Cleaning Up My Act
It’s 2020! In the spirit of reflection on what felt like one of the longest yet quickest years of my life, I wanted to share some of my triumphs and failures on a big undertaking of mine.
One of my goals for 2019 was to up my green game. Prior to last year, I was your typical Californian: I had swapped single-use plastic water bottles with a Nalgene, replaced shopping bags (paper and plastic) with canvas totes, reduced paper towel and napkin usage by using multi-purpose cloths, and been vigilant with sorting what trash we had for what could be recycled.
But it didn’t feel like enough anymore.
I broke my pursuit down into three categories: reducing overall waste (especially single-use plastics), transitioning our household cleaning products to healthier and more environmentally-friendly products, and replacing my skincare products with clean versions. I’ve always loved nature documentaries (10 years working at IMAX will do that to you!) and have been a proponent of recycling since I was a kid thanks to my parents. But the climate change discussion these last few years has really become unavoidable – summers are hotter, winters are colder, droughts and storms are more intense, …the list goes on.
I listened to a podcast earlier this year on climate change in which Momofuku mastermind David Chang said something akin to “the earth is like a house on fire, and our children are trapped in the attic.” It really resonated with me. I already had my goals laid out but lit a little fire under me.
I am far (FAR) from perfect, but here are some changes I’ve made that aren’t going to move mountains by themselves but will make a difference. I’m also going to be honest about the challenges I’ve come across and my shortcomings. I’ll continue to build on this year after year.
GOAL: Give up single-use plastic straws.
RESULT: Since January 1, 2019, I’m happy to say I have used 4 single-use plastic straws and only because the straw was already put into my cup despite asking not to be given one. For the reusable straws, I went with reusable plastic because they are shared with my toddler, whose tiny teeth I did not want to be chewing incessantly on stainless steel when she was transitioning out of a sippy cup. They’re also clear, so I can see if there’s anything funky that needs to be scrubbed out. In my purse, I keep two small fabric pouches that carry about 4-5 reusable straws each – one for clean straws and one for dirty straws. I made them out of scrap fabric, hair ties, and some spare buttons that came with some old pants. This was probably the easiest of the goals to accomplish. Why didn’t I start doing this sooner?
GOAL: Reduce overall use of non-compostable diapers by transitioning my toddler into cloth diapers.
RESULT: Entering new parenthood was overwhelming, and the idea of cloth diapering my firstborn did not cross my mind at all until she was about a year old. By then, it didn’t seem too daunting given she wouldn’t need a new fresh one every hour or two the way she did as a baby, and the environmental impact of disposables is ultimately far higher than that of cloth. Little did I know there is a TON of information to read through on cloth diapering – from what type of diapers (pockets, all-in-one, pre-folds, and more!), to how to deal with poop (sprayers that attach to your toilet! Diaper liners!), to what kind of detergent to use for what type of washing machine and how much water softener to use and how to store the diapers in between washings and the list goes on and on. By the time I finally did all the research and made my plan to move forward, she was 17 months old and showing an interest in using the potty. Plans pivoted and we started potty training her at 18 months. While I didn’t transition her to cloth, I still met my goal of reducing disposable diapers as she is now down to just 2 disposable diapers a day for sleep! Knowing we would welcome our newest baby in August and already feeling intimidated by the idea of two kids under 2 years old, I decided to use disposable diapers and wipes for her first 7 weeks. Once Kevin went back to work and I had some time to get into a good rhythm of being solo with her, we switched her to cloth diapers. Since I had to launder the diapers anyway, I also made reusable cloth wipes out of flannel to throw in the wet bag until laundry day. We do still use disposables for when we leave the house. I’ve loved using cloth diapers – I can count the number of blowouts she has had in a cloth diaper in the last almost 3 months on one hand. They’ve been great for overnight as well!
GOAL: Reduce single-use food storage (ziplocs, plastic wrap, paper towels, foil, etc).
RESULT: We were using SO many napkins and paper towels in our house at mealtime with a messy toddler. I ended up buying a trial pack of reusable wipes/cloths in various sizes from Marley’s Monsters to try cloth paper towels and napkins. Once I opened the package, I realized I could just make them myself for a fraction of the cost. Some flannel and a quick serging stitch later, our paper towel usage is down to almost nothing. For snacks and sandwiches, using the Tupperware we already had has been the way to go. It isn’t always the most space-saving when we’re on the go, but contents do not get destroyed in my diaper bag or purse. I’ve also tried Re-Zip and Stasher brand baggies, and I don’t love the Re-Zip. Since Stasher is made of silicone, it is a little sturdier and even helps prevent fragile snacks from getting crushed. I also use Stasher for larger freezer meals, but will still use freezer Ziplocs for smaller ones because I can’t get all the air out (which prevents freezer burn) of the Stasher for smaller amounts of food. I reuse single-use freezer baggies where it makes sense (e.g., not for the raw chicken I bought in bulk, but for mini muffins or cubes of baby food). And if I made a sandwich for the road, I used to put it in a paper towel. I’ve since replaced that with beeswax wrap.
Plastic wrap is the one thing I haven’t found a greener substitute for that performs as well. The main thing I use it for is to wrap cut avocados and baked goods that need to be frozen (i.e., my daughter’s mini muffin snacks). Because the beeswax wrap needs body heat to get pliable, I can’t get a good cling on my avocados and muffins without mangling them in the process or leaving a ton of air. I also can’t think of a suitable substitute for plastic wrap when homemade pie/tart/cookie dough needs to be chilled airtight. Beeswax wrap is great for covering a bowl you don’t have a lid for, but you could also just use a plate to do that.
We eat a lot of vegetables in our house and take advantage of the bulk bins, and our stash of those thin clear grocery store produce bags were getting out of control! I discovered reusable cloth produce and bulk bin bags and have loved them. I do still use the plastic version for leafy greens because I found that greens otherwise wilt too quickly in the fabric ones. On those occasions, we turn the plastic ones inside out to dry once we’re done and reuse them as much as possible. The fabric ones we bought have the tare weight right on the tag, so you don’t have to worry about getting charged for the weight of the bag itself. Again – I’m not perfect, but working on improving. I’d love to hear tips or suggestions for any of the issues I haven’t been able to resolve yet.
GOAL: Keep a thermos in my car for buying beverages (i.e., coffee runs).
RESULT: I was only good at this during the cooler months. My go-to coffee thermos has plastic in it (as most do), and I don’t like leaving plastic drinkware in a hot car. In the summer, I tried to remember to bring it with me if there was a chance I may treat myself to a beverage while out, but I failed more often than not.
GOAL: Convert all household cleaning products to green products.
RESULT: I have read a lot about how endocrine disruptors can be found in simple things like household cleaning products and what an issue artificial fragrances are for our bodies. I’ve been making good progress in this category, but our household isn’t completely converted yet. I wouldn’t waste the cleaning products we already had, but I started to replace products with their green(er) counterparts once we ran out. The Environmental Working Group website has been really helpful in navigating the process too. The challenge with this goal is finding something that isn’t harmful BUT still does a good job cleaning.
I switched to Charlie’s Soap for laundry before Mia was born as well as wool dryer balls in lieu of dryer sheets – both of which I love for their results and lack of packaging/waste. I started refilling our foaming handsoaps in the bathrooms with a healthy homemade version using Dr. Bronner’s Castile Soap and essential oils. For the kitchen, I still use liquid dish soap and wanted something stronger than castile. I went with Puracy for the refills since it’s a clean soap and the packaging is in a large bag (less plastic waste!). As for kitchen garbage bags, we are almost through with the Costco size box we bought 3 or so years ago and will replace them with a compostable version.
When it comes to making coffee at home, my preferred method is pour over. I had a Hario ceramic coffee cone for a few years, but replaced it with a stainless steel mesh version so that I don’t have to use paper coffee filters anymore. We also have a coffee maker that has both a pot and Keurig function. When we make a pot of coffee, we use the reusable metal filter that came with our coffee maker. And we use the Keurig reusable filter for an individual cup of coffee when time doesn’t allow for a pour over. We do have a stash of K-Cups too, but we clean out and recycle (they’re are indeed recyclable!) the plastic part of the pod after.
GOAL: Convert skincare to clean products.
RESULT: This also follows the rule of “use what you have and then replenish with a cleaner version”. EWG has been helpful with this as well. I also cut down on cotton balls by using bamboo velour reusable cloth face pads. Some of my favorite clean brands right now are Biossance, Kora Organics, Odacite, The Seaweed Company, Everyone, Supergoop!, Farmacy, and Josie Maran. Not every product from each company is truly clean, so the key is to just read through the ingredients list or run it through a search on EWG.
This endeavor ended up being a huge undertaking and will continue to be a work in progress. I look forward to continuing the work and improving upon it year after year!