This is something I don’t try hard enough to do, to be honest. I grew up with the king of sustainability, my dad. He was and still is a “if it’s yellow let it mellow….kind of guy”. Because we lived on a farm and our water came from a well, which in his mind could run dry at any moment, we grew up with pretty strict sanctions around water usage. He tried to ensure we didn’t waste electricity as well. Growing up I really hated that.
I am not strict on flushing toilets or having lights on, in fact I like all the lights on in the house no matter how sunny it is but I do try and be mindful of a few things. About fifteen years ago my city banned the use of plastic grocery bags. So since then we’ve had to get used to reusable shopping bags. It’s no big deal really, I sometimes still forget to bring them when I go to the store but it just means spending an extra couple of dollars and buying new ones.
It only sucks because those plastic grocery bags were what I used in my bathroom garbage, so boujee I know, and now I have to buy small plastic bags to line my bathroom garbage can.
Of course we recycle, although I could do better at it. I only just recently found out you can’t recycle pizza boxes and was truly embarrassed by that, as I had always tossed them into the recycling bin!
I try to buy shampoo and conditioner in the big one litre bottles, for the most part that’s possible. If there is water left in a glass or reusable water bottle, instead of dumping it in the sink, I’ve started using it to go dump in one of my house plants.
My vehicle is a small suv, not specifically purchased with the environment in mind but more so it’s just the size I need and pretty good on gas. I’ve never been a fan of, or even understood why some people buy those big huge suv’s the size of a small bus. No thanks.
I probably consume too much, shop too much, but I do shop in thrift stores on a regular basis so that negates the over shopping in my mind.
As far as harmful chemicals go, I try and stay away from as many as I can. I refuse to let Clint use any pesticides on our lawn. If it’s ninety five percent dandelions then so be it. I make my own glass/window cleaner with vinegar and I’m cautious about cleaners for the bathroom etc. For the longest time I made my own laundry soap although I’ve fallen off that wagon and unfortunately have gone back to Bounce dryer sheets. I did use the dryer balls for a while but the kids kept losing them and I was annoyed so I started buying Bounce again.
One thing I would like to start doing is composting. A goal for the future.
bloom.planted.north 
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