Welcome back to part 3 of my eco-friendly living in our daily life mini-series! Check out part 1 & part 2 for even more ways you can start living with the earth and not just on it! I am still working toward a more eco-friendly lifestyle as I write this. I still use plastic. We can’t do everything, all at once, all the time. So, we are taking small steps toward big change.
Simple sustainability & easy eco-friendly living
Eating in- We RARELY eat out. And I mean rarely. We’ll order a pizza every few months, but it has to be a very special occasion, usually someone being in town visiting, for us to eat out. There are some local diners we’ll go to if we’re feeling crazy, but everything’s closed Sundays, my husband works during the week and going out after dark is a hard no for me since I like the rhythms I’ve created for the kids. If we do, I don’t like to take leftovers. I usually eat all my food there. My husband will sometimes but it depends on if it reheats well. We cook and make as much as possible from scratch. I have some pretty strong food convictions if you can relate!
Walking where we can- We live in the rolling hills of the Palouse prairie. Bikes can happen around here. However, you’d need to live down the hill to get around on one easily. We get a lot of snow too, so biking isn’t the best option with two children in tow. We have a playground, fairgrounds and corner store within a mile radius so I have taken to walking when I can to those destinations. Although, our large grocer is across the river and the library is in town below the grade so it’s a pretty far walk for just me and our wagon.
I’d like to use my car even less in the upcoming year. Also, my husband and father-in-law both have old diesel trucks which do in fact emit less carbon emissions than standard gas-powered cars. Don’t believe me? I didn’t believe my husband either, but here’s a little proof.
Actually RECYCLING properly- Believe it or not, most people don’t recycle properly. Each city, state, even towns have different regulations for recycling. For instance, my town doesn’t recycle glass. I separate cleaned glass into its own bin and drop it off at a specific glass recycling site. Yes, it is a little inconvenient, but if you’ve been reading for a while…I don’t care for convenience most of the day. I wash the recyclable plastic containers that I use. No, you aren’t supposed to just throw the food covered yuck into your recycling container. I collect specific plastics like tortilla bags, certain produce bags, and other ‘flexible plastics‘ to be dropped off at local grocery store plastic bag drop offs.
I am sure there will be a part 4 sometime soon, but this is what our eco-friendly life currently looks like. Is it Pinterest worthy? Would it look pretty in an Instagram story? Does it get me more followers? I say no to all three. Mainly, because I don’t have any social media platforms. Also because I am not here for followers. I’m not in this to make a ton of money. I’m here to share my journey, encourage parents that children and life don’t have to be expensive. We do not need to buy more to waste less. Big picture people. Long term. Foward thinking. All in good spirit!
In gratitude,
Tayler
