5 Realistic Swaps I’m Making At Home In Honor Of Earth Day

April 22, 2021 at 11:08AM

Earth Day becomes a little more exciting each year as we realize just how much can and should be done for the health of our planet — and as our opportunities to make an impact grow.

It’s easy to go all doom’s day when it comes to Earth Day, but we’re staying focused on the practical changes that must be made at home and the inspiring growth of trends like renewable materials, lower-waste consumer experiences, and regenerative agriculture.

As sustainably-minded as we are, and as confident as we can be in our recycling skills, we’ve also become pretty horrified lately at the amount of trash produced in our homes every single day.

This Earth Day, we’re challenging ourselves to make some very simple swaps to do our part 365 days a year and challenging our readers to do the same — without compromising convenience, cost, comfort or style. Here’s how: we asked Public Goods to extend their offer of $15 off initial purchases through Earth Month to help us hone in the right swaps for each of our own households.

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Here are the swaps our writer, Annie Goodman chose herself in honor of Earth Day this year…

5 Sustainable Swaps I Made at Home

To start my Earth Day ‘celebration’ I took a hard look at the products I waste most at home. Then I matched myself with a few of Public Goods’ (sleek AF) low-cost and sustainable subscription products. The products that don’t skimp on quality or design, so I’m not losing any style points in my kitchen or bathroom. Everything from their mission to their packaging, shipping processes, and production is low-impact which makes me feel so hopeful about this whole experience.

Here are the five super easy swaps I identified and added to my cart without giving it a second thought. I challenge you to think about your biggest areas of waste at home too and make some swaps with our Public Goods offer through the end of Earth Month (at bottom!). Felt so good to make these changes…

TREE FREE TOILET PAPER | My first swap was to opt for Public Goods’s Tree Free Toilet Paper. One order of 3-ply, 300-sheet rolls of bath tissues gets you six rolls for literally $6. Even if you’re too liberal with your TP usage, you don’t need to worry about the cost in terms of trees: these rolls are made with highly-renewable bamboo and sugarcane paper. And don’t worry: cost-efficient does NOT equate to tough-on-the-skin, if you know what I mean.

REUSABLE STORAGE WRAPS | When I think of all the times I’ve wrapped half an avocado in plastic wrap. Woof. One of the cutest swaps I made in my Public Goods’ haul were the Reusable Storage Wraps — they’re washable and reusable unlike the twisted mess that is plastic wrap. The wraps are made from beeswax-coated cotton so they can be warmed with your hands to mold to whatever it is you’re wrapping up to then protect your food with a safe, non-toxic seal.

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DISH SOAP REFILL | Running out of dish soap usually means buying an entire new container, which also means tossing out that old container, which is likely made of plastic. Needless waste. I chose to grab the Public Goods Dish Soap Refills to pour into my existing soap dispenser which means far less plastic waste. The soap itself is made from ingredients you can pronounce (essential oils included) and smells pretty great. Makes dishwashing a real moment.

TREE FREE PAPER TOWELS | I’ve gotten feedback (from my mother) that I use “too many paper towels.” How am I supposed to resist when they’re so versatile?! A napkin, surface cleaner, hand wipe, or miscellaneous wipe, paper towels can be anything you want them to be, which also means you can over use them. These Tree Free Paper Towels are as non-GMO as they come — also made from sugarcane and bamboo – and are ultra absorbent and ready for any mess. I’m also making a commitment to use cloth towels, napkins and cleaning rags more often to take my waste-reduction efforts even further.

COMPOSTABLE TRASH BAGS | This low-waste swap is almost too obvious. Every time I fill the trash, I’m also throwing away a trash bag, which is also adding to the fury and fire of Mother Earth. Without slacking on strength and hold, these Compostable Trash Bags are an ideal alternative to everyday plastic trash bags that can take up to 1000 YEARS TO DEGRADE. A number I like better: 100% compostable.

I love that I don’t have to leave my home to stock up on any of these new staples. I get that making all five swaps at once might feel like a lot, but start somewhere, anywhere and make it your mission to take on new habits every Earth Day going forward!

This story is brought to you in partnership with Public Goods. From time to time, TCM editors choose to partner with brands we believe in to bring our readers special offers. 

The post 5 Realistic Swaps I’m Making At Home In Honor Of Earth Day appeared first on The Chalkboard.

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