Thanks to Miss Herbivore I’ve been doing even more to green up our lives. While I’m no Bea Johnson, I try to do my zero-waste best. Sure, there’s more to it then just recycling and remembering your re-usable water bottle or bag but those are perfect places to start!

You can make a Difference

I get it. The state of the planet can be daunting. I have to be careful not to become overwhelmed with all the negative news. For me, I take on one change at a time until it becomes a new habit. Pick something that speaks to YOU to start your journey.

Like Nike, Just Do It©

Knowing where to start with all this zero waste, recycling, saving the planet business can be super overwhelming. Convenience has ruled supreme for years now. The siren sound of ease in our over-busy, over-scheduled lives is hard to resist. But making small incremental changes is easy. The biggest tip I can share? Just start doing something.

Take stock of the things you already have and use them to green up your world

• Extra/spare silverware? Avoid single use plastic utensils by creating a set of silverware to use while eating out. Toss in a cloth napkin for the win too!
• Practice saying “no straw, please” even though more and more places are banning straws for us they still keep cropping up in mixed drinks (why)?, smoothies and iced beverages. I’m fairly certain the fast food industry hasn’t quite jumped on the no straw band wagon. I know you might be thinking that it’s gross to drink out of those waxed paper cups (and I agree with you). But, I bet you have an extra mug, cup, etc that you could use to pour said drink into if you must have a fast food or drink fix.
• Ditch the single use plastic water bottles. Please.
• For the love all things take your reusable bag with you and use it! You probably have at least one of those things lying around. And guess what? Those brown paper ones work just like the plastic ones and can also be re-used for all the things you use those pesky plastic ones for. These reusable bags also work great at all kinds of stores. Wouldn’t it be nice not to see those plastic bags blowing all around?

Don’t worry about being perfect. Do what you can to green up your little slice of the world. 😊

If you live in or around Boise here’s some helpful links to get you started:

• Household Hazardous Waste Collection Sites (includes info for medication disposal)
• Ada County Hazardous Waste Facility
• Donate and Recycle your old technology at the Reusem
• Donate clean, usable art and craft material to the ReUse Market
• Shop thrift stores. Thrift and consignment stores are popping up all over. You can get your re-usable mugs, water-bottles, silverware and other household needs even high-end clothing, athletic clothes and gear; pretty much anything you want or need. Even big companies like REI are in the used gear market.