Businesses and consumers alike are on a mission to start being more eco-friendly with sustainable products and lifestyles. Protecting the environment is a big focus for the entire world. Global leaders and influencers meet on a regular basis to discuss, brainstorm solutions and lobby for action. The most recent summit was COP26 put on by the United Nations. People can feel overwhelmed by the variety of issues and challenges that all seem to need to be addressed immediately or require massive intervention strategies, however there are simple things that can be done and still make a difference.
How can I personally make eco-friendly changes at home and in my day-to-day life?
There are a lot of ways to reduce your personal contributions to pollution, waste, emissions and over consumption. Most waste companies offer recycling services and this has a significant impact on keeping items out of landfills. Reusable or multi use shopping bags can save over 22,000 bags being consumed each year, and both plastic and paper bags have a detrimental effect on the environment. Water bottles, k-cups & coffee filters are great for minimizing disposable waste; using our 100% biodegradable blu cloths, gorgeous dinner napkins hand loomed by artisans, and popular prints kitchen towels saves paper and reduces pollution. Consolidating trips when running errands, bicycling and using public transportation helps to cut back on emissions and gas consumption which has been an energy conservation focus since the 1970s stated by the NREL. Unplugging small appliances, when not in use, cuts down energy costs and also reduces the risk of fires based on some reports by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Already do some or all of these?
Go even further with more eco-friendly actions
Volunteering locally for park or beach clean-ups, donating to trustworthy organizations, food shopping locally to support sustainable farming, and donating used items to thrift stores, are all simple next steps to making an impact. Websites like Volunteer Match can help you find local opportunities to help out. Farmers markets help support local business and reduce mass transportation costs and emissions impact of large scale grocery distribution. Charity Navigator can help identify the most impactful and frugal organizations, to help you plan on where to give money, as your way of making a difference. Whether you want to donate last season’s clothing style, give away unused furniture, or just make some space by getting rid of unwanted items, find a place that has an easy to access drop-off location so you can combine your trip with other errands.
Ocean Conservancy has an International Clean and Collect event every year, so stay tuned for 2022 dates. They help you find a location on the beach to pick up garbage and recyclables. What a great opportunity this is to partner with friends or others in your community, who are like minded, about doing more to keep pollution out of the ocean. You can create your own team or do a solo clean-up activity, their website walks you through some easy steps to do it safely. Search #InternationalCoastalCleanup on social media to locate an existing group to team up with, and make new connections!
Helping others make an impact by gifting eco-friendly products
The last few years have been crazy wild times with quarantines, vaccines, SIP mandates and so much more preventing travel and gathering. As a result, some people are getting together for the holidays this year for the first time in a long while. This adds so much more joy into the hearts and homes of families across the nation. Of course, seeing people in person means it also adds some names to the year-round gift lists. So, give items that help others make an impact. Reusable, practical, charitable and environmentally conscious items are a great way to say and show that you are committed to making the world a better place and to get someone started on making their own better choices.
At rockflowerpaper, we are committed to creating beautiful products that reflect and benefit our world and its people. In fact, we have an entire blu Collection that benefits the planet and is part of a partnership with Ocean Conservancy (OC) to help keep our oceans clean, fund research, and inspire public action. For every purchase made in the collection, we make a donation to OC. So far, we have donated over $200k!
Check out our blu Collection today for everything you need and for everyone else, too! Our reusable dish covers are flying out of the warehouse as one of our most popular new items. From home and travel to our fashionable apparel products, making an impact has never been so stylish.
