Over the past years we have made small steps in our daily lives to become more aware of our impact on the planet and try to cut down on waste. Although our time on earth is not permanent, the choices that we make do make a difference to future generations. Whether it is cutting out single use plastic straws, or bringing refillable bottles along instead of using single use cups, every little thing makes a difference. Of course we aren’t perfect and occasionally kick ourselves for forgetting to bring our stainless steel boba straw along, but we are trying our best! Below are some products and changes we have made to our daily lifestyle to lessen our footprint on the planet. We hope it can spark a little change and give you some easy ideas to go green. We would love to hear what things you have done to go green as well!

Reuseable Straws

This is an easy one that has had much media attention here in the Bay Area with the recent straw bans. For stainless steel straws, Sip Cooling Society straws come in a variety of trendy colors and each set comes with a smoothie/boba straw and regular size straw. For stainless steel straws with more variety in sizes, check out Cara. Each straw set comes with four different straws. If you are a straw chewer, you may want to opt for a silicone straw. We love Koffie Straw for it’s unique bend that makes it easy to sip coffee and tea without staining teeth.

Food Cycler Composter

If you’ve ever thought about composting but felt overwhelmed, the Food Cycler is for you. We love this little gadget. It takes kitchen scraps and in an average of 6 hours turns it into compost that you can use in your garden! It doesn’t smell and is quiet as well. We never noticed how much food waste we threw away until we started using this. Although you may think that food scraps would compost themselves in the landfill. However, landfills aren’t properly aerated to decompose scraps properly. Instead they generate Methane, which can hold 25 times more heat than carbon dioxide.

Reuseable Cloths

One of the easiest changes we made in our home was to cut down on single use paper towels and napkins. Instead of paper towels we use  sponge/swedish dish cloths that can save up to 17 rolls of paper towels! They are super absorbent, compostable and reusable–a great way to start the journey in eco friendly living! They can be rinsed or thrown in the washing machine to be reused. Their life span is about 6 months, but they are also 100% decomposable. Ten & Co. and Wet-it! cloths are two brands we’ve tried and loved!

Instead of paper napkins we’ve been using Birdseye Cotton napkins. They are super soft and there are plenty of retailers that sell these. We purchased some from Etsy.

Reuseable Bags

We always like to keep reuseable shopping bags in our purses and in the car. A local favorite brand is Rock Flower Paper. It’s a local brand that offers bags in plenty of colorful patterns and can hold up to 50lbs! Rock Paper Flower also donates 20 cents per bag to Ocean Conservancy for every bag sold. Another brand that we love is Flip & Tumble. Their 24-7 bags easily flip into themselves making a tidy and tight little bundle. They also carry reuseable produce bags so you can skip the plastic ones while buying fruits and veggies.

Wax Wraps

Plastic wrap is something we used to use a lot of. From covering bowls to blocks of cheese, it’s a daily household staple for many. A couple of years ago we converted to wax wraps and can’t believe how much we love them. They are less fussy than plastic wrap, which sometimes doesn’t stick to sides of containers, or easily folds on itself. They are also pre-cut in various sizes so you don’t have to deal with those pesky plastic wrap metal cutting blades. Bees Wrap comes in many stylish patterns and are made with organic cotton, beeswax, organic jojoba oil, and tree resin. Bee’s Wrap is washable, reusable and compostable. If solid colors are more your jam check out Etee. They have the same organic, washable, reusable benefits but have found them to be a bit thicker and stickier feeling to the touch.

Eco Friendly Bedding & Rugs

When it comes to purchasing new products, we try to look for items that are safe, healthy, and non-toxic. Wool is an amazing alternative to mass produced synthetic items. Home of Wool offers an array of wool home products including mattresses, rugs and duvets. Wool is great because it regulates body temperature and keeps you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It reduces exposure to VOCs in your home – wool has no off-gassing and zero VOCs. It also is naturally flame resistant, making it the only material not required, by law, to be treated with flame retardants. Check out Home of Wool next time your home needs an upgrade!

Eco Friendly Outdoor Furniture

Enjoy your outdoor space while feeling good about it. Outer makes beautiful and comfortable outdoor sofas that are made from recycled materials and is fully recyclable. Their one of a kind wicker is made from 99+ recycled plastic bottles- great looking, durable, and eco-friendly!