August 2016 Challenge: Go Without Plastic Straws

August 1, 2016August 15, 2016 / Jackie / 1 Comment

Few items beat the plastic straw in terms of pollution.

With plastic straws, you only use them once and they go immediately in the trash.

Some estimates say that over 500 million straws are used in the US every single day. That’s just the US. I can’t even imagine the numbers if the whole world was included.

I never even recognized this problem until I worked for a glass straw company.

Then, I realized how often plastic straws are used in the day to day world. At every fast food place, many restaurants, schools, sports stadiums… Everywhere.

Rarely are the straws available biodegradable. Instead, the plastic straws just break down over time into smaller plastic that generally ends up in our oceans and waterways.

Along with the plastic pollution from straws, it also requires oil and gas to create these straws in the first place.

Hot straws can cause the plastic to leak certain chemicals into your body as well. This isn’t always the case, but it’s something to keep in mind if you choose to drink something like coffee or tea through a straw every day.

Here are some more reasons that plastic straws shouldn’t be in your life.

What to Do Instead

There are so many alternatives to the cheap, common plastic straw.

There are some biodegradable straws on the market. Although those still require a whole process to create, they’re still a better alternative.

There are so glass, bamboo, and stainless steel straws.

As I mentioned earlier, I worked for a glass straw company and still use my glass straws every single day. I know it seems strange to spend $10+ on a reusable straw, since we have been conditioned to believe they’re cheap/free everywhere we go, but one straw can last years. Most companies also have a return policy if you break them.

It’s a small price to pay for the benefit of making my small, small, small dent of helping the planet.

So, for August try to avoid using a plastic straw all together or better yet, invest in a reusable one.

Feel free to share this with your friends and challenge them to go plastic straw free this month!

Also, subscribe and get easy tips right to your inbox for helping the planet. No spam ever! Just actionable, easy tips.

Do The Best You Can

May 16, 2016 / Jackie / Leave a comment

After my last grocery haul, I got home and realized some of the products were not products I really meant to buy.

Some were from companies I don’t support.
Some were not nearly as “healthy” as the label claims.
Some of these foods have ingredients I always try to avoid.

After being upset and debating walking all the way back to the store to return everything, I took my dog out and thought about it for a second.

Here’s the thing, sometimes we need to just relax.

Yes, it’s important to continue to give money to amazing companies and healthy products.

At the same time, we’re all just trying the best we can.

Some days everything goes well, and some days it doesn’t.

All that matters is that you never give up.

Earth Month 2016 Celebration Ideas

April 22, 2016 / Jackie / Leave a comment

Photo by Christian Joudrey from Unspalsh

Today is Earth Day, and although every day should be Earth Day, this is a good time to go through our lives and see if we’re helping or hindering the environment with our choices.

I know I personally have a lot of things to go continue to adjust, especially as I learn more things about companies and the things they try to sneak under the eye of the public.

While it seems like one person changing their habits won’t have a huge impact, when a lot of people collectively make a lifestyle change, the impact is huge. Don’t underestimate your influence on your friends, family, and community.

Here are some easy solutions this month for small habit changes:

Reducing plastic use

From our food packaging, to our bathroom items, to our childcare products, and everything in-between, plastic is in all of it.

While plastic seemed like a good, cheap alternative in the beginning to other options like glass and wood, it ended up being disastrous for the planet and our health.

Here are 11 more easy options from Treehugger to reduce your daily plastic use: here.

Simply Straws, a glass straw company, is giving away a free straw this month if you pledge against plastic on your social media account.

Cutting down on water use

“According to the U.S. Geological Survey the average person uses between 80-100 gallons of water per day and estimates that 95% of the water we use, goes down the drain (1). So we waste 76-95 gallons per day per person.” Source: Here.

That is an insane amount of water.

Walk or car pool

Living in downtown Denver has made it incredibly easy to walk where I need to go, but it’s interesting how many people I talk to that refuse to walk anywhere even if it’s just a few blocks away.

Grow your own herbs or plants

I have a whole post on this: here.

Spend time in nature

There is a ton of research on the benefits of spending time in nature, and Earth Day is a perfect opportunity to receive all the benefits from being outside.

Only recycle

The average American throws away 4.5 lbs. of trash a day. Try to make today at zero. Only recycle today, or better yet, aim for zero trash at all.

Buy from a farmers market

Items from a farmers market are usually more nutrient dense, but did you also know buying from a farmers market can help the environment?

Donate to a cause that matters to you

There are thousands of organizations across the world that work hard to save the environment. If you have anything to spare, a lot of those organizations could always use your help. Make today the day.

My Favorite Eco Companies and Nonprofits During April 2015

May 5, 2015May 5, 2015 / Jackie / Leave a comment

*Just to note: I am not sponsored by any of these nonprofits. I just really like their goals.

1. Leaping Bunny.

I, personally, feel better when I buy home products not tested on animals. I didn’t even know this was a thing until I was in my 20’s and it is clearly a well-kept secret by most big companies.

If you see their logo on a product, you can rest assured it is cruelty-free. Plus, they have a free guide on their website for all the certified companies that do not test on animals.

The whole site and all their information is free. I’d highly, highly recommend their site.

2. Protect Our Winters.

As a Colorado resident, I love the Rocky Mountains. One of my favorite parts of traveling into the mountains is snowboarding in the winter.

Protecting every inch of snow is an important part to keep the mountains and the towns up there thriving. Protect Our Winters works hard to combine the winter action sports community with the opportunities to protect our winters.

3. 5 Gyres.

5 Gyres worked hard to actually try and put a number to the number of plastic in our oceans. (In case you were wondering, it comes out to about 270,000 metric tons.) They focus on educating consumers as well as corporate and legislative responsibility to try and get everyone working together to solve this massive problem.

Let the World Grow

Little changes for a better world

eco