Small Things You Did Today to Reduce Your Environmental Impact

Yeah it’s a lot easier if you - can make food real time and responsively, OR the bulk cook freezes well (ie ground taco meat), and the venue enables getting it into cool storage in a reasonable amount of time so there isn’t food safety concerns.

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Our last big party we knocked on doors with leftover trays after we set aside what we’d reasonably eat. So several neighbours got a tray of rice with 2-3 quarter chickens and a plate of cake. Better for the environment AND builds community. I feel like a bachelorette location won’t work for that

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We use old paper grocery/gift bags as trash bags and this popped into my head today as one of those Small Things while I was taking out the trash.

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I am re-upholstering a chair for the first time! The alternative would likely have been getting rid of the chair.

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I’ve been using the plastic grocery bags my housemates keep bringing home & not reusing for litter box bags for the kittens

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I am enjoying the side-eye at the housemates here.

Yesterday I did some light cleaning in the kitchen with a CLOTH instead of paper towels. Someone get me a medal

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I love them to pieces, but there’s so much waste in our house :upside_down_face:

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Did not get pork sausage at brunch, despite temptation.

Also lots of walking and taking light rail today. I love that it was the easy and cheap option - who wants to drive downtown?!

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This was yesterday but I only just saw this thread! We used to cover our tables for our toddler art program with disposable plastic but yesterday I put down canvas drop cloths. They are easier to use, too! (The plastic had to be taped.)

When we bought them, the best way to get the size we wanted was to buy 4 x 12, cut them down the middle and serge the ends, which I did. This had the added bonus of using slightly less plastic packaging!

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Oooh bonus points for a single change that will give lasting, effort free benefits! My favorite type of change.

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Picked up a second hand spice rack :fire::fire: Thank you sidewalk free piles.

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Today I picked up my adolescents at the light rail station instead of one of us driving 30 miles each way! Their dad has a new place in a far suburb so this will save lots of time and gas.

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I discontinued my Prime membership and have not bought anything on Amazon in idk how long

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I canceled a trial subscription of an app that uses AI (when I found out it uses AI). for those unfamiliar, AI uses ridiculous amounts of energy to host and run.

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I offered a neighbor the 1/2 bottle of despotting dishwasher stuff I have – that I’m not using any more. I could use it up, but we just live with whatever spots these days, so why? My MIL or anyone else who’d judge me about the spots on my glasses just doesn’t see them, so why bother?

Gone!

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I keep a stash of containers in the car. Last night we went for Indian food and had a ton of leftovers. I got the containers from the car and they were the perfect number for what I needed! I know those places usually do plastic so I’m super happy that we didn’t need any.

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Set up a carpool for kiddo’s soccer and scouts. Joined a carpool for swimming. So many fewer car miles will be taken over the next few months!
Added selfish benefit is I do not need to spend so much time being a chauffeur!

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