Go a Little GREENER
ou don’t have to be zero-waste to go green. “The goal is to simply start—and then do more,” says Laurie David, co-author of Imagine It!: A Handbook for a Happier Planet, a thought-provoking action guide to turning your good eco-friendly intentions into everyday habits around the house. Here’s how to get started.
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A BETTER WIPE All that toilet paper we use is bad for forests, says David. Many tissue products are made from virgin or old-growth forest (15 billion trees are cut down each year, while only 4 billion are planted), meaning trees in ecologically important forests are being removed for a single-use pro`uct. Davi`’s solution: Check the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Toilet Paper Sustainability Scorecard next time you buy. It ranks brands based on percentage of postconsumer recycle` fiber, among other factors. Kick another wasteful habit: paper towels. One machine-washable Skoy Cloth can absorb 15 times its own weight and is equivalent to 15 rolls of paper towels. $9 for four, containerstore.com
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A BETTER CUP OF COFFEE To make your morning coffee habit greener, bring a reusable mug to the coffee shop, swap K-Cups for reusable pods or replace your paper filters with the CoffeeSock, a washable cotton option made in a variety of styles to suit different brewing methods. One CoffeeSock lasts the equivalent of 500 paper filters—just rinse an` let dry after each use. $13, coffeesock.com
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A BETTER SWAB Don’t send another cotton swab to the lan`fill. LastSwab is a reusable and sustainable alternative that’s easy to clean an` reuse. $12, lastobject.com 4
A BETTER RIDE To reduce your personal carbon footprint, consider biking around town with standard or electric wheels (even eliminating one car ride a day makes a difference). The new battery-operated e-bikes, which have pedal assist and a throttle to help you power up hills and take longer rides, are a great way to run errands with less environmental damage. One we tried: the RadCity Step-Thru Electric Commuter Bike. $1,499, radpowerbikes.com
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A BETTER CLEAN For scrubbing heavy messes, try the Walnut Scouring Pad, which won’t leach microplastic debris down the drain and into our water. And for your suds, the Vegan Dish Block is a concentrate` `ishwashing soap that `oesn’t require a plastic dispenser. $2.75 for four pads, publicgoods.com; $9, notoxlife.com 7
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A BETTER WRAP Replace kitchen plastic wrap with reusable airtight silicone Food Huggers, perfect for saving fruits and veggies. $28 for an eightpiece set, food52.com 7
Using detergent capsules? David suggests fin`ing po`s that aren’t wrapped in plastic, like Public Goo`s’ bio`egradable and fragrancefree Laundry Detergent Pods. Bonus Tip: Always wash in cold water. According to Energy Star, up to 90 percent of energy used goes toward heating your washer’s water. $7 for 24, publicgoods.com
A BETTER WASH