Sustainable Swaps

May 1, 2024

How to Make the Seamless Switch to Sustainable Products

We want you to know your efforts to help our environment are admirable! We’re here to help you make wiping less wasteful by offering our sustainable solution. You score major sustainability points by choosing our 100% bamboo toilet paper!

Perhaps you’re ready to move on to sustainable swaps beyond the bathroom. It can seem overwhelming to adopt a sustainable lifestyle, but there are minor modifications you can make to live in a way that means ensuring a positive future for our planet.

What Does it Mean to be Sustainable?

The UN Commission on Environment and Development has perhaps one of the most commonly cited definitions of sustainability. Their view is that sustainability is the ability to develop for the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

When companies focus on sustainability, they’re working to improve an aspect of our environment, such as reducing chemical use, protecting forests, and improving animal welfare.

Social and economic concerns are also addressed by companies that work to instill a fully sustainable model. Job creation, fair pay, and optimal working conditions all fall into those categories.

Shopping Sustainably

Since products can have a widespread impact on human health and the environment, there are some pretty significant benefits of using eco-friendly products.

Buying sustainable products means:

Less exposure to toxic materials
Reducing air pollution
Reducing water pollution
Impacting climate change
Conserving natural resources
Protecting ecosystems

>Manufacturers have come so far in our production of clean, eco-friendly products. There are options for every facet of your life!

Consider These Swaps

Let the planet live its best life while you still live yours! By switching some items you currently use with more sustainable options, you’ll be part of building a better future for our environment and each other.

Check out this list of 15 sustainable swaps you can make easily; decide which swap you’ll consider today!

Tree-Free T.P.

First up, our favorite! Make the switch from traditional toilet paper to 100% tree-free bamboo toilet paper. Be a part of defeating deforestation by choosing a potty product that doesn’t require the use of our precious forest lands in its manufacturing.

Wiping can be one of our most wasteful habits, albeit necessary. We lose 15 million trees yearly just to the toilet paper industry; they simply get flushed! Can you imagine the impact of getting on board with HeyBamboo?

A Low-Flow Shower Head

While we’re on the subject of bathrooms, let’s talk water waste. Showering can make up a significant portion of your home’s water usage. Water heating for showers also requires energy. The more water that flows through the shower head means more water and energy wasted.

Low-flow shower heads are designed to make use of smaller openings and air to give you the same water pressure as a traditional shower head but with less water and energy usage. It’s a small DIY project that can have a big impact on your water usage.

Composting

Landfills accumulate 139.6 million tons of waste each year. The most significant portion of what ends up there? You may be surprised to hear that it’s food waste. You can cut down on the production of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, in our landfills by creating your own compost heap at home.

Instead of scraping food scraps into the trash where they’ll end up in a landfill, use them to create environmentally safe fertilized soil. Composting is the gift that keeps on giving to your flowerbeds!

Alternative Storage Containers

Glass Mason jars filled with fruits and veggies look adorable in your fridge. Aluminum and tin cans can be upcycled to become fun and functional containers. Baskets and bins made from organic, locally sourced grasses or fabrics are better alternatives to plastic.

Although eco-friendly plastics are in development, with some promising prospects, to up your sustainability factor when trying to store your stuff, eliminate plastic as an option.

A Smart Thermostat

40% of the average home utility bill is comprised of energy used by the heating and cooling system. A smart thermostat assists with that. It’s a switch that’s good for the planet and good for your pockets!

You can program the thermostat to certain temperatures throughout the day so that when you’re away, you don’t heat or cool an unoccupied space. These thermostats can also acclimate to your schedule and will create a heating and cooling pattern on their own based on your movements and prior usage habits. Never waste electricity from your AC again.

LED Lightbulbs

Put another dent in your energy bill and reduce energy and heat emissions by installing LED bulbs around your home. These light sources require 60%-80% less energy while emitting more light and lasting longer.

LED light sources help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for energy. How many sustainable shoppers does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Organic Feminine Products

Like toilet paper, feminine products are another personal necessity that can be extremely wasteful. Thankfully, there are eco-conscious companies out there offering sustainable solutions, we like this brand Red Moon.

Sustainable personal care products are increasing and improving; chances are there’s a sustainable alternative to most of your beauty and hygiene favorites. Put feminine products at the top of your list for a switch.

Reusable Water Bottles

Around 60 million plastic water bottles end up in landfills each year, and it’s disheartening to think of how many end up in our oceans. We appreciate that you’re working to stay hydrated, but you don’t have to do it at the cost of creating enormous waste.

Good news. There’s a water bottle for every style. You want an ombre gallon jug that tells you how much to drink every hour? How about a sleek silver flask with your initials engraved on the side? Any style, any size, and any color, you can find a water bottle to fit!

Reusable Coffee Cups

Just like with your water intake, don’t make your morning cup of joe an environmental hazard. Opt to use your own caffeine container. Some shops offer a reusable cup discount, and you can’t deny the money-saving advantage of brewing at home.

Whether you grab your coffee to-go or go for homemade, make it a reusable cup.

Reusable Straws

Glass, metal, bamboo, take your pick. Reusable straws are a practical solution to eliminating a plastic straw pile up in our landfills. They come in a variety of colors, styles, and designs.

Once you’ve got your reusable water and coffee containers, add a reusable straw and make all your sips sustainable!

Reusable Shopping Bags

It takes a plastic bag 1,000 years to degrade in a landfill. What’s worse is they don’t ever actually break down completely. Instead, they become tiny plastic particles that absorb into the soil, polluting lakes and rivers. Make sure your next grocery haul doesn’t generate a cart full of plastic waste.

Pick up reusable bags at your favorite store, and remember to take them on your shopping excursions. Think creatively and upcycle too! Old tote bags can be given new life as zero-waste grocery-getters.

Thrifting

Reusing or repurposing used items is an extraordinary way to conserve resources. Manufacturing uses valuable non-renewable resources like water and energy. The clothing industry is particularly guilty of harm to our environment.

Could you make some sustainable swaps to your wardrobe? Maybe search for a vintage set of wine glasses. Grab a fun retro piece of furniture to complement your space. You might be surprised at the quality items you can find with bargain prices as a bonus!

Reusable Food Wraps

Ditch the plastic baggies and opt for beeswax reusable food wraps in your lunch box. These things are the perfect sustainable companion for your food.

They wrap easily around and form to any item. Once you’re done, you can rinse and reuse them. It’s possible to put a stop to plastic pollution, and food wraps are a practical way to help.

Bar Soap

Bar soap uses 30% less water to manufacture than liquid soap. Additionally, the packaging is often made of cardboard rather than plastic, like the containers for liquid soap. Consumers also seem to use less of it. Studies show the amount of liquid soap used per wash is six times the amount used from bar soap.

If you can’t let go of your liquid soap, at least consider a refillable glass dispenser. That will cut down on the waste associated with disposable dispensers.

Buy in Bulk

You can really cut down on packaging by buying in bulk, but there are other byproducts of buying bulk that are beneficial too. You’re making fewer trips to the store, which cuts down on pollution, and bulk buying is cost-effective as, usually, the price per unit is significantly less.

With a little tweaking to your shopping list and preparing your space to accommodate the extra goods, you can make your shopping trips for staples more sustainable.