Staying Sustainable During a Pandemic
Hi Friends!
Given this week is Waste Reduction Week here in Canada, I wanted to talk about ways to stay sustainable during a pandemic.
Honestly, if you have been thinking about making changes to be more sustainable this is the time! With a lot of us still at home, there is no better time than now.
One way I was struggling, especially at the beginning of all of this, is coffee shops are no longer accepting reusable cups. That was one thing I was doing pretty consistently and loved! I mean who doesn’t love a cute reusable mug?!
When they understandably put those rules in place, I really had to think about if those constant latte’s from Starbucks were really worth it.. now every now and again yes absolutely I mean I couldn’t help myself with the Pumpkin Sweet Cream Cold Brew. But as I thought about it more and more, I realized that our environment is a little more important than a daily Starbucks run.
So I became content with my french press coffee in the comfort of my own cute mug! This isn’t to say never go to a coffee shop because they aren’t accepting reusable cups.. but think about a few things before you do:
#1 How often are you doing this? Of course it’s important to treat yourself every once in a while but is it something you want to be doing daily?
#2 Can you make it at home? A lot of us are spending so much time at home, it might be fun to get experimental with a home made morning latte.
#3 Is there a local coffee shop you can go to instead of a chain? Don’t get me wrong, I love a Starbucks, but I have seen a pretty upsetting amount of small businesses close in the past seven months because of all that’s going on, so I am trying to be attentive to where I’m going.
This next bit, I haven’t tried yet but tis’ the season for soups so this is my little push to start!
Save your veggie scraps to make your own veggie broth!
The store bought broths you buy from the store are usually loaded with salt and sugar, and again if you’re at home why not experiment a bit and try to make your own broth!
Every time you cut up veggies for something or some of your veggies are about to go bad, throw them in a baggie, I love these reusable ones, and then stick it in the freezer until you have enough to try and make a broth!
#4 Reuse! I have been reusing glass jars to store pantry items in, not only is it a good way to keep things out of the garbage but it also makes my cupboards look super pretty!
While I grocery shop I try and only buy items in glass jars vs plastic where possible!
#5 Reusable bags. At the beginning of the pandemic, there were a lot of grocery stores that stopped allowing customers to bring in their own bags, I mean for obvious reason. I found a couple months ago that a lot more stores were allowing it again!
If you are unsure, just ask at your local store! If your store still isn’t allowing it, check around and see if there are other stores in the area that might. Or see if you are able to leave your bags in the car until you are checking out, one of my local grocery stores is allowing people to leave their bags at the front of the store/in your car until you are checking out and you just have to pack your bags yourself!
There is never any harm in asking, the worst thing that can happen is they say no. And then at least you tried!
Those are just a few tips to consider. Please remember that we are living through a pandemic, and whatever you are doing is enough!