Before moving into our new apartment, and while I was still living with my parents, I spent a lot of time daydreaming about a more natural lifestyle that involved filling my next home with nothing but natural/reuse-able items. It didn't help the fact that my best friend Megan had become a zero-waste guru - her excitement was contagious and I harnessed that inspiration. So, over the six months that I was living with my parents I constructed a game plan.
I was already a pro at recycling, using reuse-able bags and glass storage containers, but I felt as thought it was time to take it a step further. I stocked up on glass containers, purchased bamboo chopping boards, etc. and recently I've even made my own cleaning products.
Here are some items that I already have:
Glass Jars
I have a lot of Bonne Maman preserve jars with metal lids thanks to my parents going through NINE jars over the course of the six months I was living with them. Those jars come in handy for storing snacks, fruit, etc. I also have some Kerr, Kilner, Bormioli Rocco and Ball jars of various sizes. I even have glass jars in the bathroom to hold my make-up brushes and q-tips.
Pyrex Glass Storage Set
I know that these have plastic lids, but when it comes to storing leftovers I couldn't find anything big enough that would work affordable. I just make sure that the lids are washed by hand and not put in a microwave to make them last longer and to keep our food safe.
Reuse-able Bags
My bags were given to me by my mother and they are cotton cloth ones from Publix. Some of them have removable plastic bottoms on the inside, I haven't gotten rid of those bottom pieces yet because they serve their purpose and keep the cloth bags protected from food spills, etc.
Glass Water Bottle w/ Bamboo Lid
I purchased a glass water bottle years ago after getting completely fed up with plastic bottles. It has been a godsend too, especially for work and the gym. It's sturdy and holds a lot of water. There are tons of these type of water bottles all over the internet too.
Bamboo Chopping Boards Large & Small
Last year when Alex & I were in Ikea we came across these boards and knew we had to have them. They've held up extremely well and I really enjoy them.
Wooden Utenstils
I love my wooden spoon and wooden citrus reamer. I'd like to get even more wooden utensils - which I plan of doing very soon.
Reuse-able Produce Bags
I made my own using a set of flour sack towels and I love them.
My goal is to purchase something Eco-friendly each month in order to get me closer to my goal of living a more natural, Earth-friendly, Eco-concious lifestyle. To me that means less plastic, even more recycling, making cleaning products, more food from scratch and keeping in mind that when we do buy things - to take note of the environmental consequences.
Do you do anything to lead an Eco-conscious life?
We recycle everything that is recyclable. Our blue container is always more full than the green container. I love using glass containers with lids. We do keep the plastic grocery bags and use them for cat litter...I know, I know. We'll work on it. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! Glass containers just make everything look nicer. And as for those pesky plastic bags, whenever Alex or I forgets to bring in our reuseable ones and there's too much to carry by hand we sadly take the bag, but reuse them for trash bags in the bathroom. Something I might want to work on. ;)
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