5 easy changes to make a change

When I first decided that I really wanted to make a change and do my part to help the environment, I have to admit I got totally overwhelmed. There were so many choices on changes that you can make to really make a difference. And while I thought it was important, was I really prepared to get rid of almost everything I had and buy new things? I could afford that, and that is also not better for the environment to toss certain things. When I first started doing research I gave up, saying that's too much for me to handle never mind. However, it was really important to me, so I would come back to it determined that I was going to do something better. Here are 5 very easy things you can do to start your journey of being better for the environment.

1. Get an environmentally friendly subscription box.

A subscription box is the easiest thing that you can do to find items that are better for you to use. A great one is one called, The Mighty Nest. At https://www.themightynest.com. It is only $11 a month. They will send you one thing a month so that you can make one change every month. The idea is that you can focus on changing one thing every month, just one. It's a great introduction into a world that is easily overwhelming. If you have no idea where to start, start with this.

2. Stop buying paper towels

Paper towels are such a waste and terrible for the environment. I know that there are some people that are freaking out or thinking that I am totally crazy. However, it is easily done and once you make a change you will wonder why you didn't do it before. I haven't purchased paper towels in such a long time. From the Mighty Nest I got dish towels, which are an amazing replacement for paper towels. You can use dish towels of course. Though for the longest time I used baby wash cloths. If you don't want to spend extra money on special towels or just don't have the money, it is a great cheaper option. You can even get them from the dollar store. They work just as well as paper towels, and you can easily wash and reuse them.

3. Don't toss food

Some of the biggest waste of all is from food, and just overall food packaging. If you think that you are wasting food, then really track it for a few weeks. Not only is it a big waste, however it also is wasting your own money. Make sure that you are using all your leftovers. If you don't like eating the same thing over and over again, then find different ways that you can use your leftovers to make them some different. Such as if you make a whole chicken, and don't want to eat just plain chicken. Then use the meat in different ways. Such as chicken salad, quesadilla, chicken tacos and fajita pasta to name a few. As well as making chicken stock from the bones after you eat all the meat.

To stop wasting food, the best thing that you can do is to make a meal plan. Without a plan, then you will just buy more food throughout the week and waste the food that you already have. Having a plan is the best thing you can do to make sure that you are not having a lot of waste.

4. Change your cleaners

Cleaners, of course, have a lot of chemicals in them. I'm sure that we all know that, and of course it's not very good for the environment or for your health to have those chemicals in your house. There are a lot of cleaners out there that are better for you and the environment. Some places to purchase them are The Mighty Nest or Paper Goods, if you want to purchase them online. Walmart carries a company called Honest, which is great. Shoppers Drug Mart carries Mrs. Myers, which is a great product as well. Of course, you can do always make your own, using just white vinegar, water and baking soda.

5. Stop using plastic

By this point, we all know that plastic is not a good thing. The best thing you can do is try to not use plastic as much as possible. Use reusable bags instead of plastic. Do not use plastic produce bags. Either use reusable ones or do not use them at all. Change your ziplock plastic bags for reusable ones. It is the greatest and simplest change that you can make. You won't see the difference once you change it.

As a bonus tip, do not throw out old clothes. Clothes are such a big problem in the world of waste. Either donate it or find someone that you can give it to or even sell them if they are in of good condition. Even if there is something small wrong with them, try to find a way to repurpose them. Someone else might be able to fix whatever is wrong with it when you are not able to.

We all need to do our part in the world. These are just a few small things that you can do in order to do your part. I know that it can be overwhelming when you start to look into this world. Just take it one step at a time. Focus on one area that you can do better each month. Everyone can change one thing a month. In a year you will have changed 12 things, and you will be surprised how easy that it was. We only have one world, and it is up to us to make sure that we are taking care of it. I think we can all agree that we haven't really done that, but I believe that there is no damage that can not be undone if we just do our part and make some changes.

-T