fast forward 20 years and I still get somewhat nostalgic for those beautiful school supplies. I get a little giddy seeing all the new adorable stuff available at Target. BUT — man. The whole thing is super wasteful. The packaging surrounding the supplies and then the ultimate toss to the landfill. Or even just the mass of school supplies that end up…

  • Recycling,  Trash,  Zero Waste

    Top 5 Eco-Friendly Bathroom Swaps

    When first making the swap over to more eco-friendly or zero waste products, it’s hard not to wonder if you’ll also be downgrading on quality or efficacy. Fear not, my friends! It is possible to find products that are both good for the environment AND awesome to use. First up — we’ll be exploring the bathroom items. The item: Conventional toilet paperThe swaps: Tushy bamboo toilet paper + bidetI LOVE this toilet paper. I buy a massive box of 50 (to get the free shipping) and it lasts a year. The toilet paper is soft and not at all scratchy. It also comes wrapped in paper — no plastic here!…

  • Zero Waste

    Summer Zero Waste Swaps

    Living in Texas, I’m used to brutal summers. However, summer came early this year! We’ve already had our 100+ degree days and the humidity is downright oppressive right now. The heat has me thinking about all the little things we can do this summer to cut down on waste. Ice cream: Get the cone instead of the cup! No wasteful plastic spoon or cup required. And for at home ice cream, I DIY my own 4-ingredient ice cream with our secondhand ice cream maker (it’s so easy)! Also — you can take a pint or quart container to a local ice cream shop and ask if they will fill it…

  • Tips,  Zero Waste

    A Zero Waste Period

    Oh yeah. We’re gonna talk about it. Like most women who get their periods, I used to use tampons… but ~20 tampons (or pads) a cycle? That’s a lot of waste. And a lot of money. So I started exploring the world of reusable feminine hygiene products. And color me impressed. While initially kind of scary, once I got the hang of all the products (and learned about the different options) — I can confidently say that my periods don’t feel quite so arduous. So let’s go from easiest to hardest with three different reusable period products. 1. Cloth pads 2. Period panties 3. Menstrual cup 1. Cloth Pads Exactly…

  • Zero Waste

    Minimal Waste Grocery Haul

    Took some quick pictures of our weekly grocery run. We went to the Central Market in Dallas, which has a great selection of bulk items (and loose salad greens!). As you can see — this isn’t 100% zero waste but I’m happy with where we are at. From top left to bottom right: Canned La Croix: 100% recyclable. I use this to make homemade soda. Beef burger patties: Wrapped in butcher paper (I’ve heard mixed things about whether this can be composted or not). When I open this up, I’ll see if the paper has a “plastic-y” coating on the inside or not. If it does — trash. If not,…

  • Tips,  Trash,  Zero Waste

    Minimal Waste Travel

    As someone who travels a fair amount, I really do try to be mindful of the trash I produce while exploring the world. But. Reducing waste while traveling is HARD. Between all the trash created during long haul flights, hotel toiletries, quick meals out in a new city… it’s easy to create a significant mound of trash during a week-long trip. So… what do we do? Nope — we don’t need to be perfect. My primary reason for traveling is to explore. And if exploring leads to a bit of waste… it’s okay. However, I am mindful to not create too much unnecessary waste. Here are my tips for reducing…