by Anika Smith and Daphne Carr
Spring Greening
As you declutter and clean out your dwellings this spring, remember that our world’s environment is more important than just your personal space. Clean up your footprint, your space and yourself with the help of the following tips.
Simple substitution can reduce the amount of garbage you produce immensely. Using cloth instead of a paper towel—don’t be the average 50 rolls a year kind of person. Speaking of average, the average person uses 2.3 grams of liquid soap to wash their hands, on the other hand, the bar soap average is 0.35 grams. Powder to soap and refill options are optimal, always think of the product to package ratio.
Makeup wipes are wrapped in plastic like many of the day-to-day products that we use. Cleansing balms or micellar water are both better beauty influencer-approved makeup removing products.
Making your cleaning products is also a great option. Baking soda is a wonderful versatile cleaner, from teeth to toilets to baking, it never fails. Coconut oil is a popular base for many homemade lotions, creams and scrubs. You could buy bulk castile soap and customize it with things like coffee grounds, honey, bentonite clay, turmeric and more.
If you are making efforts to declutter this spring look for opportunities to donate, upcycle or recycle whatever you can, instead of discarding it. The less in the landfills the better. Clothes and toys are usually accepted at Value Village, and if you have any faulty tech look for opportunities to recycle your e-waste at MSS in May.
Cleaning just enough is sometimes more eco-friendly for the planet than using cleaning brands all the time. Gauge how much you wash your clothes by the amount of activity you do. If more active, wash more; if less active, then wash less.
