Eco-friendly Alternatives

[Mikaiah]

Hi friends!

So, as concern about the waste crisis (particularly in America) grows, I'm interested to hear about some eco-friendly alternatives that fellow TBTers have used, or want to try!

Personally, I use:
- Shampoo/Conditioner/Lotion Bars: I use the ones by ethique, and they've worked super well so far! I really love mint shampoos, since they feel nice for my scalp, and their conditioner makes my hair super smooth. I think Lush sells these as well, if you're looking for something more readily available

- Reusable Shopping Bags: This one probably comes on as hyper-obvious. But my family is a little less on board, so when I'm not shopping we have an onslaught of plastic bags. I try to make an effort to take a sizeable pile of those to the thin plastics recycling (my family has a thing about using these shopping bags as trash bags, but we have SO MANY).

- Paperless Documents: I've tried to shift a lot of my usage away from printed products. Of course, I still print things like postcards to send to people and things like that, but I no longer print coupons or documents out since I can annotate everything with my iPad nowadays

- Thrifted/Sustainable Clothing: I'm kinda basic when it comes to fashion, so this was honestly not that difficult for me, especially since I can afford to buy clothes from more sustainable (less water/carbon offsets/etc.) brands. But I also thrift a lot of my tops since that's where I like variation! (My pants are super basic, I legit only wear black leggings or slacks ahah).

I want to try:
- Composting: sadly, we don't really have commercial compost in my area, and it's difficult to do at-home composting without your entire family on board.

- Toothpaste tablets: I'm almost kinda scared of these? LOL. Not sure, I'm just so used to regular toothpaste. Plus we have like 5 years of supply at my home via costco so I'd rather try to get through that first.

- Probably a ton of others I can't think of right now! xD

And obviously, when it comes to worrying about the environment, the best thing you can do is to buy less! c: saves your wallet too

Let's make this a judgement-free zone, everyone is doing their best, and not everyone can afford to buy sustainable alternatives (ie. expensive clothes), and some products don't have viable sustainable alternatives yet (not to mention, younger individuals living with their parents might not be able to do certain substitutions ^^)

 

[LadyDestani]

I made the switch to reusable shopping bags years ago and I'm so glad I did. Even though I occasionally use the plastic bags for things around the house, I didn't need the truckloads of them that I was bringing home. I recycled most of them and only kept a few on hand for the things I needed.

I also switched to a menstrual cup, which has saved me so much money along with helping the environment.

I have a dog so bags for cleaning up his waste on walks are a neccessity, but I found a brand that uses recycled materials, packages everything in recyclable cardboard, and the bags are more biodegradeable.

 

[Mairmalade]

Don't always actively think about this as much as I should.

Reusable containers/bags/food: I bought cloth bags from a vendor at our local market that I use for sandwiches and snacks as opposed to single-use plastic ones. I also use the same reusable bags for groceries and any other purchases. I usually buy a lot of food locally to support vendors and reduce food package waste.

Transportation: I either bike or walk everywhere or take public transit when the former aren't options/ideal based on weather conditions

During the spring/summer months, I'll hang my clothes to dry when I can, and I try to be mindful of other usages at home (e.g.: short showers, not leaving the tap running, and using environment-friendly cleaning products. I've found DIY cleaners work well for counters/general purpose cleaning but have also used PUR's laundry detergent. Open to other recommendations!

 

[deana]

A couple of eco-friendly swaps I have made:
In addition to reusable shopping bags, I got some smaller mesh bags for produce!

Spoiler: Mesh bags

Not these ones exactly but you get the idea

I find these to be SUPER useful, because those little plastic produce bags are a lot harder to reuse than like a full size shopping bag.

I make my own hair gel with flax seeds for when I feel like gel-ing my hair (my hair is naturally wavy but won't hold it's own shape without gel). It actually works really well and then I don't need to buy gel in a plastic bottle.

Also more of a habit than a swap but just sewing things! Like sewing up that hole in my socks to make them last a little bit longer, or sewing a button back on. I am not a professional and just have a crappy little sewing kit but I find that making those small little repairs definitely makes a difference over time.

 

[AppleBitterCrumble]

here are some eco-friendly changes I made/making/working on

- thrifting/buying universal pieces/donating my clothes when outgrown
- switched to bamboo tooth brushes
- buying eco-friendly hand/dish soaps for my dorm suite
- buying eco-friendly dish sets
- buying reusable lunch bags (ziplock bags)
- spending free time learning about how I can change my actions in order to benefit the environment

While I know im not 100% eco-friendly I am trying to make reasonable adjustments that wont cost me too much as a college student. These areas were where I was able to forgo typical ziplock bags/soaps/normal tooth brushes/fast fashion for the alternative. In the future I hope to also learn more about what sustainable shampoos/conditions will work for my hair and switch over to dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. Since I believe the survival of our planet is key I also decided to minor in sustainability so I can learn more about sustainable business practices for when im working in the real world.

 

[Mikaiah]

Don't always actively think about this as much as I should.

Reusable containers/bags/food: I bought cloth bags from a vendor at our local market that I use for sandwiches and snacks as opposed to single-use plastic ones. I also use the same reusable bags for groceries and any other purchases. I usually buy a lot of food locally to support vendors and reduce food package waste.

Transportation: I either bike or walk everywhere or take public transit when the former aren't options/ideal based on weather conditions

During the spring/summer months, I'll hang my clothes to dry when I can, and I try to be mindful of other usages at home (e.g.: short showers, not leaving the tap running, and using environment-friendly cleaning products. I've found DIY cleaners work well for counters/general purpose cleaning but have also used PUR's laundry detergent. Open to other recommendations!

It's good that you're thinking about it, at least! I've been meaning to try out a DIY cleaner, but still have to get through some old (and I mean old) bottles of cleaner. Do you have any recipes you would recommend that work well for you?

I made the switch to reusable shopping bags years ago and I'm so glad I did. Even though I occasionally use the plastic bags for things around the house, I didn't need the truckloads of them that I was bringing home. I recycled most of them and only kept a few on hand for the things I needed.

I also switched to a menstrual cup, which has saved me so much money along with helping the environment.

I have a dog so bags for cleaning up his waste on walks are a neccessity, but I found a brand that uses recycled materials, packages everything in recyclable cardboard, and the bags are more biodegradeable.

ahh omg I also use a cup!! It's honestly been fantastic, I love it way more than pads, pads always felt super bulky for me ;; And if anyone is cup-curious and never touched a tampon because it scares you, I was totally the same way. I'd say try out a cup anyways, and if it doesn't work for you, there's always reusable pad options. I just went for the cup because it's a lot easier to clean/manage and I don't need to have 5-6 of them to cycle through. ^^;;

A couple of eco-friendly swaps I have made:
In addition to reusable shopping bags, I got some smaller mesh bags for produce!

Spoiler: Mesh bags

Not these ones exactly but you get the idea

I find these to be SUPER useful, because those little plastic produce bags are a lot harder to reuse than like a full size shopping bag.

I make my own hair gel with flax seeds for when I feel like gel-ing my hair (my hair is naturally wavy but won't hold it's own shape without gel). It actually works really well and then I don't need to buy gel in a plastic bottle.

Also more of a habit than a swap but just sewing things! Like sewing up that hole in my socks to make them last a little bit longer, or sewing a button back on. I am not a professional and just have a crappy little sewing kit but I find that making those small little repairs definitely makes a difference over time.

Ooh, that's super cool that you make your own hair gel! I take the approach where I rarely buy haircare products (my hair just does it's own thing lol) but that sounds great. I've been meaning to pick up mesh bags too, but I keep forgetting D:

 

[Mairmalade]

It's good that you're thinking about it, at least! I've been meaning to try out a DIY cleaner, but still have to get through some old (and I mean old) bottles of cleaner. Do you have any recipes you would recommend that work well for you?

Basic ones! One all-purpose cleaner combines distilled apple cider vinegar, water, and rosemary or lemon essential oil. I also use:

Wood Cleaner
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon natural liquid soap or detergent
A few drops of olive oil

Stainless Steel Cleaner
Vinegar
Olive Oil
Very soft or microfiber cloth

The two recipes above I found here.

 

[InkFox]

-For groceries if it's wrapped in plastic I just don't buy it, we have organic food markets here and we can buy in bulk there so I bring my little cloth bags and fill them with what I need, I had to give up on some stuff but it feels better to me than buying something that is not organic or is wrapped in plastic. I can make most of these things myself anyways (for example I make my own tofu out of soymilk I make with soybeans, sounds tedious but it's quite fast and easy actually, and it tastes so much better than what you can buy in stores, and it's way cheaper). Most of my food is from local producers, I try to choose stuff that didn't have to travel too long a distance when I can.

-I have a small garden and compost everything I can.

-I refuse to eat meat if I don't know what it has been fed with because the corn & GMO soy (imported from Brasil) alimentation is an absolute ecological crime. It does mean that I almost don't eat meat, only organic, raised locally on small human-sized farms... Etc

-Before buying anything new I always check if I can buy it from another person who might not use it anymore, it's quite easy to find second-hand stuff nowadays.

-Solid shampoo, soap are definitely adopted, they work perfectly.

-I either use a toothpaste made locally in a reusable little glass container, or powdered toothpaste, both are great, and I have a toothbrush from which I only need to change the head when it's used.

-I also switched to a cup a few years ago

-My cat's litter is made of little organic pellets (dunno how to call that) and to clean it I use the paper bags I get when I go to the bakery or when I buy stuff in bulks and forgot my cloth bags at home.

-I don't buy clothes often (maybe once a year, or less, depends on what I need), but when I do I make sure to buy stuff that will last for a long time and are as ethically correct and eco-friendly as possible. These are most often quite expensive, even second-hand, but I very rarely need to change them so compared to having to buy new clothes every other month, it's not that expensive over time.

-I repair or give away instead of throwing stuff to the garbage whenever I can.

-we are lucky enough to have a small wood burning stove in the house we rent, so we don't use the electric heaters to heat the house in winter (we couldn't pay the electricity bill if we did anyway haha), we only burn some wood in the evening to warm the place up a bit, otherwise we just wear thick layers of clothes to go through the winter.

-I mostly make my own cleaners with white vinegar and sodium bicarbonate.

-I dug a small pond in my garden, the frogs and toads eat the snails and slugs from my veggie garden, and a lot of the other inhabitants are very useful too.

-I installed a nest for bats outside my house, they eat all the mosquitoes so my house is mosquito-free (we also have swallows who built a nest outside the house, they also help) I also installed nests for birds and bugs, they are all very useful in the garden.

-I have a big kind of barrel to collect rain water which I use to water the plants instead of using tap water.

-I have a friend who makes her own "beauty products" with plants she grows in her garden, it's actually quite amazing. I usually don't like to put anything on my face but she does some incredible work.

-I wrap my presents with magazine or newspaper pages I bring back from work. It's just as beautiful as with wrapping paper.

And lots of things I don't think about right now. Living in the most eco-friendly way possible is one of my main "concerns", and I find it to be very enjoyable (it's also mostly how I've been raised so I didn't have to change all of my habits to get there). I still have a long way to go but I'll get there eventually.
I quit my job and am going back to the university to major in environmental protection. ~

 

[Mariah]

I haven’t been able to bring my reusable bags since COVID, but I shop at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods and they don’t use plastic ones anyway. They use paper. My dad uses them for packaging when he sells stuff so they’re not wasted.

 

[princess.looking.for.frog]

Luckily in Australia it is illegal to give out plastic bags at checkouts so it kinda helps remind me to bring reusable bags. I also try hard to use public transport for longer trips and walking/biking whenever possible. I also try not to buy items with excessive or unsustainable packaging, and rather buy from markets that use little to no packaging in the first place. Sometimes it is hard but I try my best not to print out too many documents or not to use too much paper. Thing is, I find it a lot easier and more productive to use paper, so I go out of my way to find books made of recycled paper.

 

[LadyDestani]

I forgot to say that I have also gone paperless for as many things as possible: bills, paychecks, tax documents, etc. I find it more convenient to keep track of all that stuff online anyway.

I'm sure there are more things I do that I'll remember later. Some of them are just so ingrained that I probably don't even think about them anymore.

 

[Hanami]

I've made or am working on these changes:
- using a reusable water bottle and water refill stations
- bringing a reusable shopping bag to buy clothes and groceries
- going paperless for bills & statements
- trying to shop in person instead of ordering online bc some shops use excessive plastic packaging
- I buy clothes maybe once or twice a year, but I make sure to buy closet essentials only or thrift for clothes that I will use often and for a long time
- trying to buy clothes where the material consists mainly of sustainable fabrics such as linen, hemp, organic cotton, and recycled cotton
- walking or taking public transportation
- eating citrus fruits almost everyday and using the peels and natural ingredients to make my own air freshener
- getting vegan milks and not eating meat on certain days
and in the future, I hope to learn more about eco-friendly alternatives that are still affordable and convenient

 

[mermaidshelf]

I made the switch to bar soaps for washing my hands and replacing my body soap (but not completely because I developed a stress rash so sometimes I use Aveeno). It's more economical too! I've tried Lush's shampoo bars but I have a very oily scalp with curly hair and they left my hair so hard and dry but I'm willing to try again. Probably another brand haha. I use this Korean super thin cotton pad. It's basically as thin as a tissue but sturdier. I've looked into reusable facial pads/wipes and I may make the switch. I don't use q-tips. I buy 1ply but it's harder to find these days so I'll buy thin 2 ply.

Spoiler: warning: feminine products

I use a cup and I'm looking into Thinx.

I use reusable shopping bags and produce bags when they let me. I have a water bottle that I take to work everyday and when I go out. I don't use napkins, tissues or paper towels. I'll use towels or handkerchiefs or 1 sheet of toilet paper if necessary.

I'm pescaterian. I do vegetarian and vegan days. I'll choose oatmilk over milk or almond milk (although almonds don't use as much water as milk) but mostly I just drink water. I try to eat whole foods over processed foods. I'll choose to eat in over take out or ask if they'll let me use my own containers. When COVID hit, I asked to at least not include napkins and utensils.

I let my hair air dry 99% of the time and I use natural sunlight as much as I can. I've had to same hair dryer for 20 years. I try to get as much use out of my phones to reduce electronic waste. I tend to use phones for 4 to 5 years.

 

[mermaidshelf]

I thought about it some more and there were a lot of things that just became normalized that I didn't even realize they were eco-friendly! I wanted to add that I take public transportation or walk when I'm working. Sometimes I'll walk to a place even now, if it's within 45 minutes. Unfortunately the city I'm staying in now doesn't have a good public transportation system and things are so spaced out so I have to drive for most places. I take "navy showers." Anytime I'm lathering, shaving or letting my conditioner/pack soak into my hair, I turn off the water so while my showers may be long, the water running time is very short. I try to reuse the same dish and utensils if I'm eating multiple meals at home and I'll often make one-pot meals. I try to buy bamboo or metal over plastic items. I mend my clothes instead of throwing them away and I only buy clothes once a year, if that. Uniqlo has high quality, affordable clothes but I do want to buy more sustainable clothing in the future when I have the means. I've been using the same backpack for 14 years. I also use my computers as long as possible. I've had 4 computers since 2002. My current computer I bought in 2013. I think one thing is I have bought all Nintendo consoles since the Nintendo 64 but I don't have any other consoles so I feel like compared to other people my age, it's on the lower side but definitely more than a minimalist. I buy LED bulbs which last longer and they have the added benefit of not emitting UV so anything that could be color damaged is safe (I learned this is what museums use to keep their paintings safe). I repair what I can. I clean my bathroom and kitchen often and I try to use natural cleaners (sometimes just straight old soap and water works but if it's a more heavy duty job I'll use baking soda which comes in cardboard which is compostable or vinegar which comes in glass and can be recycled). I do a lot of recycling and I clean out containers so that it has a better chance of being recycled. I use containers or cloth bags when I can over ziplock. I try not to use the AC or heater too much but it depends on where I live.

 

[tumut]

I use ecosia as my primary browser on ky phone and computer. Its free and all ad revenue goes to planting trees.

Ecosia - the search engine that plants trees

Ecosia uses the ad revenue from your searches to plant trees where they are needed the most. By searching with Ecosia, you’re not only reforesting our planet, but you’re also empowering the communities around our planting projects to build a better future for themselves. Give it a try!

www.ecosia.org

Ditch Google.

 

[Uffe]

We should all ride bikes or have wagons accessible to get around. I know that's very very old school, but it could be cool. I walk the majority of time, anyway. Where I live, I wish there were more trees around. I'm sure this idea will bother people, but I think cars and trucks should be decommissioned.

 

[joey ^_^]

i don't know how to bike (and it's pretty dangerous to do that in the city i study in huhu) so i take the bus to school most days! tbh it would be cool if we had a train/streetcar system here but Things keep happening here to incentivise the use of private cars stuff so it's just Bad and Not Good for pedestrians at all huhu

i bought a menstrual cup before but i uh couldn't get the hang of it so i got reusable pads instead, which i find pretty comfy and also i have cute ones with lil frogs on them and another one with a rainbow pattern!

there's this eco friendly brand where i'm from called Beach Born and i really like their shampoo and conditioner bars! they make my hair soo soft and they even have ones that are safe for dyed hair! they also have lip balm and skincare products and they work wonders

dunno the details but my dad composts our organic waste as well

don't really plan to shift to bamboo utensils because i already own metal ones and the best way to reduce waste is to use what you already have instead of buying new things

 

[tumut]

We should all ride bikes or have wagons accessible to get around. I know that's very very old school, but it could be cool. I walk the majority of time, anyway. Where I live, I wish there were more trees around. I'm sure this idea will bother people, but I think cars and trucks should be decommissioned.

This is really unrealistic and would basically destroy every aspect of the economy as transportation is necessary for people to have basic needs like food met. People would have very limited access produce and fresh food, especially in cold and desert climates.

A much more realistic solution is beefing up public transportation and making it available not just in urban but rural areas.

 

[LuchaSloth]

I keep a variety of glass bottles that I've cleaned the labels off (usually whiskey bottles with a nice cork), and I always use those for carrying water with me. I have smaller ones for hiking, and larger ones for bringing entire jugs to work. Whenever I buy a drink at a shop, I buy glass bottles or aluminum cans. I used to buy Snapple pretty often (because it was one of the few things that was still in glass)...but, then they went and changed those over to plastic as well. Even had the nerve to advertise "new plastic bottle!" on them, like it's a good thing. Now I tend to buy Joe Tea...which not only comes in a glass bottle, but is locally made in my state and tastes great too. Other than that, I refuse single-use plastics whenever I can. Even if it means jumbling a few items in my arms, or filling my pockets.

In the future, I also plan to stop buying physical games for my Xbox and Playstation. I just don't have the space to keep them all anyway, and the digital deals are usually better. I will keep collecting physical for Switch...because, that's a passion of mine...but, I really don't need to have collections for the others. I always end up looking at my outdated Xbox and PS games, and just saying "meh". So...I don't really need those anyway. It always feels nice to collect those when they're current, but, I never have anything to do with them when they become "last gen". I just don't have that kind of space.

 

[Sharksheep]

We reuse the glass jars from pasta sauces to put in the gross leftover cooking oil in. The smaller jars for dip I reuse for my overnight oats. We stilll get the plastic produce and shopping bags from the store but we use them for the smaller trashcans in our place and as trash bags in general. It's not always practical to move our trashcan with some trash in it when we do cleaning. Also we reuse them until the rip if they aren't used for trashbags.

We got a thermos to put in hot water when we boil too much so we can have it later for the colder months instead of reheating it again later in the day and using more gas. We use waterbottles at home instead of getting another cup for water.