How To Be More Sustainable In Your Daily Routine

Everything we do in our daily lives has an impact on the planet.

While some parts of going green require a lot of effort (but, are worth being conscious of and trying our best!) there are some simple changes you can make every single day to lessen your carbon footprint and be more sustainable.

Sustainable living is about reducing the amount of earth’s resources that you use to help protect it.

Below are some easy ways our team put together to make sustainable choices part of your daily routine.

When You’re At Home

• If you have the means, try to grow your own produce or herbs. A larger space for a garden is required for produce, but herbs can be in small spaces like an apartment patio. It makes it easy to add life to your food by walking outside and cutting off a few basil leaves.

• Reduce food waste by using up what you have in the house before buying more food. Food waste is a large problem in our country, so anything we can do to combat waste is helpful. Get creative with that random produce! We recommend soups, stir frys, or green and/or grain bowls that can be a variety of items mixed into one.

• Compost your kitchen scraps. There are plenty of compost bins available for whatever fits your lifestyle (small, large, inside or outside). Check with your local waste management to see if they have programs to pick up your compost.

• Use cloths instead of paper towels. A microfiber cloth picks up more than paper towels, anyway. We suggest keeping a stack of cloths under the sink or somewhere easily accessible to grab. Then, keep a small basket in the same spot to throw dirty cloths in and wash the cloths once a week.

• Ditch plastic in your coffee routine altogether. Keurig cups, plastic drip coffee makers and coffee filters are all problematic for your health and the environment. We recommend using a French press, a percolator or a pour over. Check out our blog post Clean Coffee + Allison’s Routine to learn more about making your coffee free of toxins.

• If you haven’t already, switch all bills, alerts and updates over to paperless. It is easy to do and more convenient than filing papers away.

• Hang laundry outside to dry instead of using the dryer. There’s nothing quite like fresh, air dried laundry.

When You’re Out and About

• You’ve heard it once and we’ll say it again - bring those reusable tote bags everywhere. From grabbing groceries at the farmers market, to picking up home essentials at the department store, we find it easiest to keep them in the car or right by the front door so they are accessible as a grab-and-go.
• Buy bulk. Bring your own reusable jars to your favorite bulk store and fill up with goods for your household. This will cut down on trips to the store as well - a double win.
• Buy local, seasonal produce. This is the most sustainable way to buy food. Being part of a CSA or heading to the farmers market is our favorite way to support farmers in our area. Check out this blog post on How To How To Choose A CSA Or Farmers’ Market for more information.
• Ride your bike or walk when possible. Going to the cafe down the street? Carve out an extra 30 minutes to walk with the family versus taking the car. Going into the city? Park your car in one spot and leave it there all day. Moving your body is healthy in a plethora of ways.
• Remember to bring your own reusable water bottle (glass or lead-free stainless steel) to avoid single use plastic that is bad for the environment as well as your health.

And of course… switch your cleaning products over to Branch Basics. With just one product (The Concentrate) you can refill your reusable bottles time and time again. No more buying single-use plastics that end up in a landfill. Our Concentrate is synthetic chemical-free, biodegradable, incredibly effective and safe for both the planet, animals and humans. It's a win-win.

There are small things we can do every day to make an impact. Pick a few of these to start with and build your routine around, and continue choosing more as time goes on. Caring for our planet is important as our childrens’ children will inherit it - and it all relates to human health.