This post was definitely inspired in part by Jillian Harris. Having said that this is something that I actually did on my own, and I have been trying to find a way to write about it so her post inspired this blog post. This year I had a very big resolution in mind and it’s been one that I have been sort of doing over the years, and thought about for as long as I can remember, but was pretty wishy washy with it until this year where I really committed to it. This resolution was to have a less wasteful life and reduce our families carbon footprint. I wanted to go green and more eco friendly in every aspect that I could. Here are 8 simple changes that I made in order to do this. I hope someone will take some inspiration from this and hopefully decide to make their own changes.

1) No more Saran Wrap. I bought beeswax reusable wraps before Christmas and so far I am loving them. I though they would get gross and be hard to clean but they are very easy to use and to clean after. I bought 2 different kinds on Amazon. The Buzee Organic wraps are my favourite and here is a link to them on Amazon https://www.amazon.ca/Friendly-Reusable-Wraps-Lemongrass-Essential/dp/B07G6VYHDG/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=wax+wraps&qid=1554128405&s=kitchen&sr=1-3. I also use the Etee brand but they aren’t as cute as The Buzee wraps. You can find several different types but these are the 2 I would recommend.

2) I always bring market bags and cloth produce bags when I go grocery shopping. No exceptions. This is a very small and simple change. There’s really no excuse as to why you can’t do this and basically every store out there has bags that you can buy for a very small fee. You can also take your big bag of plastic bags (let’s be real everyone has one of these) and return them to most grocery stores for re use. There is usually a spot near the doors where you can return your plastic bags. The cloth produce bags I again bought on Amazon but i’m sure there is a local maker who makes way nicer and cuter bags. Although every time I shop now I get complimented on those produce bags and asked where I got them. I will link them here https://www.amazon.ca/Yomitek-Reusable-Washable-Drawstrings-Shopping/dp/B07G2117CJ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=produce+bags&qid=1554129047&s=kitchen&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1.

3) I switched to shampoo bars, homemade conditioner and DIY house cleaner with glass bottles. I bought my shampoo bars from Lend Me Some Sugar which I discovered at Third and Bird. Third and Bird is the local market with all local, handmade vendors. There is one coming up in May and I am very excited because they have the best products. Follow Lend Me Some Sugar on Instagram and give them some love because they have really amazing products and just recently switched to 0 plastic packaging. I am surprisingly loving the shampoo bars and I have very long hair and also swim a few times a week. No more plastic bottles for cleaning or hair products. I make sure my makeup and skin products are eco conscious and not tested on animals, and to be honest I am really going to limit my makeup purchases from now on. I get my lashes done so this allows me to do the no makeup look flawlessly, and I literally can go weeks if not months without any makeup. For the kids I use all 0 toxic and eco friendly products as well. I am also currently working on a blog post of my favourite baby and kid brands.

4) I switched to the Diva cup and period panties. NO MORE TAMPONS OR PADS!!! This is honestly life changing and I am currently writing a blog post on my Diva Cup that will be out in the next couple days. I tried and failed at the whole cloth diaper thing and I don’t really want to get into it right now with Ash. Jaxson is potty trained and hopefully Ash will be sooner than Jaxson was now that I know how to do it. Maybe I will cloth diaper with our next baby, but this does make me feel immensely guilty because diapers take like 500 years or something like that to decompose :(

5) I eat vegan or vegetarian basically the majority of the time. I do eat meat and cheese occasionally but I hardly eat meat and I do go back and fourth between vegan and regular cheese. We don’t drink cow’s milk here however and we enjoy a variety of meatless and dairy less options a few times a week. It’s very easy to make little switches in this regard because the meatless options are just so dang good these days. Even the cheese is pretty bang on for real cheese. The boys are basically vegan and they don’t even know the difference because they’re so young. Even by doing it once a week you are making a huge impact. Anyway I read that the dairy industry lost something like 1 billion dollars in 2018, the times are changing folks and people want to do better for our planet.

6) We will be buying myself a more energy efficient SUV and I also limit my driving which is easy in the winter with 2 little ones on while on maternity leave. Come summer time I plan to do most of my shopping around the neighbourhood within a walking distance. But for now a tank of gas will last me at least two weeks if not more because I am doing such little driving.

7) No more fast fashion! I have started shopping at more sustainable clothing companies. This is not perfect yet as the boys are growing so fast so I do buy them teeshirts, jammies and underwear from like Walmart or The Gap. But I am really trying to buy good quality (usually more expensive) clothing and shoes that I will wear forever and will last through both of my boys (and maybe more babies in the future). But that means no Forever 21, Fashion Nova and H&M for myself. I did buy good quality jeans at American Eagle. I have been shopping at more local places in Winnipeg and Canada, small shops, for myself and the boys. Also just shopping less in general which is pretty easy when you’re trying to save money. This also means thinking about the fabrics we are wearing. Are they sustainable? No more wool and no more leather.

8) No more bottled water or wasteful coffee to go cups. The coffee is pretty easy because I don’t really drink it and when I do it’s at the coffee shop up the street where you can bring your own container for them to go and when drinking at the shop they will serve in a mug or glass. The bottled water is not an issue because I have been drinking out of a water bottle for years now so that was nothing to officially commit to. Before I had Asher I bought an amazing insulated stainless steel 32oz Tumbler made by Healthy Human. It comes in a variety of colours and it really helps me stay on track of my water drinking goals. I drink at least 4 of those a day. I will link my tumbler as well https://www.amazon.ca/Healthy-Human-Insulated-Stainless-Cruisers/dp/B0761Z91NK/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=2IIUGDCLYU7NR&keywords=healthy+human+tumbler&qid=1554129936&s=kitchen&sprefix=Healthy+Human%2Ckitchen%2C175&sr=1-1-fkmrnull.

And there we have it! 8 simple and small changes that can make the most difference. If everyone made small changes like this then our planet would be in much better shape than she is now. I am not perfect by any means and slip ups do happen. I also have goals to begin shopping mainly from Bulk Barn for things like flour, sugar, rice, nuts, pasta and spices. Things that come in unnecessary packaging that I can just bring my own containers to pick up from the store. Realistically I would love to live a zero waste life and instill these values in my children but we are still a work in progress.